Recently added

Style marker

1̂–b7̂ phrase-ending melismaLed Zeppelin

On early albums, Robert Plant frequently ends vocal phrases by dropping a whole step from scale degree 1̂ down to b7̂ in a minor pentatonic blues context. It's usually a sliding melisma on the lyric's last syllable.

Good Times Bad Times (1969)

Led Zeppelin

6

5

4

3

2

1

7

6

she

1

swore

5

that

5

she

4

would

4

be

b3

all

1

mine

1

and

1

love

b7

me

1

til

1

the

1

e

1

end

b7

Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (1969)

Led Zeppelin

2

1

7

6

I'm

1

gon

1

na

b7

leave

1

you

1

u

b7

You Shook Me (1969)

Led Zeppelin

3

2

1

7

6

5

I

5

have

b7

a

1

bird

b3

that

1

whist

b7

l

1

les

b7

Dazed and Confused (1969)

Led Zeppelin

6

5

4

3

2

1

7

6

want

5

ed

5

a

5

wom

5

an

4

nev

4

er

b3

bar

5

gained

b3

for

1

you

1

u

b7

Your Time Is Gonna Come (1969)

Led Zeppelin

6

5

4

3

2

1

7

6

can't

5

feel

5

you

4

an

b3

y

1

mo

1

ore

b7

Communication Breakdown (1969)

Led Zeppelin

3

2

1

7

6

I

1

like

b3

it

1

a

b7

lo

1

ot

b7

I Can't Quit You Baby (1969)

Led Zeppelin

5

4

3

2

1

7

6

so

1

I'm

1

gon

b3

na

4

put

b3

you

4

down

b3

for

1

a

b7

whi

1

ile

b7

How Many More Times (1969)

Led Zeppelin

5

4

3

2

1

7

6

how

1

man

b3

y

4

more

b3

ti

1

imes

b7

Whole Lotta Love (1969)

Led Zeppelin

3

2

1

7

6

back

1

to

b7

school

b3

i

1

in

b7

What Is and What Should Never Be (1969)

Led Zeppelin

3

2

1

7

6

it

b7

on

b7

ly

1

goes

1

to

2

sho

1

ow

b7

Heartbreaker (1969)

Led Zeppelin

2

1

7

6

as

b7

it

b7

was

b7

so

b7

long

1

a

1

go

1

o

b7

Livin' Lovin' Maid (She's Just a Woman) (1969)

Led Zeppelin

3

2

1

7

6

pay

1

in'

b7

your

b3

bi

1

ills

b7

Ramble On (1969)

Led Zeppelin

6

5

4

3

2

1

7

6

and

5

it's

5

head

5

ed

4

my

3

wa

1

ay

b7

Bring It On Home (1969)

Led Zeppelin

3

2

1

7

6

gon

2

na

2

move

2

you

1

out

1

of

b7

tow

1

wn

b7

Celebration Day (1970)

Led Zeppelin

2

1

7

6

ev'

1

ry

b7

bod

1

y's

b7

gon

1

na

b7

kno

1

ow

b7

Gallows Pole (1970)

Led Zeppelin

3

2

1

7

6

from

b3

the

b3

gall

b3

ows

b3

po

1

ole

b7

Hats Off to (Roy) Harper (1970)

Led Zeppelin

2

1

7

6

ah

1

ah

b7

Black Dog (1971)

Led Zeppelin

6

5

4

3

2

1

7

6

gon'

1

make

5

you

4

sweat

b3

gon'

1

make

b3

you

b3

groo

1

oove

b7

Rock and Roll (1971)

Led Zeppelin

3

2

1

7

6

ba

b3

by

b3

where

b3

I

b3

come

1

fro

1

om

b7

Four Sticks (1971)

Led Zeppelin

2

1

7

6

I

b7

got

1

ta

b7

fly

1

y

b7

The Ocean (1973)

Led Zeppelin

6

5

4

3

2

1

7

6

rock

5

in'

5

in

3

the

1

gra

1

ain

b7

Boogie with Stu (1975)

Led Zeppelin

6

5

4

3

2

1

7

6

ro

5

ock

4

rock

b3

yea

1

ah

b7

Nobody's Fault but Mine (1976)

Led Zeppelin

4

3

2

1

7

6

roll

3

roll

3

roll

3

ro

1

oll

b7

Hots On for Nowhere (1976)

Led Zeppelin

5

4

3

2

1

7

6

land

b3

in

b3

a

1

boat

4

with

b3

out

b3

oa

1

ars

b7

Tea for One (1976)

Led Zeppelin

6

5

4

3

2

1

7

6

slip

5

in

4

to

b3

da

1

ays

b7

It's a common blues device, but he uses it more often than most blues singers do, especially in a song's opening line. As Led Zeppelin evolved away from their blues roots, he sang this interval less often.

Some cases are sliding and ambiguous, and notating blues vocals requires severe approximation, but there's a clear pattern nevertheless.

• View all recent entries

Where am I?

SongPatterns.com is an encyclopedia of

• the musicological devices that contribute to the distinctive sounds of various artists, genres, and time periods
  Style marker

  

  3̂-7̂-1̂ cadenceTaylor Swift

  Taylor Swift often ends vocal phrases by singing 3̂, dropping to 7̂, then rising to 1̂.

  

  Change (2008)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Back to December (2010)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  All Too Well (2012)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  The Last Time (2012)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Blank Space (2014)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Clean (2014)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince (2019)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  The Man (2019)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Exile (2020)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Seven (2020)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  This Is Me Trying (2020)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  'tis the damn season (2020)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Champagne Problems (2020)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Ivy (2020)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Long Story Short (2020)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Maroon (2022)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Midnight Rain (2022)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Bejeweled (2022)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Karma (2022)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Labyrinth (2022)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Mastermind (2022)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  But Daddy I Love Him (2024)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  I Can Do It With a Broken Heart (2024)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived (2024)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  imgonnagetyouback (2024)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  So High School (2024)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Elizabeth Taylor (2025)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Ruin The Friendship (2025)

  Taylor Swift

  

  

  Wi$h Li$t (2025)

  Taylor Swift

  

  • More on Taylor Swift
• the elements that songwriters draw from preexisting songs
  Connection

  

  Hungry Like the Wolf (1982)

  Duran Duran

  

  

  Black Or White (1991)

  Michael Jackson

  

Why?

• to enrich your listening
• to empower your writing
• to promote awareness of the nature, prevalence, and legitimacy of musical borrowing

[...] the production and perception of music—like language—relies on knowledge that is not easily articulated and, to some extent, unconscious. Anyone who can speak and understand English has some kind of knowledge of the rules of English grammar, but few such people are able to state exactly what those rules are. Similarly, [...] creators and listeners of rock music have knowledge about the norms and regularities of rock, but largely at an unconscious level. In large part, my goal [...] is to articulate this tacit knowledge, to uncover the mental processes and representations involved in musical creation and perception.

— David Temperley, The Musical Language of Rock

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

— Ecclesiastes 1:9