Thick as a Brick

K: Dmaj T: 115 TS: 4/4 INST: Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Flute, Bass, Drums, Piano, Organ Mood: Multifaceted, Complex, Progressive, Satirical Structure: Long-form Concept Piece, Through-composed with recurring themes **Summary:** "Thick as a Brick" is a seminal work in progressive rock, characterized by its nearly album-length single composition. The analysis reflects the complexity of the piece; while D major is a plausible tonal center for the opening, the music modulates through various keys and modes. The tempo is highly variable, moving from intricate acoustic passages around 115 BPM to faster, driving rock sections, but 115 serves as a representative moderate pace. Similarly, while 4/4 is the most dominant time signature, the piece famously incorporates frequent shifts into meters like 5/4, 6/8, and 7/8. The instrumentation is typical of Jethro Tull's early 70s sound, centered on Ian Anderson's distinctive flute and acoustic guitar work, alongside electric guitar, a dynamic rhythm section, and prominent keyboards. The mood is diverse, matching the lyrical concept album's satirical look at societal constructs, ranging from whimsical folk to heavy rock, all within an elaborate and highly structured, yet non-traditional, through-composed form featuring recurring musical motifs rather than a standard verse-chorus structure.

Model: gemini-2.5-flash-preview-04-17