Coloring Sheet Music

In the spirit of returning to our analysis class, here is a neat visualization of some Bach:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipzR9bhei_o

I think uniting musical and visual art can be not only fun (Fantasia!), but also enlightening and useful to us as musicians. Whenever I worked on a Bach fugue, my previous piano teacher would have me use colored pencils to draw lines through the various voices. The result wasn't very artistic, but it was definitely helpful.

Christmas Music 2.0

Joey's post on the visual interpretations of music led me to find this video.

Words cannot even begin to describe it...

Christmas Music

There are about a thousand of these out on youtube and I love watching them! I hope you are in the mood for a little early christmas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szLmAPW39uE

I suppose this would be combining music with the visual arts in a really different way! Also I think they look really cool.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

I love this piece by Eric Whitacre and this recording is spectacular. This was his second "vitual choir", the first of which performed "Lux Aurumque". Many thousands of videos were submitted and 2052 performances from 1752 singers from 58 countries were selected and combined to create this. I think this shows one positive impact of technology on music. The internet allowed these voices from all over the world that could never be combined otherwise to come together and create something beautiful across time and space. Enjoy :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WhWDCw3Mng&ob=av2n

Dance: Finding Your Vibration

Am I allowed to do two posts? Oh well, I like this idea better, and I know you guys were all waiting for me to do something dance related....anyway....just like we're trying to find our own way of expressing ourselves (not just what we're told to do for technique, or what's politically the "correct" way of playing our instruments, voice included) dancers are always trying to find ways of expressing themselves...finding their own style, "swag" if you will. I'm relating to that one Arthurian Philosophy phrase of "anything that exists has its own vibration." The video I'm showing you guys is a jazz dance, all the girls whom I've had the pleasure of dancing with for the past year and a half. I had a chance to do this dance, however, its time conflicted with my HS jazz band.....needless to say I regret not doing it. While you're watching the dance, obviously everyone is doing the same movement, but if you watch closely, each girl is doing the movement a bit different whether they're expressing the emotion differently or physically doing the movement differently. Enjoy!

Dirty Diana :D

Does Google Represent?

I decided to conduct a short experiment in light of the 7th point on the Bill of Musical Rights, which says, "The European tradition of music is only one sound. All other cultures and traditions deserve equal attention.

Under Google Images I searched "music." The first 70 pages only included images with European classical notation (like the image in this post - it was the first result on my search), or Western artists/genres. I did not see any Indian sitars or Chinese guqins.

Next I typed in "musical instruments." This was a little more promising by showing some African drums and Indonesian folk instruments within the first few pages. But try it yourself and notice the ratio of European classical instruments to other ethnic cultures. It's a little overwhelming.

Happy Birthday!

With everyone sharing pieces with intense emotions, the first song that came to my mind was "Happy Birthday!" Sung at birthdays everywhere (well everywhere to the average, geographically inept American), this song embodies pleasurable emotions.

So here is a version that everyone can enjoy. I would venture to say that it impossible to not start bobbing your head or stomping your foot.

Happy Birthday!

Fantasia (1940)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBH2Ix3yHbE

So this is the original Fantasia (much better than Fantasia 2000). What I really like about it (besides the music) is that the images that go along with it are not the interpretation of trained musicians, but of other imaginative people that worked for Disney. It really shows that you don't necessarily have to be "musical" to enjoy classical music and get some creative fulfillment and satisfaction from it. I also love the old-timey recording sound - it adds such a nice touch.

(You'll also notice that my favorite piece is in here).

And yes, this is what I spent my Saturday night doing.

96,000

In the Heights is one of my favorite musicals of all time. I really like how Lin-Manuel Miranda incorporates rap into the world of musical theater. This is the kind of rap I'm interested in. Not only that, Lin-Manuel Miranda does a VERY good job incorporating Cuban beats and melodies within his music. I know Kelsey mentioned about emotion, and how Rhythm X expressed a lot of it, and I feel with this recording of the popular song 96,000 you can definitely feel the emotion behind this. If any of you have seen In the Heights, it's interesting to see how the whole musical is. When people walk down the street...they don't just "walk" they do a little dance walk. It's their character. There's a story.

