Frank Zappa's musical language
Frank Zappa's musical language
A study of the music of Frank Zappa

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The core of this site remains the same, but every now and then I keep adding new examples and occasionally new sections. Transcribing the more complex Zappa compositions is much time consuming, so all is deposited at the I-depot, The Hague, and/or included in printed versions to protect my authorship. The 5th edition is downloadable as a pdf file. The printed versions can be ordered and are included in various libraries worldwide.

Fall 2023:

- Would you like a snack? (1968)
- Son of Suzy Creamcheese
- Khaki sack
- Twinkle tits, 2nd example
- Basement jam
- Funky nothingness
- Love will make your mind go wild
- Halos and arrows
- Moldred
- Waka/Jawaka, theme II
- What's the ugliest part of your body? (reprise)
- Times Beach & None of the above: extended
- Any downers? (1981)
- Conehead (1981)
- Wonderful wino
- The perfect stranger: extended
- Charles Ives
- I'm not satisfied (1968)
- Easy meat: extended
- He used to cut the grass
- A little green rosetta (1979)

Summer 2023:

- Penguin in bondage
- Montana (1972)
- Zoot allures (1984)
- Trouble every day (1984)
- Penguin in bondage (1984)
- What's new in Baltimore? (1984)
- I promise not to come in your mouth, 2nd example
- Cruising for burgers solo (1976)
- The purple lagoon, 2nd example
- America drinks (1976)
- Mudd club (1980)
- City of tiny lites solo (1980)
- Cosmic debris
- Father O'blivion, 3rd example
- Touring can make you crazy, 2nd example
- Shove it right in, extended
- Think it over, extended
- Navanax, opening bars
- The ocean is the ultimate solution, extended
- Be in my video
- Truck driver divorce solo
- Tryin' to grow a chin

Fall 2022:

- Join the march and eat my starch
- Inca roads (Edinboro)
- Dinah-Moe Humm (Erie)
- Dupree's paradise (Edinboro & Erie), guitar solo
- Jumbo go away/Number 6 (extended)
- It must be a camel (renewed and extended)
- Son of Mr. Green Genes
- Little umbrellas (Cucamonga)
- Another waltz
- Packard goose (1988)
- Chunga's revenge (Zagreb, 1975)
- Stinkfoot (1975)
- Advance romance solo
- The Illinois enema bandit solo (1975)
- Stucco homes
- Hog heaven
- Shut up 'n play yer guitar some more
- Heavy duty Judy (1980)
- Variations on the Carlos Santana secret chord progression

Summer 2022:

- Motorheads midnight ranch
- The lad searches the night for his newts
- The girl wants to fix him some broth
- Tuna fish promenade
- Aaawk
- Overture to a Holiday in Berlin
- A typical soundcheck
- Father O'blivion (Sydney, 1973)
- Envelops the bath tub
- Amen/Just one more time
- Billy the mountain (extended)
- Suicide chump (11-01-1981), guitar solo
- What will this morning bring me this evening
- Junier Mintz boogie
- Willie the pimp solo (1971)
- 200 Motels score examples from the 2021 50th anniversary edition
- Greggary peccary, mvt. I (extended)
- One man-one vote (extended)
- Uncle Meat (1992), coda

Winter 2022:

- Excerpt from The Uncle Frankie show
- Opening night party at Studio Z (collage)
- Power trio
- Original Mothers at the Broadside
- Original Mothers at the Fillmore East
- Chucha
- More trouble every day
- Goat polo
- Find her finer
- Later that night
- Jewish princess
- Church chat
- Tiny sick tears
- Are you upset?
- Smell my beard
- The booger man
- Carol, you fool
- Chana in de Bushwop
- Nig biz
- Fire and chains
- Star wars won't work
- The Madison panty-sniffing festival
- White person
- Lonely person devices
- Make a sex noise
- Tracy is a snob
- Emperor of Ohio
- Lobster girl
- Lisa's life story
- We're turning again
- Uncle Bernie's farm
- Luigi & and the wise guys
- Pound for a brown (1992)
- Diseases of the band
- Daddy, daddy, daddy

Summer 2021:

