Key signatures are used at the beginning of a piece of music to indicate when sharps or flats should be used. For instance, in the key of G, a sharp sign will appear on the F line. This tells you that all F notes should be played as F sharp, unless otherwise indicated by a natural sign. Additional sharps or flats that appear are called accidentals. Here is a handy phrase that we have learned which helps us to remember the order in which the sharps and flats appear in the key signature:
'Go Down And Enter By Force'
Another helpful phrase that i have learned is 'Go Down And Enter By Force' if there are no sharps or flats at the begging of a piece of music then you know the key is C major. If there is one sharp then you know the key is G major. Two sharps and you know the key is D major, and so on. Use the phrase backwards to remember the order of flats.
Circle of Fifths
All major keys have a relative minor key. This is shown by the Circle of Firths:
As our second Motown song my band mates and i chose to do 'Green Onions,' originally performed by Booker T and the M.G's. Initially we chose this song because one of band mates was particularly keen to perform it. I wasn't as enthusiastic to begin with as it is instrumental and i didn't know what part i would have to play in the song. I was intimidated when my tutor suggested that i play the drum part, it made sense as we are still without a drummer, but i had never really played the drums before. Luckily the song has a simple drum beat which i was able to pick up during the rehearsal. By the end of our practice i was enjoying myself, it was nice to do something other that singing for a change. We were able to perform the song well, though i think it still needs a fair bit of work. I really like the song, its got a great groove and I'm glad that we chose it.
Since moving on to Motown from Rock and Roll, my band mates an i have decided to do a cover of 'Heard it through the grapevine' by Marvin Gaye. This is not only a classic Motown song, but an iconic song by a legendary artist. We have encountered some small problems in learning this song, and will need to rehearse it more to get it to a good standard for the video recording. It has been difficult for me as a singer to achieve a feel similar to that created by Marvin Gaye in the original. There is no practical way of changing the lyrics to sing the song from a perspective of a woman. To do this song justice i have to consider the lyrical content, and get into the necessary mind frame. Incorporating the same kind of confidence and attitude is essential if i hope to achieve a presence similar to that of the original. I love this song and hope that we can work well together as a band in order to do it justice and deliver a great performance.
As our first song writing assignment of the course we were asked to work in groups to create a song about the merging of the Edinburgh colleges. This was an interesting exercise for me as I am used to writing songs that have fairly general meanings, it was challenging for me to be given such a specific song writing task. Having worked with two of my class mates, both in class and in our free time, we were able to write a song that includes percussion and rhythm guitar parts that I like very much. The lyrics however are really quite silly, and admittedly not my best work. On hearing the songs written by other groups, I was impressed by how some people where able to include the theme as instructed, but still create a heartfelt song with credible lyrical content. Because I was off ill on the day of recording, another singer recorded the vocals on the song that my class mates and I had written. Although I had to write a second song, it gave me a chance to consider what I had learned. With the second song, I felt that I was able to write about the chosen theme without compromising the quality of my work, and included more personal, meaningful lyrics. I have yet to record this song.
Song writing has been integral to my development as a person and as a musician, and it is an aspect of my musicality that I am keen to develop. I am passionate about original music, and though I consider myself a competent song writer in a lyrical sense, I tend not to concentrate largely on the composition, and have little vision as to what additional instrumentation I would like to include in my songs. I hope that this can be improved with an increased understanding of music theory, and by challenging myself, in my process, and approach to writing songs.
Each note value has an equivalent rest, the rests are used to show musicians where not to play when sight reading music. The rest values are as shown:
Grouping of notes and rests Simple time signatures
In order to make written music easier to read, rules exist in music notation concerning how notes and rest can be grouped. This makes it easier to identify all of the beats in a bar.
Quarter notes and notes smaller than a quarter should be beamed together when they belong to the same beat. However, in a bar of 4/4 time all eighth and sixteenth notes that are in the first half of the bar (beats one and two) can be beamed together, as can all eighth and sixteenth notes in the second half of the bar (beats three and four.) Notes should not be beamed across the middle of the bar (beats two and three.) In both 2/4 and 3/4, all notes within a bar can be beamed together.
When writing rests, each beat and half beat must be competed with the appropriate rest. However, in a bar of 4/4 time you can write a minim (or half rest) in the first half of the bar (beats one and two) or in the second half of the bar (beats three and four.) A minim rest should not be used in the middle of a bar, instead two crotchet (or quarter) rests should be used. Dotted rests can be used at the begging of a bar in 4/4 time, but should not be used mid way through.
