YEAR 10 MUSIC CURRICULUM LEVEL 5 INVESTIGATING MUSICAL ELEMENTS AND FEATURES OF THE CHECKS GUITAR RIFFS, REPETITION, THE

BACK BEAT, CALL AND RESPONSE COMPARING SOME OF THE CHECKS INFLUENCES WITH THEIR MUSIC CONTEMPLATING WAYS IN WHICH MUSIC REFLECTS LIFE, SOCIETY AND CULTURE. Interview with Sven Pettersen, Lead Guitarist from The Checks. Who are some of the musicians/albums that most influenced your early playing? How did you come across these musicians? Wes, Chet Baker, Peter green (Fleetwood Mac), Angus Young (AC/DC), Eric Clapton, etc etc First album was influenced by stuff grown up with was a blues record made in bedroom at home high school practice rooms only listening to peter green, rolling stones, and The Beatles Really started listening to different music in EnglandWe were pigeonholed as only listening to 60s musicHip hop was way out of 60s music- listening to around age 14 Black star, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Friend Ollie was showing this music to us, his brother was hiphop DJ First musical influences were from parents, growing up and rock and blues, the music of the parents day. They were not inundated with 8000 types of new media.much less selection so each album had more influence music had higher value, didnt come out as much and was a major route to outside world (especially being in south Africa or outer colonies, where you arent located near the source of music) Jazz influence from neighbour What attracts you to new music that you hear, are there certain elements/features and aesthetics of music that usually catch your ear first? Im a sucker for a real good riff... Now hip-hop is writing better riffs that rock. Attractive melody. Simple sparse production, Jack whites new stuff and Chet Bakers music, Miles Davis. What age were you when you first started writing music? I wrote my first song age 11, always writing riffs because I was better at that than learning other peoples music, always wrote bluesy. I was trying to replicate what I was listening to. Once in The Checks circumstances changed quickly The Creek was picked up by the radio, all sorts of gigs were offered but we had no music to play, we were forced to write.

Do those aesthetics play a major role in your composing? How has that aesthetic changed as your style has developed? You are what you eat. Big difference between liking music and being inspired by it there is a certain aesthetic that will inspire What is the role of music in society how have you learned about life/society and culture through music? Music is the most popular and accessible form of art.., its the most accessible form of communication, more effective than TV etc most intense its stimulating on many levels it dictates the way you live what you listen to on the bus is different from in a club, or at home it (music) is like a room that you live in, it puts everything into context it gives context to a situation If you go to a party without music it feels weird. Without music it gives another vibe which is just as important. Where does creativity come from? Good creations just appear, before you know it you are just playing. If you play all the time, you will get many more inspirations, great musicians always keep an instrument closeED: havent learnt from own music but from other people you can take a lot more. From Hiphop the idea of ambition and organization has been very powerful listening to it makes me get my shit together. Just admire it. The overall sound is very authorative, Elvis, Paul Simon, not so much childhood interest - .. sven had band that played for assembly - and ed put new band together with people from the choir Jay Z, Ghostface Killer, ON aesthetics - the music in lost in translation has stuck with ed Kevin Sheilds made the sound track. Distadn slow meandering dark and sad, but content CHECKS WHAT YOU HEARD A look at Melody Riff based writing and promoting a feeling through music What you heard is one of the first tracks The Checks officially released. It is melodically simple and extremely catchy, a single guitar riff drives the rhythm of the track. The vocal melody is a great example of call and response. Ed the singer) repeats every line twice, the first is a call with a descending melody; the second is a response with an ascending melody. Ed was in shower and heard vocal melody, they put that together the lyrics came from listening to Oh no by Pharoah Monche, Mos Def and Nat Dog - Im intellectual pass more essays than motorcade police parade through East LA from album Lyricist Lounge What you Heard Lyrics:

Feel Like a motor police parade - (I feel great, energized, feel powerful) Sitting slim (young a skinny) in the summer shade, - (Young enjoying life ) Warm tooth in a bloody cage (the consequence of the arrogance from previous lines) Small shark in a muddy bay (cant see whats in the water the shark represents hidden power, the power of youth) Drunk Mans word is What you heard. What does this song tell you about things going on in The Checks lives at the time? What feeling do you get from What You Heard? ANUGUS YOUNG, ACDC BIG GUNS Born in Scotland, 1955. Moved to Australia in 1963, Lead guitarist and cofounder of AC/DC. Youngest of 8 siblings, Young was ranked 96th on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". He is known for stage antics the Spasm, which originated in a small Australian club where he tripped on a lead and pretended to have a seizure on stage while still playing to cover it up he often would jump onto the shoulders of other band members and run back and forth across the stage. His stage uniform is his old school uniform, which is ironic since he despised school. How does his school uniform put context give a context to the band? Does it give a clue as to wear they are from?

SEVEN NATION ARMY, THE WHITE STRIPES - Reinforcing Repetition Jack White (born John Anthony Gillis) born in Detroit, Michigan, July 1975. He grew up in the lower middle class, both parents worked for the church which lead to early musical experiences as an alter boy. He Listened to Blues, Electronica and Hiphop as he was growing up. He learned drums and guitar at a young age and would record Covers with friends on an old four-track tape machine. He formed the White Stripes with Meg White (his wife at the time) in 1997 and was Ranked #17 on Rolling Stones list The 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Jack Whites Guitar playing style and minimalist compositions had a profound effect on Sven. Released on the album Elephant in 2003 Seven Nation Army Elephant appeared when The Checks were composing their first major tracks and developing a sound.

What are two major features of Seven Nation Army that you would relate to the Checks? What role do these features play in the track ie give it energy, build the song, bring the vibe down, provide a backing for the message in the lyrics etc MERCEDES CHILDREN A look at Rhythm Mercedes Children is one of The Checks earliest compositions. It shows very strong R&B roots. The time signature is 12/8, this means the drummer, Jacob is playing triplets on the ride cymbal and a very strong Back Beat on two and four. The Guitar Riff produces its momentum rhythmically: one long note followed by two short propels it around to the beginning again. (try clapping it) The Guitar Comping behind the lyrics complements the rhythm of the track by long note short on the back-beat (Beat 2 and 4). In the second verse, both guitars hit the back beat.

CHECKS TRACK TWO TERRIBLY EASY A LOOK AT MINOR HARMONY AND TEXTURE Pete Docherty, Wes Montgomery, (UP AND AT IT) Chet Baker (My Funny Valentine). Ed Knowles about the origins of Terribly Easy: We wanted to write big long songs that would go on for ages and slowly evolve to tell a story. We were thinking about how to develop our sound, and some of the riffs we had been working on came together to make Terribly Easy.

INFLUENCE THREE CHET BAKER MY FUNNY VALENTINE harmony in a minor key Terribly Easy was pivotal song for the checks as they were growing out of their earlier 60s sound, and explored new sounds and ideas. Listen for the swing feel, and minor centre Key My Funny Valentine