Examine Electronic Textures

Vocal Activity

Sing Expressively

• Listen to "Silent Space."
• Use the notation shown below to sing along with the chorus lyrics, which begins at 0:45. Then sing them again at 1:04, following along with the vocalist. The high E, heard in the audio file, is your starting pitch.

• If necessary, sing in your falsetto or head voice. Repeat until you are comfortable with the melody.
• Then play your chosen arrangement, singing the lyrics shown above twice during the song, starting at 0:45. Based on the lyrics, choose an emotion that you want your singing to convey. For example, you might sound lost, forlorn, or detached.

  "Silent Space" -- Arrangement 1

  "Silent Space" -- Arrangement 2

  "Silent Space" -- Arrangement 3
  

• If you have written original lyrics for this melody in the Songwriting Activity, sing those as well in an expressive manner that helps tell your story.

Learn Another Vocal Part

• Listen to "Silent Space" again.
• Practice singing along from 0:26 to 0:45 with the vocal part, which consists of long notes that are held out. These notes climb the E natural minor scale in a step-wise manner, starting on the pitch E. The part is sung in two different octaves. Decide which octave suits you best.
• Play your chosen arrangement of the song. Listen for your starting pitch. Without the guide track, sing the part you just learned at 4 measures into the song, when the kick drum and snare drum enter at 0:26.
• You may be challenged by the second and fourth notes of the part. This is because they are both a step away from the root (E) and the fifth (B) of the E minor tonality. The E and B are the pitches that the human ear tends to strongly identify with.
• Experiment with different ways of altering the dynamics. For example, you might start each note softly and then end it loudly.
• Challenge yourself to sing the part in the other octave for as many notes as you can.
• On your worksheet, complete the Performance Activity section.
• Optional: Play your chosen arrangement and perform your song for others.

Advanced Vocal Activities

• Practice singing along with the E natural minor scale.

• When you are comfortable enough with the scale to sing the pitches on your own, play the arrangement of the song that features your chosen electronic textures.

  "Silent Space" -- Arrangement 1

  "Silent Space" -- Arrangement 2

  "Silent Space" -- Arrangement 3
  

• From the beginning of the song until 0:46, improvise vocal parts using long, held-out notes from the E natural minor scale that you connect in a step-wise manner. It will probably be easiest to start and end your improvisation on either the E or B pitch.
• As you listen play your chosen arrangement over and over, gradually incorporate additional rhythms, such as those heard in the bass and drums, and use skips and leaps in addition to step-wise movement.
• When you discover melodic ideas that appeal to you, improvise or write lyrics for them.
• As an additional challenge, create a harmony part to the melody at 0:45.
  

Web Links Extension

Explore more about the evolution of electronic music from its start in the 1920s with the theremin to contemporary synthesizers. After visiting the sites at the Web Links Extension, determine the similarities and differences between the sounds of these early and recent instruments.

You can now choose another Performance Activity.