- Poofter's froth Wyoming plans ahead
- The torture never stops (original version)
- You call that music?
- Little rubber girl
- The mud shark
- Lonesome electric turkey
- Spider of destiny
- Eddie are you kidding?
- Crew slut
- Stick it out
- Dear Jeepers
- Letter from Jeepers
- Hey Nelda
- Surf along
- How's your bird
- The big surfer
- Mr. Clean
- Everytime I see you
- Ronnie sings
- Fountain of love
- Run home cues #2
- Charva
- The big squeeze
- Alley cat
- The grand wazoo (1969/1992)
- Basement music #1
- Lil' Clanton shuffle
- Go cry on somebody else's shoulder
- Wowie Zowie
- Beat it with your fist
- Pinocchio's furniture
- Elvis has left the building
- Planet of the baritone women
- When the lie's so big
- Electric Aunt Jemima
- Prologue (1968)
- Like it or not
- Undaunted, the band plays on
- Some ballet music
- Proto-minimalism
- FZ/JCB drum duet
- Where's our equipment?

Spring 2021:

- Goblin girl
- I'm a beautiful guy
- Dumb all over
- Drafted again
- Broken hearts are for assholes
- For the young sophisticate
- Leather goods
- Revenge of the knick knack people
- In France
- Gorgo
- A cold dark matter
- Scratch and sniff (vamp)
- Finding Higgs' Boson
- Briefcase boogie
- Drop dead
- The white boy troubles
- Tell me you love (1980)
- Now you see it-now you don't
- Tinsel town rebellion
- Bamboozled by love
- Are you hung up?
- Harry you're a beast
- Lonely little girl
- They made me eat it
- Get a life
- Variations on Sinister #3
- Do not try this at home
- Is that all there is?
- Outside now (original solo)
- Keep it greasy (1979), 2nd example

Fall 2020:

- The dangerous kitchen
- SEX
- Jonestown
- Outside now and Outside now again: renewed
- Love story
- Dupree's paradise (1984), 3rd example
- Red tubular lighter
- Giraffe-take 4
- Jazz from hell (title song), snippet
- St. Etienne
- What ever happened to all the fun in the world
- Wait a minute, fragment
- Rubber shirt
- That ol' G-minor thing again
- Which one is it?
- Move it or park it
- When no one was no one
- Chalk pie
- Road ladies
- The clap
- Would you go all the way?

Summer 2020:

- Mudd club
- Bognor Regis
- Peaches jam
- Wild love (1977)
- Läther
- Treacherous cretins
- Shut up 'n play yer guitar, end
- Black napkins instructions
- Evening at the Hermitage
- Strictly genteel (1975)
- Pygmy twylyte (1973)
- Nine types of industrial pollution
- We can shoot you
- Blood unit
- After dinner smoker
- Little beige sambo
- Yo cats
- Truck driver divorce
- Planet of my dreams
- Charlie's enormous mouth
- But who was Fulcanelli?
- Winos do not march

Spring 2020:

- 5th edition made available as pdf file

Fall 2019:

- Call any vegetable solo (1971)
- Get a little
- The new brown clouds
- It can't happen here
- Big leg Emma
- Amnesia vivace
- Holiday in Berlin (full blown)
- Piano introduction to Little House, extended
- Drowning witch, 2nd guitar solo
- Food gathering in post-industrial America
- Exercise #4 (1973)
- L.S.O. section, extended
- Envelopes (1982)
- Touring can make you crazy
- Janet's big dance number
- Wolf Harbor, extended
- Cheepnis
- Dinah-Moe Humm
- Yo' mama (Chicago '78)
- Jezebel boy

Summer 2019:

- The Orange county lumber truck
- Greggery Peccary mvt. III (1972)
- The black page (1988), 2nd example
- Rollo (3 more examples)
- Night school, 2nd example
- Why does it hurt when I pee
- Marque-Son's chicken, 2nd example
- Been to Kansas City in A minor
- Big swifty, solo fragments
- The legend of the golden arches
- Jeff and Don
- Theme from Burnt weeny sandwich
- Stinkfoot solo
- Prologue
- The black page (1987 syncl. version)
- The be-bop tango (1976)
- Penis dimension, extended

Winter 2019:

