What makes a great song? A catchy melody, rhyming lyrics and lots of crisps of course!(According to Martin…) Join Cara and her musical martian as they attempt to create awinning jingle for Banter Crisps’ latest flavour.
INTERIOR STUDIO - DAY - Cara stands behind the counter, she has lots of vegetables and a juicer on the table. She does her warm up exercises before looking into the camera.
CARA: (warming up) Ma! Ma! Ma! Hi… Hello. Hi! Hi, I’m Cara and today we’re going to be talking about all of these healthy fruits and veg.
Sound of crisps being munched off camera, Cara is slightly put off.
CARA: We can eat them raw, we can steam them, we can stew them, we can roast them and my personal favourite, blend them!
Louder noises of crisps being eaten. Cara is put off, she takes a deep breath.
CARA: Yep that's right, I’m talking broccoli, cabbage, kale, spinach and celery.
Even louder noises of crisps being eaten. Cara has had enough.
CARA: Martin!
Martin is beside Cara just out of shot eating a huge bag of crisps.
MARTIN: (chewing) What?
CARA: I’m rehearsing for our new video.
MARTIN: Yeah?
CARA: I’m talking about all of these healthy fruits and veg and you’re eating crisps!
Martin doesn’t understand. He offers Cara a crisp. She waves him away.
CARA: Just stand over there and eat your crisps while I keep practicing.
Cara recomposes herself. She looks into the camera.
CARA: (rehearsing) Hi… Hi! Hi, I’m Cara and today we’re talking about all of these healthy fruits and veg!
MARTIN: (Off Stage) Cara!
CARA: Martin!
*Martin shows Cara the back of his crisp packet. *
MARTIN: Listen! (reading) Banter Crisps: Write a song for our brand new commercial and win a lifetime supply of crisps!
CARA: Martin, I don’t want a lifetime supply of crisps.
MARTIN: Keep reading!
CARA: (reading) … And star in your own TV commercial!
TITLE SEQUENCE
INTERIOR STUDIO - LATER - The counter is covered in crumpled paper. There are empty crisp packets everywhere. Martin keeps playing the same note on the keyboard.
CARA: (angry) Play. A second. Note!
Martin stops for a second, before hitting the same note again.
CARA: Argh! I’ve gone crisp mad, I need a smoothie.
Cara reaches for a green smoothie. Martin pulls it away from her.
MARTIN: No! You must stay true to the crisp.
CARA: Ok, let’s just pause for a moment. Now, you said that the song has to be happy and upbeat with rhyming words and a melody?
MARTIN: Correct! Like this?
Martin picks up a guitar and plays a sad A minor chord.
CARA: Hmmm… No, that sounded pretty sad to me.
MARTIN: One sec! You can’t be sad with a ukulele.
Martin picks up a ukulele and strums the same sad chord.
CARA: Guess again. That was in a minor key, that’s a sad chord. We need songs that are in a major key!
MARTIN: Was that English? I mean, it sounded like it, but none of those words made any sense.
CARA: OK, let’s… let's go slowly. What you played was a chord, which is a bunch of individual notes, like the individual strings on the ukulele you’re holding - but they’re all played together at once. A minor chord, it makes the music sound sad. Pass me the ukulele.
Martin hands her the ukulele.
CARA: Now this is a major chord.
Cara plays a C major chord on the ukulele.
CARA: See! It sounds fun and happy. This is the chord of C, the happiest chord in the world, and it’s exactly what our song needs.
MARTIN: Play it again!
Cara plays another C chord on the ukulele.
MARTIN: Great, that’s our melody. Lunchtime!
CARA: No Martin, that’s just the background music. What we need now is a great melody, a hook! Something that you just can’t get out of your head no matter how much you try.
MARTIN: (in a slow monotone voice) Banter cheese and onion. They’re one in a million.
CARA: That was the complete opposite of what I said. More like…
Cara picks up the glockenspiel and plays a great melody.
CARA: (singing perfectly) Banter cheese and onion, they’re one in a million.
MARTIN: That was the complete opposite of what I did!
CARA: I know, it was good!
MARTIN: (mimicking Cara’s melody) Banter cheese and onion, they’re one a million. Yeeoo!
CARA: That’s it! Okay, now what else did that flyer say?
MARTIN: The lyrics have to rhyme.
CARA: Nailed it.
MARTIN: Bet you couldn’t do it if it was another flavour, like… Bleugh! Courgette!
CARA: No sweat!
MARTIN: Pear?
CARA: You don’t have a prayer.
MARTIN: Salt and vinegar?
CARA: I’d make ‘em similar.
MARTIN: Orange?
CARA: Trick question, no words ryhme with orange.
MARTIN: Ha! Incorrect! Blorange!
CARA: That’s not even a word?
MARTIN: Maybe not on your planet!
CARA: Okay… What’s next?
MARTIN: We have to have two sections. A first bit that’s really calm and an ending that’s exciting.
