Instrumentation VS Texture
deals with dissecting what a song is made of - What physical Instruments / Timbres are contained within the musical Example
Whereas ....
Texture
Is the the final product of that combination of Timbres - The byproduct of mixing together many unique timbres
deals with dissecting what a song is made of - What physical Instruments / Timbres are contained within the musical Example
Whereas ....
Texture
Is the the final product of that combination of Timbres - The byproduct of mixing together many unique timbres
Example
This shirt has a "soft" texture, but is is not made up of "soft" - It is made of Cotton / Polyester threads A Song may have a " Folky" or "Country" Texture, but it Doesn't contain " folk," - It contains Violin, Guitar, Upright Bass, Vocals etc. |
Example
A cookie might taste "Sweet," But not everything in it is sweet - it chocolate/ sugar, but it also has flour, salt, butter ETC. BUT The final product comes out sweet |
Pop-Folk Texture
We wouldn't necessesarliy listen to any of these particular instruments individually - or even in pairs -
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put together in the proper combination, and played in the right style, they Compliment each other
SO....
The Texture, is a result, or byproduct, of the combination of individual Timbres (aka Instrumentation)
This is leads us to a larger concept in music (and really , all art) where many different parts come together to create a unique
Texture with 1 Instrument
Thin Texture - Scarlatti
Bach
String Quartet
Thick Texture - Debussy
Texture / Song Maps
SO.... There are a couple ways to think about texture
SO.... There are a couple ways to think about texture
1. One is the think about the texture at any given moment in a song
(or the overall 'feel' / vibe ) Possible Ways to describe / Judge Timbre :
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2. The other is the think about the overall use of texture throughout the song
(Think of the shape of the 'song map' , and how the artist is strategically using the texture changes throughout the entire song Are there any Common uses / Techniques employed by artists writing songs?
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Texture Listening
- For the following Songs, listen, and keep track of any change in texture you hear.
- A Change in texture is signified by : Addition, Subtraction, or Change in Timbre
- For every time you hear a change in texture, record: (1) a time stamp (2) the number of timbres you hear (3) What kind of Change in texture you heard (4) If possible, name the timbres
Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You
0:00 - 0:08 - Guitar Rhythmic 0:08 - 0:19 - Guitar Rhythm + Keyboard
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Lets see if we can do the same exercise as a class......
0:00 - 0:06 - Guitar Plucks 0:06 - 0:20 - ______________ Cont....... |
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