# How to do a classical music analysis on a hip hop track



## Albert7

After 60 days of hip hop listening, I have learned a lot about the connection between classical music and hip hop. So for my final project, I am going to conduct a musical analysis of a hip hop track similar to how I look at a classical music track. And here to draw the parallels accordingly.

The track I selected is:






Introduction (overture):

0:00 - 0:25 = Deda's freestyle + drum break + vibes and piano sample from Modern Jazz Quartet's "Ralph's New Blues"

0:26 - 0:29 = Pete Rock's breathing + bassline repeated on delay + turntable scratching

0:30 - 0:31 = quotation of "in the flesh"

0:32 - 0:41 = scratched quotation of "in the flesh" + guitar and woodwind (?) sample from George Benson's "Face It Boy, It's Over"

0:42 - 1:01 = bassline + drum break + guitar sample from George Benson's "Face It Boy, It's Over" repeated

1:02 - 1:03 = organ sample from Steve Miller's "Fly Like An Eagle"

1:04 - 1:13 = bassline + drum break + guitar sample from George Benson's "Face It Boy, It's Over" repeated

1:14 - 1:15 = organ sample from Steve Miller's "Fly Like An Eagle"

1:16 - 1:24 = bassline + drum break + guitar sample from George Benson's "Face It Boy, It's Over" repeated

1:25 - 1:26 = organ sample from Steve Miller's "Fly Like An Eagle" + woodwinds and guitar sample from George Benson's "Face It Boy, It's Over" repeated

1:28 - 1:37 = organ sample from Steve Miller's "Fly Like An Eagle" + woodwinds and guitar sample from George Benson's "Face It Boy, It's Over" repeated + scratched "in the flesh" sample from Pete Rock

1:37 - 1:57 = bassline + drum break + guitar sample from George Benson's "Face It Boy, It's Over" repeated

1:57 - 1:58 = organ sample from Steve Miller's "Fly Like An Eagle

and so on...

until the outro (exit overture)

5:31 - 5:49 = bassline + keyboard sample + drum break from Kool and the Gang's "Dujii"

Whew... what would happen if you had to convert this hip hop song into an actual score that could be played an orchestra? I couldn't transcribe it.

Here is an example of hip hop converted into classical music notation:










So after 60 days I realize that the worlds of hip hop and classical music in terms of music theory are not too far apart.


----------



## Albert7

Here are the original tracks that were sampled in the song above for reference:


----------



## Albert7

Here is a post regarding how to translate turntable scratches into classical notation and its arguments for and against: http://artistworks.com/blog/applying-classical-music-notation-turntablism














Wow, all of this is hard. Seeing the turntable as a classical instrument is pretty fascinating. So that's the huge lessons I have learned from my past 60 days of listening.


----------