Grouping of notes and rests Compound time signatures
Notes smaller that a dotted quaver (or quarter) note, should be grouped together when they belong to the same beat, this helps to identify the underlying beat. Just as in simple time, each beat must be completed with the relevant rest. When writing rests in compound time, it is important to remember that each beat is the equivalent of a dotted quarter note (or quaver.) In 6/8 time, a whole (or semibreve) rest should be used rather that a dotted half note (or minim) rest. A quarter note (or crotchet) rest should be used if the first two eighth notes (or quavers) of a beat are silent. Similarly, if the last two eighth (or quaver) notes are silent, two quaver rests should be used rather than a single crotchet rest.
Standing in the shadows of Motown is the 2002 documentary/ film directed by Paul Justman that recounts the story of the studio band that was assembled by Berry Gordy in 1959. The Funk Brothers performed on the Motown Label’s releases from the late 50’s to the early 70’s, and remained largely un-credited for their work. Inspired by the 1989 Bass guitar instruction book by Allan Slutsky, Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson.
The film features interviews with surviving band members, as well as photographs and dramatized re-enactments. It also includes new footage of the Funk Brothers backing up a variety musicians like Joan Osborne, Chaka Khan, Ben Harper, Bootsy Collins and Me’shell Ndegeocello on several hit Motown songs.
The film succeeds in its intention of bringing these hugely significant players out of obscurity, and in telling the story of the Funk Brothers, the unsung heroes of Motown.
The Funk Brothers.
In 1959 Berry Gordy gathered some of the best musicians from the thriving Blues and Jazz scene in Detroit, and assembled the studio band for his new record label. This was the group that would become known as The Funk brothers, and as the unsung heroes of Motown. They performed and recorded on Motown from 1959 to 1972 and were the instrumental backing for countless Motown records, these influential musicians where uncredited on most Motown records during the 60’s and early 70’s. Motown did not credit the session musicians on its releases until 1971, and although the pay received by The Funk Brothers was considerably less than that of the artist or label, it did afford the Funk brothers and their families a fairly comfortable lifestyle.
Robert White
Guitarist and Funk brother Robert Willie White was born on the 19th of November 1963, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. His most notable performance was possibly the guitar riff from ‘My girl’ by the Temptations, tough he played guitar on many other hit Motown releases. It was after touring with The Moonglows (featuring Marvin Gaye) that White found himself in Detroit and became affiliated with Berry Gordy and Motown Records. Robert White died at the age of 57 on the 27th of October, 1994 as a result of complications during heart surgery.
Earl Van Dyke
Funk brother Earl Van Dyke was born on the 8th of September 1930 in Detroit, Michigan. Coming from a musical background, he began playing the piano at the age of five and received lessons at the Detroit Conservatory of Music. Earl began to play professionally as a teenager. And as well as doing factory work, he served twice in the armed forces during his formative years. During this time, Van Dyke also recovered from tuberculosis, after spending roughly two and a half years in hospital. Already established as a musician, he became associated with the Funk brothers after meeting bassist James Jamerson in 1959, though did not decide to join Motown until 1962. A phenomenal keyboardist, he was appointed the new band leader after Joe Hunter left Motown in 1964. Van dyke remained active within the music industry long after the re-location of Motown to Los Angeles, and continued gigging until he became ill in 1991. Earl died in September the following year at the age of 62, his funeral service was held at St. Antony Church in Detroit.
Johnny Griffith
John Ellis Griffith, Jr. was born on July 10th 1936, one of two children born to Helen Jeanette Allen and John Griffith Sr. Known to his friends and fellow musicians as Johnny. A classically trained musician, he played piano and keyboard on hundreds of recordings during his time as part of the Motown studio band. His most notable performance was possibly as part of the ensemble for ‘Heard it through the grapevine’ by Marvin Gaye, though he also played on releases by the Four Tops and the Supremes, to mention just a couple. The first jazz recording artist to be recruited by Motown, he also performed and directed various television and radio productions. Johnny Griffith passed away at his home in Detroit on the 10th of November, 2002. Five days before the scheduled release of documentary ‘Standing in the Shadow of Motown’.
Eddie 'Bongo' Brown
Another Funk brother, Eddie ‘Bongo’ Brown, was born in the 13th of September 1932 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Here he was brought up, and had a keen interest in music and all forms of percussion from a young age, excelling particularly at bongo and congas. A legendary percussionist, he played congas, bongo, gourd and claves during his time as part of the Motown studio band. Eddie died in California in 1984, at the age of 52.
