An analysis

of

By: Joel Fontana

What you’ll be learning

• Who’s Muse?

• What did they do?

• How are they doing it?

• Who are they influenced by?

Matt Bellamy:Lead vocalsLead guitarLead piano

Dominic Howard:Lead drummer

Chris Wolstenholme:Bass playerBackup vocals

About...

• Muse formed in 1994 in Devon, England

• Had six main albums released

• Mainstream success in much of Europe since 2003

• Mainstream stateside success after 2007

• One of the most successful “rock” acts in the U.S.

• Featured in Twilight series, Guitar Hero, World War Z, Need For Speed, etc.

• Many platinum and gold records in Europe, Australia, and U.S.

Genre?

• They are first and foremost a rock band

• However, their music does not have a singular unified style

• Many genres are incorporated into their sound (Blues, funk, new wave, grunge, electronica, rock, metal, punk, etc.)

• If you want to be picky, you could also say they’re alternative rock

Playing style-Virtuosity vs. Power

-Riffs and licks opposed to power chords.

-Fuller, cleaner, complex sound.

-If their music was a cheese, it would be shredded cheese.

-Power chords used sparingly

-Only used to emphasize emotion, triumph, or powerful sections of a song

-Non-traditional solos

-Weren’t necessarily long or complex, 30 seconds at MOST.

-Inspired by a “space rock” sound

-Looming, futuristic sound. Guitar effects were used liberally.

This is a riff

Discography

Knights of Cydonia

Starlight

Supermassive Black Hole

Uprising

I Belong To You

Undisclosed Desires

Neutron Star Collision

MadnessPanic StationUnsustainable

Survival

Popular songs

Showbiz

Origins of Symmetry

Absolution

Black Holes and Revelation

s

Resistance The 2nd Law

Popularity trend based on generalized critic reviews and awards received (NME, Metacritic, Amazon, BBC, etc.)

Experimental phase. “Chunky/Choppy”Aggressive. Punky. Classical. Reminiscent of Grunge era.

Riff oriented.Heavier tones.More piano accompaniments. Cleaner guitar.Liberal with rock guitar licks

Symphonic rock. More explosive, and fantastic. More orchestral.

Soft rock/Alt rock, but heavier still on classical influences.

More experimentation with electronic music and modern alt rock influences. Less emphasis on classical influences.

Classical influences still present, though mostly now electronic and soft rock based.

Evolution of their sound

Showbiz

Origins of Symmetry

Absolution

Black Holes and Revelation

s

Resistance

The 2nd Law

Influences

Classical

• Frederic Chopin

• Sergei Rachmaninov

• Hector Berlioz

• Franz Liszt

Modern • Queen• AC/DC• Franz Ferdinand• Foo Fighters• Metallica• Nirvana• Red Hot Chili Peppers• Radiohead• Phil Collins• Depeche Mode• Skrillex (Electronica bits)• Deftones• Smashing Pumpkins• Green Day• U2

Classical and rock influences ?

Many of frontman Matt Bellamy’s songs are based and influenced by many Romantic era pianists and musicians like Chopin, Liszt, and Rachmaninov.

With some songs he even outright copies them.

As a whole, the sheer orchestral nature of his music coincides with the vigorous energy, passion, and excitement of the music of romantic era piano players.

This translates into the energetic guitar licks and riffs, layered and saturatedmusic structure, and the operatic nature of performance that Muse is famous for today.

Other notable musical influences

Bass groove. High emphasis on bass.

Funk Rock influences.

Booming voice.Pop guitars.

Jagged musical structure.

Fast, aggressive chord changes. Fast,

aggressive drum beats. Reminiscent of punk.

Piano ballad. Tells a colorful narrative. Freddie Mercury’s trademark choral lyrical

backdrops. Triumphant guitars playing alongside a chugging, marching piano

rhythm.

Fun Facts

● They wrote their first and second albums almost entirely under the influence of ‘shrooms.

● They were a driving force behind the comeback of the modern day guitar solo after the grunge era of the ‘90’s.

● Their song, “Survival”, was the official song of the 2012 olympics.

● Matt Bellamy’s vocal type is “Dramatic Tenor”, a high, robust, ringing, triumphant tenor.

● All members of Muse have received Honorary Doctorates Degree of Arts from the University of Plymouth in Devon, England.

● For all intents and purposes, they are all doctors.

We hope our presentation

A Dyou.

Sources

• http://www.nme.com/reviews/artist/muse

• http://www.metacritic.com/music/the-2nd-law/muse

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/9c9f1380-2516-4fc9-a3e6-f9f61941d090

• http://www.musewiki.org/Influences

• http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/guitar_gurus/matt_bellamy_of_muse.html

• http://www.nme.com/news/muse/40081