Area of Study 4: Popular Music
What's covered
Key facts
The chaal is the characteristic bhangra rhythm.
Pop and rock rely on amplification and electric instruments.
It comes from the album Toto IV.
The 12-bar blues underpins much early rock and roll.
Bhangra is driven by the dhol drum.
A hook is the most memorable part of a song, often in the chorus.
'Africa' is by the American band Toto.
32-bar song form (AABA) has four 8-bar sections, common in older pop and jazz standards.
Bhangra fusion mixes traditional bhangra with Western pop, dance or hip-hop.
A pop/rock band typically uses vocals, electric guitar, bass guitar, keyboards and drums.
Sample questions
A taste of the 47 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
Where does bhangra music originate?
- •Brazil
- •The Caribbean
- ✓The Punjab
- •West Africa
Which line-up is typical of a pop or rock band?
- •Harpsichord and viol
- •Only tabla and sitar
- •Strings, woodwind and brass
- ✓Vocals, guitars, keys and drums
Which band recorded the set work 'Africa'?
- •Abba
- •Queen
- ✓Toto
- •Wham
How many bars are in a 32-bar (AABA) song form?
- •12
- •16
- ✓32
- •64
Which drum drives bhangra music?
- •The bongos
- ✓The dhol
- •The snare drum
- •The timpani
What is a riff?
- ✓A short, catchy repeated pattern
- •A single sustained chord
- •A slow free-time section
- •A sudden change of key
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