Pink Floyd: Early Years

      Pink Floyd are a notable band for having evolved its style in very dramatic ways throughout its history, going from psychedelic rock to improvised sound collages to highly structured progressive rock compositions. This page will examine the early, "psychedelic" albums in Pink Floyd's discography.

The early members of The Pink Floyd included:
  • Syd Barrett – electric guitars, acoustic guitars, slide guitar, lead vocals
  • Richard Wright – Organs (Farfisa/Hammond/Lowry), piano/tack piano, electric harpsichord, electric piano, backing vocals
  • Roger Waters – bass guitar, slide whistle, vocals
  • Nick Mason – drums
     The band's early years were dominated by the wry and "arty" stylings of guitarist/vocalist Syd Barrett.  The first two singles (March and June, 1967) under the band name "The Pink Floyd" are clearly psychedelic rock, but with some outstanding instrumental solos using exotic scales and unconventional "noise" techniques.
 
 

Arnold Layne 2:56 Vocals: Syd/Rick
0:00: Pulsing twang guitar-driven psychedelic groove and harmony vocals.
1:30: Organ solo.
1:45: Pulsing groove resumes with verse.
Candy and a Currant Bun 2:46 Vocals: Syd/Rick
0:00: Groove based on rhythmic, accented chords, spoken-sung chorus.
1:08: Echoey feedback guitar and organ solo over looser uptempo groove.
1:48: Rhythmic chords resume, ends with echoey loops.

 
See Emily Play 2:55 Vocals: Syd/Rick/Roger
0:00: Exotic organ lead over mid-tempo groove joined by verse, various piano/synth/harpsichord interludes and ornaments, slide guitar glisses.
1:29: Organ solo over feedback guitar groove texture.
1:57: Verse groove resumes.


     Pink Floyd's first full-length LP, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", further developed their psychedelic style and began to incorporate even more improvisatory jams and abstract sound textures.  Nonetheless, they still managed to retained a sharp sense of humor, and their vocal performances present some very interesting sides to their (or Syd's) personalities.


The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Aug. 1967
1 Astronomy Domine 4:11 Vocals: Syd/Rick
0:00: "Control room" sounds, staccato guitar pulse dominates with harmony vocals, chromatic guitar/synth descending harmonies.
1:35: Textural interlude with multiple guitar leads, interspersed with "Control room" dialogue.
3:10: Verse resumes, ending with held chant and organ ornaments.
2 Lucifer Sam 3:07 Vocals: Syd
0:00: Based on a "spy-theme" riff, uptempo chorus.
1:30: Tremolo bass solo, verse, chorus.
2:18: Guitar and organ ornaments, final chorus.
3 Matilda Mother 3:08 Vocals: Syd/Rick
0:00: Slow falling harmonies, somewhat staid, then wry chorus.
1:23: Syncopated bass riff/vocal sounds under organ solo, verse returns.
2:30: Coda based on held vocalise and bass solo.
4 Flaming 2:46 Vocals: Syd
0:00: Dissonant organ/textures.
0:15: Playful verse with some exotic ornaments, becoming strummy/psychedelic.
1:35: Organ/drums solo, harpsichord/guitar solo.
2:16: Verse.
5 Pow R.
Toc H.
4:26 Vocals: Syd/Roger
0:00: Textural and exotic vocal noises in mid-tempo rhythm.
0:17: Bluesy piano over drums/bass vamp.
1:44: Subtle guitar-driven rave-up joined by organ, joined by vocal shouting.
3:05: Relaxing into organ-based harmony joined by vocal noises, climax into coda.
6 Take Up Thy Stetho-
scope and Walk
3:06 Vocals: Roger
0:00: Drum intro into playful chant with psychedelic lead guitar, wild guitar solo joined by competing organ/bass.
1:30: Insistent bass groove, panning effects.
2:39: Rising chromatic vocal chant back into playful chorus.
7 Interstellar Overdrive 9:41 Instrumental
0:00: Loose, chromatic heavy metal riffing with psychedelic guitar ornaments, high bass pulses, stabbing organ leads to free-form groove.
2:17: Textural interlude with dense organ chords and skittish guitar, guitar starts loose rhythm, picked up by drums/bass but still fairly free-form, low riffs joined by echoey guitars.
6:12: Pulsating organ harmonies (panning) with reverb-ey guitar noises, layers of falling organ lines duel with guitar.
8:40: Guitar starts rhythm leading back to opening riff but with wild panning, free-form coda winds down to hand drums.
8 The Gnome 2:14 Vocals: Syd
0:00: Brief rhythmic pulse leads to playful, strummy verse with light percussion.
0:57: Organ/celeste joins 2nd verse with vocal layers (whispered).
9 Chapter 24 3:42 Vocals: Syd
0:00: Exotic synth and textural cymbals with lullaby verse joined by piano figures/bass ornaments.
1:48: Brief synth solo rejoined by verse.
2:49: Layered harmony vocals in coda .
10 The Scarecrow 2:11 Vocals: Syd
0:00: Hand percussion rhythm joined by synth line.
0:27: Playful verse/guitar chord harmony.
1:32: synth solo over acoustic guitar/bowed bass/hand perc.
11 Bike 3:22 Vocals: Syd
0:00: Playful/wry chromatic vocal with odd psychedelic effects and guitar chord accents.
0:47: Harpsichord, piano enters verses.
1:28: Tempo slows to a march.
1:51: Abstract percussive textures/noises/chimes becoming subtly rhythmic and joined by cymbals, weird stuttering vocal sample.

     Pink Floyd's final single for 1967 (November) was "Apples and Oranges".


Apples and Oranges 3:04 Vocals: Syd/Rick/Roger
0:00: Hendrix-ey fuzz guitar verse into harmony chorus with piano/vibe ornaments.
1:15: Bridge with held harmonies, vibraphone-led interlude with distant high choir and cymbals.
2:20: Guitar groove resumes, ending in scat and feedback.
Paint Box 3:48 Vocals: Rick/Syd/Roger
0:00: Exclamatory acoustic guitar accents into psychedelic crooning grooves, chromatic falling harmony leads to saloon piano ornaments with harmony vocals.
 2:52: Piano-driven guitar vamp with chorus moving away.


