St Paul's Music

Jeff Buckley - Grace

 

Background

Grace was released on the 1994 album of the same name. It was Jeff's first album with a full band. It is a good example of 90's rock and could be classed as american indie rock or post grunge. Jeff Buckley died in 1997 and was born in 1966.

 

Stylistic features

Guitar, lots of dynamic changes, use of power chords (5ths), drums, distortion, verse chorus structure.

 

Structure

Intro, verse 1, pre chorus, chorus, link, verse 2, pre chorus, chorus, middle 8, link, verse 3, outro/chorus

Intro and link are actually the same thing

 

Instruments

Vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, drums, synth, strings (pizzicato [plucked] and bowed)

 

Harmony/chords

Intro/link - first part: Fm7 Gm7 second part: D G D G D G D A. 

Verse: Em F Em Eb F Em Eb

 

Melody

Sung by vocals in tenor and falsetto voice. Melody is syllabic in some parts and melismatic in others listen to the piece for where. As the piece progresses eg; 2nd verse there is more use of melismatic singing. In verse 3 the melody leaps around from low to high where as at the start it moves in steps. 

Vocalisations (wailing, warbling)

Word painting

 

Tonality/key signature

Based around E minor and chromatic

Hard to place as it uses chromatic harmony and the intro doesnt sit in E minor, the first section of the intro is Fm and Gm and then the second section of the intro is Dmajor.

 

Texture

Mainly homophonic, in the middle 8 we hear more of a polyphonic texture due to bass line playing cross rhythms

 

Rhythm/metre

12/8

syncopated rhythms

 

Dynamics

Gets louder as song progress especially in verse 3 and outro.

 

Technology and other general extra info

Flanger on guitar, power chords on guitar, use of tremolo/whammy bar to bend guitar notes down, distorted guitar. Guitar arppegios in intro.