1. Choose one musical examples from this lecture. Listen to it THREE times. Each time listen to one of the following sound sources (instruments and voices): a) bass, b) percussion (drums and other mallet/stick instruments), c) guitar, d) synthesizer or e) voice (consider the voice as an instrument). (So the first time you listen, it might be to the percussion, the next time to the bass and the last time to the voice, for example.) For each listen (and therefore each of three sound sources) listen for the following:
– What does it sound like? Does the sound change throughout the piece? Describing the sound, also called timbre, is often difficult. Be creative with your adjectives, but also think about what might communicate the “sound” to someone else. For example, one of the adjectives that Dr. McDonald uses for Geddy Lee’s vocals is “shrieking.” Are they shrieking through the whole song?
– What does it do? Is it playing a singable melody? Is it keeping time, and how do you know? Is it playing long, held notes? Is it high, low, quick, slow? Does what it does change throughout the piece?
– How do you hear it in relation to the other sound sources? Is it low in the mix/in the background or high in the mix/in the foreground? Is it in the lower range of the sound sources, medium or high? Does it seem to work with another instrument? How? Are they playing the same melody or rhythm? Are they passing a melody or a rhythm back and forth?
2. Part of this week’s lecture is about the relationship between Rush (their songs and lyrics) and the city (in some cases, specifically Toronto). Discuss TWO examples of how Rush’s relationship to the city (either Toronto, or some other city, or the idea of the city in opposition to suburbia or small towns) is explored or expressed through their music.
3. Choose ONE idea from the lecture that you find to be complex or difficult to understand. Explain the idea in your own words as if you are explaining it to a friend who is not in the course.
