The Book

Introduction What is it all good for? Scope of work Project History

Music theory in nutshell Harmony Chord notation used in the analyses The degrees of notes Chord functions Keys, Sharps and flats, neighbour keys Guitar friendly and piano-friendly keys Modulations, key changes Parallel key modulations Relative key modulations Neighbour key modulations Combined modulations Step-up/down modulations Unusual modulations Key-shifts Pivot Modulation Borrowed chords Cliche chord progressions Modes Ambigous harmony Rhythms Exercies Syncopations Shuffle beat Metrical modulations, metrical anomalies Compound meters Disorienting Rhythms Songforms General aesthatics of popular and rock music

Repetitions and variants

Queen - The four of them as musicians Brian May Roger Taylor Freddie Mercury John Deacon

Songwriting Analyses Smile Ibex "No Synth" era Queen Keep Yourself Alive Doing All Right Great King Rat My Fairy King Liar The Night Comes Down Modern Times Rock'n'roll Son And Daughter Jesus Seven Seas Of Rhye Silver Salmon Hangman Mad The Swine Queen II Procession Father To Son White Queen (As It Began) Some Day One Day The Loser In The End Ogre Battle The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke Nevermore March Of The Black Queen Funny How Love Is Seven Seas Of Rhye See What A Fool I've Been Sheer Heart Attack Brighton Rock Killer Queen Tenement Funster Flick Of The Wrist Lily Of The Valley Now I'm Here In The Lap Of The Gods Stone Cold Crazy Dear Friends Misfire Bring Back That Leroy Brown She Makes Me In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited A Night At The Opera Death On Two Legs Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon I'm In Love With My Car You're My Best Friend Sweet Lady '39 Seaside Rendezvous The Prophet's Song Love Of My Life Good Company Bohemian Rhapsody God Save The Queen A Day At The Races Tie Your Mother Down You Take My Breath Away Long Away The Millionaire Waltz You And I Somebody To Love White Man Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy Drowse Teo Torriate News Of The World We Will Rock You We Are The Champions Sheer Heart Attack All Dead All Dead Spread Your Wings Fight From The Inside Get Down Make Love Sleeping On The Sidewalk Who Needs You It's Late My Melancholy Blues Feelings Jazz Mustapha Fat Bottomed Girls Jealousy Bicycle Race If You Can't Beat Them Let Me Entertain You Dead On Time In Only Seven Days Dreamers Ball Fun It Leaving Home Ain't Easy Don't Stop Me Now More Of That Jazz Live performances in the 70s Modern-era Queen The Game Play The Game Dragon Attack Another One Bites The Dust Need Your Loving Tonight Crazy Little Thing Called Love Rock It (prime Jive) Don't Try Suicide Sail Away Sweet Sister Coming Soon Save Me Human Body Sandbox Flash Gordon Flash's Theme In The Space Capsule Ming's Theme The Ring Football Fight In The Death Cell Execution Of Flash The Kiss Arboria Escape From The Swamp Flash To The Rescue Vultan's Theme Battle Theme The Wedding March Marriage Of Dale And Ming Flash's Theme Reprise Crash Dive On Mingo City The Hero Hot Space Staying Power Dancer Back Chat Body Language Action This Day Put Out The Fire Life Is Real Calling All Girls Las Palabras De Amor Cool Cat Under Pressure Soul Brother The Works Radio Ga Ga Tear It Up It's A Hard Life Man On The Prowl Machines (or 'Back To Humans') I Want To Break Free Keep Passing The Open Windows Hammer To Fall Is This The World We Created? I Go Crazy A Kind Of Magic One Vision A Kind Of Magic One Year Of Love Pain Is So Close To Pleasure Friends Will Be Friends Who Wants To Live Forever Gimme The Prize (Kurgan's Theme) Don't Lose Your Head Princes Of The Universe The Miracle Party Khashoggi's Ship The Miracle I Want It All The Invisible Man Breakthru Rain Must Fall Scandal My Baby Does Me Was It All Worth It Hang On In There Chinese Torture Hijack My Heart My Life Has Been Saved Stealin' New Life Is Born Dog With A Bone Guess We're Fallin Out Innuendo Innuendo I'm Going Slightly Mad Headlong I Can't Live With You Don't Try So Hard Ride The Wild Wind All God's People These Are The Days Of Our Lives Delilah The Hitman Bijou The Show Must Go On Lost Opportunity Face It Alone Self Made Man My Secret Fantasy Made In Heaven It's A Beautiful Day Made In Heaven Let Me Live Mother Love My Life Has Been Saved I Was Born To Love You Heaven For Everyone Too Much Love Will Kill You You Don't Fool Me A Winter's Tale My Life Has Been Saved It's A Beautiful Day (reprise) No-One But You Live performances in the 80s

