Structure
Unfortunately there is not a lot I can tell you here.
What you MUST do:
- Identify the different sections, describe the musical features of the sections and name the overall structure.
- Identify the different sections using names (verse, chorus) if Popular Song Structure or letters (A B A1) if an instrumental or ‘Classical’ piece.
- Name the overall structure. Structure questions should have an identifiable structure otherwise they would not be used. Make sure you know the names of your different structures.
- Listen for MICRO features/structures. There may be a section A. Section A might use 2 different melodies. You may hear melody 1 then melody 2 then melody 1 again. This means that the melodies in section A have a ternary structure.
- Listen for little features of each section. It is all well and good to hear the big changes like texture or dynamics but listen for ostinati, riffs, rhythm patterns, scales, repeated intervals, a pattern of tone colours etc…
- STRUCTURE IS AN ALL CONCEPTS QUESTION IN DISGUISE. You should discuss, in detail, the musical features of each section. Make sure you make relevant observations about each concept. Remember the exam is your chance to show off. Don’t spend the whole time discussing the song in relation to dynamics and tone colour, that is something that someone who does not need to be named would do! J Listen for GOOD musical features: syncopation, chord progressions (12 Bar Blues), time signatures, tonality, dissonance, scales, sequences, expressive techniques, polyphonic texture etc…