General Tips:

• Try to make your analysis meaningful to both you and the person reading the analysis. It makes no sense if it is just an exercise for you alone.
• Have fun with it. Make it artistic in itself. Excellence comes from habit of practice.
• Focus on Stylistic characteristics. These are the things which make the piece both individual and part of a greater scheme.
• Try using some graphical charts or summary diagrams in your analysis.
• SHMERG is only as effective as you make it. Some elements will not be included. E.g. the Part "Te Deum" had very little melody. But focused instead on internal lines and subtleties.
• Don't talk down to readers; assume they know and can perceive what you are discussing.Yet, you should not be high falutin for its own sake.
• Make sure you have an introduction and a summary!
• Get into your piece by listening a thousand times. You shoud know it backwards!
• Include a tape for me, please.

Sound:

• This is the single most important element in my opinion. It directs the listener's ear to the overall effect. It also introduces us to your take on things.
• Make specific comments as well as general ones. In any essay it is good to go from general to specific in your presentation.
• This is a good place for generalized metaphors about the nature of the music.

Harmony:

• Use as much information as you have. We have not really covered this in depth, though you should discuss dissonance and consonance in depth. Any information about chords, progression and tonality are a big plus.
• You should at the very least, discuss the tension of various sections.

Melody:

• Be clear about the three dimensions of analysis here - small, middle and large.
• This usually leads nicely into Growth discussion.
• Don't forget to use countour as a ruler for your discussion.

Rhythm:

• Examine all the levels of rhythm, not just meter. The three dimensions of analysis come into play here too.
• Focus on characteristic and unusual rhythmic treatment. Remember Haydn Sonata #50 in C major.

Growth:

• This is the second most important element of analysis.
• Keep your comments focused on the change over time of various elements.
• You could call this 'Formal Analysis'.

Text:

• Don't underestimate the power of words, esp. in pop music.
• Examine the text in terms of poetry. Include the entire song text in your analysis. Thismay lead you to develop ohe deas about the rest of the elements.
• A song is a song for a reason. Compsers ususally have a reason for doing unusual things - especially with words.