This week I decided to write about more vocal music. I was running on the treadmill and "She Will Be Loved" came on. I skipped it, because it's hard for me to listen to slow songs when I run, but I did remember how much I liked it. Miley Cyrus sings a little bit of the song in her movie, "The Last Song," when she's driving with Liam Hemsworth to his house. It's hard to analyze this song because I always want to sing along. The song starts with an accompaniment part, sounding like a bass guitar, and drum kit. The texture becomes homophonic when the lead singer comes to the front with the accompaniment still in the background. At :28, there is a guitar in the background playing fast, quick notes that keep the beat going in a forward motion. The familiar chorus that many people learn the first comes in at :48 and at 1:19, a familiar melody plays, not the chorus, but one that the beginning of it plays later as well. The chorus then plays at 1:56 and the bass at 2:37 has the same pulsing beat that keeps the song moving, but has an interesting little part for the certain part of the song. At 3:00, the same melody plays that isn't the chorus, but leads to the chorus which is: "I don't mind spending every day..." A second voice sounds in the background at 3:40 that says, "please don't try so hard to say goodbye" creating a polyphonic texture with the original voice repeating certain parts of the song because both parts are "competing to be heard by the listener. The song ends with the voice that joined at the end with the original voice creating a homophonic texture with the accompaniment. I have always loved Maroon 5 and still do.
Sugar by Maroon 5
Animals by Maroon 5
She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5
Misery by Maroon 5
Ain't No Way We're Going Home by R5
One Last Dance by R5
Let's Not Be Alone Tonight by R5
Crazy 4 U by R5
Over the weekend, my sisters and I went to an outside concert in Bridgeview to see some performers play their music. Many people were there such as Nick Jonas, Tove Lo, Usher, Flo Rida, and Fifth Harmony. Another performer was called R5, and they are a family that play in a band together, aside from the drummer, who is their friend. The lead singer in the band plays "Austin" in "Austin and Ally." I listened to four of their songs that I found. My sisters have been listening to them a lot since the concert, and I wanted to listen to some of their songs. I wanted to talk about "Crazy 4 U," but I also liked "One Last Dance," and "Let's Not Be Alone Tonight." So I think I'll write about "One Last Dance" because it is a beautiful song. This song is a slower and softer song compared to the rest of their music. An acoustic guitar starts the song, it seems to have a sad tone, talking about a mistake made in a relationship. At :10, the lead singer, Ross Lynch, starts singing with the guitar as accompaniment to create a homophonic texture. At :31, a quiet harmony sounds between the lead and a second, quieter voice sings when compared to the lead's louder voice singing the melody. The chorus plays at :42 and a familiar melody the listener hears then plays at 1:08. At 1:30 the chorus plays again and a new section starts at 1:47 with onomatopoeia's like "na," "oh," and "whoa." At 1:57, the guitar plays repeating the words previously sung. A new section plays at 2:06, a new sound is played. At 2:26, the song goes back to the chorus with the same words, but a little different tweek to some of the words in the original melody. At 2:54, a new sound plays again and the song ends with a final word change to "with you." At the end, it almost sounds like a few string instruments playing slow notes in the background, which is different because I didn't know that they used instruments like violins and other string instruments. They use guitars mostly, and also electric guitar's and piano as well. I really liked these songs, and especially this one. It makes me want to go to a concert of R5's.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Friday, June 19, 2015
Week 4 Music Journal
For my fourth week of familiar music, I chose to do more Taylor Swift songs. These are songs heard on the radio, and most people know them, if they tune it to what new music comes out recently. I picked out three of her most recent hits: "Bad Blood," "Style," and "Blank Space." I'll write on "Bad Blood" because I would like to know why everybody loves this song lately. Apparently there are two versions, one without Kendrick Lamar, and one with. Personally, I like the one that doesn't have the rap part in it that Lamar is featured in, but I understand why she would like him to join in her song to create a little variation and different sound. All of these songs sound similar because they are her most recent sound; "Style" and "Blank Space" are on the same album. These songs sound different from the last time I listened to her because she is trying the "pop" sound instead of the regular country sound that has been working for her. In the beginning, Taylor is only singing with her voice, so it would be considered monophonic texture. At :17, the drum kit joins to add a little movement and rhythm to the song, with