There's Music in Our Speech

TUNE OUT - ignore someone or something. I tuned out when the speaker started quoting statistics.

TUNE IN - set the television control to receive a program. I tune in to the news every evening.

TUNE UP - 1. adjust an engine so that it runs cor­rectly. I needed a mechanic to tune up my car .2. to adjust instruments in an orches­tra so that each musician is in har­mony with one another. The orches­tra tuned up before the concert began.

CHANGE ONE'S TUNE - to change one's opinions or manner. John was critical of Anne's judgment until she was made his supervisor. Now he has changed his tune and agrees with everything she does.

OUT OF TUNE - not in agreement. His suggestions were out of tune with reality.

CALL THE TUNE – 1. make decisions; decide what is to be done. A lot of people do not get along with Carol. She always wants to call the tune.

2. The person who is in charge is tine one who makes the final decision. She who pays the piper calls the tune.

TO SING A DIFFERENT TUNE - to change one's manner from bad to good. When she learned that I was a bank director, she began to sing a different time.

CAN'T CARRY A TUNE - to lack musical ability. I wish that Tom wouldn’t try to sing. He can’t carry a tune.

ALL THAT JAZZ - et cetera; and so forth. The movie was filled with kissing and hugging and all that jazz.

JAZZY - lively; active. Phil and Mary throw jazzy parties. Hours pass like minutes at their house.

JAZZ SOMETHING UP - to make something more interesting or lively. Tom jazzed up his gray suit with a red tie.

PLAY SECOND FIDDLE TO SOMEONE - to be subordinate to someone. Carol resigned from the company because she was tired of playing second fiddle to George.

SING BY EAR – 1. to play a piece of music without looking at the notes. / can play all the popular songs by ear.

2. to perform without prior prepara­tion. We haven't had time to prepare for the meeting. We'll have to play it by car.

SING THE BLUES - to be disappointed or disillusioned.: Jim is singing the blues since he broke, up with Elizabeth.

IT'S NOT OVER TILL THE FAT LADY SINGS - to not speculate about something until it is completed. Though her policies were criticized, and her elec­tion in. doubt, the candidate reminded the news correspondents that it's not over till the fat lady sings.

TOOT ONE'S OWN HORN; BLOW ONE'S OWN HORN - to praise oneself; to brag. Mary is al­ways tooting (blowing) her own horn. She forgets that other people have a role in our company's success.

MUSIC TO MY EARS - good news; information that makes someone happy. When my boss told me about my promotion, it was music to my ears.

FACE THE MUSIC - accept the unpleasant consequence for one's actions. Jimmy broke his neighbor's window with his baseball. Now he's got to face the music.

TO BEAT THE RAP - to escape punishment (Amer.E.). He was charged for drunk driving, but he beat the rap.

OFF-BEAT - unusual, not typical. He dressed in an off-beat manner.

TO BEAT THE BAND - very much; very fast. The police car was speeding down the highway to beat the band.

JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON - take a popular position; join the group that has the greatest popularity. The politicians jumped on the bandwagon when they saw the gover­nor was so popular.

TO DRUM STH UP - to invent sth; to come up with some decision. Don’t worry. I’ll drum a date up for Tom.

MARCH TO A DIFFERENT-DRUMMER - to follow one’s own ideas rather than being influenced by the group. Dick isn't going to support us; he always marches to a different drummer.

DRUM UP BUSINESS - influence people to buy something. The big advertisement in today's newspaper should drum up business.

Unit 3. HOW TO INTERPRET A SONG (IMPORTANT PHRASES)

Subject of the song (lyrics):

“........” by ….. is a song about love / passion / crime / war / misunderstandings between etc.

• The song is basically about …

• The main message of the song is found in the chorus, which tells us that …

• The song is divided into / consists of ………….. stanzas, in which the singer tells us about …. / explains that …. / criticises the way people ……

• In the first / second / final stanza the singer …

• The song alludes to / deals with the problem of violence / racism / world hunger …

• I like the words / lyrics because …………

• The song reminds me of ………...

Music:

• The song has got tremendous power / a catchy tune / a good beat / rhythm etc.

• The rhythm really gets me moving and the tune is also infectious. I keep singing it on my way to school / when doing my homework / cleaning my room / working out etc.

• As far as the rhythm and the volume of the song are concerned, there is a climax in the … stanza.

• The rhythm is rather slow at the beginning, but it gets faster after the second chorus / in the third stanza …

• The rhythm changes towards the end of the second stanza …

• There is an abrupt change to a gentler tune / a slower rhythm at the end of the …

• The melody and the rhythm of the song are in perfect harmony with the lyrics.

• I think the words and the music really match / do not match in this song.

• There is a great solo passage for the guitar / the piano / the drums etc. in the …. stanza.

Artists:

• As for me, I am a huge fan of …

• Personally I think Oasis are tops. To me they are the best British band to come out of England since the Beatles.

• The thing I like best about … is that they always write meaningful / entertaining / amusing lyrics / …

• I love the way he / she / the band ….

• He / she / they look great …

• He / she has got a wonderful / very good / beautiful / fascinating / sexy / warm / gentle / soft / distinct / deep / strong / dark / hollow / extraordinary … voice.

• He / she / they is / are excellent live-performers.

• They play many gigs in …

• I went to their concert in …

Some more phrases:

• My favourite kind of music is …

• I really like bands like …

- My favourite song is “…” by …

- The latest CD by … “….” comprises / contains … songs. The opening track / One of them is called …

- The more I listen to the song, the more it grows on me.

- Their album “…” went straight into the album charts at number …

- It was the highest entry that week.

- His / her / their new single has already gone platinum.

- “…” has gone gold within four weeks.

- The first single released from the album “…” was “…”

- His / her / their new single “…” charted straight at number … in …

Possible structure of an interpretation:

Introduction: brief information on the band, their career and the importance / success (?) of the song you’re going to interpret: e.g. The Ting Tings are a British indie-pop duo consisting of … So far they have released … singles, one of which charted straight at No. 1 in the UK charts last summer. The song was called “…” and quickly became a mega-seller all over Europe.

Subject of the song (e.g. The song is basically about a girl who …)

music / melody / rhythm (find transitions in your text: e.g. Personally I really like the lyrics of the song. However, the words are certainly not the only reason for the great success of the song. “That’s not my name” has also got a catchy tune and a rhythm you cannot easily resist. …)

Conclusion (summing up main ideas, personal opinion… e.g. It’s probably the combination of meaningful and yet entertaining lyrics, a distinct voice and an irresistible rhythm that has earned The Ting Tings such a great success. Personally I think that the song “That’s not my name”…)

Unit 4. The Greatest Composers Of All Time