You can definitely see a lot of expression and emotion in this recording. As you know, the musical is set in a time where a lot of Dominican republic and Cuban immigrants come to America, and are having a hard time making a living. The climax of the song is really powerful, it's heart stopping (for me). With the rapping of Lin-Manuel Miranda, the powerful vocals of Karen Olivo, and everyone else who was involved, make this song come alive and tell the untold stories of the actual people during that time. Enjoy!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSTjRUMfOKI

Rhythm X- Sad Happy

Most of you are all well aware of my obsession with winter percussion. :] This video is of the front ensemble for one of my favorite WGI groups, Rhythm X. I'm not looking for you all to agree on whether or not you like this group, but what I am looking for is your observance of the extreme emotions that the members of this group display. It takes so much to be a performer in this kind of activity, and without these extreme emotions there just wouldn't be any interest. What kinds of emotions do you see in this video that you could relate to your own practice/performances? Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdH-Korxr4I

John Mayer- In Your Atmosphere

I wanted to share one of my favorite songs with you guys called "In Your Atmosphere" by John Mayer. John Mayer is by far my favorite artist and has completely influenced my guitar playing and how I look at music. In my opinion, he is a lyrical genius and I feel as though I can completely relate to all of his songs. They are so emotional and most of them are about romance and the deeper things in life, which are two of my favorite subjects, especially when it comes to music. My favorite part of this song is the chorus which goes "I'm gonna steer clear, I'd burn up in your atmosphere, I'm gonna steer clear, cuz I'd die if I saw you, I'd die if I didn't see you there." The last part of the chorus is one of the most emotional lines I've ever heard in a song. He is saying that if he were to see the girl he loves who no longer loves him anymore, it would kill him to see her doing just fine and going on through life without him, but even if he didn't see her, it would still kill him because he misses her so much. There is nothing worse than that feeling when it comes to a relationship. Here's a link to John performing the song live in Los Angeles back in 2007. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnJocsVYy-o&feature=related

The piece that made me love music.

Frederic (Fryderyk) Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor is the most touching concerto/ piece (for me), that I have ever heard. It was actually written before his Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor, however obviously I love the f minor one much more. There are so many different versions of this concerto, but unfortunately the version that I love so much isn't available on youtube. This piece is also performed for the world-wide Chopin Piano Competition as the finale piece. My piano professor happened to be one of the very few people to win the competition. I received a CD from him before I came to DePauw of the amazing Paderwski playing both concertos, and I must say that it definitely changed the way I look at the piece. I remember my piano professor telling me how after he had heard it he ran over to Paderwski's house and congratulated him first-hand. So that's why I wanted to share with you guys my all-time favorite concerto/ piece/ work/ or whatever you want to call it. Hope you all enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge-V8PwR9hI&feature=related

A video from Kevin

Kevin's had problems posting, and asked me to post this for him.  I'm not sure whether he meant the explanation he sent in his email to me to be posted or not, but it's worth posting (so sorry, Kevin, if that's not what you intended!).

 

     

Kevin writes:

 

I absolutely love this video and needed to share it. I had something a paragraph to accompany this video, but I think that this video more lends itself to the discussion you and I had after class. You drew my attention to how we often make the distinction between "High" and "low" arts, but why? This video takes one of the mainstays of the "high" art of music, the cello, and combined it with a mainstay of "low" art forms, beatboxing. I would say that the result is quite incredible. The piece is moving and at least to me very emotional. Pieces like this are why some of us came to this school and career. I think this is a stunning argument against the distinctions of "High" and "low" arts. I don't think all music is good music, but I also don't think any of us have the right to call what we do a higher art form than any other.

Swing and Tap

My old showchoir in high school did a number that combined swing style with tap my junior. It was a lot fun as a performer, both singing and dancing, to experience both musical styles simultaneously. The rhythmic quality of tap helped me better appreciate the swing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-M3mNBv8mU

The Axis of Awesome: 4 Chords

Kelsey's post reminded me of this video. It's essentially along the same lines: many pop songs have the same chord progression.

Click Here.

Look! I can write my name!

