Georgia+S+popular+music

__**Popular music assessment**__


 * Artist -** Missy Higgins
 * Song 1 analysis -** Scar
 * Song 2 analysis -** Where I stood

__Missy Higgins__ Melissa "Missy" Morrison Higgins was born on the 19 of August, 1983 making her 32 years of age as of this year. She was born in Melbourne, Victoria making her one of Australia's most iconic, artists in the history of music. As well as being a well-known artist, she is also a very talented musician and actress. She has had many Australian number one singles throughout her career some of her most well-known ones being "scar", "the special two", "steer" and "where I stood". She has been lucky enough to be nominated for five ARIA music awards in 2004 and won 'best pop release' for "scar" and again in 2005 nominated for 7 more awards, which she won 5 out of. She ended up winning her 7th ARIA award in 2007. As of August 2014, Missy Higgins' first three studio records had sold over one million units making her an idol in pop rock, indie and acoustic music styles and also an iconic figure in Australia's music history. As well as being very passionate towards her thriving music career, Missy also continues to pursue her interests in animal rights and the environment, endeavouring to make her very own tours carbon neutral. In 2010 one of her goals became a reality when she made her acting debut in the feature film //"Bran Nue Dae"// and was also privileged enough to feature in it's soundtrack. She continues to have great success in her musical career and has certainly earned a great name for herself through her passion for her music and love for her country and it's environment.
 * Bibliography**

__SONG 1: scar - Missy Higgins__ media type="youtube" key="qKn7XAMNV-g" width="420" height="315"
 * The analysis of two songs by the artist are as follows...**


 * The structure of this piece is as follows: Intro (4 bars), Verse (1), Pre-chorus, Chorus, Intro repeated (4 bars), Verse (2), Pre-chorus, Chorus, Bridge (part piano solo leading into a vocal element as well), Chorus, Outro.
 * The instruments played throughout this piece include: the piano (as the main instrument), drums, female vocals, jingle bells, trumpet, bongo drums, female backup vocals and acoustic guitar.
 * The tempo of this piece is a fast and upbeat tempo, making the audience feel happy and uplifted by the song itself.
 * Throughout the intro, verses, pre-choruses and choruses the tempo stays the same upbeat tempo but in the bridge it changes. In the bridge, the tempo slows down to a more relaxed and soothing tempo but it does not make that part of the song feel sad.
 * The dynamics in the piece change quite a lot. In the intro, the dynamic I would use to describe it is mezzo forte. This means that it is relatively loud but not as loud as some other parts. It remains the same dynamic in both verses and pre-choruses. In the chorus, the dynamic changes to what I would call Forte. This is the loudest and happiest part throughout the whole piece. This is the part where all the instruments are introduced in a way that they work together nicely. In the bridge, the dynamic goes back to a mezzo forte or even what I would describe as a mezzo piano. It is the most quiet part in the piece and gives the piece a relaxed feeling.
 * In the intro, the piano is highlighted with the drums playing in the background which continues on to be the same in both of the verses with the female vocals being added. The guitar is also playing in the verse but is not as noticeable as the piano and the drums. In both of the pre-choruses, the same applies as the verses. In the choruses the jingle bells, female backup vocals and trumpet are introduced and this is the only time thought the piece where all the instruments play together. In the bridge, it starts of with a piano solo accompanied by the drug,s then quiets down to just bare vocals with the beating of a bongo drum in the background and gradually the piano is introduced.
 * The The guitar has the main instrumental effect in this piece, and so does the piano. The guitars are played in the piece mainly just to be in the background and highlight the vocals, drums and the piano which also has an instrumental effect. The piano is playing majority of the song and also steals the part of the song that you remember (the melody to the song) and even though sometimes the piano goes un-noticed and you don't even know that it is there it gives the piece a creative touch. The last instrumental effect is the shakers. The shakers are played continuously throughout the second verse and bridge (which goes un-noticed and is hard to hear at first until you really start to listen to the various instruments which are playing). The most noticeable time when the shakers are easy to hear is in the chorus when they are played once per beat just to keep the tempo of the piece steady for the rest of the instruments and keep them all in time. These instrumental effects make highlight the piece in a positive way and improvise the overall piece to make it more appealing to the audience.
 * Missy Higgins does have a distinctive sounding voice. Because she is Australian, this is also depicted through her vocals and she her voice sounds Australian. She also has a chesty voice, in most of her songs.
 * There are female backup vocals which are heard in both of the choruses, they are there to highlight the singers voice and accompany the instruments.
 * There is a short instrumental solo which is played by the piano and accompanied by the drums. The piano is the main focus in this short solo although the drums are there to highlight the piano playing. This solo is played in the bridge section of the song right before the singer's vocals are intercede again.
 * This piece has 4 beats per bar which is also known in music as common time (C).
 * This piece is major sounding as it has an upbeat and happy feeling with no sad sections or sad sounding instruments throughout the song. All together this piece leaves the audience feeling refreshed and happy about what they just listened to.
 * The texture of this piece is consistently changing. The texture in the intro, verses and pre-choruses remains the same, meaning that majority of the instruments are playing but not all. In the choruses, the rest of the instruments are introduced but it makes a big difference to the overall texture and makes that section sound very full with the amount of instrument contributing. In the bridge, there are the least amount of instruments playing, meaning the texture sounds thin but whilst highlighting the instruments and vocals that need to be highlighted.
 * There is a repeated pattern throughout this piece, known as the intro played by the piano and accompanied by the drums. It is the part in the piece that is remembered by everyone who hears it, this is because it has a distinctive sounding melody.
 * If I look up my song on Ultimate guitar, the chord pattern in the verse is G, D, Em then C. In the chorus it changes to D, G, D, Em then C and plays it over twice.
 * The high point of this song is in the chorus. I find that it is the high point because of the fact that all the instruments are playing and it is a very full section. It makes us feel happy listening to it and leaves us feeling the same way.