- Who needs the peace corps?
- Let's make the water turn black (1968)
- Mother people extended
- That's not really reggae
- Jim and Tammy's upper room
- Hotel Atlanta incidentals
- Systems of edges
- Dance contest
- Brown shoes don't make it (1981)
- How did that get in here?
- Flambay
- Piano
- Prelude to the afternoon of a sexually aroused gas mask
- Little house (1971)
- Tears began to fall
- Butter or cannons
- You didn't try to call me (1976)
- Gee, I like your pants
- Can't afford no shoes
- Sofa (1975)
- Excentrifugal forz

Summer 2018:

- Brown Moses
- Manx needs women, 2nd example
- Why not?
- Society pages
- If only she woulda
- Do not pass go
- For Duane
- Swans? What swans?
- The air
- Sy Borg
- Pentagon afternoon
- Times beach IV
- Dancin' fool, 2nd example
- Coda from Penis dimension
- Piccolo score sample
- Greggery Peccary extended
- Music for low budget orchestra, 2nd example
- Willie the pimp solo
- Mo 'n Herb's vacation II, bars 1-2

Spring 2018:

- A pig with wings
- Does this kind of life look interesting to you?
- Magic fingers
- Artificial Rhonda
- Cocaine decisions
- Stick together
- You never know who your friends are
- Po-jama people
- Inca roads, 3rd example
- America drinks and goes home
- Who are the brain police?
- The duke of prunes (1967)
- Soft-sell conclusion
- Conehead instrumental
- Mo 'n Herb's vacation, two more examples
- I'm so cute
- Centerville
- The sealed tuna bolero

Winter 2018:

- Lonesome cowboy Burt
- I'm stealing the towels
- Lucy's seduction of a bored violinist & postlude
- Half a dozen provocative squats
- Dew on the newts we got
- Prelude to King Kong
- Ian Underwood whips it out
- Tengo na minchia tanta
- Chocolate Halvah
- No waiting for the peanuts to dissolve
- Underground freak-out music
- Mice
- The Nancy and Mary music
- Porn wars
- H.R. 2911
- Flower punk
- The chrome plated megaphone of destiny

Fall 2017:

- Lemme take you to the beach
- Zoot allures (2nd example)
- Catholic girls
- Central scrutinizer
- The blue light
- Canard du jour
- While you were out
- Soup 'n old clothes
- Them or us
- While you were art II
- Once again, without the net
- Things that look like meat
- What kind of girl?
- Good Lobna
- Buffalo voice
- Gross man
- Motherly love

Summer 2017:

- That's not really a shuffle
- Too ugly for show business
- Baby snakes
- I'm not satisfied
- How could I be such a fool
- Cruising for burgers
- Aybe sea
- Studebacher Hoch
- Dog breath (1971)
- Cletus awreetus-awrightus
- Camarillo Brillo
- Carolina hard-core ecstasy

Winter 2017:

- N-lite
- I was in a drum
- Hot & putrid
- Overture to Uncle Sam
- The black page: renewed (all versions)
- The meek shall inherit nothing
- Lucille has messed my mind up
- Little dots
- Paroxysmal splendor
- Any downers?

Autumn 2016:

- Ask dr. Stupid
- Diplodocus
- Light is all that matters
- King Kong (1988)
- The Beltway bandits
- Time is money
- Wind up working in a gas station
- Amnerika
- Rykoniki
- Don't eat the yellow snow (2nd example)
- Were we ever really save in San Antonio?
- Ya Hozna

May 2016:

- Sinister footwear, more examples
- Strictly genteel, idem
- Ruth is sleeping, idem
- Hungry freaks, daddy
- None of the above
- Waltz for guitar, extended
- Toad of the short forest, theme 2
- Roland's big event/Strat Vindaloo
- Metal man has won his wings
- Tiger roach

March 2016:

- What's the name of your group
- Can I help you with this dummy?
- The pleated gazelle
- Teen-age prostitute
- The rejected Mexican pope leaves the stage

December 2015:

- Dance me this
- Pachuco gavotte
- Calculus
- Village of the sun, 3rd example
- The perfect stranger, 2nd example
- We are not alone
- Bobby Brown
- He's so gay
- Bob in Dacron
- Sad Jane
- Harder than your husband

Winter 2015:

- The girl's dream
- Little green scratchy sweaters & courduroy ponce
- Dental hygiene dilemma
- Mystery roach
- Waka/Jawaka
- Blessed relief
- Exercise #4
- Montana extended.
- Welcome to the U.S.
- Village of the sun
- Sinister footwear II, 2nd example
- Lydian theory by B. Clement