I've been thinking lately about how so many composers incorporated some component of cleverness or wit in their compositions. Often we see music as being a medium of conveying important ideas or messages. We see it as a deep art form that has to convey something of truth. However isn't it false to assume that all composers take themselves to be serious and occupied artists that have an important duty to their fellow man to produce superhuman choral and orchestral works. Maybe composers are simply concerned with seeing how far they can stretch the limits. Seeing what tricks they can play on the ear. Seeing how much fun they can have. And while they are often concerned with creating meaningful works of art, they also have a desire to show off their individual personalities with the rest world. After all they are humans like the rest of us. Sometimes they just want to share a piece their creativity which often includes charm and wit.

There are so many examples of this: Haydn's "Surprise" symphony, Mozart's "A Musical Joke".

Lately I've spent a lot of time reflecting on is the fact that composers can write their name in musical notation Isn't kind of childish and fun?

Two examples:

Shostakovich Motif

DSCH

Then he uses it as the primary melodic material for the cello concerto

Bach Motif
BACH

"The whole problem can be stated quite simply by asking, 'Is there a meaning to music?' My answer would be, 'Yes.' And 'Can you state in so many words what the meaning is?' My answer to that would be, 'No.'"

-Aaron Copland

*Hey everyone this is Rachel's post. I'm not sure why it came up on my account. We were studying together and somehow I must not have logged out of my account. Anyway sorry about the confusion.

All that Jazz

So continuing from our discussion in class, when I think of America's music...only Jazz (and maybe Georgia) comes to mind, because it wasn't imported from other parts of the world. It started, evolved, diversified, and came from here, (one could say We Built This City.. .on it) . It's the music that our grandparents juked, jumped, and jived to in the swing era, our parents heard it In a mellow tone at bars where they met one another, and now it's what we still hear in famous old restaurants and at amusement parks. But it's not what most of us listen to now by choice, and in a way, jazz is dying. We (or at least I) can't let that happen, It's the music I love, and I think all of you should listen (even though it's not quite in season) to the musicality, power, and brilliance that jazz holds in music - all styles. Finally, when Wayne Bergeron comes down from the sky.... have you anything to say to me?

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCwQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D9oxXc1rPQok&rct=j&q=oh%20holy%20night%20wayne%20bergeron&ei=zHuSTvnPDojg0QHMvYgv&usg=AFQjCNGsupJG3IUuGqcpf2VYfVRKWXqKPw

Rite of Spring - my FAVORITE piece

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf0e_n49dcQ

Sorry that it's not embedded, I couldn't figure out how (I'm awful with technology).

REASONS WHY YOU MUST KNOW THIS:

1) As mentioned in the "Musicking" article, this piece (a ballet) caused a riot at its premiere in Paris nearly 100 years ago. Nowadays, it is considered one of the most influential and fantastic pieces of the 20th century. It's a brilliant example of how attitudes towards music and/or specific pieces can change over time (I personally find this piece amazing and tonal compared to the Ligeti piece we're playing in orchestra...then again, in another century, even that might seem tame compared to whatever new styles of music emerge).

2) The bassoon solo in the beginning is super famous. It's way high, and I read that the composer Saint-Saens, who attended the premiere, stormed out of the hall when he heard it because he thought it was so orchestrationally wrong (who knows if that's true, but it's funny haha).

3) This is considered one of the most difficult pieces to play ever (I saw the Chicago Symphony play it over the summer - AMAZING!!!). Knowing what it sounds like would probably help if you ever get to play it. Plus it's just cool to listen to.

4) It's just an all-around awesome piece and I love it, so I like to force it down people's throats =D. I strongly encourage you to check out the other links and see the whole piece.

Scarlatti

Since the three of us (Greg, Rachel and I) in Dr. Phang's studio have been assigned Scarlatti this semester: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OszPoxJO0gU

(It took me forever to write this short post because I couldn't decide which sonata needed to be heard most. (There are 550, and they are all fantastic! In fact I think you should listen to all of the others played by Pogorelich in the 'related videos' column.))

