Page 102 - Knowledge Organiser Yr9 24-25

Knowledge Base: Music UNIT 1: Caribbean Music Year 9 | Autumn Term
Year 9 focuses on stylistic conventions.
5. Caribbean music styles
5.1
Reggae
Developed from mento, ska and rocksteady.
5.2
mento
Acoustic instruments, 1940s-1950s, folk dance style.
5.3
ska
Fast tempo, dance style, 1950s, fusion of mento & R'n'B.
5.4
rocksteady
Steady, straight rhythms, vocal dance style.
5.5
unison
When a group of singers sing at the same pitch.
8. Reggae
8.1
What religious movement is Reggae closely associated with?
Reggae is closely associated with Rastafarianism
(a religious movement worshipping Haile Selassie as the Messiah and that black people are the chosen people and will eventually return to their African homeland).
8.2
What are Reggae lyrics often about?
The lyrics of Reggae songs are strongly influenced by Rastafarianism and are often political. They may include themes such as love, brotherhood, peace, poverty, anti-racism, optimism and freedom.
8.3
Which artist is considered one of the main pioneers of Reggae?
Bob Marley; his musical career was marked by fusing elements of reggae, ska, and rocksteady, as well as his distinctive vocal and songwriting style.
6. Reggae – musical features & stylistic conventions
6.1
Offbeat rhythm & chords- "skank" and "bubble" rhythms.
6.2
Sung lyrics, often accompanied with backing singers in harmony.
6.3
Slow, relaxed tempo, with rhythmic emphasis on beats 2 and 4.
6.4
4/4 Metre (4 beats in the bar).
6.5
Use of primary triads – chords I, IV & V (tonic, subdominant and dominant).
6.6
Heavy, prominent bass lines that play bass riffs.
7. Caribbean Music – key vocabulary
7.1
riff
A repeated bass pattern.
7.2
metre
Number of beats in the bar.
7.3
rim shot
Hitting the edge of a snare drum.
7.4
backbeat
Emphasis of the 2nd and 4th beats of the bar.
7.5
syncopation
A rhythm in which strong notes are not on the main beat.
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