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How was Stairway to Heaven written?
B275 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.musiccreativityculturearts
Video: Jimmy Page: How Stairway to Heaven was written - BBC News
About this lesson
A B2 lesson on creativity and craft, built on Jimmy Page's account of writing Stairway to Heaven. Students collect phrasal verbs and collocations for describing how something is created, predict how the song came together, then listen to Page explain the design behind its slow build.
- Learn eight phrases for talking about how things are created and built.
- Predict how the song was written, then correct the false statements.
- Watch Page explain the solo, the finale and why the music lasted.
- Discuss whether great work is planned or a happy accident.
- Apply the language to a creative project of your own and sum up.
Target vocabulary
put something togethermap something outopen upgain momentumchip inthe backbone of somethinga byproduct of somethinga run-through
Lesson activities
Let's get started with a warm-up
1
Where songs come from
Discuss the questions.
- Is there a song you could listen to a hundred times without getting bored? What makes it special?
- Do you think the best songs are carefully planned, or do they just happen?
- Have you ever made something creative — music, writing, a video? How did you start?
- When you work in a group, do you prefer to plan everything first or make it up as you go?
- Why do you think some songs last for fifty years while others are forgotten in a month?
- Does knowing how something was made change how much you enjoy it?
Let's learn some vocabulary!
2
Making something
Read the sentences and match the phrases in bold with the correct meanings below.
a)It took the band months to put the whole album together in the studio.
b)She likes to map out every scene in detail before she starts filming.
c)As the track continues, the arrangement slowly opens up into something huge.
d)The campaign was quiet at first, but online it quickly gained momentum.
e)Everyone in the group chipped in with an idea until the plan came alive.
f)A steady bass line is often the backbone of a great song.
g)Some of their best songs were just a byproduct of messing around in rehearsals.
h)Before recording, they did a run-through of the whole piece from start to finish.
MEANINGS:
- steadily build up speed, energy or force
- an unplanned result of another activity
- create or assemble something from separate parts
- a practice of something from beginning to end
- gradually reveal more layers or possibilities
- the central part that everything else is built on
- plan something carefully in advance
- contribute your part to a shared effort
3
Talking about making things
Complete the gaps with the phrases from ex. 2. Then, choose four questions to ask your partner.
You may need to change the form of the verb.
a)Think of something creative you made — how exactly did you ?
b)Before a big task, do you in detail, or improvise as you go?
c)When does a piece of music really for you?
d)What kind of project tends to once it finally gets going?
e)In group work, are you someone who likes to with lots of ideas?
f)Think of a song you love — which part is ?
g)Is your best work usually the main goal, or is it ?
h)Before you perform or present, do you always do ?
Now, we'll put it into practice!
4
How it gets made
Look at the four photos of people making music. Then, discuss the questions, using the phrases in the box.
A
B
C
Dput something togethermap something outopen upgain momentumchip inthe backbone of somethinga byproduct of somethinga run-through
- Which photo looks most like the moment a song is first put together? Which looks like the finale?
- In which picture is the music really gaining momentum?
- Which way of working is closest to how you would make something — would you map it out first, or let it open up as you go?
- Choose one photo and describe what is happening, using at least two of the phrases.
5
Compare your answers
Look at the questions in ex. 3 again and discuss the points below with a new partner.
- Whose creative process sounded most different from your own?
- Which of the eight phrases best describes the way you like to work?
- Did anyone make you want to try planning, or improvising, more than you usually do?
6
How did it begin?
Watch to 02:30
Read the statements about how the song was written and decide if they are true or false. Then, watch the first part of a video [https://youtu.be/DDo4CA13LbY] (to 02:30) and check your answers. Correct the false ones.
a)Page began the song with a loud, heavy electric riff.
b)Adding the recorders was John Paul Jones's idea, and he played them himself.
c)When Page first imagined Stairway, he was already thinking of recorders.
d)Page wanted a composition that stayed at one steady level all the way through.
7
The design behind the build
Watch 04:17–07:47
Watch the second part of the video (from 04:17 to 07:47) and answer the questions.
a)What did Page learn about how John Bonham's drumming could be most effective?
b)Which 'cardinal rule' of the recording studio did Page deliberately break, and why?
c)How does Page describe the job of the guitar solo?
d)Why does Page think the music has lasted so well over the years?
Let's talk!
8
React to the story
- Page says the whole song was 'a sort of design', not an accident. Does knowing it was so carefully planned make it more impressive or less magical?
- He broke the studio rule against speeding up on purpose. When is it worth breaking the 'rules' of your own field?
- Plant apparently wrote most of the lyrics in one sitting. Do you do your best work in a sudden burst or slowly over time?
- The band lived, ate and made music together at Headley Grange. How much does the place you work in shape what you create?
- Do you have a 'byproduct' story — something great that came out of just messing around?
- Fifty years on, people still study this song. What from today do you think people will still care about in 2075?
9
Your own project
Choose one project below that you'd most like to make. Then, plan it aloud with a partner, using the phrases in the box.
A song or piece of music that slowly builds from quiet to huge.
A short film that gradually reveals what is really going on.
A community event that grows bigger every year.
A podcast series with a strong recurring theme.
A group performance for a big local audience.
A creative side project you keep meaning to start.
put something togethermap something outopen upgain momentumchip inthe backbone of somethinga byproduct of somethinga run-through
- What would be the backbone of it — the one part everything else is built on?
- Would you map it out in advance, or let it open up as you go?
- Who would you want to chip in, and what would they add?
- How would you get it to gain momentum rather than stall halfway?
10
Sum it up
Summarise what you took from the lesson using some of the points below and the phrases in the box.
put something togethermap something outopen upgain momentumchip inthe backbone of somethinga byproduct of somethinga run-through
- how Page actually built the song, step by step
- the balance between careful design and inspired accident in the story
- one thing about his process you'd like to try yourself
- whether planning or improvising suits you better, and why
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Glossary
The 8 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in one set.
Phrases for creating something together
- put something together
- create or assemble something from separate parts
- map something out
- plan something carefully in advance
- open up
- gradually reveal more layers or possibilities
- gain momentum
- steadily build up speed, energy or force
- chip in
- contribute your part to a shared effort
- the backbone of something
- the central part that everything else is built on
- a byproduct of something
- an unplanned result of another activity
- a run-through
- a practice of something from beginning to end