A study of the music of Frank Zappa by Kasper Sloots, containing many
note examples and midi files. See the foreword below for how it came into existance.
The midi sound can be different from the intended sound. Click
here for more details.
Introduction (text only)
The lost episodes: Zappa's teens
- Lost in a whirlpool; Guitar waltz;
The legend of the golden arches
The mystery disc #1: movie scores
- Run home slow; The little march;
The world's greatest sinner
Cucamonga years: singles
- Any way the wind blows; Memories of El Monte;
Grunion run; Take your clothes off while you dance
The mystery disc #2: projects
- I was a teenage maltshop; Status back baby;
Bossa Nova; Mondo Hollywood
Freak out! - Absolutely free: into the rock industry
- I ain't got no heart; Help, I'm a rock; Monster magnet
Trouble every day; Plastic people; Brown shoes don't make it
For the money - Ruben and the Jets: fifties and sixties
- Mother people; Absolutely free; Jelly roll gum drop;
Cheap thrills; You didn't try to call me
Lumpy gravy: a collage
- Oh no; King Kong (1968); It's from Kansas;
I don't know if I can go through this again; Bow tie daddy
Uncle Meat - Ahead of their time: integration
- Uncle meat main title; King Kong (1969);
Project X; Epilogue; Agency man; Zolar Czakl
Hot rats: overdubs
- It must be a camel; Peaches en regalia; Little umbrellas
Burnt weeny sandwich: atonality
- Igor's boogie I and II; Little house piano intro;
Eric Dolphy memorial barbecue
Weasels - YCDTOSA V: counterpoint #1 and improvisations
- Dwarf nebula; Didja get any onya?; Baked-bean boogie;
What will this evening bring me this morning?; Sofa
Chunga's revenge: mainstream pop
- Tell me you love me; Sharleena;
Chunga's revenge
Fillmore East - Playground psychotics: comedy shows
- Latex solar beef; Willy the pimp (1971);
Bwana dick; Brixton still life; Scumbag
200 Motels - Band from L.A.: sequences
- Penis dimension; She painted up her face; Magdalena
Billy the Mountain; Call any vegetable (1971); Nun suit
Waka/Jawaka - The grand & petit wazoo: the jazz band
- Big swifty; One shot deal; Imaginary diseases; The grand wazoo;
For Calvin; Eat that question; Another whole melodic section; Your mouth
Overnite sensation - Apostrophe ('): riffs
- Dirty love; Don't eat the yellow snow; Montana
I'm the slime; Nanook rubs it; St. Alfonso/Father O'blivion
Roxy and Elsewhere - YCDTOSA II: metres and rhythms
- Edchina's arf (of you); Orange county guitar solo; Tangos
Don't you ever wash that thing; Approximate; Pygmy twylyte
One size fits all: through-composed melodies
- Florentine Pogen; Evelyn; Inca roads
Bongo Fury: working with Don van Vliet
- Debra kadabra; 200 years old; Muffin man
Orchestral favorites - Studio tan: classicism
- Duke of prunes (1963-1975); Bogus pump; RDZNL
Music for low budget orchestra; Greggery Peccary
Zoot Allures - Sleep dirt: harmonies and vamps
- Disco boy; The torture never stops; Zoot allures;
Filthy habits; The ocean is the ultimate solution; Sleep dirt
In New York - Läther: irregular rhythmic groupings
- The black page #1; Titties and beer; Duck duck goose; Down in de dew;
I promise not to come in your mouth; The purple lagoon; Manx needs women
Baby snakes - Sheik Yerbouti: disco references and solo building
- The black page #2; Dancin' fool; Jones crusher;
Wild love; Mo' and Yo' mama; Punky's whips
Joe's garage: the emotional dimension
- Joe's garage; Watermelon in eastern hay (1979-1984);
Fembot in a wet T-shirt; Outside now; No more Mr. nice girl
Tinsel town rebellion: fashions
- Fine girl; Easy meat; Panty rap
Shut up 'n play yer guitar: modes
- Five-five-FIVE; Return of the son;
Why Johnny can't read; Pink napkins
You are what you is - The dub room special: rock 'n roll
- Doreen; You are what you is;
Beauty knows no pain; Stevie's spanking
The LSO - The perfect stranger: a modern composer
- Mo 'n Herb's vacation; Pedro's dowry; Outside now again
The girl in the magnesium dress; Dupree's paradise; Sad Jane
Drowning witch - Them or us: the modern rock band and instrumentation