     After Pink Floyd's early success, lead member Syd Barrett began to have apparent drug and mental issues.  Syd's childhood friend David Gilmour joined the band on guitar and vocals and  the remainder of the year would see Syd moving out of the band's sound and David and Roger becoming the primary songwriters.
  • Roger Waters – bass guitar, percussion, vocals
  • David Gilmour – guitars, vocals
  • Richard Wright – piano, Farfisa organ, Hammond spinet organ, Mellotron, vibraphone, xylophone
  • Nick Mason – drums, percussion
  • Syd Barrett – electric and acoustic guitars, vocals ("Jugband Blues")
     Pink Floyd's first single for 1968 (in April) is nowadays largely disowned by the band members, as this record was apparently an attempt at charting a hit single (and leaves out the more "challenging" elements of the band's style).  It does, however feature David Gilmour's first lead vocal performance on the B-side.
It Would Be So Nice
3:46
Vocals: Rick/Roger/David
(David on Gtr)
0:00: Opening chorus fanfare, playful/whimsical march verse with various textural/humorous ornaments, bridge with added echo effects.
1:21: Chorus, March, Bridge.
2:52: Chorus vamp fade out.
Julia Dream
2:34
Vocals: David/Roger/Rick
(David on Gtr)
0:00: Pastoral flute-like Mellotron and acoustic guitar under somewhat morose/plaintive verse.
1:06: Synth bridge.
1:25: Verse resumes, leads to distant fade out with weird echoey samples.

     Most of the lead vocals on Pink Floyd's second full length, "A Saucerful of Secrets", were shared between Rick and David, with one song each from Roger and Syd.  On this record, their sound moved towards "exploratory jamming" sequences, bookended by thematic opening and ending sequences (much as is done in jazz).  The title track, "A Saucerful of Secrets", sees the band approaching longer, cinematic forms, possibly inspired by programmatic classical music forms (however with abstract textures firmly in mind).  The last song, "Jugband Blues", would include fairly avant-garde sound collage elements and feature Syd's last contribution to the band.
A Saucerful Of Secrets
1968.06.28
1
Let There Be More Light
5:37
Vocals: Rick/David/Roger
(David on Gtr)
0:00: Syncopated bass groove with cymbals, hypnotic ethnic organ (panning).
1:15: Dirge chant/organ rhythm alternating with chorus with chromatic tail.
3:25: Guitar solo over dirge groove, rhythm varies dynamics as second guitar and organ joins in background.
2
Remember a Day
4:33
Vocals: Rick/Syd
(Syd on Gtr)
0:00: Slide guitar/piano over slow triplet rhythm, then faster march rhythm with verse, alternating with relaxed piano/acoustic guitar interludes.
1:38: Relaxed bridge with strummed guitar and tremolo piano, then back to more verse groove with slide guitar noises, bass ornaments and vocal effects.
2:42: Vocal verse/piano interlude structure resumes interrupted by another bridge cadence (3:09), ending in wah wah guitar solo and vocal ornaments.
3
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
5:28
Vocals: Roger
(David and Syd on Gtr)
0:00: Theme in bass, supported by vibraphone/low drums, vocal joins bass and theme modulates, joined by synth.
2:14: Vamp on "heart of the sun" fragment with Farfisa organ solo.
3:15: Full theme returns in bass joined by seagulls and vocals, vibes, etc, modulation.
4:12: "Heart of the sun" vamp with more synth and bird sounds, tribal drums, brief ending guitar solo.
4
Corporal Clegg
4:13
Vocals: David/Nick/Rick
(David on Gtr)
0:00: Heavy guitar riff over lumbering drums with chiming 2nd guitars, sneering/mocking vocals.
0:44: Bridge, leading to chorus with sympathetic harmony vocals and wah wah guitar accents.
1:22: Oompah march with kazoo theme.
1:48: Opening guitar and sneering vocals return.
2:25: Chorus, kazoo oompah, collaged voices and bugle calls, ending in noise texture.
5
A Saucerful of Secrets
11:57
Vocals: David/Rick
(David on Gtr)
0:00: Something Else: Textural percussion rumbling, rattling, joined by eerie organ/piano string strums, eventually adding some distant guitar textures, growing in intensity with tremolo bursts.
3:58: Syncopated Pandemonium: Tribal drums and dissonant low piano accents/processed slide guitar textures, various concrete effects and more varied piano cluster accents.
7:05: Storm Signal: Low rumbling joined by eerie organ layers, rattling chimes, rumbling fades, siren call.
8:37: Celestial Voices: Slow, somewhat processional organ harmony, with subtle dissonant textures in high register, joined by choir vocals and additional synth layers, developed with brief slide guitar ornaments near the end, ending on major key cadence.
6
See Saw
4:37
Vocals: Rick/David
(David on Gtr)
0:00: Acoustic guitar and organ driven triplet rhythm, then brief interlude with even accents, then back to triplet groove with layered vocals and organ, panning, echo effects.
0:50 2nd verse with added organ, piano ornaments, panning. echo effecs.
1:43: Bridge with lighter textures.
2:20 Verse triplet rhythm, accent interlude, triplet rhythm, panning, echo effects.
3:09: Bridge, fade out.
7
Jugband Blues
3:01
Vocals: Syd
(Syd on Gtr)
0:00: Acoustic guitar with playful vocal, percussion, reverb effects.
0:38: Heavier accents in rhythm with castanets.
1:05: Brass figures (S.A. band) enter over new accented rhythm, joined by "lala" choir, becoming a collage of drones/brass band and guitar.
2:23: Acoustic guitar and voice with reverb.