William 'Benny' Benjamin
William ‘Benny’ Benjamin was born on the 25th of July, 1925 and was native to Birmingham Alabama. He also became known as ‘Papa Zita’ Benjamin. He was a talented drummer whose dynamic style contributed greatly to the unique Motown sound. Benjamin was the drummer that was favored by many of the Motown producers, and he performed the drum tracks for many successful early hits. He struggled with drug and alcohol addiction throughout his career in Motown and by the late 60s, his colleagues and fellow Funk brothers, Uriel Jones and Richard ‘Pistol’ Allen were recording more and more of the drum tracks for the Motown releases. Benny Benjamin died of a stroke on the 20th of April, 1969 at the age of 43.
Richard 'Pistol' Allen
Richard ‘Pistol’ Allen was born in Memphis, Tennessee on the 13th of August 1932. Another member of the Funk brothers, hired by Berry Gordy in 1961, he was the primary drummer for the Motown studio band and can be heard on numerous hit Motown releases. Allen died on June 30th 2002 at the age of 69, six months before the release of 'Standing in the Shadow of Motown,' the award winning documentary in which he appeared.
Eddie Willis
Eddie Willis was born on the 3rd of June, 1936 in Grenada, Mississippi. Along with Robert White and Joe Messina, Willis was one third of the trio that made up the guitar section of the Motown studio band. Willis had moved to Detroit in the early 50’s. A self taught guitarist, he was fresh from high school when he first began association with Berry Gordy and Motown records. His catchy, rhythmic guitar style featured on countless Motown hits from the 60’s and early 70’s. Following the relocation of Motown to Los Angeles in 1972, Willis toured with the Four Tops and continued to record around Detroit.
Joe Messina
Joe Messina was born in Detroit on the 13th of November 1928. One of the most prolific guitarists associated with Motown, he was nicknamed the ‘white brother with soul.’ He began playing the guitar as an adolescent, and by his mid twenties was working as part of the ABC television studio band with whom, he accompanied several of the popular recording artists of the day. He became part of the Motown studio band after being recruited by Berry Gordy, and contributed greatly to the unique Motown sound. Messina retired from the music business a few years after Motown re-located to Los Angeles from its original base in Detroit.
Uriel Jones
Funk brother Uriel Jones was born on the 13th of June 1934 in Detroit, and died on the 24th of March in 2009, aged 74. Amidst a troubled youth, he took up boxing and playing the trombone. However, struggled playing the trombone as a result of injuries sustained while boxing, and began to play the drums. He became a Funk brother after Berry Gordy saw him performing with Marvin Gaye’s band at a Detroit club in 1961. He was the third and final drummer to be selected for the Motown studio band and would come to replace the talented, yet troubled Benny Benjamin following his death in 1969.
Joe Hunter
Joe Hunter was born in Jackson, Tennessee on the 19th of November 1927, and died on the 2nd of February 2007, at the age of 79. He was one of the original Funk brothers, the first to be hired by Berry Gordy. His distinct style of piano playing was integral to the Motown sound. He was band leader for the Funk brothers until he left Motown in 1964, and was replaced by Earl Van Dyke. Following this, he was involved with various other arrangements and productions. He was a three time Grammy award winner, and a full time musician in Detroit right up until the time of his death.
Bob Babbitt
Bob Babbitt’s birth name was Robert Kreinar. He was born on the 26th of November 1937 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and died on the 16th of July 2012, at the age of 74. In his youth he studied classical music and took up playing double bass. He had acceptance to go to the University of Pittsburgh, but moved to Detroit to find work in the late 1950’s, following the death of his father. Here he worked initially in the construction industry, though also immersed himself in the flourishing music scene of Detroit, and after various successful ventures, he played his first Motown session for Stevie Wonder. His induction to the Funk brothers came partly as a result of the unreliability of Bass guitarist James Jamerson, who became a mentor and good friend to Babbitt. He featured on countless Motown records and made a significant contribution to the genre, acclaimed for his distinct and versatile style of playing.
Jack Ashford
Acclaimed Motown musician, Jack Ashford was born the 18th of May 1934 in Philadelphia. Funk Brother and percussionist for Motown, he is famed particularly for his tambourine playing, which was at the heart of the distinguishable Motown sound. He is the author of ‘Motown: a view from the bottom,’ a detailed account of his life and his experience at Motown. As well as this, he has received 2 Grammy awards and a lifetime achievement award. Ashford currently tours with a full 13 piece band, recreating the original Motown sound for the pleasure of audiences around the world.