Pachelbel Rant

This video makes me laugh every time I watch it. I remember showing this to several members of our group within our first fews days on campus, but I still think this is worth the laugh for those that have and haven't seen it yet. The man in this video really pokes fun at the piece Canon in D by Pachelbel. He sings about the predictably of music and finding the same chords written in the Canon and then relates it to modern music. It's clever, funny, and enjoyable to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM

Arias

We are talking about enjoying all types of music so I would just like to share with you some of my favorite arias that got me so interested in performing opera! Here are a few links -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLM5CFACTtA

"Dove sono" is from Le Nozze de Figaro, by Mozart. This was the first opera I had ever seen. There are so many great songs from this one, but I think this is one of the best. Renee Flemming sings this, probably my favorite soprano. If you are interested in opera, I think Nozze is a great opera to start with because it's light-hearted and comedic but also has some amazing music and moments in it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdTBml4oOZ8

I would be surprised if you hadn't heard this one. This is "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's Turandot. I had not heard of this aria till I did a musical analysis of it at a vocal arts camp. This is one the "top ten" arias. It's extremely powerful - especially when Pavoratti sings it! Even if you are not a fan of opera I think you will enjoy this one!

I hope you enjoy these opera gems!

Not relying on lyrics....

All of you know that I enjoy songs from other countries such as Korea (surprise!!) and Japan (another surprise!!!). I like them not only because of the stories and meanings behind their songs, but also because of their melodies. Here in America, a lot of the songs are about drugs, sex, people breaking up, etc. I will also add that Americans (most of them) don't pay attention to what the words are, and if they do, I don't think they actually process the words. When I first got into kpop and jpop, it was strange at first. For one thing, I couldn't understand the song. But from the melodies, rhythm, and how the singer(s) were expressing, I was clearly able to decipher what the song was about. Without words that I can understand, I'm forced to pay attention to the melodies (not only the instrumental part, but the singing parts as well) and the rhythm. One reason why I'm open to all kinds of music, is the fact that I go with what's pleasing to my ear. Most of the time, if the melody is nice and there's a nice beat, chances are I'll probably like the song. So while I did get teased at my high school for listening to kpop and jpop, I only felt sorry for those who aren't able to really listen to a song, listen to how the vocals work in the song (the melodies and harmonies of the vocals), how they fit with the rhythm and what not, and just being able to enjoy and listen to a song as a whole.

As an example, I've linked the song "Into the New World" by a korean girl group called Girls' Generation. I really like this song. There are no words to describe how I felt about this song, but it's safe to assume that I was really blown away by it. There's so much emotion in this song ecspecially when Taeyeon, the leader, sings (she's the first girl who sings). I like the fact that they're not the stereotypical "cute, high-voiced" asian girl group, which is why I like them so much. I've searched the music video with english subtitles, but I would advise you to listen to it without reading the subtitles first just so you can enjoy the song. If you like it enough to listen to it again, THEN you can read the subtitles :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRBXRZzrvtQ

Emotions from music

I connect most to music through the emotions it causes. I especially like music that conveys intense emotions on both spectrums of happy and angry. Just about my favorite genera is heavy metal. Many heavy metal songs are in a minor key with many uncomfortable intervals such as tri tones. It keeps you on edge and builds up your energy levels. However I can relate the feeling I receive listening to Beethoven's Fifth to the song Painkiller by Judas Priest. They may be completely different genres but they both give me high, similar emotions.

Andy McKee and Don Ross - Ebon Coast

I wanted to post this link to a video on Youtube of Andy McKee and Don Ross playing a song that Andy McKee wrote titled "Ebon Coast" because I wanted to share the shear musical brilliance of these two men just playing a couple of acoustic guitars. Its amazing how much sound they put out with just two instruments, it sounds like a whole band. You can feel the emotion in the music they play and you can see how absorbed they are in creating this piece of music together. Their musical talent is through the roof! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExgqnilG4pU&feature=player_detailpage

Playing the class blog game

OK, to clarify the game with this blog:

Before Monday morning, each of you should add at least one original post to the blog.  You do that by going to the "dashboard" at www.blogger.com and clicking on the icon that looks like a pen/pencil. In other places you may see a button for "new post."  That works, too.

You can post an observation, a thought about something having to do with music, a YouTube video, a link to an article somewhere online, etc.  If you post a link or video, please tell us in your post why you are bringing it to our attention.  If you're posting a video, you can embed it in your post by clicking on the little movie icon at the top of the postig window (it's two icons to the right of the word "Link"). 

You also need to post a minimum of five comments on posts created by me or a class member.  There are three (the homework posts) that you are required to add a comment to, so you need to comment on at least two of the posts by other class members.  This can trigger some interesting discussions.  You'll have more fun and get more out of it if you do more comments than two. 

