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.