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AS SET WORKS 2010: VOCAL MUSIC

STUDY 1 CLIFF: YOU CAN GET IT IFYOU REALLY WANT

Classwork Sheet 1

CHARACTERISTICS OF ROCK STEADY

o Like reggae there is a clear backbeat (beats 2 and 4)o Concentration on limited number of chords (mostly I and IV)o Short repeated melodic and rhythmic patternso Lyrics to do with protest (again pre-empting raggae and Bob Marley

especially)

o Music for people to dance too Close harmony Backing Vocalsaccompanying main voice typical of rock-

steadyo High trumpet riffs show influence from Cuba and Mexicoo Tight rhythmic style shows influence from Latin Americao Two guitars have accompanying roles rhythm and harmony together with

electric organ (both) (a sound often used in Jamaican genres).o Bass part forms a 4-note riff(heavy and steady nature gives rock steady its

name) which changes with the harmonyo Snare drum part is played cross stickFurther Research

www.oxfordmusiconline.com;www.allmusic.com;http://www.youtube.com;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxELSzay2lc

WRITTEN WORK

Complete the definitions of the technical terms on the TECHNICAL TERMS

SHEET, and for each write in a detailed reference to the score that illustratesthe term.

http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/http://www.allmusic.com/http://www.allmusic.com/http://www.allmusic.com/http://www.youtube.com/http://www.youtube.com/http://www.youtube.com/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxELSzay2lchttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxELSzay2lchttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxELSzay2lchttp://www.youtube.com/http://www.allmusic.com/http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/

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Jimmy Cliff

(bSomerton, St James, 1948). Cliff is a Jamaican reggae singer who came toKingston at the age of 13 where he established his roots. In 1965 Cliffemigrated to Britain, settling in London. After forming a reasonable successful

band ,he recorded several singles for Island Records, trying to assume a morecosmopolitan soul style. In 1972 Cliff performed the lead role in the film TheHarder they Come(1972), a musical drama set in the Kingston slums thathelped to bring Jamaican reggae to an international audience. His originalcompositions for the film, You can get it if you really want, Sitting in Limboand the title song, established him as one of the leading stars of the reggaemovement.

Cliffs hard, clear, high voice and pop-inflected vocal style, as well as his

Muslim faith, set him apart from the mainstream of Jamaican reggae singerswho came to prominence in the 1970s.

Rock Steady

A style of urban popular music, originating in Jamaica. It was a transitionalmusic between ska and reggae, akin to American rhythm and blues, and witha heavy emphasis on harmony groups and solo vocalists, who also began toexplore social issues in their lyrics. The distinctive horn section of theinfluential ska group, the Skatalites, no longer dominated the local popularmusic sound after they disbanded in 1965. Instead, a line-up of piano, bassand drums established rock steady and ultimately led to reggae in 1968. Inaddition, the frenetic beat of ska had been slowed down for dancing duringthe summer heatwave of 1966, and so provided a chance to penetrate theincreasingly political and socially aware lyrics sung by groups like DesmondDekkerand the Aces, and the Wailers, then including Bob Marley. (SteffensR.,http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com)

Desmond Dekker(1941-2006) Desmond Dekker (Desmond Dacres) was another Jamaican artistpredating Bob Marley who had extraordinary popular hits such as TheIsraeliteson both sides of the Atlantic. The style of that song was an earlyversion of reggae called rock steady.

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