bass drum and snare drum hits. At :28, I believe, is where Kendrick Lamar would rap, but I am commenting on the one without him. Nevertheless, her voice does change in these sections to a lower pitch than the chorus notes. At :52, the chorus sounds again: "Oh, it's so sad to think about the good times, you and I.." Later, at 1:15, low chords are sustained in the back. It's a little hard to tell what all these sounds are because most of them have been created by synthesizers, which, unfortunately, many artists use today. At 2:23 is another different section creating a different sound to keep the listeners attention. Here, it's soft and for the first phrase, she is again without any harmony. In the next phrase, she keeps the same words, but adds the rhythm section, percussion, or the drum set. She repeats the chorus again at 2:47 and at 3:15, she sings, "Look what you've done," and echoes it later, using an instrument that previously recorded her voice. I did like these songs, this one in particular, even if there wasn't many of dynamic changes, which band songs usually emphasize. She has a few contrasts that make the song interesting, but the majority of the audience that she sings to don't know to listen for a lot of contrast.
Bad Blood by Taylor Swift(w/o Kendrick Lamar)
Bad Blood by Taylor Swift(featured Kendrick Lamar)
Blank Space by Taylor Swift
Style by Taylor Swift
Equus by Eric Whitacre
For my fourth week of unfamiliar music, I picked Equus, a band song by Eric Whitacre. I also love listening to band songs, although it makes me miss when we played in band ourselves. I have not heard of this song before, so I decided to listen to it. The piece started off light, with quick light woodwinds, maybe a clarinet playing. At :08, it almost sounds like a piano, but other instruments could make this sound, a new little melody or phrase is played. At :27, I hear a bassoon play a single note on the beat. This piece sounds like it's in a duple meter, possibly common time or cut time. At :32, the bells play a skip and later the same pitches sound augmented which creates a cool effect. Later, the trombones play an ascending scale like sound of their certain pitches and a pulse sounds, keeping the piece moving along. The pulse sounds deep, maybe a plucked string, bassoon, or tuba. The dynamics are increasing here, crescendoing and growing the intensity to :57, where the trumpets have the melody and a suspended cymbal plays at 1:08 with a quick sforzando sounds, which is a sudden, strong accent, and quickly diminishes to a quiet sound. Clarinets play the simple and light sound again with saxophones keeping the tempo constant and steady with notes on the beat. At 1:32, more and more instruments keep adding to the duple pattern of different notes. Next, a new feel of the piece sounds, with a low sounding pitch that keeps the beat here, maybe a tuba, with woodwinds, maybe clarinets and flutes adding "decoration" to the sound. The bells also play here, 2 notes, as opposed to the tuba's one pitch that is played on the beat. At 2:07, a new section begins, with increasing intensity once again. The brass, possibly trumpets and French horns, crescendo to 2:30 where another strong accent is played and the piece once again proceeds into the clarinet melody. At 2:48, the whole band plays loud, maybe forte or so, and some placed accents moves this part along and give it a "jolty" feeling. A keyboard percussion instrument, maybe a xylophone or vibes, plays here as well, which gives the sound an interesting tone color along with all the wind instruments. A fun tune with some brass, maybe trumpets and French horns, are played at 3:19. At 3:25, the bells play which excites the piece and leaves the listener feeling exuberant. The piece suddenly falls to a quiet sound at 3:38, maybe piano(soft), with the oboe playing the melody and the clarinet playing the harmony. Some bells are heard here as well keeping the song moving. The trumpet plays at 4:04 and creates a call and response throughout the section. At 4:12, a gong sounds followed by heavy brass, maybe a trombone, playing, giving the piece a furious feel to it. A cymbal crashes later and the xylophone sounds again. At 4:32, the brass section plays and keeps the pulse, with the woodwinds playing frilling sounds at the top. The trombones have the melody at 4:41 and the saxes echo the phrase. A quiet, dream like sound plays at 5:05 that the woodwinds create. At 5:11, the trombones slid their slides while still blowing which gives the section an interesting feeling to it with the different sounds. At 5:36, the clarinets play a smooth moving sound, and following is the trumpets that echo it. This section keeps building and growing in volume, with a timpani at 6:30. A triangle sounds at 6:50 followed by the band. This section is loud in volume, maybe fortissimo. The French horns play descending notes at 7:11, which leads to the trumpets playing the melody. Another suspended cymbal crash is played at 7:25 and 7:34. The band crescendos until the end with a slap stick and loud notes in the wind instruments. I really did like this song, and wish that I would have a chance to play it.
