Identify Textures and Textural Devices

in Kingpin

Textures and textural devices are closely allied with form, genre, and style in a composition. Some
pieces have a single texture throughout, while others have changing textures and so make musical
meaning in a variety of ways.

The point, as always, is not simply to identify musical elements, but to understand how they make
meaning in context.

1. Listen to this piece and read the score.

Name the most important texture(s) and textural device(s). Indicate where they're found in the
piece. Analyze and explain how the textures and textural devices you've identified relate to
other elements of the score. (If you are working in Sibelius, you may find it convenient
to use Create Highlight or Edit Color and/or create brackets using the Lines menu to make
indications in the score itself.)

As you approach this task, you may find the following questions helpful:

How many performers are involved? Look at what performers are doing individually (horizontally)
and in sum, vertically. If there are multiple lines, consider how they inter-relate: Do they sound at the
same time? Are they playing the same music or different music? Or are they playing the same music
at different times? If the parts are playing different music, what are the differences? Is there harmonic
interplay between the parts? Are they playing parallel lines or doubling? How do textural choices
relate to the text content of the piece (e.g., title, subtitle, lyrics, expression marks, etc.)?
As composers may use more than one texture and/or textural device within a score, make sure you
give attention to the entire piece of music.

Answers will vary. Possible response: Comping including Walking Bass under a solo, Homophony alternating with
Monophony, and the Monophonic drum break (a single instrument, if not a single sound) are all important textural
elements in this piece and in this genre.

After a brief introduction, the call and response section in bars 5-18 features a solo in the Tenor Sax, underscored
only by a steady percussion beat alternating with a homophonic, homorhythmic response by both Sax and the other
instruments.

Bars 19-50 are comping in the rhythm section, including the characteristic walking bass, to support the solos which
follow in piano, guitar, and bass. The solo section concluded, a “monophonic” drum break transitions to a repeat of bars
5-18, with an ending.

It is important to note that the solos are meant to be improvised in real life - the ones you see in this score are hidden
in the released copy by the composer. These are characteristically meant to give a semblance of what a performer
might choose to do, but not limit the performer’s choices.

Looking at the title, and knowing that the word king pin is spelled with and without a space depending on
preference, we can consider whether it refers to a bowling pin, a pin used in the steering mechanism of an
automobile, or the most important person in a group or project: the latter clearly seems most likely. Whether it
refers to the role of the tenor sax in this piece or has a particular external reference is not easy to make out.
2

King Pin
(q = 226) Pete Peters
Fast straight '8'
Tenor Saxophone       

C7
 F F&
 D7

Guitar
 
     
     
     
etc
   
L R

                             
Piano both hands
     

 
              
Bass Guitar 
   
(q = 226)
Drum Kit     


5

       
F  Eb  F
       
T. Sax.
       

     

F 

F

      
Gtr.

F F 
 

     
Eb F F

         
  
     

Pno.
      

     

F
 
F Eb F F

    
Bass
 
                 
Dr.              
 3
9

       
F  Eb 
T. Sax.
                   
    
F
 
Eb
 
F
   
C7

Gtr.   
    


F Eb F Eb F C7


       
   
   
   
 
Pno. F
       
        


     
F Eb F Eb F

Bass
       C7


                  
Dr.            

13

          
     
T. Sax.
                

 
F
   
   

         


Gtr.  

   
F
   
          

   

        
Pno.
  
       

 
        

F

Bass       

               
Dr.               

 REPEAT AD LIB
4 FOR SOLOS

  
17 A7(#9) D9

T. Sax.      
  
      

     
    
   
 F7(#9)#11

Gtr.     

                 

F7(#9)#11

  
solo coming..........................................

        
Pno. SOLO
             
   
     F7(#9)
Bass
                    

                     
fill ad lib for solos
Dr.     

21 E7(b9) D7(b9)

T. Sax.     
Bb9 C7(b9)#11 Bb7(b9)#11

Gtr.     

        
Bb9         
         
C7(b9)#11
 Bb7(b9)#11








   


             
Pno.
               
       
Bb9 C7(b9) Bb7(b9)
             
Bass   

              
Dr. 

http://petepetersmusic.cjb.net
 REPEAT FOR SOLOS 5

  
25 A E A9

T. Sax.      

  
F C F9

Gtr.      
F

 F9                   
 
 C
  
   
 
     

       
Pno.
      
  
       



         
      
F C F9
    
Bass

            fill
  ad lib. for solos      
Dr.    


29 E9

T. Sax.   
Bb9

Gtr.   

 Bb9                         

         
Pno.
               
 

 
Bb9
     
Bass 

           
Dr. 
6
31 E7(b9) D7(b9) A

T. Sax.    
C7(b9) Bb7(b9) F

Gtr.    
        
 C7(b9)
      Bb7(b9)
           F     
       
            
 
Pno.
       
             
 


C7(b9)
   Bb7(b9)   
F
   
Bass  

              
Dr. 

 REPEAT AD LIB

  
FOR SOLOS
34 A9
T. Sax.     

                  

F9

Gtr.        
fff

                  
F9
  
  
  
       
Pno.
   
       
 


  
 
        
F9
    
Bass 
      fill ad lib for solos
    
Dr.    
 7
37 D7(b9) E7(b9)

T. Sax.    

        
Bb7(b9)       
C7(b9)           
  
Gtr.       
Bb7(b9) C7(b9)

    
   
  
     
      

 
Pno.
            
   
 Bb7(b9)      
C7(b9)

Bass
    

               
Dr. 


40 D7(b9) A

T. Sax.   

    Bb7(b9)
          F
        
   
Gtr.     
Bb7(b9) F
    
      
  
    
   
Pno.
   
    

  Bb7(b9)
   F   
Bass

           
Dr. 
8

  
42 A9 D7(b9)

T. Sax.      

             F9
  
Bb7(b9)

Gtr.     
   
mf

            
F9 Bb7(b9)
 
    
     

 
Pno.
     
Bb7(b9)
  
          
  
F9

Bass
     

        fill

      
ad lib for solos
  
Dr.        


 
46 E7(b9) D7(b9) A

T. Sax.       

 
C7(b9) Bb7(b9) F

Gtr.       

          

C7(b9)
  Bb7(b9) F

   
 
     
  
  


Pno.
      

        
     
C7(b9)
      F
Bb7(b9)

Bass


              
Dr.             
 9

   
51 Drum break only after solos
T. Sax.    


Gtr.        


      

  
Pno.

    

   
    

Bass

 Drum break only after solos    

3

                     

 
Dr.  
 
3 

3 3 3

To finish only
55 after solos

       
    
       
T. Sax.
       

     

 


       
Gtr.

F  Eb F 
      
F F

    



 

  

Pno.
  
      
   


          
    
Bass
 
                
Dr.            
10
59

       
   
T. Sax.
                   
        
 



  




Gtr.
 

  
F Eb F Eb F C7


    
   
   
   
 

  
Pno.
    

     


Bass
             

                  
Dr.           

63

T. Sax.            
               

   
    
         
Gtr.  

    
   
F C

  





    

        
Pno.
  
      
 
             
Bass   
                 
Dr.            

 11
66
  
       
   
T. Sax.

       

  
      
Gtr.  

  
 

Eb 
Db

  
F F F

 
     
 


Pno.
 
  
    
  

   

    
Bass  
  

         

let ring

     
Dr.   

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