Most of you have already added comments.  If not, you can get the comment box by either clicking on the title of the post and scrolling to the bottom, where you'll see a text-entry box appear, or clicking on "comments" at the bottom of the post as it appears on the main page of the blog.

In summary:
     One original post
     At least five comments (including the three required ones)

Homework for Monday 10/10 (comment required)

Very interesting discussions in class today! This is the first semester I've used the drum-talk-drum-talk process to facilitate discussion, at least this frequently.  What do you think?  (So far I like it.)

For Monday: the Christopher Small reading (Musicking: A Ritual in Social Space http://www.musekids.org/musicking.html) and some follow-up thought questions from today.  

Why is this "Musicking" reading important, you ask? 

Christopher Small is one of the most influential thinkers about the nature of music and has had an enormous influence on what some people call the "classical change" movement.  His book Musicking is a more extended discussion of his perspective and perspective-altering ideas, but the key ideas are summed up well in the lecture text. Greg Sandow, my friend who teaches among other things the "Classical Music in an Age of Pop" course at Juilliard (which I st in on last spring), wrote a lovely blog post about Small which is worth reading.


So I invite you to read the lecture thoroughly and suggest you'll profit from outlining it.  That will get you to really did into it.  Why not require you to outline it?  Because I want to give you the opportunity to do a learning activity in order to learn something for the sake of learning it, not in fear of punishment (a bad grade) or in hopes of a reward (a good grade).  What I can promise you is that really engaging with Small's ideas creates an opportunity that can change your life as a musician.  (Which actually beats a good grade, anyway.)


Now the follow-up questions from today.  


1). Some good debate today on "The human voice is the most natural [I like Kevin's substitution of "organic"] and powerful vehicle for musical self-expression.  The difference in our voices add richness and depth to music."  

Many of who our instrumentalists find we are more expressive playing our instruments, and argued in one way or another against this.  My suggestion is to turn this assertion into a question.  What if your voice is the most natural and powerful way for you to express yourself?  How would it change your experience of being alive if you let yourself fully express yourself with your voice, just as it is?  We each were great at expressing ourselves as infants--what happened?  


2) The MfP (Music for People) Bill of Musical Rights is a statement of principles developed by people including many who would identify themselves as "recovering from our classical training."  As I told you, one of my most wonderful colleagues here was initially offended by this document.  Especially by "Sincerely expressed emotion is at the root of meaningful musical expression."  This person is a fantastic artist.  So why could my colleague, whose own music making is creative, flexible, and musical, dislike this?  And in what way might he be right when it comes to classical music?  (The two of us had a terrific, passionate debate about this, let me tell you!)


Comment away!  Have a great weekend (or I hope you had one, if you are getting to this late Sunday night).


--EE

Homework for Friday 10/7 (comment required)

Greetings:


A reminder that the homework for Friday is to read

• Music for People Bill of Musical Rights http://www.musicforpeople.org/rights.html

and to listen to any three tracks (besides the intro tracks) from The Darling Conversations, streaming audio of which is available on your MUS 130 Moodle site.

Then write a comment here on what you find most interesting, and/or confirming, aggravating, right, wrong, etc. 


Excellent work with the comments on the reading for Wednesday, as I told you in class.


The reading for Monday is the most complex: Christopher Small's lecture Musicking: A Ritual in Social Space http://www.musekids.org/musicking.html.  So you might want to get an early start on it. For you marvelous Edwardian braniacs, I offer an invitation to outline it. It's full of fascinating ideas. Many musicians have found Small's ideas to be transformative. It's worth your while to dig into it as deeply as possible.

YW!


EE

Homework for Wed. 10/3 (comment required)

Hi everyone, and welcome to the blog!


Your homework for Wed. 10/2:


Read:

• Change the World” (Interview with Babatunde Olatunji) http://www.drumcircle.com/articles/baba.html

• “Arthurian Philosophy” http://www.drumcircle.com/articles/philosophy.html

• “Rythmaculture” http://www.drumcircle.com/articles/rhythmaculture.html

Listen

• Drums of Passion The famous Babtunde Olatunji album

Write:


A comment here about what you found most interesting or stimulating in the reading and listening.