Starter activityListen to the piece of music and then answer the

questions based on it.

1. What genre of music do you think this is?2. Give a reason for your answer. (tip: think about what

you can hear in the music)3. Name 2 instruments you can hear in the piece?4. Name 1 type of music which is sampled in this piece.5. What do you think the tempo is: 68BPM, 98BPM,

128BPM?6. Do you know who composed this piece?

Discuss

Answers1. What genre of music do you think this is?Electronica/ dance music2. Give a reason for your answer. (tip: think about what

you can hear in the music)Use of electronic instruments, samples, loops,

synthesizer3. Name 2 instruments you can hear in the piece?Synthesized strings, keyboard, sub bass (lower than a

bass guitar), drum machine4. Name 1 type of music which is sampled in this piece.Gospel (choir), hip-hop (drumbeat)5. What do you think the tempo is: 68BPM, 98BPM,

128BPM?6. Do you know who composed this piece?Moby

MobyWhy does my heart feel so

bad?

Area of Study 3

Learning Objectives

•To explore the origins of dance music

•To understand how the set work ‘Why does my heart feel so bad?’ is constructed through an analysis of the music

•To learn the key terminology used in club dance music

Club Dance Music

• Club dance music refers to the electronic music typically played in nightclubs.

• Its origins are in the 1970s, when club owners started to hire DJ’s to play records, instead of using live bands for entertainment.

• In the mid-1970s, disco (the first real type of club dance music) became hugely popular. As technology has become more and more sophisticated and accessible, many sub-genres of club dance music have since developed.

• A few key features common to most club dance music are:

-A 4/4 metre and a steady tempo-A prominent use of electronic sounds-A strong beat, emphasised by the drums and bass-Short phrases and repetitive, looped sections.

Remember to follow on your notes and to fill in the keywords on each slide

Progression of dance music

Moby- Play (1998)• Moby (real name is Richard Melville Hall) is an American

dance musician, born in 1965. • He composes music for films as well as dance music. • Music influenced by whole range of styles-

Blues/Classical/Gospel/Punk etc• Moby also plays guitar, drums and keyboard, and

performs on a regular basis. • He started to achieve chart success in the early 1990s. • His sixth album, Play, is his most successful so far and

has sold over nine million copies.• He has worked with a range of artists including The

Prodigy, Orbital and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Michael Jackson, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Britney Spears

• His songs have been used in films such as: Tomorrow never dies, Black Hawk Down, Bourne Identity.

Structure- Why does my heart feel so bad? (from Play)

• This piece has a very simple structure based around three-chord sequences arranged in eight-bar blocks.

• Moby develops the texture of the piece around these chord sequences, changing the amount of instruments playing, the rhythms and the effects used.

Structure- Why does my heart feel so bad?

Chord sequence 1- Verse: ‘Why does my heart feel so bad?’

Bar 1 Bar 2 Bar 3 Bar 4 Bar 5 Bar 6 Bar 7 Bar 8

Am Am Em Em Gm Gm D D

Chord sequence 2- Chorus (first half): ‘These open doors’

Bar 1 Bar 2 Bar 3 Bar 4 Bar 5 Bar 6 Bar 7 Bar 8

C C Am Am C C Am Am

Chord sequence 3- Chorus (second half): ‘These open doors’

Bar 1 Bar 2 Bar 3 Bar 4 Bar 5 Bar 6 Bar 7 Bar 8

F F C C F F C C

Song Structure

Section Bar Numbers

Intro 1-8

Verse 1 9-40

Chorus 41-48

Verse 2 57-72

Break 73

Chorus 74-97

Outro 98-105

Quick fire questions

1.What are the origins of dance music?2.Describe the features of club dance music3.Can you recall a few facts about Moby?4.Describe the structure of Why does my

heart feel so bad?5.How many chord sequences are there in

the piece?6.How does Moby create interest in the

piece?

Moby’s use of technology

• Moby used the following equipment to produce this track:

• Synthesisers - to produce the string, bass and piano sounds

• Sampler - used for the vocal samples, as well as the breakbeat rhythm on the drum track

• Drum machine - to create the drum track• Sequencer - to trigger the sampler and

synthesisers.

Melody• This song is based on two samples taken from a

recording made in 1953 of a gospel choir, singing an American gospel song called King Jesus Will Roll All Burdens Away.

• The first sample (A) is sung by a male singer and is used for the verses.

• The second sample (B) is sung by a female singer and is used in the chorus.

• Both samples have been manipulated to change the meaning of the words.

• They have a 'vintage' feel because Moby hasn't cleaned up the surface noise on the recording (the crackles produced when a worn vinyl record is played).

• These samples are looped to create the melody, which as a result is simple and repetitive.

Effects used in the pieceVarious effects have been applied to the music, for

example:• Panning is used to place sounds in the stereo field (e.g.

panning on the piano introduction creates a sense of movement from left to right and back).

• There are 'electronic ghostings' on the male vocal sample when it first comes in- these are remnants of the backing singers in the original sample.

• Reverb and delay are used throughout the track- the reflection of sound off surfaces to give the impression of space. (you can hear the effects of these in the one-bar breakdown) .

• In the second verse, echoes of the voice are created through delay.

• Uses sub-bass which has a frequency too low for us humans to hear but provides vibrations onto the dance floor so there is an emphasis on the beat so it is easy to dance to.

• The echoes have been processed with EQ to remove the lower frequencies, sounding a bit like listening to a voice on the telephone.

1. When was the track released? (a) 1974 (b) 1982 (c) 1990 (d) 19992. What is the name of the album from which this song is taken?3. This track makes extensive use of samples and loops. What is

asample and what is a loop?4. The vocal samples are taken from gospel music of the 1950s.How can you tell that they are from an old recording?5. Describe two ways in which the texture of the song is varied.6. Name three types of digital effects used on this track.7. List three characteristic features of club dance music.8. What is the form of this song?9. Which of the following is a chord sequence used in this song?(a) Am, Em, G, D (b) Am, C, Em, D (c) Em, G, C, D

Test yourself

Consolidate – SELF ASSESSMENT

KEY WORDS – Intro, Verse, Chorus, Outro, Synthesizer, loop, sample, sustained note, delay, echo

I can describe various details about

Moby’s life

I can describe technological devices

used in the piece

I can recognise the instruments used

I can identify the main features used in

Why does my hear feel so bad?