Summer 2014:

- Dupree's paradise (1974)
- Think it over
- Pojama prelude
- All skate
- Concentration moon
- Let's make the water turn black
- Phyniox
- Reeny ra
- Inca roads (1973)

Winter 2014:

- The idiot bastard son
- Pygmy twylyte solo
- Room service
- Dickie's such an asshole
- Dummy up
- King Kong (YCDTOSA III)
- Drowning witch extended
- Sheik Yerbouti tango 2nd example
- Echidna's arf (of you) 2nd example
- Massagio Galore

Summer 2013:

- Fifty-fifty
- Peaches III
- Uncle rhebus
- In-a-gadda-Stravinsky
- Do you like my new car?
- The groupie routine
- The subcutaneous peril
- Oh, in the sky
- If only I could be your love again
- Apostrophe (')
- Uncle Remus
- Alien orifice
- King Kong extended

Winter 2013:

- Yo' mama 2nd example
- Jumbo go away
- Rudy wants to buy yez a drink
- Transylvania boogie
- Naval aviation in art?
- Harry and Rhonda
- The crab-grass baby
- Harry-as-a-boy
- Tush-tush-tush
- A token of my extreme
- Bowling on Charen
- Farther O'blivion

4th edition, downloadable as pdf, Summer 2012:

- The perfect stranger
- Samba funk
- Zomby woof
- Brain police (Carnegie Hall)
- The Gumbo variations
- Roxy section: brief rhythms overview
- One size fits all section: brief structures overview
- Inca roads solo
- The deathless horsie
- Andy
- Bavarian sunset
- Orrin Hatch on skis
- My guitar wants to kill your mama

Fall 2011:

- The analysis part has been augmented over the whole width of the study
- Roxy section: extended with meters table
- The torture never stops (1980)
- Regyptian strut

Summer 2011:

- Walkin' out
- Waltz
- Twinkle tits
- Little house main theme
- The downtown talent scout
- Speed-freak boogie
- Jessie Lee
- Duodenum
- Burnt weeny sandwich section: extended with scales table.
- Conclusion: extended

Winter 2011:

- Stuff up the cracks
- "No, no, no"
- GOA
- Uncle meat variations
- Flakes
- Jesus thinks you're a jerk
- Dong work for Yuda
- I have been in you
- Watermelon in easter hay (prequel)
- King Kong (1978)

Fall 2010:

- Sofa (1971)
- Divan
- Once upon a time
- Berlin solo (1971)
- Chunga basement
- Dance of the just plain folks
- Breaktime
- Why don't you do me right?
- Music for low budget orchestra: 2nd example
- L.S.O. section: two more examples
- I'm loosing status at the high school
- Opus 5, piano part
- Sinister footwear I: second example

Spring 2010:

- Outrage at Valdez
- The Valdez score
- Budapest solo
- The torture never stops part two (1988)
- Little umbrellas second example
- City of tiny lights
- You're probably wondering why I'm here
- Invocation & ritual dance of the young pumpkin
- Keep it greasy

Fall 2009:

- Black napkins
- Rhythm guitar solo
- Cucamonga
- Canarsie
- Black page drum solo
- Variant I processional march
- Rollo
- D.C. boogie
- Kung fu
- No matter what you do
- Moggio
- Improvisation in A

Spring 2009:

- Foamy soaky
- Unit 3A
- A vicious circle
- Kangaroos
- RDNZL extended
- America drinks
- Reagan at Bitburg
- Number 7
- What's new in Baltimore?
- G-spot tornedo second example
- Debra Kadebra second example

February 2009:

- Run home, slow, soundtrack
- Right there riff
- Ancient armaments
- Stinkfoot
- A little green rosetta
- Ship ahoy
- Love of my life
- Overture
- Would you like a snack?

