DISCO

DISCO

Disco was the dance music of the 1970s

Up until the 1960s speakers weren’t that great

People couldn’t play a recording loud enough to dance to, so most places had live bands

In the 1970s that all changed..

• Disco tunes are almost always in 4/4 at around 120 beats per minute

• The simple beat makes disco really easy to dance to. People danced on their own and made up their own moves.

• Disco music has catchy tunes.• Each song aimed to have a HOOK• HOOK – a bit of the tune, a word or a phrase

that sticks in people’s minds

Music

STRUCTURE

• Disco songs have a VERSE-CHORUS structure

• A disco tune will start with an intro this grabs people’s attention and sets the mood– This also gives everyone the chance to get to the

dance floor before the main part of the song

• Then the sections follow VERSE-CHORUS-VERSE-CHORUS….

STRUCTURE

• The verses usually have the same tune, but the lyrics change

• The chorus will have a different tune to the verse (normally quite catchy).

• The lyrics of the chorus stay the same throughout the song.

• The verse-chorus repetition sometimes drags a bit, so they’d often add in a MIDDLE 8.

• This is an 8-bar section in the middle of the song (the clue’s in the name!)

• It has new chords, new lyrics, a new melody and often a new feel

STRUCTURE

• Electric Guitars play lead and rhythm parts– Lead – Solo tunes– Rhythm – chords (sometimes players would mute the

strings to add a percussive effect)

• Bass Guitars play short riffs– The bass lines of Disco music were often described as

‘funky’

INSTRUMENTATION

• Brass and Strings beef up the sound– Strings filled out the songs to make them sound ‘big– Brass would often add ‘stabs’ which are short, loud

notes

• Disco uses Drum Kits, Drum Machines and Sequencers– The rhythm was often referred to as “Four on the

floor”• Bass drum on every beat. Snare drum on beats 2 and 4.

INSTRUMENTATION

• Dance music of the 1970s• Strong beat and catchy tunes• Verse-Chorus structure

DISCO GLOSSARY