     The last single from 1968 in December is notable for including "Careful With That Axe, Eugene", which would become a staple of their more jam-oriented live shows during these early years.
Point Me at the Sky
3:40
Vocals: David/Roger/Rick
(David on Gtr)
0:00: Organ-driven hymn, psychedelic guitar groove with various vocal filters.
1:18: Hymnal texture resumes, then groove with added slide guitar.
2:07: Relaxed texture with bass lead, returns to psychedelic groove, reverbs out.
Careful with That Axe, Eugene
5:46
Vocals: Roger/David
(David on Gtr)
0:00: Bass octave vamp with vibraphone ornaments, cymbals, organ lead, joined by guitar swells, eventually becomes pulsed groove, screams and keening become distant guitar howls.
3:30 Guitar arpeggios develop a brief harmony progression over pedal bass, eventually dynamics level out.
4:58: Ends with vocalizations over cymbals.



     Pink Floyd's moody rock experiments gave them the opportunity to score the first of several films.  The film "More" was produced in 1969 and a full length LP was released by the band in the same year.  A somewhat unfairly overlooked album, "More" essentially builds on the atmospheric and modern classical tendencies of their previous album, "A Saucerful of Secrets", while amping up its psychedelic rock grooves.  The film itself is concerned with the exotic effects of heroin on a German tourist who becomes involved in a caper with an American girl.  The director's intent was to use the score as a combination of film background music and source music.

Pink Floyd:
  • Roger Waters – bass guitar, tape effects, percussion, backing vocals
  • David Gilmour – acoustic, electric, slide, and flamenco guitars, percussion, lead vocals
  • Richard Wright – Organs (Farfisa/Hammond/etc), piano, vibraphone
  • Nick Mason – drums, percussion

More
1 Cirrus Minor 5:17
Vocals: David
0:00: Bird sounds, panning.
0:58: Strummed guitar rhythm in falling harmony with somber vocals, organ swells, reverbed vocals.
2:35: Unaccompanied organ harmonies with bird sounds, joined by contrasting high textures from distant guitar/synth.
2 The Nile Song 3:27
Vocals: David (no organ or piano from Rick)
0:00: Heavy guitar chords and big drums in lumbering groove, shouted vocals.
1:02: Bridge, back to verse.
1:48: Bridge with distorted guitar solo.
2:29: Verse, outro solo with adhoc vocals.
3 Crying Song 3:33
Vocals: David
0:00: Panned vibes over pastoral/rustic bass/acoustic guitar groove, joined by crooned verse, punctuated by syncopated guitar cadences.
2:47: Electric guitar solo (doubled).
4 Up the Khyber 2:13
Instrumental, (no guitar from David)
0:00: Tribal drums with bass pulse joined by accented piano clusters (panned).
1:00: Organ lead joins, panned textures, ending with sped up tape effects.
5 Green Is the Colour 2:59
Vocals: David
0:00: Acoustic guitars in a pastoral groove joined by recorder, relaxed vocals.
0:52: Piano joins rhythm section.
2:09: Piano solo.
6 Cymbaline 4:50
Vocals: David
0:00: Relaxed groove over bongos/acoustic guitar/piano, followed by soaring chorus.
2:24: Scat solo (panned) joined by tremolo organ, then back to verse with added drums.
3:00: Pulsating organ leads, piano ornaments added, various textural modulations over bongos (without guitar).
7 Party Sequence 1:09
Instrumental (bongo and penny whistle)
0:00: Tribal bongo drums with distant penny whistle approaching and departing.
8 Main Theme 5:26
Instrumental
0:00: Gong shimmer (panned) joined by patient organ chords.
1:09: Insistent bass and drums groove enters, flanged synth textures.
2:02: Synth theme, eventually joined by textural guitar ornaments, theme developed on various synth voices.
4:52: Drums fade out.
9 Ibiza Bar 3:19
Vocals: David/Rick
0:00: Heavy guitar groove with lead solo, verse, relaxed cadence, repeat.
1:30: 2nd guitar solo, back to verse groove with added guitar lead in background.
2:30: Outro solo, fade out.
10 More Blues 2:13
Instrumental
0:00: Slow, reverbed electric guitar blues over organ and rhythm section.
11 Quicksilver 7:14
Instrumental
0:00: Ambient noise, revving textures.
0:37: Resonating drone swells (panned), joined by scattered vibraphone ornaments, staccato noises, organ harmonies becoming somewhat melodic, swelling cymbals and vibraphone chords, then led by pulsing organ textures.
6:35: Fade out with fragments of slide guitar.
12 A Spanish Piece  
1:05
         
Instrumental
0:00: Acoustic guitar in a flamenco style with Spanish-accented vocalizations (David), processed.
13 Dramatic Theme 2:16
Instrumental
0:00: Bass octave riff and cymbals groove joined by restrained slide guitar ornaments, guitar highlighted as bass and drums fade out.


     Later in the same year the band released their first double-album, "Ummagumma", which contained one live disc and a second disc of studio pieces, each quarter of which was written and performed by a single band member.

