Stairway to Heaven Analysis
Analysis of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”
Led Zeppelin is considered to be one of the greatest rock and roll bands of the 20th century. Their fourth studio album produced a song that many consider an all-time classic called “Stairway to Heaven.” The song is about eight minutes long and is split into several sections, each providing a different rhythm, tempo and feel. The song relies mostly on the instrument of guitar; however, unlike most other rock songs, it includes both electric guitar and the softer acoustic guitar in the first half. “Stairway to Heaven” is a song that appears to have a little bit of everything that one would look for in music. Although it is greatly varied with many tempos and rhythms, it still produces a sound that people find enjoyable and among the most popular. As mentioned before, “Stairway to Heaven” can be divided into a number of sections. The first section lasts for about the first two minutes of the song. In this section, the dynamic is piano-like and the tempo is quite slow, ranging from largo to adagio. An acoustic guitar plays a phrase that is repeated and continued as lead singer Robert Plant begins his vocals about fifty seconds into the song. An electric guitar then changes the tune which is repeated in a strophic form manner and also with an adagio tempo. In total, this slow-moving section lasts for about four minutes. The second section of the song begins with the introduction of drums to accompany the electric guitar and vocals. This section is faster than the first, having a moderato tempo. The previous tune is still played albeit with some variation and a more lively sound. This includes the vocals, which also move faster with the instruments and sing a variation of the first section’s vocals. There is still a strophic form contained in the second section, although the chorus is represented by the instruments rather than singing. About five and a half minutes into the
Led Zeppelin is considered to be one of the greatest rock and roll bands of the 20th century. Their fourth studio album produced a song that many consider an all-time classic called “Stairway to Heaven.” The song is about eight minutes long and is split into several sections, each providing a different rhythm, tempo and feel. The song relies mostly on the instrument of guitar; however, unlike most other rock songs, it includes both electric guitar and the softer acoustic guitar in the first half. “Stairway to Heaven” is a song that appears to have a little bit of everything that one would look for in music. Although it is greatly varied with many tempos and rhythms, it still produces a sound that people find enjoyable and among the most popular. As mentioned before, “Stairway to Heaven” can be divided into a number of sections. The first section lasts for about the first two minutes of the song. In this section, the dynamic is piano-like and the tempo is quite slow, ranging from largo to adagio. An acoustic guitar plays a phrase that is repeated and continued as lead singer Robert Plant begins his vocals about fifty seconds into the song. An electric guitar then changes the tune which is repeated in a strophic form manner and also with an adagio tempo. In total, this slow-moving section lasts for about four minutes. The second section of the song begins with the introduction of drums to accompany the electric guitar and vocals. This section is faster than the first, having a moderato tempo. The previous tune is still played albeit with some variation and a more lively sound. This includes the vocals, which also move faster with the instruments and sing a variation of the first section’s vocals. There is still a strophic form contained in the second section, although the chorus is represented by the instruments rather than singing. About five and a half minutes into the