Bad Blood by Taylor Swift(w/o Kendrick Lamar)
Bad Blood by Taylor Swift(featured Kendrick Lamar)
Blank Space by Taylor Swift
Style by Taylor Swift
Equus by Eric Whitacre
For my fourth week of unfamiliar music, I picked Equus, a band song by Eric Whitacre. I also love listening to band songs, although it makes me miss when we played in band ourselves. I have not heard of this song before, so I decided to listen to it. The piece started off light, with quick light woodwinds, maybe a clarinet playing. At :08, it almost sounds like a piano, but other instruments could make this sound, a new little melody or phrase is played. At :27, I hear a bassoon play a single note on the beat. This piece sounds like it's in a duple meter, possibly common time or cut time. At :32, the bells play a skip and later the same pitches sound augmented which creates a cool effect. Later, the trombones play an ascending scale like sound of their certain pitches and a pulse sounds, keeping the piece moving along. The pulse sounds deep, maybe a plucked string, bassoon, or tuba. The dynamics are increasing here, crescendoing and growing the intensity to :57, where the trumpets have the melody and a suspended cymbal plays at 1:08 with a quick sforzando sounds, which is a sudden, strong accent, and quickly diminishes to a quiet sound. Clarinets play the simple and light sound again with saxophones keeping the tempo constant and steady with notes on the beat. At 1:32, more and more instruments keep adding to the duple pattern of different notes. Next, a new feel of the piece sounds, with a low sounding pitch that keeps the beat here, maybe a tuba, with woodwinds, maybe clarinets and flutes adding "decoration" to the sound. The bells also play here, 2 notes, as opposed to the tuba's one pitch that is played on the beat. At 2:07, a new section begins, with increasing intensity once again. The brass, possibly trumpets and French horns, crescendo to 2:30 where another strong accent is played and the piece once again proceeds into the clarinet melody. At 2:48, the whole band plays loud, maybe forte or so, and some placed accents moves this part along and give it a "jolty" feeling. A keyboard percussion instrument, maybe a xylophone or vibes, plays here as well, which gives the sound an interesting tone color along with all the wind instruments. A fun tune with some brass, maybe trumpets and French horns, are played at 3:19. At 3:25, the bells play which excites the piece and leaves the listener feeling exuberant. The piece suddenly falls to a quiet sound at 3:38, maybe piano(soft), with the oboe playing the melody and the clarinet playing the harmony. Some bells are heard here as well keeping the song moving. The trumpet plays at 4:04 and creates a call and response throughout the section. At 4:12, a gong sounds followed by heavy brass, maybe a trombone, playing, giving the piece a furious feel to it. A cymbal crashes later and the xylophone sounds again. At 4:32, the brass section plays and keeps the pulse, with the woodwinds playing frilling sounds at the top. The trombones have the melody at 4:41 and the saxes echo the phrase. A quiet, dream like sound plays at 5:05 that the woodwinds create. At 5:11, the trombones slid their slides while still blowing which gives the section an interesting feeling to it with the different sounds. At 5:36, the clarinets play a smooth moving sound, and following is the trumpets that echo it. This section keeps building and growing in volume, with a timpani at 6:30. A triangle sounds at 6:50 followed by the band. This section is loud in volume, maybe fortissimo. The French horns play descending notes at 7:11, which leads to the trumpets playing the melody. Another suspended cymbal crash is played at 7:25 and 7:34. The band crescendos until the end with a slap stick and loud notes in the wind instruments. I really did like this song, and wish that I would have a chance to play it.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Week 3 Music Journal