__SONG 2: where I stood - Missy Higgins__ media type="youtube" key="c9QNRvXH1HI" width="420" height="315"


 * The structure of the piece is as follows: Verse (1), Chorus, Post-chorus, Verse (2), Chorus, Bridge, Chorus, Outro,
 * The instruments played throughout this piece include: drums, piano and female vocals.
 * The tempo of this piece is a slow sad tempo. This makes the audience feel upset, down or maybe even calm when listening to this piece.
 * Throughout the whole song the tempo stays the same slow, sad tempo. It does not change.
 * The dynamics in the piece change quite a lot, similar to the first song that I have analysed, scar. In the verses it is just the vocals, piano and a light drum beat in the background which is not highly noticeable. In this section of the song I would call it Mezzo Forte meaning moderately loud. In the chorus the drum beat gets louder but the piano and vocals are still there, this dynamic is what I would call a Forte dynamic (meaning loud). This continues throughout the rest of the song, the verses being not as loud and the choruses being loud and in the dynamic of Forte.
 * NO, all the instruments do not play at the same time. In the first verse, the voice and piano is left alone with the drums highlighting those instruments. In the chorus all the instruments get louder and this patterns is repeated throughout the piece.
 * The drums have an instrumental effect on the overall piece. They are not placed in the piece to be a feature but they are played just to be a backup to the piano (which is the main instrument) and Missy Higgin's vocal abilities. You can definitely hear the drums after a bit of listening and they have a positive effect on the overall piece but they are not the first instrument you hear/notice which makes their overall instrumental effect on the piece a pleasant one.
 * Missy Higgins does have a distinctive sounding voice. Because she is Australian, this is also depicted through her vocals and she her voice sounds Australian. She also has a chesty voice, in most of her songs.
 * Throughout this piece there are no backup vocals.
 * There are no instrumental solos throughout this piece.
 * There are 4 beats per bar throughout this piece.
 * This song is minor, meaning it is a very sad sounding piece and makes the audience reflect on their own lives or behaviour throughout the piece.
 * In the verses, there is only the piano and voice with the faint drum beat playing in the background meaning the texture is thin. In the chorus the texture is thick as all instruments are playing and working together at the same time.
 * There is a repeated pattern throughout this piece and it is played by the piano accompanied by the drums. It is the melody that is played in the first verse and is headed again several times throughout the song.
 * If I look up my song on Ultimate guitar, there is no strict chord pattern but there are the same chords played throughout the verse and the chorus and these chords are Am, G, D, Em and C. These chords are played repeatedly throughout the whole piece, (not in that order).
 * The high point of this piece is in the bridge. I find that it is the high point because of the fact that Missy Higgin's vocals become more powerful and she sounds as though she is trying her best to get a point across. Another reason which makes me think that this is the high point of the piece is the fact that all the instruments are playing making this a very full section. When Missy starts to 'shout' her singing, we tend to want to listen to the lyrics of the song so it is like she is trying to get our full attention right before the song ends.