Today I was on the site stumbleupon.com, which is a site that shows you random sites it thinks you will like after you fill out a 'interests' profile. One of my interests is-surprise, surprise- music, and today stumble upon brought me to this site:
http://lifehacker.com/5865032/how-music-affects-the-brain-and-how-you-can-use-it-to-your-advantage%253Fpopular%253Dtrue
Whether it's true or not, I found it interesting and thought I'd let you guys see it.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
The "Blog Album"-An Explanation of the Last Few Blog Posts
So for those of you who are wondering why I didn't posted a lot tonight, I decided that I wanted to end my semester by "releasing" my blogs like they were tracks on an album. I started by "leaking" a blog or releasing a single a few days ago. Then tonight, I "released" the album, and in a few days I will post the video I made a while ago as "bonus features. " I know this isn't a common blogging style, but I thought I'd give it a shot as an interesting end to the semester.
In the end, It's Instinctual.
So why do we continue to listen to music? The styles keep changing, so no matter what you like to hear it's going to be out of fashion in a few years, artists get corrupted by fame and fortune, and lose everything that you liked about them, and even the listening style has changed to a point where music is mostly in the background. (Elevator music used to be unique in that it was the only form of music that was played as something in the background, and not something to actively listen to or dance to.) Despite constant change-something we are designed to hate-we continue to listen to, create, and critique music, whether it's brand new or hundreds of years old. Something inside us tell us that music is good, unifying, and worth our time, even if we only give it a little bit. We, instinctually like music, when it seems like we should hate it.
In "Nostalgia of the Young" Turkle discusses how with todays tethered lifestyle, we are all programmed to instantaneously respond to texts and instant messages we receive, even if the risks are catastrophic. Hundreds, if not thousands of car accidents are caused by texting every year. Students' forgo doing homework assignments in favor of talking to friends online. We all know this is wrong, but we all do it anyway. Something inside of us has told us that we need to do what we know is wrong.
Similarly music, although the consequences are less strict, has also been programmed to be something we like and encourage. It is merely a sign of the passing times. There is no real reason as to why it happened, it just did. Hundreds or even thousands of years ago, our ancestors decided that music was something that would benefit them as a species, and it has continued to grow past its helpful stage to a dangerous stage, yet we still use it. A few decades ago, cell phone were invented to help keep people in contact with each other while away on vacations or business. Today it is one of the highest factors that can get you killed. In another fifty years, who knows what we will be doing that is hurting ourselves, but one thing is for sure. We will still be listening to music and talking on cellphones.
In "Nostalgia of the Young" Turkle discusses how with todays tethered lifestyle, we are all programmed to instantaneously respond to texts and instant messages we receive, even if the risks are catastrophic. Hundreds, if not thousands of car accidents are caused by texting every year. Students' forgo doing homework assignments in favor of talking to friends online. We all know this is wrong, but we all do it anyway. Something inside of us has told us that we need to do what we know is wrong.
Similarly music, although the consequences are less strict, has also been programmed to be something we like and encourage. It is merely a sign of the passing times. There is no real reason as to why it happened, it just did. Hundreds or even thousands of years ago, our ancestors decided that music was something that would benefit them as a species, and it has continued to grow past its helpful stage to a dangerous stage, yet we still use it. A few decades ago, cell phone were invented to help keep people in contact with each other while away on vacations or business. Today it is one of the highest factors that can get you killed. In another fifty years, who knows what we will be doing that is hurting ourselves, but one thing is for sure. We will still be listening to music and talking on cellphones.
That Good Ole' Fashion Groove (or Feel, or Smell, or Sound)
In todays ultra digital world, if one wants to get a song, they go to one of the hundreds of digital downloading sites-legal or *ahem*...anyways-and gets the song they want. Usually while they are there, one is prompted to download the rest of the album or various remixes and mashups of the song, but often these requests get ignored. With apps like Shazam and Soundhound, you can hold your phone to the radio and find out what a song is within seconds, or if you are trying to remember what song you heard in the bathroom at work, you can hum it into the phone's mic and it will identify the track for you. The digital music era has removed the physical aspect of music, but what if that isn't a good thing. People no longer discover new music from friends; they discover it from the internet. Albums are seldom purchased with consumer option for the individual song purchases almost every time. Again, I love the ability to get one track form an album, especially if I'm making a mix and only need one song off of an album to finish it. I just wonder if some of the character behind the musical experience is gone.
In "Growing Up Tethered, " Turkle discusses how growing up completely connected has changed the way people life, and grow up, in todays world. Turkle discusses how people are more focused on their friends lists then their actual friends. At this point, most people would sacrifice an legitimate, personal friendship for 10 new "friends" on Facebook.
