http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvQ2oKSLIGQ
This song is in duple meter. This song has a moderate tempo. The rhythm at the beginning of the song is kept by an acoustic guitar and a bass guitar. At the chorus the first of which starts at 1:04 an electric guitar and drums help keep the rhythm which ends at 1:23 and enters again in the song periodically.
This song has very strong dynamic changes . It starts off with Robert Plants voice in a lower, softer pitch. The acoustic guitar also has a lower pitch. In between the song Robert Plant’s pitch continually alternates from low to high as he sings for example when sings “and it’s headed my way” or when the lower pitch he drags out ” sometimes I grow so tired” then instantly lifts the pitch ” I know one thing I gotta do”. The acoustic guitar stays the same pitch. When the chorus comes around Robert Plant’s voice stays in a consistently high pitch then back to soft at the end of the chorus. At the chorus the melody changes with the additions of the electric guitar and the drums.
The harmony for most of the song is a simple chord progression on the acoustic guitar as well as the bass guitar which sounds as if it is playing down a scale. The entire song is played in a major scale. I feel as there is an example of dissonance at 0:47 when the acoustic guitar is playing in a lower key and Robert Plant’s voice gets forte “For now I smell the rain”.
There is not much accompaniment in most of the song. In the non chorus the bass guitar is accompanying the acoustic guitar, the bass almost sounds like it is playing down a scale. During the chorus an electric guitar begins playing. As well at the beginning of the chorus the drums start to play. At the end of the song there are two voices singing which I believe to both be Robert Plant’s.
At the beginning of the song the timbre is very peaceful, almost as if to feel like you are wandering around the woods . The chorus is very energetic. Almost as if you went from walking in the woods to starting to run.