Thursday, October 22, 2009
Quality sound
I chose to listen to Home, Sweet Home by August P. Stenger . This recording consisted of, of a piano playing very faintly in the background and a wind instrument, maybe a flute playing as the dominant instrument. This recording sounds like it is very old because there is a good amount of static noise and the recording can't reproduce some of the higher notes the instrument hits. This piece was recorded on a Berliner's Gramophone and it sounds like the device wasn't set in the right place to be able to hear both instruments clearly.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
New Notation
Note notation has remained pretty much unchanged since it was first conceived. Beethoven uses the same notation as composers today and probably tomorrow. I do not think this is a problem because this allows every one who has been taught music the ability to read everything that has ever been composed. Also its universal across the world, so there is no language barrier. I do not think there is a need for a new notation, but I do believe there are better ways to show these notations. Like guitar hero I think music should move across a screen. If you look at the notation of most popular composers, its a mess. It is very easy to get lost in all the notes, and hard to get back into rhythm. Moving the notation across a screen may elevate some of these problems.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Two Songs
The first song I chose to listen to was from my collection and it is called "Contagious" by Trapt. This song has a medium to fast tempo at about 100 beats per minute, and it is homophonic. This song had a very linear note pattern therefore it was conjunct. Contagious is played in a very distinct pattern which consisted of A, B, A, B', B being the chorus.
The piece I chose from Naxos was, "No. 1: Modere" by George Taylor. Unlike the first song, this piece had a slow tempo, with maybe only 70 to 80 bpm. The song was conjunct because the notes fell in a pretty linear pattern rarely jumping around. The piece was played in a minor key because it had a depressing sound that wasn't upbeat or happy sounding. As far as a pattern went I could not find one. Nothing seemed to repeat.
The piece I chose from Naxos was, "No. 1: Modere" by George Taylor. Unlike the first song, this piece had a slow tempo, with maybe only 70 to 80 bpm. The song was conjunct because the notes fell in a pretty linear pattern rarely jumping around. The piece was played in a minor key because it had a depressing sound that wasn't upbeat or happy sounding. As far as a pattern went I could not find one. Nothing seemed to repeat.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Electrophone; the electric wave
As I chose to do earlier in the year, I listened to four radio stations from my home town. These radio stations included, 92.3 (Rock - Alternative), 107.9 (Hip-Hop), 99.5 (Country), and 98.5 (80's Rock). For the most part, these stations aren't very similar and they play a wide variety of genres, but each station is effected by electrophones in one way or another.
92.3 has two very popular electrophone, that is within almost every song that is played. These electrophones would be the electric guitar and the electric bass guitar. After listening to nearly an hour of this station, I heard two songs that didn't have a single electrophone in it, and these were acoustic songs. I also heard a few songs that included synthesizers, but these were limited.
For the second station, 99.5, there were less electrophones. I think there were less electrophones in this station due to the type of genre it is. Country music is an acoustic based genre. I did hear a few electric guitars, and maybe an electric keyboard or two, but for the most part is was all acoustic.
107.9 is a Hip-Hop station, therefore every song I heard was done almost exclusively with an electrophone. I can honestly say I don't think I heard one song that used an instrument other than an electrophone. Every beat was composed by an electrophone.
Lastly, 98.5 was ruled by one electrophone in particular. This electrophone was the electric guitar. Since this is an 80's rock station there was nothing but guitar solos and power cords. Every song had one electric guitar, if not more, and at least one electric bass guitar as far as I could tell. This genre is hugely reliant on electrophones. Overall, I think every genre of music within the last three decades has been effected by electrophones.
92.3 has two very popular electrophone, that is within almost every song that is played. These electrophones would be the electric guitar and the electric bass guitar. After listening to nearly an hour of this station, I heard two songs that didn't have a single electrophone in it, and these were acoustic songs. I also heard a few songs that included synthesizers, but these were limited.
For the second station, 99.5, there were less electrophones. I think there were less electrophones in this station due to the type of genre it is. Country music is an acoustic based genre. I did hear a few electric guitars, and maybe an electric keyboard or two, but for the most part is was all acoustic.
107.9 is a Hip-Hop station, therefore every song I heard was done almost exclusively with an electrophone. I can honestly say I don't think I heard one song that used an instrument other than an electrophone. Every beat was composed by an electrophone.
Lastly, 98.5 was ruled by one electrophone in particular. This electrophone was the electric guitar. Since this is an 80's rock station there was nothing but guitar solos and power cords. Every song had one electric guitar, if not more, and at least one electric bass guitar as far as I could tell. This genre is hugely reliant on electrophones. Overall, I think every genre of music within the last three decades has been effected by electrophones.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Aerophones Classic Style
Listening to 88.1, I noticed aerophones in just about every piece. From the beginning to the end, I don't think there was a time when I didn't hear any aerophones. These areophones ranged from flutes, to oboes, to trombones, and every thing else in between. These instruments usually played very large parts when it came to the melody of the music. They set the tempo for the piece and emphasized the high points and low points within the piece. I believe aerophones might be the most important family of instruments out of all the families.
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