For my third week of familiar music, I chose to do Fantasie Impromptu, Op. 66, by Frédéric Chopin and Claude Debussy's Clair de Lune, for Piano (Suite Bergamasque No. 3). I am going to write about my favorite out of the two: Chopin's piece. I know this song because many of my friend's have played it at solo and ensemble, which is a contest that the Ottawa High School Band participates in. I loved this song each time I heard it, and finally received a copy of the music. It is fun to play and you can really put your own touches in the music. The video is a little weird because it looks like the man on the piano is being judged, but he plays it beautifully. There are many embellishments made in the piece, such as grace notes and runs. The form that this song is following is the ternary form, or three parts. After the chromatic scale starting at 1:02, and the chords that follow that, the piece goes into a slower more relaxing part. This part contrasts the previous section just played. This is probably my favorite of the piece because of the delicate melody and broken chords played in the left hand, and because it's probably the easiest section to play of the song for me. The chord progressions keep the piece moving in the second section of the song and vary in major and minor intervals. In the second section, the listener can hear the repetitive melody here as well. At 3:24, the piece resumes it's pattern of the first section, demonstrating the ABA pattern of the ternary form. Although the composer did add variation to the same melody in the first part to keep the piece interesting, the listener can still hear the similar theme throughout the piece in sections one and three. The piece's dynamics are quite extreme; ranging from fortissimo, because at some points, that's probably close to the maximum pressure that the player can exert without losing control of the piece and technique, to piano(meaning soft, not the instrument itself), which is hard to accomplish to still make the melody be heard over the other hand's accompaniment. The ending closes up the piece bringing the melody back from the previous sections. The difficult parts of the piece, where everything is loud and the notes are fast, do have accents over the melody that is played in the left hand throughout the jumps and skips that are played so the theme is heard and recognized. The key throughout the song is C sharp minor, which gives the piece a mysterious and beautiful tone.
Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu
Debussy's Clair de Lune
Taylor Swift's "The Last Time"
"I Almost Do"
"Treacherous"
For my unfamiliar music of week three, I listened to Taylor Swift's "I Almost Do," "Treacherous," and "The Last Time." I'll talk about "The Last Time" because she collaborated with Gary Lightbody. I am familiar with her well known songs that play on the radio and I like those, so I chose to do this and see if it's the same type that play on the radio. I think this song is from her last album called "Red." The song starts off with chords played on a piano. At :21, the man starts singing the song and Taylor joins at :41. They are singing harmonies with each other, but moving at the same time, not on the same note, with accompaniment in the background. So, when the singers sing with the accompaniment, its considered homophonic, but when focusing on listening to only them, it is considered monophonic because they are moving at the same time singing the same melody. At 1:01, a cool little part plays where the two sing what sounds like a whole step, but Taylor Swift and Gary Lightbody do not sound like they are singing the same notes to create harmony with each other in the song. Again at 2:13 they do the same whole step pattern. At 3:24, the man starts singing the pattern of a pitch one step higher, it sounds like, to one step lower. Taylor joins in when he is on his higher pitch with a different pitch than the man's, then goes to her next pitch, sounding like it's also a step lower than her previous one, which sounds a bit higher than the last few times. A musical interlude starts at 2:42 to give the song a little variety. In the accompaniment, it sounds like a couple guitars and maybe a piano. What sounds like a few woodwinds or strings play in the background at 4:04. This part is difficult to listen for because it's hard to pick out. This was hard to listen to because my sister was playing the piano, so I had to grab my headphones. I only listen through my headphones when I exercise, so this is weird. The song sounds a little different in headphones; clearer, but softer, if that makes sense.
Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu
Debussy's Clair de Lune
Taylor Swift's "The Last Time"
"I Almost Do"
"Treacherous"
For my unfamiliar music of week three, I listened to Taylor Swift's "I Almost Do," "Treacherous," and "The Last Time." I'll talk about "The Last Time" because she collaborated with Gary Lightbody. I am familiar with her well known songs that play on the radio and I like those, so I chose to do this and see if it's the same type that play on the radio. I think this song is from her last album called "Red." The song starts off with chords played on a piano. At :21, the man starts singing the song and Taylor joins at :41. They are singing harmonies with each other, but moving at the same time, not on the same note, with accompaniment in the background. So, when the singers sing with the accompaniment, its considered homophonic, but when focusing on listening to only them, it is considered monophonic because they are moving at the same time singing the same melody. At 1:01, a cool little part plays where the two sing what sounds like a whole step, but Taylor Swift and Gary Lightbody do not sound like they are singing the same notes to create harmony with each other in the song. Again at 2:13 they do the same whole step pattern. At 3:24, the man starts singing the pattern of a pitch one step higher, it sounds like, to one step lower. Taylor joins in when he is on his higher pitch with a different pitch than the man's, then goes to her next pitch, sounding like it's also a step lower than her previous one, which sounds a bit higher than the last few times. A musical interlude starts at 2:42 to give the song a little variety. In the accompaniment, it sounds like a couple guitars and maybe a piano. What sounds like a few woodwinds or strings play in the background at 4:04. This part is difficult to listen for because it's hard to pick out. This was hard to listen to because my sister was playing the piano, so I had to grab my headphones. I only listen through my headphones when I exercise, so this is weird. The song sounds a little different in headphones; clearer, but softer, if that makes sense.
Friday, June 5, 2015
Week 2 Listening Journal
For my second week familiar music I chose to do a song called Vesuvius by Frank Ticheli. It is not quite ten minutes but close: 9:38. I have been exposed to this song a couple of times and I quite like it. I have played this in the Ottawa Township High School Band one year in the Wind Ensemble. I have also played this one year when I went to a festival for a day called ILMEA. This song is also very fun to play with the mixed meters and all the cool effects to make the listener see the image of Vesuvius by listening to the song. Vesuvius is a volcano on the west coast of Italy. This song for concert band has a lot of different effects that make it interesting. The piece starts off with a whip/slap stick that makes that clapping sound and leads to eighth notes played by a bassoon, setting the tense feel of the song. It includes flutter tonguing, mutes, making a "ch" sound with our mouths, ripping, and stopped parts. Stopping a note, for French horn, is best described using an example. Fingering 3rd space C(thumb/open), and putting your right hand in the bell of the horn produces a 1/2 step lower than C's pitch, or B natural. This not only changes the pitch that comes out, but also an interesting quality to the sound of the French Horn making it more nasal. At :38, you can hear the stopped French horn. A "rip" is at the end of the song in the French horns up to an A above the staff. There are accents placed in different places making the piece feel unsteady and unsure. These meters not only change, but have different counts for each beat in certain parts. At the 8:22 mark after the gong is one of the places I am talking about. The counting in this part has 4 beats per measure but one measure would be counted as following: 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2, 1-2, with the eight note getting the beat. The counter melody that is passed throughout the sections is actually a simple melody; 9 eighth notes on different pitches. The first phrase of the main melody is composed of a quarter note on count 1, a quarter tied to an eighth note on count two, a quarter on count three, and a quarter note on count 4. This melody is not that difficult, but sounds interesting because of all the variations and skips in pitches. At 4:22, the French horns have a beautiful harmony that starts, then changes to a more reflective and sadder sounding phrase at 4:33 because of the notes that follow. At 2:25, the bass drum is setting the scene for the instruments that sound frantic in the next part. At 1:40, the time signature is 8/8(3+3+2), meaning 8 beats per measure and the eight note gets 1 count, but is conducted in 3 with the beats not having the same amount of counts, if that makes sense. At 2:07, after the "ch"ing, the French horns have a quarter note pick up on count 3, dotted quarter notes on the downbeat and count 2, and another quarter note on count three. This pattern repeats in the next measure, but in the last measure, there are 2 dotted quarter notes and two eight leading to the next softer part. If anyone ever gets the chance to play this song, I say go for it. The hardest part is getting the whole band together and understanding how the counting works, but after that all the fun happens with all the extra techniques that this piece involves. I posted the link I listened to below.
Frank Ticheli's "Vesuvius"
"Pigs" by Pink Floyd
For my second week unfamiliar music I chose to do Pink Floyd's "Pigs." The songs duration is 11 minutes and 26 seconds. My mother and little sister are big fans of Pink Floyd and my sister suggested that I listen to this awhile ago. Pink Floyd has an interesting sound that makes them unique. In the beginning, what sounds like a piece of technology or maybe an electronic piano starts with what sounds like eight notes, but I would have to see the time signature to be sure on that. At :18, a pig nose sounds, probably by a piece of equipment as well. A guitar joins the unique sound just after that and a second guitar joins at :35. I like the sound of this guitar. It sounds sharp and keeps the rhythm going. At 2:28 a glissando on the piano is played descending in pitch. Another gliss at 3:56 which I enjoyed. This song does not have a very fast tempo; it sounds laid back and relaxed. Maybe the tempo is marked at andante which means at a walking speed or moderately slow. At 7:02 an interesting sound that I am having trouble placing is played. Maybe it's another sound from the technology equipment, but I am not sure about that. At 7:11 those little skips that sound like they are played from a different piano that has those capabilities and the guitar is back from the beginning, which I also like as well. Then the singers come back after that musical interlude. A lot of sounds are repeated from previously in the song. Again at 9:22 the gliss from the piano is played again, and soon after this what sounds like a cowbell enters giving the song a little depth, more tone color. The glissando sounds too perfectly even to be played from a real grand piano, but maybe the player is extremely gifted or something, but I am not sure. Another thing is that it does not sound like a real piano so I think it might be from an electronic piano. Although this song did not have much harmony which I really like, I did enjoy this song. I don't know if I would listen to it all the time, like I would other songs, but I liked it okay. Maybe it's my mother and sister's influence that I like this song, but it's alright. The link I listened to is above this paragraph.
Frank Ticheli's "Vesuvius"
"Pigs" by Pink Floyd
For my second week unfamiliar music I chose to do Pink Floyd's "Pigs." The songs duration is 11 minutes and 26 seconds. My mother and little sister are big fans of Pink Floyd and my sister suggested that I listen to this awhile ago. Pink Floyd has an interesting sound that makes them unique. In the beginning, what sounds like a piece of technology or maybe an electronic piano starts with what sounds like eight notes, but I would have to see the time signature to be sure on that. At :18, a pig nose sounds, probably by a piece of equipment as well. A guitar joins the unique sound just after that and a second guitar joins at :35. I like the sound of this guitar. It sounds sharp and keeps the rhythm going. At 2:28 a glissando on the piano is played descending in pitch. Another gliss at 3:56 which I enjoyed. This song does not have a very fast tempo; it sounds laid back and relaxed. Maybe the tempo is marked at andante which means at a walking speed or moderately slow. At 7:02 an interesting sound that I am having trouble placing is played. Maybe it's another sound from the technology equipment, but I am not sure about that. At 7:11 those little skips that sound like they are played from a different piano that has those capabilities and the guitar is back from the beginning, which I also like as well. Then the singers come back after that musical interlude. A lot of sounds are repeated from previously in the song. Again at 9:22 the gliss from the piano is played again, and soon after this what sounds like a cowbell enters giving the song a little depth, more tone color. The glissando sounds too perfectly even to be played from a real grand piano, but maybe the player is extremely gifted or something, but I am not sure. Another thing is that it does not sound like a real piano so I think it might be from an electronic piano. Although this song did not have much harmony which I really like, I did enjoy this song. I don't know if I would listen to it all the time, like I would other songs, but I liked it okay. Maybe it's my mother and sister's influence that I like this song, but it's alright. The link I listened to is above this paragraph.
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