Panos Georgakopoulos April 6, 2019

Berklee College of Music

pgeorgakopoulos@berklee.edu
MP-115
Production Analysis Lab
Prof. Sean McLaughlin

Assignment 10: Listening for Arrangement and Performance

Choose one of the following tracks, and listen using the techniques you've been developing. I recommend
that you listen a first time to record your emotional reactions, with additional listenings to ascertain the
specific questions about the instrumental arrangement.

THE CURE – CLOSE TO ME

Part 1

Complete the following questions/activities:

1. What were your emotional responses to the record?

I felt a mixture of joy, relaxation and triumph when listening to this record. I just closed my eyes shook my
head.

2. Describe the instrumental performances, and what effect they had on your emotional
responses. Be as detailed and thorough as possible, supporting your claims with the
reasoning behind them.

The sounds of the keyboards (vibes, organ, flute) are so nicely played and blended together that it feels like
something dreamy. The steady bass and drums with the upbeat claps make this a song that you want to
dance to, too.

3. What instruments were covering the downbeats, upbeats and subdivisions?

Downbeats: Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Hi-hat, Bass, Keyboard (organ), Keyboard (vibes).

Upbeats: Claps, Bass Drum, Bass, Keyboard (vibes), Keyboard (organ, end of phrase), Breaths.

Subdivisions: Hi-hat, Backing Vocals, Keyboard (flute), Horns.

4. What instruments were sustained?

Keyboard (organ).
 5. List the form for the track you have chosen, and write your detailed observations about the
instrumental arrangement next to each section.

Intro: Nice steady drum beat with syncopated bass, upbeat claps and breaths, keyboard (organ) glues
everything together and keyboard (vibes) plays mellow simple line.

Verse 1: Vocals and backing vocals come in.

Interlude 1: Keyboard (flute) plays simple line with subdivisions.

Verse 2: Vocals and backing vocals come in.

Chorus 1: Keyboard (flute) plays syncopated line.

Interlude 2: Horns come in, trumpet solo.

Verse 3: Vocals and backing vocals come in, horns continue.

Chorus 2: Simple drum fills.

Outro: Horns and vocals solos.

Part 2

1. Make a production timeline, as you did for your midterm assignment.

2. You don't need to include emotional or dynamics line but you must include notes about the
instrumental arrangement in the "arrangement notes" section, distilled from question 5, above.

3. Post your timeline and the answers to the above questions, and comment on your
classmate's posts.

FORM INTRO V1 INT1 V2 C1 INT2 V3 C2 OUTRO

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EALPSED 0:00 0:10 0:20 0:31 0:41 1:02 1:12 1:33 1:54 2:04 2:15 2:36 2:56

TIME

BARS 4 8 8 8 16 8 16 16 8 8 16 16 63

ARR. Drums Bass Keys Keys Vox Keys Vox Keys Horns Trumpet Vox Drum Horns

Claps (Organ) (Vibes) BG Vox (Flute) BG Vox (Flute) Solo Horns Fills &
Breaths Vox Solos