- Drowning witch; Sinister footwear I-II; Valley girl
Marque-Son's chicken; I come from nowhere
The man from Utopia: recitatives
- The jazz discharge party hats;
The radio is broken; Tink walks amok
Thingfish: an opera
- The evil prince; Wistful wit a fistful
No not now; Won ton on; Mammy nuns
Does humor belong in music?: the lyrics
- Baby take your teeth out; Hot plate heaven;
Let's move to Cleveland; For Giuseppe Franco
Mothers of prevention - Jazz from hell: the synclavier #1
- G-spot tornedo; One man - one vote; Night school;
Aerobics in bondage; I don't even care; Damp ankels
Guitar - Trance-fusion: solo types
- Sexual harassment in the workplace intro; Trance-fusion
Sunrise redeemer; Republicans; Canadian customs; Soul polka
You can't do that on stage anymore: live compilations #1
- Shall we take ourselves seriously; Ride my face to Chicago;
Thirteen; Babette; Don't you want a man like me? (1976-1988)
Broadway the hard way: parodies and conventions
- Rhymin' man; Promiscuous; Any kind of pain
Best band - Make a jazz noise here: live compilations #2
- The black page (new age version);
Heavy duty judy (1988); When yuppies go to hell
The yellow shark - EIHN: counterpoint #2
- Strictly genteel (1987); Times beach II and III; T'Mershi Duween;
This is a test; 9/8 Objects; Ruth is sleeping; What will Rumi do?
Civilization phaze III: the synclavier #2
- Put a motor in yourself; Get whitey;
Beat the reaper; Xmas values
Conclusion
Various items
Be aware that this material is copyrighted and that printed copies are available and
catalogued (1st edition ISBN 90-9013158-2; 2nd edition ISBN 90-806552-1-X; 3rd edition ISBN
978-90-806552-2-5).
It may be self-evident from the title of this study that the author of the music itself
represented in the note examples in this study is Frank Zappa, of which the copyright since his death
has gone over to the Zappa Family Trust.
Foreword
This internet site is the second edition of my private research into the music of Frank Zappa,
augmented with several recent additions. The first one was finished in April 2000, simultanuously
with an internet release as
www.zappa-analysis.com. The site keeps attracting more visitors than I had expected,
so I considered it worthwhile to come up with a second version in September 2001. Compared to the first
one it has doubled in size. The number of sections as well the number of note examples
has been extended. The conclusion has remained the same, nor are there any significant
changes upon the first one included. I extend the site every once in a while, see the what's new
section above for recent additions.
Orginally this study started with several sketch transcriptions of fragments that sounded
interesting to me and for which I tried to find out what technical elements could be found
in them. Maybe there was something typical Zappa in them. But what a found was more an amazing
variety of deviations from standard patterns going into all directions, than something
that could be called Zappa-esque.
While the number of sketch transcriptions increased I thought of writing an article about
them and trying to get the transcriptions correct. The latter proved to be much more of a
problem than the writing of the text. Though most of Zappa's orchestral scores and chamber
music scores are available, at the time of my writing of the second edition only one
songbook and a guitar book were published. Since then two new album transcription books
have came out.
Partially I could rely on transcriptions made by others, but for about two third I had
to do it myself. I underestimated the effort it would take to produce transcriptions that
look sensible, and I found out that I have no talent for it. I still don't think I'm the
best fit to write material like this and the risk that there's some stupid looking error
in it somewhere is troubling. The unpredictability of Zappa's music makes it hard to be
ever positive that the transcriptions and analysis are correct. I also must apologize for
my unsophisticated English; English is not my native language.