Ummagumma
Live
1 Astronomy Domine 8:32
0:00: Rapid synth pulses modulating joined by pulsing bass and drums.
0:48: Main riff enters with guitar and vocals, chromatic guitar/synth descending harmonies.
2:46: Textural interlude joined by with wah guitar lead.
4:03: Organ solo over cymbals and subtle guitar textures, rhythm section fades out and then back in, verse/chorus harmonies.
7:13: Verse with vocals resumes, ending with held chant groove.
2 Careful With That Axe, Eugene 8:49
0:00: Bass octave vamp with harmony swells, cymbals, organ lead enters, joined by guitar swells.
1:30: Groove relaxes with vocal sighs.
2:35: Octave vamp returns, eventually becomes pulsed groove, screams and guitar rave up, solo with scattered vocal scatting/howling, noisey guitar, organ surfaces.
6:28: Guitar chords/arpeggios and organ suggest harmony over pedal bass, eventually dynamics level out, ending with vocalizations over cymbals/synth.
3 Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun 9:27
0:00: Cymbal swell leads to theme in bass and organ supported by low drums, vocal joins bass and theme modulates, joined by synth.
2:30: Vamp on "heart of the sun" fragment with exotic Farfisa organ solo, tremolo guitar accents enter as drums intensify
4:49: Theme returns on bass as Farfisa solo calms down, joined by synth ornaments, bass fades out leaving abstract textures only from echoey synth and guitar.
6:10: Bass begins to resurface in high register as textures continue, drums join, becoming "heart of the sun" vamp
7:51: Final vocal verse with Farfisa ornaments developing into a fade out solo .
4 A Saucerful of Secrets 12:49
0:00: Something Else: Bass pulses/cymbal swells joined by eerie organ, eventually adding some distant slide guitar textures as bass pulses fade out, growing in intensity with dissonant harmonies.
3:22: Syncopated Pandemonium: Tribal drums and low organ textures/slide guitar noise textures, various concrete effects and more varied piano cluster accents.
5:58: Storm Signal: Low rumbling textures briefly enter as drums fade out, joined by dissonant high and low organ layers.
7:12: Celestial Voices: Slow, somewhat hymnal organ layers, with subtle dissonant textures in high register, joined by patient drums/bass.
9:20 Light guitar enters, heavier drums and bass groove
10:40: Vocal adlibs enter, bass tremolo ornaments, ending on major key cadence.
Studio
5 Sysyphus
(Rick)
1:08
Part 1. Foreboding timpani/cymbals/organ intro.
6 3:30
Part 2. Piano cadenza: ornamented melody, developed, leading towards dissonant chords and clusters,  joined by cymbal accents/rumbling textures .
7 1:50
Part 3. Syncopated groove based on low piano accents and percussive effects (prepared piano, found objects, etc…), interspersed with eerie reed-like cries, building to a dense climax and sudden silence.
8 7:00
Part 4. 0:00: Melancholic, static organ layers with vibraphone ornaments and bird sounds, organ lead enters, joined by subtle guitar swells.
3:10: Sudden block chord, swelling cymbals and timpani, eerie low organ joined by creepy lead, strange electronic staccato textures, piano string strums, whirling noises.
5:20: Harmony from Pt 1 resurfaces from background as organ/timpani/synth-choir.
9 Grantchester Meadows
(Roger)
7:28
0:00: Field sounds (birds, insects, water), finger-picked acoustic guitars enter, pastoral vocals doubled by guitar melody.
3:26 Acoustic guitar solo (additional river sounds).
5:06: Vocal verse resumes, instrumental outro with tremolo guitar ornaments, replaced by fly sound and swatting.
10 Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In a Cave and Grooving With a Pict
(Roger)
4:59
0:00: Chirping, rustling sounds joined by pitter-patter percussion textures, rhythmic wheezing/grunting collaged with rhythmic chirping.
2:18: Warbling siren calls enter.
3:27: Chipmunk voices joined by "pict" rant, echoed, "…and the wind cried mary.  Thank you."
11 The Narrow Way
(David)
3:29
Part 1. 0:00: Brief whirring noises intro into strummy acoustic guitars, joined by distant slide textures, whirring textures resurface intermittently near the end.
12 2:53
Part 2. 0:00: Lumbering heavy metal riffing on guitar and bass joined by bass and toms, ornamented by echoey guitar noises, guitar riff fades/becomes detuned as noises rise, ending in high drones/sirens.
13 5:58
Part 3. 0:00: High tones, gentle electric guitar strums, slow, declarative/plaintive verse/chorus with piano/guitar/fretless bass
2:14: Drums enter in 2nd chorus.
3:59: Instrumental verse featuring piano/slide guitar, outro electric guitar solo.
14 The Grand Vizier's Garden Party
(Nick)
1:00
Part 1: Entrance: Flutes (Lindy Mason) in overlapping dialogue, drum roll.
15 7:06
Part 2: Entertainment: 0:00: Pitch-shifted percussion echoes/sheet metal/pitch-shifted processed bell sounds create a melody.
1:31: Processed timpani roll joined by distant marimba-like tremolo melody (mellotron?).
3:12: Low rumbling textures with silent gaps becoming collaged percussion roll textures (tape music), gradually leading to more traditional drum fills, drum solo joined by tape collage fragments at end.
16 0:40
Part 3: Exit: Polyphonic flutes.



     In 1970, Pink Floyd solidified their style into two main approaches: cinematic suites with very evocative sonic collages and shorter, more "rustic" songs with a sense of wryness or melancholy.  The albums "Atom Heart Mother" and "Meddle" display these two tendencies very clearly.

Atom Heart Mother
     This record featured Pink Floyd's first true "magnum opus", the title track "Atom Heart Mother".  The Wikipedia entry provides excellent background on it's genesis, but the most interesting thing to me is that this piece involves the blending of choir and orchestra to the band's more "jammy" style.
  • Roger Waters – bass guitar, acoustic guitar and vocals on "If", tape effects, tape collages
  • David Gilmour – guitars, vocals, bass and drums on "Fat Old Sun"
  • Rick Wright – keyboards, vocals on "Summer '68"
  • Nick Mason – drums, percussion, engineering on "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast"
Additional musicians (for "Atom Heart Mother"):
  • EMI Pops Orchestra (brass and orchestral sections co-composed by Ron Geeson and conducted by John Alldis)
  • Haflidi Hallgrimsson on cello
  • John Alldis Choir 
  • (Alan Styles – voice and sound effects on "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast")