James Jamerson
James Jamerson, (Jan 29th 1936 – Aug 2nd 1983) Funk brother and influential bass player from Edisto Island, South Carolina, he moved to Detroit with his mother in 1954. He learned to play the double bass at high school, and soon was doing regular performances at local jazz and Blues clubs around Detroit. He found steady work with Berry Gordy and the Funk brothers in 1959, and played the double bass, before switching to playing mostly electric bass in the early 1960’s. Though uncredited on many of the Motown releases he featured in, he is now regarded as one of the most iconic bass players in the history of modern music. He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 2009, and has performed on more number one hits than any other single person, or group in the history of Music.
Berry Gordy harnessed the raw talent of a collection of gifted Detroit musicians and created a captivating and enduring sound which he called ‘The sound of Young America.’ Soul Deep is an in depth BBC 4 documentary that recounts the story of Berry Gordy, the musicians that were integral to his success, and the origins of Motown.
Berry Gordy.
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy Jr. was born on the 28th of November 1929, and raised in Detroit Michigan. His mother Bertha sold real estate and insurance while his father Berry owned a plastering contacting business. Despite never having much formal training, he had an interest in music from a young age and did receive a small amount of tuition on piano and clarinet. He dropped out of high school and became a professional boxer, and he won twelve out of the fifteen matches that he fought between 1948 and 1951. His boxing career came to an end when he was drafted by the U.S Army, and served during the Korean War from 1951 to 1953. Once he had returned from his service in the Army he opened a record store called the Three-D record mart, which specialized in jazz records, though never became a large success. In the same year he married Thelma Coleman, with whom he had two children before they divorced in 1959. Following the failure of the record store, Berry went to work with his father on the assembly line at the Ford motor company. Uninterested in his work, Berry began writing songs, some of which he sold to Decca records, and had his first significant success as a songwriter when his song ‘Reet Petite’ was performed by Jackie Wilson in 1957.
Now established as a songwriter, Berry’s next ambition was production. ‘Ooh Shucks’ by the 5 Stars was his first production, released on the Mark X label in 1957. He recorded the Miracles after seeing them perform at a Detroit talent show, and had a significant hit with ‘Money (That What I Want)’ issued originally on Anna Records. The Miracles consisted of Claudette Rogers, Ronnie White, Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers and William ‘Smokey’ Robinson. In the Following couple of years Berry established important connections with producers, musicians and songwriters. Often leasing the recordings he produced to other records labels.
At the suggestion of his friend and college, Smokey Robinson, Berry set about creating his own label. Because of the thriving car production industry in the area, Detroit became known as Motor town, and it was from this that Berry took the name for his record label. The Temptations, The Supremes and The Miracles are just a few of the groups that found Success with Berry Gordy at Motown Records. ‘Shop Around’ by the Miracles was an instant success, and the first big hit for the label. With Berry’s vision and excellent business skills, combined with the song writing skills of Smokey Robinson, the label would go on to be hugely successful, and would define the sound of Motown as a genre.
Good Rockin’ Tonight is a documentary exploring the history and legacy of Sun Records. The iconic label was founded by Sam Phillips in 1952, and it launched the careers of artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. The documentary includes interviews with many rock and country performers who were affiliated with Sun records and/or Sam Phillips. Good Rocking tonight also features appearances from legendary musicians and rock acts paying tribute to the music of sun records, including Robert Plant, Mark Knopfler, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page and many more.
