The Motown Beat• A medium tempo, between

100-120 beats per minute

• A strong backbeat

• Light timekeeping, usually percussion

• Moderate syncopation

• A bass line in free rhythm

• A dense, multi-layered, heterogeneous texture

Motown Melody

• Riffs– Instrumental riffs tend to be

shorter

• Saturation

Motown Harmony• Our experience with the Blues taught us three useful things

about harmony– We hear harmonies from the bass up

– I, IV and V are the three basic chords of the blues—and of early rock

– The change from one chord to the next creates a rhythm

Motown Instrumentation• A rhythm section

contains three types of instruments– Bass instrument (stand-

up or electric bass)

– Chord instrument (guitar or piano)

– Percussion instrument (drum kit, tambourine, etc.)

Dynamics and Inflection• Dynamics refers to loudness and softness

• Inflection is dynamic variation on a small scale, a stress of one note over another

• Hierarchy

– Vocal lines most prominent

– Bass line and backbeat next loudest

– All other lines in the background

Texture• Texture is the

relationship of different layers of musical activity

• Most commona) Melodyb) A strong backbeatc) Light percussion

Texture• Motown songs

consist more of a set of preferences than a set of prescriptions

• A persistent feature in Motown recordings is call and response

Form• The form of the

song amplifies and reinforces the

verbal message

• Mostly through the alternation of

verse and refrain

Summary of the Motown Sound• Light timekeeping

(percussion and chord instruments)

• Melodic saturation• Moderate syncopation• Rich instrumentation• Hierarchical dynamics• Dense, multilayered

texture• Verse/Refrain forms

that climax at title phrase

Why is Motown So Influential?

• A balance between melody and rhythm

• Multiple points of entry (riffs and hooks)

• A fresh new vocal sound close to mainstream taste

• Instrumentation that appealed to a wide-ranging audience

• Easy to follow forms

• What is Soul music?

• Who are some of its main contributors?

• What are some musical examples?

• How is Soul music a reflection of the late 1950s and early 1960s?

The Sounds of Soul (video)

• Who are the Funk Brothers?

• What is their contribution to Motown?

• Which musician do we establish an allegicance with?  How do the filmakers create this allegiance?  What makes this musician compelling (or not)?

Standing in the Shadow of Motown