Atom Heart Mother
1 Atom Heart Mother Suite 23:41 0:00: I. Father's Shout: Low organ drones, joined by layers of brass fanfares coming together.
1:24: Main theme and groove with melody in brass, then a collage interlude of galloping, guns, brass fragments, then back to theme.
2:51: II. Breast Milky: Theme starts in bass and organ, string solo lead, drums accents enter as organ develops.
3:56: Slide guitar solo, joined by brass layers, then piano.
5:22: III. Mother Fore: Relaxed organ vamp supports a soprano vocal adlib, joined by additional vocal soloists, developed, eventually becoming dissonant, drums re-enter as vocal accents become more pronounced, ending on held chord.
10:11: IV. Funky Dung: Organ chords lead into somewhat-funky slow jam, soon joined by guitar solo ornamented with organ stabs.
12:21: Synth drone enters leading to modulation and guitar fade out, groove becomes more accented as rhythmic, percussive female vocal chants enter, electric piano ornaments.
14:29: Harmony and choir cadence joined by brass.
14:56: Brass main theme from I. returns.
15:28: V. Mind Your Throats Please: Dissonant organ rhythm joined by eerie drones, howling noises, dissonant swells, backwards tape (?), distant plucked tones, voices, eventually leading to sparse organ and synth ornaments.
18:01: Fade in of various rhythmic fragments from before (collaged).
19:11: Brass main theme with rhythm section, leading to reprise of II (organ/bass w string solo).
20:45: Relaxed slide guitar solo.
21:14: VI. Remergence: Second electric guitar joins for melody, brass ornaments added, slides become more textural.
22:11: Choir and brass theme (reprise of III choir elements combined with brass theme), ending in held cadence.
2 If 4:31 Vocals: Roger
0:00: Finger-picked acoustic guitar with gentle vocals, bass enters on 2nd verse, joined by subtle sound effects.
1:24: Slide guitar solo and organ enter under lively bass, joined by piano as 3rd verse resumes, hihat in 4th verse.
3:16: Slide guitar returns with added piano accompaniment, 5th verse.
3 Summer '68 5:29 Vocals: Rick
0:00: Piano rhythm leads to playful ballad, supported by bass/hihat/organ harmonies.
1:12: Acoustic guitar-driven chorus with layered harmony vocal adlibs, joined by brass ornaments.
2:12: Verse resumes with more rhythmic energy (drums/piano), chorus, etc.
3:29: Brass layers dominate cadence, leading to bridge with acoustic guitar and piano under vocals, harmony adlibs, return to brass cadence.
4 Fat Old Sun 5:24 Vocals: David
0:00: Distant church bells, strummed guitar and relaxed vocals with distant slide guitar harmonies, joined by organ harmonies, restrained sustained harmonies in chorus, drums enter, etc.
3:20: Distorted electric guitar lead based on vocal melody, bass becomes more lively, church bells.
5 Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast 12:59 0:00: I. Rise and Shine: Concrete recordings, layered and echoed "thought" dialogue.
1:01: Rhythm section accents enter under match sounds, piano/hihat, electric guitar lead joins, followed by organ lead, guitar fades out.
3:18: Held organ chords with kettle whistling, dialogue and concrete sounds, distant radio.
4:30: II. Sunny Side Up: Acoustic guitars rhythm/lead as noisey breakfast proceeds, joined by slide guitar textures/lead, ending in crackling cooking sounds/dialogue.
8:18: III. Morning Glory: Chord accents in slow harmony joined by 2-piano melody with organ/bass/drums, modulating, distant electric guitar joins with scattered dialogue fragments, ending in final kitchen sounds/dialogue.

Atom Heart Mother Wiki






Meddle
     "Meddle" saw Pink Floyd perfect the compositional tendencies first developed in "Atom Heart Mother" and pretty much draws to a close the "early" period of Pink Floyd.  The epic "Echoes" somewhat sums up everything the band had become capable of in a singe LP-side-long track, going from one extreme (pastoral harmony) to another (ambient sound design).


Meddle
1 One of These Days 5:55 0:00: Wind, echoed bass accents (on 2 basses) becoming a pulse, joined by synth stabs and reversed cymbals and metals.
2:05: Slide guitar enters with brief bass drum fanfare.
2:47: Echoed bass fragments in fast, chopped rhythm with synth stabs, sirens, backwards guitar noises, bass drum fanfares.
3:36: "One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces..." (Nick, processed).
3:42: Main bass-drive groove resumes with full drums and slide guitar solo, organ and piano accents.
4:50: 2nd slide guitar joins, ending in winds, segue into...
2 A Pillow of Winds 5:13 Vocals: David
0:00: Rustic acoustic guitars, pedal steel guitar and fretless bass, with soft harmony vocals, joined by subtle, held organ chords.
2:12: Modulating instrumental bridge, joined by hihat drums.
3:00: Back to main theme, vocals resume, followed by instrumental fade out.
3 Fearless 6:08 Vocals: David
0:00: Big guitar chords with ascending ornamental riffs, country rock cadences and soft vocals.
1:17: Relaxed groove with swelled slide guitars.
1:50: Main ascending guitar riff resumes, choir intermittently surfaces, groove relaxes briefly before returning to country rock cadences.
3:21: Relaxed groove, this time with more piano, ascending riff resumes and develops, cross-fades with choir ("You'll Never Walk Alone" by a Liverpool stadium crowd).
4 San Tropez 3:43 Vocals: Roger
0:00: Lively mid-tempo groove with jazz rhythm section, acoustic guitar and piano, somewhat retro-lounge feel.
1:15: Slide guitar solos.
1:46: Verse resumes.
2:24: Piano solo, fade out.
5 Seamus 2:15 Vocals: David
0:00: "Front porch" acoustic guitar blues with dog barking/howling, piano ornaments, harmonica.
0:47: Piano solo with accented guitar rhythms, etc.
6 Echoes 23:32 Vocals: Rick, David
0:00: Echoing "pings" joined by low piano chords, organ ornaments and swells, building with distant slide guitar.
1:09: Electric guitar solo enters with 2nd organ, bass.
1:54: Drums enter and signal cadence, guitar solo continues over verse section.
2:42: Cadence, then 1st harmony vocal verse over shuffling groove.
3:44: Winding guitar-driven cadence.
4:12: 2nd vocal verse, drum ornaments.
4:56: 2nd Winding guitar cadence.
5:24: Guitar solos over verse chords, winding cadence repeated with slide guitar solo.
7:02: More open rhythm vamp with organ solos/accents and guitar solo, solo gradually becomes more howling (abstract), extra guitar layers.
10:38: Groove crossfades into ambient sound design: howling drones with layered siren/bird calls (reverse-wired wah-wah guitar).
13:18: Echoed pulses enter as bird/rook calls become more dense.
14:35: Crossfade into organ drone harmony, joined by echoed pings from opening and low organ chords, cymbals.
16:05: Muffled electric guitar rhythm enters, more low organ chords.
17:05: High organ solo line begins, joined by tom-tom accents.
18:14: Ostinato figure in stereo guitars with low sliding chords, then back to muffled groove with heavy guitar slides.
19:12: Verse resumes as before.
19:56: Cadence, repeated.
21:18: Open verse rhythm with light organ and guitar interplay lines, eventually replaced by rising noise harmony, pings.

