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; Sleeping in a jar;
The legend of the golden arches; Guitar waltz

The mystery disc #1: movie scores
- Run home, slow (theme and soundtrack); The little march;
The world's greatest sinner (single and soundtrack); Holiday in Berlin

Cucamonga years: singles
- Any way the wind blows; Grunion run; Love of my life;
Memories of El Monte; Take your clothes off while you dance

The mystery disc #2: projects
- I was a teenage maltshop; Status back baby;
Bossa Nova; Mondo Hollywood; Toad of the short forest

Freak out!: into the rock industry
- I ain't got no heart; Help, I'm a rock; Monster magnet;
Trouble every day; You're probably wondering why I'm here

Absolutely free: complexities
- America drinks; Plastic people; Brown shoes don't make it
Invocation & ritual dance of the young pumpkin

For the money - Ruben and the Jets: the fifties and sixties
- Mother people; Absolutely free; Jelly roll gum drop; The ugliest part;
Cheap thrills; You didn't try to call me; No matter what you do

Lumpy gravy - Lumpy money: a collage
- Oh no; King Kong (1968); It's from Kansas; Foamy soaky;
I don't know if I can go through this again; Bow tie daddy; Unit 3A and 9

Uncle Meat - Ahead of their time: integration
- Uncle meat main title; King Kong (1969); Dog breath;
Project X; Epilogue; Agency man; Zolar Czakl

Hot rats: overdubs
- It must be a camel; Peaches en regalia;
Little umbrellas; Twenty small cigars

Burnt weeny sandwich: atonality
- Igor's boogie I and II; Little house piano intro;
Eric Dolphy memorial barbecue; Kung fu

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; Brain police (1971)

200 Motels - Just another band from L.A.: sequences
- Penis dimension; She painted up her face; Magdalena; Overture;
Billy the Mountain; Call any vegetable (1970-71); Nun suit; Number 7

Waka/Jawaka - The grand wazoo: the jazz band in the studio
- Big swifty; One shot deal; The grand wazoo; Your mouth;
For Calvin; Eat that question; Another whole melodic section

Wazoo - Imaginary diseases - Quaudiophiliac: the jazz band live
- Imaginary diseases; Variant I; Rollo; D.C. boogie

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
- Echidna'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; San Ber'dino

Bongo Fury: working with Don van Vliet
- Debra kadabra; 200 years old; Muffin man; Cucamonga

Orchestral favorites - Studio tan: classicism
- Duke of prunes (1963-1975); Bogus pomp; RDZNL;
Music for low budget orchestra; Greggery Peccary

FZ:OZ - FZ plays FZ - Joe's menage - Philly '76: the 5- and 6-piece band
- Kaiser rolls; Black napkins; Rhythm guitar solo;
City of tiny lights; Keep it greasy

Zoot Allures - Sleep dirt: harmonies and vamps
- Disco boy; The torture never stops; Zoot allures; Friendly little finger;
Filthy habits; The ocean is the ultimate solution; Sleep dirt

In New York: irregular rhythmic groupings
- The black page #1; Titties and beer; Manx needs women;
I promise not to come in your mouth; The purple lagoon

Läther-Halloween: boxes
- Duck duck goose; Down in de dew; Stinkfoot;
Ancient armaments; Green rosetta/Ship ahoy

Baby snakes - Sheik Yerbouti: disco references and solo building
- The black page #2; Dancin' fool; Jones crusher; Conehead;
Wild love; Mo' and Yo' mama; Punky's whips; Heidelberg

Joe's garage: the emotional dimension
- Joe's garage; Watermelon in eastern hay (1979-1984); Packard goose;
Fembot in a wet T-shirt; Outside now; No more Mr. nice girl

Tinsel town rebellion - Buffalo: fashions
- Fine girl; Easy meat; Panty rap; Pick me, I'm clean

Shut up 'n play yer guitar: modes and xenochrony
- Five-five-FIVE; Return of the son; Pink napkins; Canarsie
Why Johnny can't read; On the bus; Occam's razor

You are what you is - The dub room special: rock 'n roll
- Doreen; You are what you is; Heavenly bank account;
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; Sad Jane
The girl in the magnesium dress; Dupree's paradise; Envelopes

Drowning witch - Them or us: the modern rock band and instrumentation
- Drowning witch; Sinister footwear I-III; Valley girl;
Marque-Son's chicken; I come from nowhere; Frogs

The man from Utopia: recitatives
- The jazz discharge party hats; Moggio
The radio is broken; Tink walks amok

Thing-Fish: 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 tornado; One man - one vote; Night school;
Aerobics in bondage; I don't even care; Damp ankels; Baltimore

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); Torture part two
Heavy duty Judy (1988); When yuppies go to hell

Outrage at Valdez and others: documentaries
- Outrage at Valdez; The Valdez score; Improvisation in A; Budapest solo

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; Reagan at Bitburg

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.
Originally 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.