November 2008:

- Heidelberg
- Occam's razor
- On the bus
- The world's greatest sinner soundtrack
- Holiday in Berlin
- Toad of the short forest
- Sleeping in a jar
- Frogs with dirty little lips
- Envelopes
- Sinister footwear III
- Conehead vamp (1977)
- Frame of Basement music #2

July 2008:

- Friendly little finger
- Dog breath variations
- San Ber'dino
- Heavenly bank account
- Packard goose
- What's the ugliest part of your body?
- Pick me, I'm clean
- Twenty small cigars

March 2008:

- Wistful wit a fistful
- St. Alfonzo/Father O'blivion
- RDNZL
- Sleep dirt
- Stevie's spanking
- Magdalena
- Brain police (1971)
- Conehead (1978)
- Greggery Peccary mvt. I interlude
- Outside now again
- Damp ankels
- Soul polka
- Your mouth
- Zoot allures: midi file added

September 2007:

- Honey, don't you want a man like me?
- Sinister footwear I
- Pedro's dowry
- The grand wazoo
- Another whole melodic section
- Manx needs women
- Be-bop tango
- Sheik Yerbouti tango
- When yuppies go to hell
- Help, I'm a rock
- Monster magnet fragment
- What will Rumi do?
- T'Mershi Duween

June 2007:

- Punky's whips
- The purple lagoon/Approximate
- Pygmy twylyte
- Bwana dik
- Nun suit
- Zolar Czakl
- It's from Kansas
- Bow tie daddy
- I was a teenage maltshop
- Status back baby
- Bossa Nova
- Mondo Hollywood
- Xmas values

Third printed edition, Spring 2007:

- Hot plate heaven at the Green hotel
- For Giuseppe Franco
- Montana

November 2006:

- Trance-fusion
- Put a motor in yourself: extended
- Any kind of pain
- Little umbrellas
- Inca roads
- I promise not to come in your mouth
- Tink walks amok
- Panty rap
- Muffin man
- Didja get any onya?
- Lumber truck solo-Weasels transition
- Baked bean boogie
- The little march
- Valley girl
- I come from nowhere: enlarged

May 2006:

- Imaginary diseases
- No more Mr. nice girl
- Heavy duty judy (1988)
- Plastic people (1967)
- Trouble every day
- Igor's boogie, phase II
- Aerobics in bondage
- I don't even care
- Greggery Peccary
- The ocean is the ultimate solution
- Mo 'n Herb's vacation third midi file added
- Dupree's paradise
- Ruth is sleeping
- Babette

March 2006:

- Shall we take ourselves seriously
- Jones crusher
- Brixton still life
- Scumbag
- Agency man
- Epilogue
- Canadian customs
- Republicans
- Return of the son of Shut up 'n play yer guitar
- Why Johnny can't read
- Pink napkins
- Ride my face to Chicago
- Thirteen
- The torture never stops: opening

Fall 2005:

- Approximate
- Night school
- I'm the slime
- Sad Jane
- Beat the reaper
- Down in de dew
- Duck duck goose
- Lost in a whirlpool
- Easy meat
- She painted up her face
- Chunga's revenge
- For Calvin
- It just might be a one-shot deal
- Fembot in a wet T-shirt
- I ain't got no heart: more detailed

June 2005:

- Call any vegetable
- Project X
- Latex solar beef
- You are what you is
- Beauty knows no pain
- The radio is broken
- Marque-Son's chicken
- Absolutely free
- Does humor belong in music section
- Igor's boogie, phase I

Fall 2003 - March 2005:

- Orchestral favorites section
- Singles 1962-1964
- The world's greatest sinner
- Watermelon in easter hay
- Peaches en regalia
- Ensemble Modern section
- Black page #1: midi file added
- Music for low budget orchestra: midi file added
- Cheap thrills: extended
- Jelly roll gum drop
- You didn't try to call me: extended and notation changed
- No not now - Won ton on
- Evelyn
- Nanook rubs it
- Eat that question
- Penis dimension: example extended and midi file added
- FZ:OZ section
- Lumpy gravy section
- Conventions and extras section
- One man - one vote
- Titties and beer
- Dirty love

Because the prints of the 2001 2nd edition recently sold out, I've had new copies made in May 2003. These reprints of the 2nd edition include the extensions I've made in 2002-start of 2003. They are added as a ten page appendix to the reprinted version and concern:

- Mo' mama guitar solo opening, score from the Guitar book
- Yo' mama guitar solo section (transcription)
- Sunrise redeemer opening (transcription)
- Filthy habits opening (transcription)
- Tell me you love me opening (transcription)
- Willy the pimp, theme (transcription)
- Get whitey, orchestra score excerpts
- Jazz discharge party hats, score fragment
- The girl in the magnesium dress, score excerpts
- Edchina's arf of you: metres at the end corrected

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