Appendix Special instruments Special effects Special playing techniques Classical quotes Musical terms Index References

Liar

Composer: Freddie Mercury
Meter: 4/4
Key: D-Major, A-Myxolydian, E-Mixolydian, e-minor
Form: 

      Intro I-II-III-IV-IV'-V | Verse | Chorus 1 |
                              | Verse | Chorus 1 |
            Intro II'-III'-IV'| Chorus 2 I - II - III |
                              | Chorus 2 I'| Solo I-II |
                              | Bridge I - II | instr. Break I-II |
                              | Bridge III | Chorus 3 - Outro |


Liar is an early rock epic written by Mercury. As the legend says it is an updated version of an Ibex-era song called "Lover". It's harmony is very simple, its form is clever, and the rhythm department has its share of tricks as well. The simple harmony is a result of Freddie composing it on guitar, including probably most of the basic guitar riffs as well.
The re-intro divides the song to two parts with hardly any musical cross-references. The first half of the song has relatively ordinary ballad form of two cycles with short Verses.

Intro
The song starts with an instrumental multi-intro. Its first subsection is purely rhythmic, it builds on the 3+3+3+3+4 pattern of eigths repetead six times. The sevent cycle departures into a drum roll.

The second subsection consists of four two measure cycles of guitar riffs with a AA'AA" form. The pitch set (see next subsection as well) suggest an A mixolydian key. The riff uses bluesy "blue" third (m3>M3).

A:
| A5  | -   |
| I   | -   |

| A5  | -   |
| I   | -   |

| A5  | -   |
| I   | -   |

| A5  | -   |
| I   | -   |

The third subsection consists of four harmonic phrases (ABB'C 4+2+2+4) the last of which is featuring arpeggiated guitar with stepwise moving inner line over pumping pedal bass. Getting its exact length is difficoult by just counting the 1/4 beats, rather you do this math: 2+3+3+3+3+3+3+3+3+3 = 32 x 1/8 = four measures.

| A   | G/A | A   | -7  |

| A   | -   |

| -   | -   |

| G  F#  G  A  B  C#  D  C#  B  A  |
| A                                |


The fourth subsection dominated by another "classic rock" style riff developed in four cycles with minimal changes. The tonal centre is shifted to E.

| E5  | -   |
| I   | -   |

| E5  | -   |

| E5  | -   |

| E5  | -   |


The rhythm of the riff:

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2
* *  *  *  * **** *...

which is a variant of the 2+3+3+3+3+2 pattern.

The next four phrases add bass guitar doubling the riff (E*) and lead guitar over it. Organ (no synth!) chord is fading in.

| E*  | E*  |

| E   | E   |

| E   | E   |

The last fourth phrase we have a diatonic parallel harmony for three guitars and more of the 3+3+... grouping of notes with 4/4 backing beat on drums and pulsing pedal bass on E. The rising pattern: one step down, two steps up (see also "...Wild Wind").
The figure arrives on D major triad, the ronic of the homekey of the song. The length of this phrase is 3 x 10 = 30 x 1/8 resulting in a 3/4 measure closing the phrase.


| E                  |


The fifth subsection starts with the closing D major guitar harmony with organ doubling it. The arpeggiated acoustic guitar figure (early Queen favourite) backing of the forthcoming Verse is fading in.

D:
| D   | -   |
| I   | -   |

| D   | -   |
| I   | -   |


Re-intro
With some changes it reprises the midle subsections of the intro til the rising arpeggio section with extra guitar counterpart added roughly paralelling the ascending inner line of the arppeggio. It is followed by Chorus 2.



Verse
The verse is only four measures. Phrasing: 2+2 AA' (subphrasing: XYXZ, see also "Killer Queen").

| D   | -   |
| I   | -   |

| D   | -   |
| -   | -   |

The second Verse alters the pentatnonic lead melody of the second phrase. The acoustic guitar arpeggios are changed to electric guitar chords with many off beat accents. The last measure adds a maj7 dissonance.


Chorus 1
The chorus starts with an acappella measure with the signature title phrase sung in a powerfull three part harmony, which is the heart of the Chorus and the whole song (see also "Flash"). The phrasing is 4+4 AA'. Harmony-wise it looks like a bridge with no tonic except the ending overlapped by the Verse.

|(F#m/A G/B)| Em    | A     | -     |
|           | ii    | V     | -     |

|(F#m/A G/B)| Em    | A     | G/A A |

The second chorus is added an extra phrase for the resolution provoked by the lack of a following verse.

| D   | -   |


Chorus 2
After the re-intro there is no Verse, we run straight into an alternate chorus with three distinct subsection. We have lots of title phrases with various harmonies over the same rhythm. The first subsection consists of six phrases (2+2+2+2+2+2, AABBCC), where the title phrases are located in the uneven numbered measures, antiphonal vocals in the even numbered ones. The last two phrase has slower backing beat and descending bassline instead of chords. Note the chormatic tune in measures 10 and 12.

