A Call for Frying Pans

I found an interesting site created by an organologist, someone who studies the way instruments are made and how the structures allow their specific acoustical characteristics to exist. It's very intriguing to note that the very first 'electric' guitar came into existence in about 1890.

Notes about Notes!

The notes section of the class website has been updated. I'd also like to see some continued discussion on here about texture. How might various textures be used to created different moods and create/relieve musical tension?

Music in a Time of War

I found an article about some violins that survived [and helped people survive] the holocaust. In a world that is constantly torn by war, it's interesting to see the role music plays in bringing a sense of relief and comfort.

Portman's Store Adventure

Yesterday I went to Portman's to get manuscript paper after going to the dentist. While there, I tried to find a song that everyone played last year. Problem is, I don't remember the name of it. So I told my mom, who told one of the store clerks. They got one of their best guys in the music knowing category to help me. I played a little bit of the piece on one of the pianos and it turns out.. he doesn't know it! That was almost like, a turn-off on Portman's. I'm still trying to know what the song is. I know that Evan knows what it is (since he has the music) but I just haven't bugged him about it this year yet.

Sigh.

Website Updated

I do apologize for not updating the assignments section of the class website earlier. Next time something like that happens, somebody please email me or post something here to remind me.

Our Compositions

While on the bus today, I was thinking about class and discovered something. Many of us broke one of the main rules of being a successful composer! We did this by giving our original scores to Ms. Sanchez. How could we? And on our first project too...

Clarifications.

In class today, I was actually thinking about what would happen if -gasp- I were the only one to join the blog! This not being the case anymore, I wonder if anyone else will be using it as the year goes on. I expected frobecca, of course.

So far, this blog seems to be about exploration of music and different types of music, and I thought I'd add my own knowledge.

In my composer profile thing (Very first paper we were handed) I put "hardcore techno" as my favorite genre of music. Now, I've given some to frobecca before, and she doesn't like it very much, because of the distorted, powerful bassline that I've become so addicted to.
It's a pretty niche subgenre, having started in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in roughly the early 90s, coming from the ashes of house music, coming from disco, which started the whole constant-bassline thing that is the core of "techno", as electronic music is so often generalized. The distortion was purely experimental, originally being the deeper power sounds on a Roland Juno synthesizer, and became less so after some positive feedback. As with most genres, it's nearly impossible to trace its creation back to one artist and one song.
Now, the gabber scene, as the genre is called (in Dutch, pronounced 'habber', with the "h" being gutteral; Dutch is so much fun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HaXlUklK4c - Always Hardcore by Bodylotion

Artist Statement?

For those of you who are completely befuddled as to how to go about this project, try doing some reading here.

response to june's post

There are decent musicians that make to the top today but the music industry puts appearance before talent so that is usually not the case. The music industry is evil.

Schoenberg and serial music

Schoenberg being a lover of order in music (he used traditional forms) created a set of rules that composers could use. Also he was influenced by the socialist belief in absolute economic and social equality and gave the notes absolute equality or "socialism in music". Also I know this is annoying but Schoenberg's opera was published as Moses und Aron Schoenberg changed it because Moses und Aaron had 13 letters a number he feared deeply. (not kidding)

Atonal Music Vs. Serial Music

Adrianne brought a wonderful question to the forefront today, and not being satisfied with my answer, I decided to do some research to delve a little bit deeper into the topic. Both atonal music and serial music avoid having a traditional, single emphasized note, called the "tonic," which results in a similar type of music. The difference is solely in the construction of such pieces. Arnold Schoenberg was the inventor of serial music, which uses the twelve tone system. He preferred to call it "pantonal" because each note is given equal, democratic importance. It was quite egalitarian of him. There are very strict rules governing the twelve tone system including:

1. All twelve chromatic tones must be used equally
2. Melodies are built based on tone rows involving all twelve tones
3. The matrix may be used to find inversions and other versions of the original tone row, to provide variety.

Atonal music, by contrast, does not have to use all twelve chromatic notes or follow such a mathematical structure. The compositional process would then be much more intuitive.

If you haven't figured out yet, I'm fond of definitions, so here's one I found for Serial Music/ The Twelve Tone System:

Twelve Note Method / Dodecaphony :

"Serial music is constructed according to the principle, described independently by Hauer and Schönberg in the early 1920s, of 12-note composition. According to the Schönbergian principle, the 12 notes of the equal-tempered scale are arranged in a particular order, a series or row, that serves as the basis of the composition. Serial technique requires that the succession of notes be ordered as they are in the row, but simultaneities--chords--have no succession within them, so the principle of order relations does not apply to them. In Schönberg's Method of Composing with Twelve Notes Which are Related Only to One Another, the note-row may be used in its original form, or inverted, or retrograde, or retrograde inverted; in each of these forms it may be transposed to any pitch (each note-row may thus have forty-eight possible forms). All the music of the composition is constructed from this basic material; any particular note may be repeated, but the order must be maintained. Octave transpositions are permitted. Notes may occur in any voice, may be used either melodically (horizontally) or harmonically (vertically) but the entire sequence must be employed before the row may be repeated. The row is normally designed to avoid outlining the triads or patterns associated with tonality. Berg's Lulu (1937) and Schönberg's Moses und Aaron (1957), both written entirely in serial technique, are considered the two masterpieces of the serial repertoire. Both employ the same arduous vocal style as Wozzeck and are significant undertakings for performers and audience alike. Later developments of 12-note theory introduced the idea of using six-, four- or three-note segments of a row as compositional elements. As originally designed by Schönberg, the method was intended to preclude tonality, though later composers, notably Berg, found ways of using the technique in a tonal context - as indeed did Schönberg himself."

