Usually when I’m analyzing a song it’s because I’m intending to perform it. So, the tips described below are written from the perspective of somebody preparing for a performance of a piece of music from a lead sheet. This is an effective way to scan your music and understand what is going on before the downbeat strikes.
The first thing I do when I look at a song:
Style: Is it Funk, Rock, Country, Bossa Nova, Jazz, John-Mayer-ish? This will help prepare your sound and attitude as a musician.
Tempo: Quick scan of the music and “OMG how fast do I have to play this thing?!” Always. Check. Your. Tempo. The best advice I can give about tempo is acceptance. If you learn to accept whatever tempo you’re given, you’ll groove with it.
Time: Duple or Triple? Cut-time? Know where beat one is. Make a note of any change of meter or odd phrases.
Key: Provides general key center for song and helps provide the basic palette of notes that the melody will be played from. An easy way is to look at the resolving measure of the song, what chord does the song resolve to? There is good reason to believe that this is the key you’re looking for.
Map: Scan the music, and follow the path you will travel. What measure does the repeat take you back to? Where is the D.S. or the Coda? How many times does this section repeat? Are there multiple endings?
Texture: Sometimes there is melody and sometimes there is rhythm playing. You can see this on charts easily (notation or slashes usually). Variety in this way can help a song progress forward – get to know the basic texture.
Melody: I look for how the melody is broken up into motivic fragments and how those fragment make up the phrases. Some songs have melodic phrases that repeat for the verse and chorus sections while others may have a more through-composed approach (whereby none of the melodic phrases repeat but instead just flow from into the next).
On a structural look at the melody: Is there melodic contrast between the sections? Is there a difference in density between the sections of melody? Fewer notes and/or a simpler rhythm can contrast a melody with a lot of notes or a complex rhythm.
Chords: What is the harmonic rhythm (the rhythm of the chordal movement)? What is the rhythmic contrast between the sections? What relationships do the chords have with the key of the song (or not!)? I also like to pay special attention to the relationship between the chords and melody when analyzing a chord progression. That’s another reason to always look for any interesting chords that stick out. Sometimes composers will pair melody notes with chords outside the key (i.e., for harmonic function, for sound).
Dynamics: What is the general dynamic contour of this song? Does the composer use traditional dynamic markings to change the contour or is orchestration also used?
Remember, this list is just to gain an initial understanding of a song and only represents a fraction of what you can reveal about a song. We haven’t even touched lyrics!! When preparing to perform always have fun and listen with big ears. Cheers!