Similarly to Turkle's ideas about losing intimacy, the music experience is also losing its intimacy. No longer do people sit around and listen to a whole album. Everyone is plugged into their ipods while running, driving, working, or studying. Music is used as a background noise, not an experience. Yes, music is more available to the public, but at what cost? When was the last time you listened to an album for what it was? or went to a concert? or stopped what you were doing to see if you actually knew the entire song? ..Exactly, the experience has diminished to a level our hippie predecessors would find embarrassing. As a music fan, I say stand up! ...and then sit down, put a CD in your home audio system, and chill on the couch for an hour.
In "Growing Up Tethered, " Turkle discusses how growing up completely connected has changed the way people life, and grow up, in todays world. Turkle discusses how people are more focused on their friends lists then their actual friends. At this point, most people would sacrifice an legitimate, personal friendship for 10 new "friends" on Facebook.
Similarly to Turkle's ideas about losing intimacy, the music experience is also losing its intimacy. No longer do people sit around and listen to a whole album. Everyone is plugged into their ipods while running, driving, working, or studying. Music is used as a background noise, not an experience. Yes, music is more available to the public, but at what cost? When was the last time you listened to an album for what it was? or went to a concert? or stopped what you were doing to see if you actually knew the entire song? ..Exactly, the experience has diminished to a level our hippie predecessors would find embarrassing. As a music fan, I say stand up! ...and then sit down, put a CD in your home audio system, and chill on the couch for an hour.
Physical Instruments a Thing of the Past?
As many of you are aware, technology is growing at an alarming rate. Some of you may even be reading this on your phone, mp3 player, net book, or tablet. As these devices grow more popular, so do the numbers of music apps available to use on them. Now a days, with the tap of a finger you can have a piano, guitar, drum kit, synth machine, or professional recording studio. This is great for making many kinds of music available to all, but it also changes the way music is played. Gone are the days spent squeezing your fingers onto a fret board, trying to push down one string without touching another. The countless hours spent hunched over a piano, or trying to get the sound of a saxophone have been replaced by "iGrandpanio" and "Mr. Saxoman for Iphone."
As stated in the google doctrine, the internet is a truly amazing tool for improving life all over the world, but it also has a negative effect. Just as the internet spread rumors about the "twitter revolution" of Iran, so too does the internt provide a false sense of virtuoso to computer geeks all over the world. I'm not saying I'm against digital music (Im a DJ for christ-sake) Im just throwing out the idea that maybe physical ability shouldn't be left in the dark for too long, or it will be lost.
The future is unknown. Some say we are going to eventually become one with machines. Others predict the machines taking over and making us their tools and toys. Others still believe that we are doomed to crash into the sun or an astriod or some other natural disaster. The prediction that should be the most alarming to both techies and digital musicians is the theory that nature is going to "revolt" against the digital era and release some sort of magnetic pulse that will render all technology useless. If this happens, it doesn't matter how good you are at tap-tap pro or guitar hero, unless you can actually pick up the 6 stringed beast and play, you may as well have never even downloaded the app. I know it's a scary process, but it's worth thinking about the next time you're about to download a trumpet app instead of playing your dad's old horn.
As stated in the google doctrine, the internet is a truly amazing tool for improving life all over the world, but it also has a negative effect. Just as the internet spread rumors about the "twitter revolution" of Iran, so too does the internt provide a false sense of virtuoso to computer geeks all over the world. I'm not saying I'm against digital music (Im a DJ for christ-sake) Im just throwing out the idea that maybe physical ability shouldn't be left in the dark for too long, or it will be lost.
The future is unknown. Some say we are going to eventually become one with machines. Others predict the machines taking over and making us their tools and toys. Others still believe that we are doomed to crash into the sun or an astriod or some other natural disaster. The prediction that should be the most alarming to both techies and digital musicians is the theory that nature is going to "revolt" against the digital era and release some sort of magnetic pulse that will render all technology useless. If this happens, it doesn't matter how good you are at tap-tap pro or guitar hero, unless you can actually pick up the 6 stringed beast and play, you may as well have never even downloaded the app. I know it's a scary process, but it's worth thinking about the next time you're about to download a trumpet app instead of playing your dad's old horn.
Musical Myths?
One of the amazing things about music is that no two songs are the same. Each one has its own sound, feeling, and texture. No two stories tell the same story. Two rappers may rap about how they both came out of the same hood, worked for the same drug dealer, and dated the same women in high school, but their songs tell different stories. Non-lyrical works-like classical, instrumental, and electronic music-tell an even more abstract and unique story. So it would make sense that every time you listen to a new song, you are hearing a new story. However, according to myth theory, all stories are the same, so while you may think that you are hearing a new story, you are really listening to the same story over and over again.
Myth theory is the idea that every story follows the same pattern. To summarize it (and I'm skipping some of the steps) There is a hero-the main character-who lives in a troubled world. The character receives a call to fix a problem in sed world. At first he resists, but then he accepts the challenge. The hero then meets his allies and enemies. He faces challenges and then overcomes them, often with the help of a special power or weapon. The hero then dies, but is reborn and the story ends. Now it is fairly easy to apply this to written stories, both fictional and non-fictional, but does it apply to music and the story(-ies?) it tells?
