Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple
The British rock band Deep Purple was formed in 1968. They are a very popular and influential heavy metal/hard rock group. Their album Machine Head, released in 1972, is where the song Smoke on the Water is from. (3)
Medium: Electric guitar, organ, drumset, bass guitar, and Ian Gillan’s vocals.
Meter: Duple.
Tempo: Moderato.
Rhythm: Repetitive with a generally rigid and simple rhythm, the exception being solos.
Harmony: Blues scale, G minor, harmonized by the parallel fourths, conjunct.
Melody: Narrow range, neither conjunct nor disjunct, “hard-rock sound” like a more unrefined male voice that is popular of the style.
Form: Riff, verse, chorus, riff, verse, chorus, riff, guitar solo, riff, verse, chorus, riff, and organ solo.
Texture: Homophonic, melody with chordal accompaniment, first seen in regards to the riff and how it is accompanied by and also imitated by other instruments, and in the vocal verses there are instruments backing it up. The riff can be considered a melodical theme, and with that in mind, there is no time when two melodies will overlap or contrast. It is one at a time and with accompaniment.
Tonality: Minor blues scale.
Text: The lyrics are about a real life event in which the Montreux Casino that Deep Purple wanted to recorded this album at was burned down, and many people where struggling to get out of and help others get out of the flaming building which was right by Lake Geneva. (4)
1. Purple, Deep. "Smoke on the Water." Deep Purple. Machine Head, 1972. Record.
2. progarchives.com. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_band/1969.jpg>
3. rollingstone.com. "Deep Purple." Rolling Stone. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/deep-purple/biography>
4. songfacts.com. "Smokes on the Water by Deep Purple." Song Facts. Web. 20 Jan, 2013. <http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1284>
Medium: Electric guitar, organ, drumset, bass guitar, and Ian Gillan’s vocals.
Meter: Duple.
Tempo: Moderato.
Rhythm: Repetitive with a generally rigid and simple rhythm, the exception being solos.
Harmony: Blues scale, G minor, harmonized by the parallel fourths, conjunct.
Melody: Narrow range, neither conjunct nor disjunct, “hard-rock sound” like a more unrefined male voice that is popular of the style.
Form: Riff, verse, chorus, riff, verse, chorus, riff, guitar solo, riff, verse, chorus, riff, and organ solo.
Texture: Homophonic, melody with chordal accompaniment, first seen in regards to the riff and how it is accompanied by and also imitated by other instruments, and in the vocal verses there are instruments backing it up. The riff can be considered a melodical theme, and with that in mind, there is no time when two melodies will overlap or contrast. It is one at a time and with accompaniment.
Tonality: Minor blues scale.
Text: The lyrics are about a real life event in which the Montreux Casino that Deep Purple wanted to recorded this album at was burned down, and many people where struggling to get out of and help others get out of the flaming building which was right by Lake Geneva. (4)
1. Purple, Deep. "Smoke on the Water." Deep Purple. Machine Head, 1972. Record.
2. progarchives.com. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_band/1969.jpg>
3. rollingstone.com. "Deep Purple." Rolling Stone. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/deep-purple/biography>
4. songfacts.com. "Smokes on the Water by Deep Purple." Song Facts. Web. 20 Jan, 2013. <http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1284>