Music Advanced higher commentary

“Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin and “Under The Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers, both are fantastic examples of guitar driven music though are different in style. I have learnt both of these for these songs on guitar and therefore decided they would be good choices for my commentary.
“Stairway to Heaven” is a song famous throughout the world. It was written at the height of the classic rock movement (late 60’s early 70’s) by a bad that defined classic rock, Led Zeppelin. This piece contains a fantastic array of guitar techniques and virtuosity. In my opinion a mixture of excellent rhythm guitar and an explosive solo make this song a well-rounded satisfying listen. Led Zeppelin themselves formed in 1968 consisted of legendary guitarist Jimmy page, John Bohnam, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones.


The piece starts with an introduction involving solo acoustic guitar and a recorder consort. There is no dynamic reference on the score, this gives the player license to use them as he pleases to create his/her own texture . The mood that I believe is create at the start of this peace is that sadness and longing. The key of the piece in A minor throughout.
The first section of the piece, the instrumental intro, involves 16 bars. Bars consist of an acoustic guitar playing arpeggiated suspended chords in a finger picking style, which are based around the key of A minor (audio). A recorder consort enters starting with gently the bass recorder but over the next few bars all the recorders enter and provide a homophonic accompaniment to the acoustic guitar (score). The recorder consort continues to play homophonically until bar 13 after which the recorder melody is decorated with more polyphonic melodies and more interesting rhythmical ideas. A male voice enters in a syllabic style In my opinion the syllabic style reflects the sad plodding feeling of the song. The same riff played by the acoustic guitar in the 16 bar intro is repeated until bar 40 (with a slight variation in bars 37- 40).
The bars 40 to 48 are an example of a bridge. In this section the guitar is strummed in a rhythmical fashion with a plectrum. To achieve a jerky rhythmical texture Jimmy Page uses a technique in which he mutes chords with his fingers but still strums them deadening any chance of the string ringing out ( audio and score). The bridge hold a good example of monosyllabic singing in bars 46-47 ( audio and score)
After the bridge there is verse which mixes both a finger picking style and strumming on the guitar. The drums enter with a fill at the end of the third repetition of the verse (bar 65) The fill holds a good example of a acciacatura, which is a crushed note played so fast that it does not change the rhythmical value of the note it is attached to ( score). The drums adds to the overall texture of the piece with the use of syncopation (score)

After the fifth repetition of the chorus there comes an interlude. The interlude is much different from everything that has come before it. Whilst before the piece has been played at a plodding 4/4, the interlude switches time signature from bar to bar (score) this give the piece a lively unexpected feel. In my opinion it seems as if the piece is finally seems to be coming to live.
After the Interlude there is the famous solo. For me the solo was particularly hard to learn and I found that I had to pay particular attention to detail because of the wealth of techniques that Jimmy Page used. A crisp distorted tone with some delay is used on the lead guitar. On the first note of the solo (bar 76) Page uses a signature vibrato technique. This is where the string is bent up a whole step from, D to E, the string is shook so you re partially releasing the bend then restoring it to its initial target pitch (E) (audio). By doing this several times in quick succession the note, while wavering, seems to sing or howl. I personally think this is a great way to open a solo. The solo then gathers speed it uses “hammer-on’s” and “pull-off’s” to move it along. A hammer-on is where pick the first note, continue to hold your fretting finger against the fingerboard, and without re-picking, then bringing another finger on a note higher up the sting. Pull off is same sort of idea but instead of hammering your finger on to a note higher up the string you pull the finger off and let the note ring that you are holding lower down the string (Score example bar 79 and audio). The solo also encompasses many 16th note runs giving the solo a relentless pace. From 70 – 75 page the use tight fast triplets in the solo gives a very condensed and frantic feel.In my opinion the triplet section is the hardest bit to learn on the guitar and it took me a while perfect it After a 16th note run in bar 76 the solo seems to open out and become more free, we the use of sustained notes and rests (score).Over this part of the solo the re is also over dubbed slide lick that is repeated until bar 84. (score)
In the background when of the solo is playing the other electric guitar repeats 3 chords over and over with the chance to ad lib (which mean to improvise or make up) in-between them. In bar 76 the drum play an intense drum fill involve thirty-second notes on the snare and off beat hits on the crash symbol.
After the solo there is a climatic chorus which dynamical contrasts with the rest of the piece by being very loud (ff.). This section is played most mostly with 16th-note pendulum strumming with the use of some sharp-stabbed chords, which rhythmically stand out. The use of a diminuendo , ,rallantando and the instruments fading out leaving only the voice singing in the syllabic style used at the start of the piece is a very effective conclusion.
Overall I believe Stairway to Heaven is everything thing a epic rock song should be at times its is slow and mournful and other its frantic and unexpected. I believe the wealth of contrasting idea’s in the songs show led zeppelins versatility, this also made this piece a rewarding one to learn and perform.

“Under The Bridge” by the “Red Hot Chili Peppers” is similar to “Stairway to Heaven” because it is another popular rock song. The intro also bears similarities in that there is also into played a moderate slow pace on a solo guitar with a finger picking style. In this piece is a capo is used on the second fret. A capo is a small movable bar placed across the fingerboard of a guitar t so as to raise the pitch of all the strings uniformly.
The intro consisted of eight and rotates between the chord of D and F sharp. They linked are by short 16th note runs (audio, score) . Uses of techniques such as slides and hammer-on’s to embellish the melody

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