Meddle Wiki

Traditional Music of Turkey

     This is a brief collection of notes on Turkish ethnic music collated from various books, websites and CD booklets and based on listening to dozens of archival recordings.  I found that knowing a little bit of the context of the music (classical, religious, popular, folk, etc...) helped me to appreciate the music a bit more.

Part 1 - Basic Concepts in Melody and Rhythm
Part 2 - Classical Music
Part 3 - Folk Music
Part 4 - Religious and Modern Music





Part 1 - Basic Concepts in Melody and Rhythm


Turkish Melodic Structures - The Makam
     Before describing the types of Turkish traditional music it may be helpful (but not required) to know a little bit about the unique melodic and rhythmic elements of the music.

     Turkish music is largely heterophonic (single line melodies played by 1 or more instruments with expressive variation) and uses melodic structures called makams.  There are over 600 makams defined, but only 20 are in large use. A makam is similar to a mode in western music except that scale notes are microtonal and based on just intonation. In western music there are 7 modes (Ionian, Aeolian, Phrygian, etc...) which are basically versions of that diatonic major/minor scale, except that they emphasize certain pitches.  The emphasis of these pitches gives each mode a certain character.  Turkish makam also emphasize certain notes, but the basic scale notes are not limited to the same 7 scale intervals.  In fact each whole tone step is divided into 9 microtone intervals, and a makam pitch can be one of these "in-between" notes.  When makam scales are extended beyond the basic octave range, the notes sometimes do not coincide with the first octave, since the scales are in just intonation.  Makams (makamlar) are only transposed to a few different tonics. Sometimes a transposed makam gets its own name.

     Makams are categorized as being built from 1 of 6 tetrachords (4-note chord) stacked on 1 of 6 pentachords (5-note chord). Each half is called an ajna (Arabic - jins).  There are 7 kinds of intervals between the notes, from 1/9 of a whole step to 13/9 of a whole step (9/9 is 1 whole step).  Western modes have only 2 kinds of intervals, half steps and whole steps.

     The melodic progression (ie - tendencies) of a makam is called seyir.  Each makam has a specific seyir which have these characteristics:
  • Opening tone (entry note)
  • Final tone (durak, tonic)
  • Imperfect cadence (dominant) tone – also start of 2nd ajna and pivot tone for modulation
  • Tone for suspended cadence
  • Note before final note (can be leading tone/subtonic, but not always)
  • Special intonations and accidentals when ascending or descending (shrinking large intervals by sharpening the starting note or flattening the ending note)
  • Path from Opening to Dominant tone
  • Path from Dominant tone to Final tone
  • Mood (light/dark, spiritual/funky)
  • Asymmetrical octave extensions (due to just intonation)
  • Emphasized notes, order of emphasized notes and frequency (a kind of tone row)
  • Melodic dynamic - rising, falling, rising/falling determined by the relative position of starting and ending notes – descent/ascent can be as long as a minute
  • 1-note ornamentations
Etc…

     Many pieces modulate from the original makam to another, but only certain modulations are allowed.  Sometimes a part of another makam will be used (usually 3-5 notes, forming a triad/tetrachord/pentachord) – these partials are called genera. Due to the oral tradition of teaching makam, makamlar become modified through history, such as through adding genera.

Makams can be categorized in 3 ways:
  • Basit (simple)
  • Sed (transposed)
  • Birlesik (compound, made from 2 makam ajna)
     Some basic makams: Çargah, Buselik, Basit Sehnaz, Beyati Basit Isfahan, Hicaz, Humayun, Uzzal, Zirgüleli Hicaz, Hüseyni, Muhayyer, Gülizar, Neva, Tahir, Karcigar, Basit Süznak.
Ussak makam is ascending, and melodic material hovers in the lower notes first.
In Bayati makam, melodic material hovers in the middle notes first, then descends to the tonic.


UŞŞAK MAKAM TAKSİMİ (IMPROVISATION) ON OUD AND KANUN:


Turkish Rhythmic Structures - The Usul
     Turkish music also differs from western music in that it takes advantage of many more complex meters than duple and triplet forms.  Turkish rhythmic structure is called usul (usulu) and these can be from 2 to 128 beats long (2/8 to 128/8).  They can be considered almost like rhythmic makam in that a usul's beat accents are "tendencies" rather than explicitly played (just as a makam scale is not played straight). Usula with 2-16 beats are called minor usula and usula with 16-124 beats are called major usuls.  Most composed forms have a preferred usul, but taksim (improvisations) have no usul, since they are in free rhythm.  Usul beats are short or long and can be thought of as having time values of 2 or 3 units (ex. 3-2-2-3), tho not all beat units are necessarily equal.  Again, usula are not played verbatim, rather, they are the meter (rhythmic swing feel).