| G D |     : vocal harmony
| D   | -   |  
| I   | -   |

| G D |
| D   | -   |
| I   | -   |

| G A |
| A   | -   |  
| V   | -   |

| G A |
| A   | -   |
| V   | -   |

| B1  | A1  |
| 6   | 5   |

| G1  | F#1 |
| 4   | 3   |

The next subsection lacks any harmonized title phrases. Its phrasing is 2+2+4, A B A-ext.

| Em  | A   |
| ii  | V   |

| Em  | A   |
| ii  | V   |

| Em  | Asus4>3 | D   | -   |
| ii  | V       | I   | -   |

The last subsection is only one phrase. I transcribed it in five 3/4 measures.

  3/4  
| A5  | -   | -   | -   | -   |

After a drum roll the first subsection is repetaed with halved tempo lead vocal, and the last for measures occupied by the first subsection of the solo.


Solo
The first subsection (four measures m1-4) is an instrumental version of m9-12 of the Chorus. There is a second lead guitar beside the main one.

The second subsection (m5-14) starts with double tracked unisono guitars departuring first in m.11.

| Em  | A   |

| Em  | A   |

| Em  | G   |

| D   | A   |

| Em  | G   |

In the next sub section (m15-22) we have three guitars moving sometimes parallel sometimes contrapuntal. Note the use of both melodic 3rd and flat-3rd degrees next to eachother in m15-16.

  F#   F   D   D   C   B   A...7
  D    D   C   B   A   G   D...
  A    B   A   G   F#  D   D...

| D   | G7  |
| I   | IV  |

| D7  | G   |
| I   | IV  |

| D7  | G   |
| I   | IV  |

| D   | -   |
| I   | -   |

A pre-bridge connector closes the solo section with bass guitar doubling guitar.

  1 2 3 4     1  2  3      4
| E5    F#5 | G5 B5 E5 D#5 E5 | no chord | -    |

The last two measures expose the percussion backing of the Bridge.

Bridge:
The bridge is dominated by two measure phrases (AA'ABB'B...) closing with antiphonal "all day long" harmonies. These harmonies are sung with double frequency (ie. sung in each measure) from m.13. Along these harmonies Brian plays the "Hendrix" chord (E7b9 notated as E*) with varying rhythm and timing.

|(E1) |Em   |


|(E1) |Em E*|


|(E1) |Em E*|


|(E1) |Em E*|

|(E1) |E1 E*|

|(E1) |E1 E*|


| E*  | E*  | E*  | E*  | E*  | E*  | E*  | E*  |

| E5  | E5  |


Break:
The first subsection is dominated by a two measure riff repeated four times.

/-------- 4x --------\
| G  A  | B  E D E   | : inner line
| E1    | -  E5 D5   |

The riff involves a relatively hard to hear ascending inner line. In the fourth cycle a bas stops doubling the guitar and starts a stepwise ascending motion. For m1-6 of the next subsection it changes to an oscillating figure while guitar play descending chord progression. In m7-11 the bass executes a scalar walk down while guitar sustains treble pedal point. The key is e-minor.

e:
| Em   | -    |
| i    | -    |

| Dadd9| -    |
| VII  | -    |

| C    | -    |
| VI   | -    |

| E D C B | A G F# E| D C B A | B A G F# | B    | -    |
| C       | -       | -       | B        | -    | -    |
| VI      | -       | -       | V        | -    | -    |

| Em   | C    | A/C#  | -    | A5   |
| i    | VI   | IV
            D:| V     | -    | -    |

We have a pivot modulation to D Major. The inverted pivot chord is perhaps the most "jazzy" point of the song dominated by simple harmony.

Chorus 3
We have a third "Liar" sections with some antiphonal title phrases again. Both phrase pairs 1-2 and 3-4 show the same ABAC-type melody development.

D:
| D    | -    |
| I    | -    |

| D    | -    |
| I    | -    |

| A    | -    |
| V    | -    |

| A    | -    |
| V    | -    |

Outro
The chorus 3 is gradually transforms into an outro wich starts with the slow scalar descent familiar from Chorus 2.

| B1   | A1   | G1   | F#1  |
| 6th  | 5th  | 4th  | 3rd  |

The descent arrives surprisingly to F.

| F    | -    | G    | -    |
| bIII | -    | IV   | -    |

In the instrumental last phrase has no backing beats anymore. Brian May plays guitar figures with lots of pull on - hammer on and sliding up and down without a single string-picking. It was a legendary Hendrix lick.

| D    (...sus4...)   | D5  |
| I                   | I   |

Beyond the lead guitar sus4 dissonances are played.