CARA: Now calm I can do! (excited) Ooh, we’ll use something like my yoga music.
Cara picks up a sitar.
MARTIN: Woah! What is that?!
CARA: This is an Indian instrument called a sitar. It makes a twangy sound.
She hands the sitar to Martin and picks up wind chimes.
CARA: And these are wind chimes. Wind chimes make a magical, sparkly sound.
Cara plays a sound on the wind chimes.
CARA: You know what? I think we have enough to record this thing.
MARTIN: Let’s do it!
INTERIOR STUDIO - DAY - Cara and Martin are in front of the camera with instruments on the table in front of them.
CARA: Hi everyone, Cara here along with our favourite alien!
MARTIN: E.T!
CARA: No, you! And this is our submission for the Banter cheese and onion crisp competition. Hope you like it!
Cara and Martin are now wearing potato head masks and holding instruments. They sing their song. It starts with wind chimes and some sitar before picking up into a great melody with ukulele and glockenspiel.
CARA: (singing) Mmmmm… Banter cheese and onion, they’re one in a million. Woaah.
CARA/MARTIN: (singing) Crunch, crunch, crunch! Yum, yum, yum! Munch, munch, munch! Yum, yum, yum! Banter cheese and onion, one in a million! Crunch, crunch, crunch! Yum, yum, yum! Munch, munch, munch! Yum, yum, yum! Banter cheese and onion, one in a million! Banter cheese and onion, they’re one in a million. Woaah!
The song ends and strange alien noises start. Martin beams off the planet. Cara is in shock.
CARA: So he really was an alien!
THE END.
Songs and Songwriting
Writing a song involves creating lyrics, a melody, and accompaniment. Most songs have a clearstructure, and often include a hook or chorus that is repeated.
Different elements within a song give it its distinct character: tempo - fast or slow, tonality -major (happy) or minor (sad), dynamics - loud or quiet, accompaniment - what instruments areused, the arrangement - different sections, repeated ideas, lyrics - rhyming words, a hook, thesubject and themes of the song.
Instrumental Sounds
An instrument’s sound is the unique timbre it makes when it is played.
Instruments come in all different shapes, sizes, materials and pitches. Every instrument has aunique sound that is distinct within that family. For example, a flute and clarinet are bothwoodwind instruments but sound quite different to each other.
Instruments can be played in a variety of ways to create different moods and feelings, and areassociated and linked to different genres and styles. For example, rock music often features adrum kit, bass and electric guitar, whilst folk music will more often use acoustic instruments likea banjo, fiddle and acoustic guitar.
Besties Music Video
Prepare for a blast from the past! After discovering a mysterious record sung by astrangely familiar duo, Cara and Martin begin to realise that the funky song may bedescribing more than just a friendship…
… It’s all about music of course! Listen through and see how many key words and musicalfeatures you can spot. What other words can you add to the list?
(high, low, short, long, melody, song, repeat, pop, jingle, classic, jazz, major, key, chord, minor,fast, calm)
CARA(singing)In the beginning, I didn’t knowwhat I was gonna get.CARA (CONT’D)We had highs -MARTIN(singing)
- and lows, since the day we met.CARANow I know I can be short sometimesbut it doesn’t last too long.CARA(CONT’D)‘Cause you and me are like a melodyin this strange, kind of wonderfulsong.CARA (CONT’D)Repeat it again!CARA/MARTIN‘Cause you and me are like a melodyin this strange, kind of wonderfulsong.CARAYou’re the pop in my jingle.MARTINYou’re the classic to my jazz.CARAYou’re the major key in my chord -MARTIN
- when a minor makes me sad.CARAYou make my heart beat really,really fast.MARTINYou always calm me down.CARA/MARTIN‘Cause you and me are like a melodyin this strange, kind of wonderfulsong.CARARepeat it again, now!CARA/MARTIN‘Cause you and me are like a melodyin this strange, kind of wonderfulsong.
Listening to Instruments
Listen to an instrument being played on its own (solo) either in person or by watching a videoonline. Try describing the sound it makes. Is it high and delicate? Or low and rich? Can theinstrument play more than one note at once? Does the sound it makes remind you of anything?Do you associate it with a particular image in your head?
Bande-oke
With some friends, create a group or band. Try to combine singing, playing and actions tocreate your very own songs that incorporate some of the features mentioned by Cara andMartin. Take it in turns to perform in different ways - lead singer, rhythm section (keeping timeby strumming a guitar, or beating on a drum, a book or a chair), lead recorder, conductor.
Murphy’s Ice Cream Jingle
Roll up, roll up! The Murphy family business of making ice cream has recently seen a drop insales… This summer they are on the listen-out for a new theme tune - the first in over 180 years!Like any jingle it needs to be catchy, it must mention the family name and the following flavours - vanilla, honeycomb, chocolate chip and mint. The words need to rhyme and there has to belots of energy throughout! Helpful hint: Mr Murphy’s favourite instrument is the triangle.Get composing!
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