2-beat usul:
  • Turk Aksagi – 1 short, 1 long beat (2/3 = 5 units), 5/8, most basic usul
3-beats usula:
  • Devr-I Turan (3/2/2) – Alevi semah dance
  • Devr-I Hindi (2/2/3) – Black Sea horon dance pattern, (2/3/2) is a variant
  • Nim Sofyan (3/3/2) – halay and misket dances
4-beats usula:
  • Aksak semai (3/2/2/3) - slower, syncopated
  • Curcuna (3/2/2/3) - same as aksak semai but faster, with an obvious beat
  • Aksak usul (2/2/2/3) - karşılama dance, Roman oyun havası, şarkı, other folk/urban music
  • Agir aksak usul (3/2/2/2) - slow variant of aksak usul found in Zeybek dances
     Combination usula are used in Ottoman compositions and a few slow rural songs such as in destan turkusu (epic poetry) and Alevi deyiş (poetic religious hymns).  Raksan usulu (3/3/2/2/3/2) is a combination usul considered to be nim sofyan usul plus a devr-I hindi usul variant.  Additionally, ritimli taksim is a rhythmic ostinato accompanying an instrumental improvisation.

Aksak semai usul rhythm (3/2/2/3)



Part 2 - Classical Music


Turkish Classical music is sometimes divided into 2 categories:
Klaşık Turk Muzigi (Classical Turkish Music)– "court music" from 1299-1922 (Ottoman Empire)
Turk Sanat Muzigi (Turkish Art Music) - music after 1922 (intersecting with post-50s Modern Music)

     Ottoman court music is heterophonic.  A chamber instrumental ensemble with vocalist(s) performs suites called fasıl, typically 4 instrumental and 2-3 vocal forms.  All of the movements in a particular fasıl are in the same makam (mode).  A fasıl's vocal selections sometimes begin with slower works and end with faster, more well-known songs (şarkı).

Basic Fasıl movements:

Peṣrev - an instrumental prelude with a major usul stretching over many measures.  It is structured as 4 hane (movements) each followed by a teslim (refrain).  The first and last hane (as well as the teslim) use the named makam, but the other hanes can modulate to other makamlar.  There is a semi-cadence pause (yarım karar) at the end of each hane. 

Taksim (instrumental improvisation) - 1st few measures stay on lower ajna of the makam (1st tetrachord), and afterwards move around (development and resolution), then modulating to other makamlar (meyan), and ending with the original makam.

Oyun havası - instr. dance tune, sometimes with elements of belly dance motifs, usually minor usula

Vocal fasıl forms:
  • Kâr –long, rich melodic/rhythmic material, has different changing usula, usually beginning with a terennüm (motif), follows peṣrev
  • Beste –comes after Kâr, four hanes, each with one line of poetry and a terennüm
  • Agir Semai ("slow, heavy") - follows Beste, minor usul
  • Gazel - vocal composition/improvisation in free rhythm with rhythmic accompaniment with set lyrics (vocal taksim). 
  • Şarkı - light classical song, four hanes, no terenüm, in a minor usul
  • Yürük Semai (“fleet, active”) - follows şarkı, more lively and upbeat than Agir semai, precedes saz semai
  • Türk aksağı
Saz semaisi - slower instrumental postlude, uses minor usul Aksak Semai.  It is structured as 4 hane (movements) each followed by a teslim (refrain).  The first 3 hane (as well as the teslim) are in 10/8.  The 4th hane is in 6/4. Melody/usula may also be free.

Other classical forms:
Longa – instrumental form, fast dance style in 2/4 or 6/8 and can end a suite
Medhal - Short instrumental pieces performed by the entire ensemble, and generally before the beginning of the program and makam
Aranagme – instrumental “entrance music” (giris müzigi)

Some Classical Ottoman Composers:
Haci Arif Bey
Sufi Dede Efendi,
Prince Cantemir,
Baba Hamparsum,
Kemani Tatyos Efendi,
Sultan Selim III and
Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

Typical Instruments:
Tanbur (lute)
Ney (flute)
KlAşık Kemençe (spike violin)
Oud (lute)
Kanun (zither)
Violin
Kudüm (drum)


Huseyni Peṣrev:


Gazel


Şarkı:




Part 3 - Folk Music


     A Turkish folk song, called Türkü, is microtonal, but does not always use a specific makam.  The scale is generally between 4 and 15 tones.  Rhythmically complex mixed meters are common. Türkü are played at weddings, funerals and special festivals. Tavir is a term to describe different regional instrumental styles, and Agiz describes different regional vocal styles.  Melodically, ayak is the folk analogue of the makam, except that they have less formal rules regarding melodic development. These folk modes include Kerem ayagi, Garip ayagi, Müstezat ayagi, Besiri ayagi etc.

Major forms of Turkish Folk Music (Türk Halk Müziği): 

Uzun Hava ("long air") – un-metered laments/ballads, no regular rhythm, based on traditional patterns
      - Hoyrat - quatrains often contain allusions and plays on words
      - Maya - very common, sung in free form after an instrumental introduction, which may be rhythmic.  Repeating instrumental break between verses
      - Bozlak - a musical crying out, often sung by Aşık bards
      - Divan - alternate instrumental and vocal sections, Alevi worship music
      - Gurbet havası - lyrics of these songs have to do mostly with exile and longing
      - Elezber, Müztezat, Tecnis, Baraka havası  , etc

Kirik Hava ("broken air") - rhythmic (metered) pieces, with and without vocals
      - Deyiş - Alevi-Bektasi song based on Aşık poetry
      - Nefes - Alevi Bektasi songs, musical ilahîs (hymns) with either mystical or social content.
      - Ilahî - Sufi songs/hymns (see Religious Music)