The Sun Records History
Acclaimed as one of the most important producers in Rock and Roll, Sam Phillips was born on the 5th of January 1923, the youngest of eight siblings. As part of an upper middle class family, Phillips led a comfortable life on a farm on the outskirts of Florence Alabama, until he was forced to leave school to help support his family following the great economic crash of 1929. Some of his early occupations included working in a grocery store and also in a funeral home. With the intention of going into radio work, he studied at the Poly-technical institute of Auburn, Alabama where he majored in engineering and was hired by Jim Connally to work at WLAY radio. Phillips worked for various different radio stations in following years during which he was able to develop his recording skills. In October 1949 Phillips signed a lease on a property located at 706 Union Avenue, in the heart of downtown Memphis, and with the help of a loan from a colleague was able to install recording equipment. Initially Sam worked with portable recording equipment, and with the slogan 'We record Anything-Anywhere-Anytime' he specialized in recording social events such as religious gatherings, weddings and funerals. It was another year before Sam decided to record artists under his own label, and he opened the doors of Memphis recording service in January 1950. At Memphis recording service Sam established contacts with Saul and Jules Bihari, the owners of Modern records in Los Angeles and Sam recorded a Jazz pianist called Phineas Newborn for them in 1950. In the same year Sam was approached by a friend called Dewey Phillips who suggested that they form an independent label. The first and only recording issued by Phillips records was ‘Boogie in the park’ / ‘Gotta let you go’ by Joe Hill Lewis, but following its lack of success after release in August, Sam negotiated a contract for Joe Hill Lewis with Modern records. Sam continued to work with Modern records and Jules Bihari signed B.B King and placed him at Memphis Recording Service, where he recorded with Sam for a year. In 1951 he began association with the Chess brothers in Chicago, after recording Howlin' Wolf and Jackie Brenston under the instruction of Jules Bihari he caused a dispute by offering the lease on the masters to Chess Records, after this Modern Records rarely used recordings from Sam Phillips again. Sam also leased a song to Chess records called 'Rocket 88' by Jackie Brenston that became one of the most successful Rhythm and blues hits of 1951. In time many of the musicians who recorded with Sam Moved to Chicago and began working directly with Chess, and this encouraged Sam to start his own Record Label. Sun records was founded By Sam Phillips in February 1952 at 705 Union Avenue. His brother Judd had experience in getting radio exposure, and was enlisted to handle promotion, though Judd eventually left Sun and became the manager for Jerry Lee Lewis. Sun’s first recordings were; 'Blues in my condition' by Little Walter Horton and Jack Kelly, and 'Drivin' slow' by Johnny London, though it was Rufus Thomas who had the first real hit for Sun Records with 'Bear cat.' The follow up to this song 'Tiger man' was equally successful and this success meant that Sam was able to get national distribution deals. He had further success with various other blues artists and group recordings.
Sam Phillips also offered a service whereby people could walk in, and for four dollars could record two songs. This is how Phillips first became aware of Elvis Presley. The young Elvis, a truck driver at the time, stopped in to record a song for his mother’s birthday and it was with the encouragement of Chess office manager Marion Keisker, that Sam called Elvis into the studio when he needed a singer eight months later. Sam tried Elvis with various different songs but it wasn’t until he heard Elvis playing ‘That’s alright Mama’ by Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup, that Sam knew he had the material to launch Elvis Presley’s career.
Sam Phillips and his colleagues and artists, were pioneers in combining the predominantly black Rhythm and blues music, with the country music generally performed by whites. Elvis recorded five singles at Sun encompassing this new sound, and each release gained more attention from listeners. Presley had a string of hits with Sun records but when his contract expired, Sam sold Elvis’ contract and recordings to a larger label called RCA Victor for $40,000, $5000 of which, he paid to Elvis.
Having initially recorded Gospel, Country and Blues, Sam now moved on to Rockabilly. The success of Elvis had brought a collection of talented young artists to Sun Records and Sam signed deals with Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Hooker and Carl Perkins to mention a few. Sun Records had another significant string of hits with a variety of popular recording artists, the most iconic of which was probably Johnny Cash, who recorded consistently for Sun before he left for Columbia records in 1958.
In 1957 Sam founded Phillips international, a subsidiary label that boasted yet more popular releases. In 1906 he opened a new studio at 639 Madison Avenue in Memphis, and opened a second on 17th street in Nashville the following year. Both of the new studios were equipped with updated recording facilities and were frequented by musicians from Sun records and its Subsidiary Phillips international, as well as those from other record labels, securing a steady and sizable income for the Phillips Corporation.
Sun records had progressed to the status of a major label, but by 1963, many of the popular recording artists had left and business began to slow at Sun records. With his success in the recording business combined with that of his other investments Sam had made a fortune, but by 1968 few records were being released by Sun.
In 1969 Sam sold Sun records to Shelby S. Singleton Jr., a producer from mercury records. Mercury records re-released many of Suns recordings as well as leasing them to other record companies. It is possible that Sun now has the most reissued material in the history of the music industry.
At the height if its success Sun records had a roster that included some of the most iconic recording artists in Rockabilly and early Rock ‘n’ Roll. Sam Phillips gained a reputation as someone who treated artists with respect, as well as encouraging a spontaneous and creative environment. With determination, he established himself in the Music business with great success. And although Sun recorded a variety of styles, some would come to recognize Sun records as the birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll.