ANALYSIS OF A PIECE
In Task 2, I must produce one compositional analysis or a recording or performance of a piece of music. This analysis must include the following.
• Details of the harmony involved expressed in chord names.
• The key centres that are used .
• The Instrumentation.
• The rhythmic details of the individual parts.
For this task, I am going to be analysing the song ‘Ship To Wreck’ by Florence and the Machine which comes under the genre rock, pop. Here it is below:
The song is in the key of A Minor and is played at 140bpm.
A Minor key = A, B, C, D, E ,F ,G
Time Signature: 4/4
There is an intro, two verses, three pre-choruses, three choruses and a bridge, making the song last for three minutes and fifty-five seconds. The instruments involved are piano, vocals, guitar, drums and bass and a glockenspiel.
Guitar and Piano Chords: Tuning for guitar = E A D G B E
Chords involved – Am, F, Dm, C, G
Am chord involves the notes – A, C and E.
F chord involves the notes – F, A and C.
Dm chord involves the notes – D, F and A.
C chord involves the notes – C, E and G.
G chord involves the notes – G, B and D. (A major triad)
STRUCTURE OF SONG:
INTRO: Am, F, Dm, Am (x2)
VERSE 1: Am, F, Dm, Am (x4)
PRE-CHORUS: C, Dm, Am, F (x4)
CHORUS: Am, F, Dm, Am, Am, F, Dm, Am
VERSE 2: Am, F, Dm, Am (x4)
CHORUS: Am, F, Dm, Am, Am, F, Dm, Am
BRIDGE: F, G. Am, F, F, G, Am
CHORUS: Am, F, Dm, Am, Am, F, Dm, Am
For the drums:
This is the only decent cover I could find of the song on YouTube, and I really liked it. It gave off a great energy and i wish I could play like this someday.
The intro starts off with a 16th note groove giving it a dance vibe, making you excited and it always gets everyone in a good mood! It also uses the same groove in the choruses. The verse uses a simple straight groove and it makes it plain, however it suits the song very well. The snare is quite loud in the chorus, and it gives off a nice effect whereas the high-hats are quiet and although the bass drum is there, its not too obvious. I like this, as the kick is used as the rhythm placement so everyone is able to keep in time, and all the instruments play around the beat. The snare sound stands out though, it is loud and can be heard, which reflects well on Florence’s song as her song is quite angry when you think about the lyrics. In the pre-chorus, a ride cymbal is often used to change the song up a bit, however I only found that a few covers used it. In my opinion, the groove sets the mood of the song and I think Florence + The Machine have expressed the mood well.
Overall I love this song, I have enjoyed analysing it and found it interesting. The reason behind choosing it was because it is one of my mums favourite songs and it brings back many a good memory. I had also never looked into this before, or any of this bands songs, and I will now be doing more research into their songs as I like how they are structured and also, the chord progressions that they use.
Fran Adams Drums 