Element Of Music How Queen uses it….
Performing Forces • The vocal part is performed by Freddie Mercury and is a high male voice –
and their Handling tenor
• ‘Killer Queen’ uses lead and backing vocals, piano, overdubbed with a honky-
tonk (jangle) piano, four electric guitars, bass guitar and drum kit. Guitars and
vocals are overdubbed to create a richer colour
• The guitars use techniques such as slides, bends, pull-offs and vibrato
• The song uses plenty of recording techniques and effects including multi-
tracking, EQ, anger, distortion, reverb, wah-wah, panning and
overdubbing.
Melody • The text setting is mainly syllabic
• The backing vocals use a mixture of words and vocalisation (e.g. bars 8–9)
to the sound ‘ooh’ and bar 18 to the sound ‘ba’
• The melody starts mostly conjunct with small leaps of a third or fourth
• Bars 7 and 8 show an altered descending sequence
• The verse and chorus combine conjunct and wide angular leaps in the
melodic line.
• Leaps often feature a rising major sixth (e.g. bars 6–7). There are some
exceptionally large leaps such as an octave in bar 62.
Structure • Verse-Chorus form with some varying in length.
Texture • The main texture is homophonic
• Use of imitation
• Use of layering
• Three-part texture during guitar solo
• Use of panning (e.g. bars 42-43 backing vocals
• Antiphonal (e.g. bars 67-68)
Harmony & Tonality • The song is in Eb major
• Opening in C minor and closing on an E major chord, the tonality is
ambiguous at times
• There are many passing modulations, strengthened by perfect cadences
but often followed by parallel shifts, moving to a new key
• Most chords are in root position.
• Some chords are in rst or second inversion
• There is some use of dissonance (e.g. bar 30)
• Seventh chords (e.g. bar 4)
• Circle of fths (e.g. bars 20–21)
• Use of altered and extended chords (e.g. F11 bar 47)
• Pedal used bars 27–30.
Tempo, metre & • Moderato tempo with a dotted crotchet pulse of 112 beats per minute.
Rhythm • The time signature is mainly in 12/8 compound quadruple time
• Swung feel
• It does occasionally insert a bar of 6/8, which has the effect of extending the
phrase length
• Every verse and chorus start with an anacrusis (upbeat)
• Syncopation is frequent throughout (e.g. bars 44–46)
• Triplets in bar 18.
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