Oyun Havası   (“dance air”) – dances
      - Halay - instr. dance form from Southeast Turkey, sometimes with multiple sections increasing in tempo, usually w davul & zurna with perc.
      - Zeybek - instr. Aegean region slow dance tune, sometimes with lyrics, – 4-beat aksak usul with davul and zurna, also other strings & perc.
      - Horon (Horan, Horom) – instr. lively, fast Black Sea dance with prominent kemençe, etc
      - Horo, Hora - Thracian dance in a binary meter
      - Karşılama - instr. Thracian wedding dance - 9-meter, 4-beat aksak usul, uses saz, perc.
      - Çiftetelli - from Rumeli,  Anatolia and the Balkans with a rhythmic pattern of 2/4)
      - Eke Zorlatması  - lively and quick 9/8 dance tunes of the Teke region of southwestern Turkey
      - Semah - Alevi and Bektasi dances in 9/8, generally accompanied by bağlamas of varying dimensions, played and danced during the final sections of religious gatherings known as cems
      - Bar - instr. dance tunes of Northeastern Anatolia
      - Misket – dance tunes of Central Anatolia
      - Kaşık Oyunu - dance performed with clicking spoons
      - Kılıç Kalkan - The Sword and Shield Dance of Bursa (battle dance)
      - Kasap Havası

Horon dance:

Other mixed forms include:
      - Koşma (free-form folk songs about love or nature)
      - Semai (folk song in Semai poetic form)
      - Mani (a traditional Turkish quatrain form)
      - Destan (epic poetry)
     - Boğaz Havası (throat tune)
      - Ninni (lullaby)
      - Tekerleme (a playful form in folk narrative)
      - Bengi (instrumental)
      - Köçekçe - suite of vivacious and joyful şarkıs and türküs in the same makam etc.

Aşıks
     Aşıks are religious Alevi bard-poets, also called ozan, accompanied by saz or bağlama. Aşıks sings deyiş (religious poems) about mystical revelations, invocations to Alevi saints and Muhammad's son-in-law, Ali.  They often use Uzun Hava and Kirik Hava forms. Aşık Veysel is probably the most famous modern Aşık.

Folk Instruments:
Bağlama/Saz (long neck lute)
Kemençe (a type of stave fiddle),
Percussion and wind, including the zurna (oboe), ney (flute) and davul (drum).
Saz orchestras
etc..



Part 4 - Religious and Modern Music


     The Mevlevi are a Sufi offshoot of Islam and their ritual music is known as Mevlevi Sufi Music.  It's most prominent feature are the Whirling Dervish dancers who spin during the Mevlevi sema ceremony.  The musical suite which accompanies a sema is called an ayin.  An ayin progresses as follows:
  • Holy Koran – chanted by the Hafiz
  • Rast Naat (Na’t-I Serif) - The Naathan itrî (solo singer of naats) chants the rast naat (praise for the Islamic prophet Muhammad, written by Sufi writer Rumi)
  • Baş Taksim - The Neyzenbasi (head ney (flute) player) plays a rather long taksim (improvisation) in the makam of the ayin
  • Peşrev
  • 1st selâm (greeting) - sung by the Ayinhans (singers)
  • 2nd selam, in the usul Agir Evfer (also known as the Mevlevî Evferi)
  • 3rd selâm, in the Devr-i Kebir, Aksak Semâi and Yürük Semâi usuls.
  • 4th selâm, in the Agir Evfer usul.
  • Last (son) peşrev and last yürük semâî.
  • Last taksim (son taksim)
  • Recitation from the Qu'ran and a prayer by the Sheikh (Gulbang)

A sema is often preceded and followed by songs with lyrics from founder and poet Mevlana Jelaleddin Rumi.  The oldest ayins feature Pencgah, Hüseyni and Dügah makams. Beyati is a more recent makam in use.

Sema ceremony in Istanbul


Mosque music - Music forms which are part of the more general practice of Islam include Azan, Kur'an-ı Kerim, Mevlit, Ilahi, etc...

Vocal music forms:
Mevlevi Ayini forms (Whirling Dervish sema ritual)
Opening Sema song poem:
    Ilahî – mystic hymns from different Sufi brotherhoods in different makam
    Nefes - Bektasi hymns
    Kaside - praise songs/hymns with improvisation
    Zikr – invocation of God
Durak – improvised form
Miraciye
Sugûl
Ezan
Tekbir, Temcid, Tesbih
Münacaat
Mevlit
etc

Instruments:
Ney
Tanbur
Kemençe
Kanun
Oud
Bendir (frame drum)
Kudüm drum


Modern Music
     Şarkı(lar) are versions of the classical form developed into its own genre of modern urban art-song.  They often use poetic folk forms and rhythmic meters with makam modes.  The concept of soru and cevap (question and answer phrases between vocal and instrumental parts) in these forms are very important.

Romani Music Influence:
Fasıl Şarkı - Romani ("gypsies") spread meyhana or taverna (popular tavern songs and şarkı”) in a new fasıl style (sentimental love songs, not the classical suite form).  Primary instruments include clarinet, violin, kanun, and darbuka. 

Belly Dancing (Oryantal) / Wedding Music –  harem music with finger cymbals (zils) in karşılama rhythm (9/8) - also became very popular in the later 20th century, with Mustafa Kandirali being a very well-known clarinetist.  A popular form is roman oyun havası  – a modern karşılama folk dance created by Rom gypsies in Istanbul, popular since the 60s.  Clarinet carries the main melody, with dense percussion in 9/8 on aski-davul & darbuka (drums).  These dances are also popular at weddings.

Clarinet Improvisation and roman oyun havası:

Arabesque/Arabesk – music brought from southeast Turkey, replacing modern fasıl.  Arabesk also includes subgenres of belly dancing music (fantazi) and rock.  Scales are based on classical makams, unlike folk music's looser scale rules.  Similar to the modern fasıl şarkı, but more percussive with an unmistakably strong string orchestra section.


Other forms
 - Kanto Music - Songs between acts of plays, as solos or duets using makams but played on Western instruments, popularized after 1920.
 - Karadinez – new pop/rock arrangements of Black Sea folk songs
 - Military Music - Janissary bands or Mehter Takımı, marches