(taken from here )

And here's a definition I found for Atonality:

"(English, German, Spanish) music that avoids a key centre but is not constructed on serial principles, such works being written generally without a key signature."

(taken from here )

You can also visit this forum and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for more information on atonality.

I hope this properly answered your question. I know it more than answered mine!

Earth Sings

Music is organized sound. It can be organized by human hands or at an exponential, cosmic level. I strongly urge you to listen to the natural music our planet creates, far above our ionosphere. Unfortunately, the clip opens up with a commercial, and there's a scientific explanation over the 'earth song,' but you'll get the idea once you hear it. The sound is very rich in high pitched overtones. Enjoy!

This is the Scene

Alright, now here's a great place for the Indie music fans. You know the type. Those are the people who choke on the word 'pop' and cringe at the utterance of the word 'mainstream'. Anything that makes too much money is simply 'selling out', and there is almost an aura of superiority in obscurity. Who knows, maybe there are some people out there who actually enjoy Indie music without the cultural baggage associated with it. At any rate, this site is a great demonstration of self-promotion tools that a composer or performer may use. It also shows the value of networking. The 'if you promote me, I'll promote you' mentality is one of your best bets when you're starting out. If everyone began by clawing at each other's throats, we'd have a huge mess.

The Grass is Blue?

For any bluegrass fans out there as well as people who are curious to learn more about this American, folk-inspired genre, I found an excellent site for you to check out. Personally, I am not a fan of country as I find it too nasally, whiny, and tacky. However, bluegrass, seems to take all the wonderful melodic and instrumentation elements of country and blend it into a pleasing final product without necessarily giving in to the pop country-fusion world *cough*Faith Hill*cough*.

If you are a fan of country music, I do not apologize. We each have different tastes, and the way our ears and minds have been trained to process sounds differ greatly. What sounds cacophonous to you may sound like a choir of angels to me. I respect that there are elements of every musical genre that will appeal to different people. There is nothing wrong with country music, and there is nothing wrong with people who like country music. I'm simply not one of them.

Voice versus Instrument, Round 1

In my copious amounts of free time, I've been reading from a book by Dr. Maragaret Lucy Wilkins entitled Creative Music Composition: The Young Composer's Voice. I find this book extremely fascinating for mainly two reasons. The first is that it is about music. Anything about music, in my opinion, is worth reading. The second reason, however, is that Dr. Wilkins is British, and she uses a slightly different vocabulary and approach when it comes to music and pedagogy. Whereas an American musician, such as myself, grew up hearing such banal terms as 'quarter note', 'half note', and the oh-so-exotic 'sixty-fourth note', our British counterparts use the interesting terms 'crotchet', 'minim', and 'hemidemisemiquaver', respectively. How is that for a mouthful?

It didn't take long, of course, for a controversy to arise in the reading betwixt the sweet vocal genre and the beloved instrumental genre. In fact, I hadn't even approached the second chapter before I was struck with this befuddling truth about the vocal world. When trying to advocate the use of special workshops or clinics to have student compositions performed, Dr. Wilkins writes:

The use of a choir in workshop situations had proved more problematic than the use of instrumental ensembles. This is because student and amateur singers need much more time to learn new works than competent instrumentalists, who are capable of sight-reading music very quickly. (p.11)

Now, before all the vocalists stomp their feet in outrage, notice the words 'student' and 'amateur' in regards to the type of vocalist that has problems learning new material quickly. A professional singer should be able to sight-read a piece perfectly, but the world of the student singer is very different. Of course, there is an exception to every rule, and that works on both sides of the musical fence. Just as there are some student singers who are able to sight-read extremely well, there are also instrumentalists who have trouble reading scores. Some instrumentalists have stronger talents in other areas such as playing by ear or playing from memory.

The important element to take from this whole discussion, however, is that vocal music and instrumental music are unique to themselves, bringing about their own challenges and advantages. One is not ultimately better than the other, but one may be more relevant or pragmatic for a certain compositional situation than the other. When you compose, always keep in mind the abilities of your performers because they will make or break you.

If you are interested in reading more from this book for your own knowledge, you may find it here at a pretty reasonable price. By all means, feel free to shop around; I'm not endorsing one particular company over another. This book is NOT a requirement for the course, so don't feel obligated to purchase it. I also have a copy I may decide to loan out after I have finished reading it.

Cheerio!