L EISTENING JOURNAL
XAMPLE
Discuss all elements of music: melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, texture, form, and dynamics for
each entry. Each entry should be at least 100 words in length. Use the Listening Analysis
Questions document found in the Listening Journal Resources section. Each LJ should be
organized in the following format:
ENTRY 1
Source (hanging indentation):
Last, First. “Name of Video in Headline Case with Quotation Marks and Not Italicized.” (music
video). Directed by First Last. Full Date. URL.
The Seven Musical Magpies. “Laughing Song.” (music video).
Laughing Song - YouTube
Melody: This song is very rhythmic, and smooth. This song plays the piano for the entire song
and the way they play the piano it makes it very singable. In this song there was mainly 1
melody. When this song was over I was able to remember the way they played the piano. I’m not
used to listening to lyrics this old which made it hard to understand what they were saying but
after listening to it a few times I could remember the lyrics. In this song there was fast leaps
which describes kind of a mix between conjunct and disjunct.
Harmony: This song was a very happy song. Mainly the beat mixed with the lyrics made this
song so happy and pleasant to listen to. The chords in this song seemed like they didn’t last very
long. This harmony is somewhat familiar, I’ve heard songs like this a long time ago when in a
car ride with my grandparents. I probably would not use this kind of harmony. Although this
harmony is very happy and pleasant it is not a harmony that people listen to often now. The more
popular harmony is a fast paced beat like rap songs or a guitar in country music.
Rhythm: I think this song was more of a rhythmic smooth sounding song. I think this because
the beat was smooth and very consistent. A example of a rhythmic active song is no friends in the
industry by drake, and comparing those songs their rhythm is completely different. It remains
constant and consistent throughout the entire song. In many rap songs there are big gaps in the
harmony like no friends in the industry. The rhythm happens during the melody because there is
really only 1 melody and there is rhythm throughout that melody. This rhythm makes me feel
relaxed, calm, and happy.
Texture: The instrument used in this song was the piano along with the voices of the Seven
Musical Magpies. There was just solo playing in this song with the piano along with their voices.
I think the rhythm of the piano along with how they sang the song made this song more
emotional for the listener. With the consistency of the notes played and how they play them it
makes the song relaxed, and happier. I think it would be cool to play the piano like this song
Style/Genre and Musical Period:
Type of composition: (instrument solo, chamber music, symphony, choral,
vocal solo, other)
ANALYSIS
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Melody: This song has a good rhythm to it as well as being singable. The trumpet played the
same notes repeatedly which made this song have a good rhythm. This song played the trumpet
for basically the entire song as well as the violin. This song only had one melody because the
song basically repeated over and over again. Once this song was over, I was able to remember
how the trumpets played and I did remember a decent amount of lyrics to this song. This song
has a conjunct melody because it didn’t have any large leaps during the song.
Example:
Hanson, Andrew. “Never Give Up” (music video). Directed by Patrick Keene. October 2, 2011.
Include the URL of your source here.
Clark, Helen. “Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag”. 1915.
Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag - British Soldier Song - YouTube
does. I think this because I like how it sounds with the rhythm and all the notes played. It had
more of a monophonic texture to this song because the instruments were playing the same notes.
Timbre: This is a very smooth, rhythmic, relaxing song. The reason this song is very smooth,
rhythmic, and relaxing is because of the way they play the piano and matching that with good
lyrics and good voices. This song has a monophonic texture to it meaning it’s got the notes
playing repeatedly. With that the beat can get stuck in your head with how well they play it. They
also match the piano with great lyrics and voices. Now if this song was produced today it would
be better because you could understand them better but this song is still great.
Form: In this song there was 2 sections that I noticed. There was a section of solo singing which
repeated later in the song, and there was a section of that same guy singing with a few more
people singing along with him. This song has an ABA pattern which means the 1st section repeats
after a new section begins. This song has an ABA pattern which is also known as a ternary form.
This is because the 1st and 3rd sections are very similar with the 2nd being different. In this case
the different section is with the people singing behind the initial guy singing.
Dynamics: There wasn’t many differences between loud and soft portions because this song
doesn’t change the loudness during it. I think the loudest portion of this song was the person
laughing towards the end which also makes this song happier.I would consider this song as
mezzo-piano because it was a soft song with the beat being the loudest part of the song. Yes I do
believe dynamics played a factor in the emotion level in this song. This is a very calm song
because the song is soft. With the beat and the lyrics of this song being soft and joyful this song
also makes people happier when listening.
E 2
Style/Genre and Musical Period:
Type of composition: (instrument solo, chamber music, symphony, choral,
vocal solo, other)
ANALYSIS
NTRY
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Harmony: This song was a pretty happy song, but it’s also a song that tries to get people to not
show their emotions when they were going into war. This song was made right before World War 1
which was probably a sad time for a good amount of these soldiers. In this song the chords
seemed to change pretty frequently. This is a harmony that is unfamiliar to me because songs
today don’t have a harmony like this one. I would not choose to compose this kind of harmony in
one of my songs. This is because songs today have a completely different harmony and a song
with this kind of harmony probably wouldn’t do to well.
Rhythm: This is a rhythmic smooth sounding piece because it plays the same notes repeatedly. A
rhythmic active sounding piece would be No Friends in the Industry by Drake where the song
changes notes frequently. Yes, it remains consistent because the song doesn’t really change the
notes during the song. The rhythm happens throughout the entire song because the songs notes
don’t really change. The rhythm of this song makes me feel determined. I think when this song
came out, it made the people that know when it came out determined. With World War 1 around
the corner people needed to feel ready for war, and that still has the same effect today with the
rhythm.
Texture: This song was sang by Helen Clark, and the instruments that were used during the was
the trumpet and the violin at some points during the song. There was passages of solo playing and
singing during this song, the families of instruments were not used. I think the lyrics saying put
your problems in a tool kit and smile, kind of sets a tough guy tone to the song. The rhythm of the
song also made people feel ready and determined. I think it would be cool to play the trumpet like
they do in this song. I don’t play the trumpet and I think it would be cool to play that instrument
that well.
Timbre: This is a very strong song. This song also makes you feel determined. This was because of
the time period of when this song came out. This song came out right around World War 1 and was
meant to be directed to the British soldiers. This songs lyrics state “pack all your problems
in your tool kit bag and smile, smile, smile.” This song to me sounds like if you were a soldier
during that time if you want to live you need to get rid of all your problems, have complete focus
on the task at hand, and smile while doing it.
Form: This song had a couple different sections to it. One of these sections is a louder section with
instruments like the trumpet and violin, and the other is a quieter with vocals of the people singing
the song. These sections went on throughout the entire song, with the beat going from beginning
to end and the vocals going from beginning to end. I think this song has a strophic form which is
also known as AAAA. I think this has a strophic form to it because the song has a repetition of a
verse or verses and it repeated multiple times.
Dynamics: There wasn’t too many differences in the loud and soft portions. The only thing I can
say about the difference is the louder portion is with the instruments and the quieter portion is
with the vocals during the song. This song was not very quiet or loud, it had a very medium tone to
the song. I would consider this song as Mezzo-forte on the Italian dynamics marking which
basically means it’s a loud song. I think this song needs dynamics to make it good. The louder
portions can make the person/soldier more determined and focused on the task at hand.
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