Lets look at two pieces of music, one with lyrics one without. In the song "Shots" by Lil' John and LMFAO, the artists talk about drinking extreme amounts of alcohol. They never declare a hero and at the end of the song, the listeners are supposed to so drunk that they cannot actually say words. If we are to assume that the subject(s) of the song are the hero, and they answer the call to drink, then they die at the end, but are not reborn. Because of this, I believe that some-not all, but some- lyrical music does not follow myth theory. Non-lyrical songs are much less likely to follow myth theory. In the Classical piece "the four seasons" the composer has four pieces, each one representing one season. The pieces don't tell a collective story, about a central character, rather just how things change and flow from one season to the next in a continuous circle. Nothing broken, nothing needs fixing, and no hero is even present. This also proves that non-lyrical music is very unlikely to follow myth theory. With no words, non-lyrical music tends to be about feeling, which never follows a set pattern.
Myth theory is the idea that every story follows the same pattern. To summarize it (and I'm skipping some of the steps) There is a hero-the main character-who lives in a troubled world. The character receives a call to fix a problem in sed world. At first he resists, but then he accepts the challenge. The hero then meets his allies and enemies. He faces challenges and then overcomes them, often with the help of a special power or weapon. The hero then dies, but is reborn and the story ends. Now it is fairly easy to apply this to written stories, both fictional and non-fictional, but does it apply to music and the story(-ies?) it tells?
Lets look at two pieces of music, one with lyrics one without. In the song "Shots" by Lil' John and LMFAO, the artists talk about drinking extreme amounts of alcohol. They never declare a hero and at the end of the song, the listeners are supposed to so drunk that they cannot actually say words. If we are to assume that the subject(s) of the song are the hero, and they answer the call to drink, then they die at the end, but are not reborn. Because of this, I believe that some-not all, but some- lyrical music does not follow myth theory. Non-lyrical songs are much less likely to follow myth theory. In the Classical piece "the four seasons" the composer has four pieces, each one representing one season. The pieces don't tell a collective story, about a central character, rather just how things change and flow from one season to the next in a continuous circle. Nothing broken, nothing needs fixing, and no hero is even present. This also proves that non-lyrical music is very unlikely to follow myth theory. With no words, non-lyrical music tends to be about feeling, which never follows a set pattern.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Instinctual Update
Im aware that this is a short update, but I'm listening to a new playlist of house/trance/dubstep music I got through my local dj club, and in one of the songs, something just happened that made me just feel the music. Not the subject matter of the music (its electronic, so there are no lyrics) just the music itself. The rise and fall of the pitch and tempo, the intensity of the beat, the womp of the bass, and the drop as one tracks sequens perfectly into the next, it's literally something indescribable with words. ITs just a feeling, more of an instinct really, but I felt that I had to express this feeling to someone, so I chose all of you. For those of you who are interested in this music, message me and I'll send you the sites the music is featured on. Thats all for now, happy jamming, head banging, and all that good stuff you do.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
It's not the Destination, but the Journey
For one night every year, the world used to stop and listen to an awards show that would present-among other awards- the best album, song, and artist of the year. It was a huge event and people everywhere dreamed about being on that stage. Today things have changed. Although the Grammys are still a very big deal, other award shows, like the country music awards, the spike TV music awards, MTV Video Music Awards (the VMA's), and the European VMA's have given young people and artists all over the world many more dreams of being number one, or even being number one multiple times; a dream some will stop at nothing to accomplish. But with all the fame and fortune, the whole purpose of music can be lost.
"It is not the destination, but the Journey." A quote that I grew up hearing at sunday school. I feel that it applies to nothing as strongly as it applies to music. The best musicians in life today sing about true life feelings, hardships and overcoming them, roadblocks and distractions. However, once you make it to the top, your life complete changes and that inspiration is all but gone. Instead of singing about hoping you get a gig here or have enough money to not get kicked out of your home, your singing about how much money you have, how the women/men of your dreams flock to you, and deciding which car to buy. Similarly to how one needs good voice in writing too keep the audience interested in their work, if one's music doesn't tell a good story, then they will lose their audience as well.
So it comes down to "How do I keep my songs inspiration and subject matter to things my fans can relate to and will keep then interested? Well, rather then sing about all the new things you have, sing about the things that, rich or poor, tall or short, fat or skinny, we all go through. Love, loss, relationships, and experience are all things that everyone can relate to. Talk about the things that made you who you are today, recount your difficulties you talked about on previous tracks, but as long as you focus on the journey, your fans will keep on rocking.
"It is not the destination, but the Journey." A quote that I grew up hearing at sunday school. I feel that it applies to nothing as strongly as it applies to music. The best musicians in life today sing about true life feelings, hardships and overcoming them, roadblocks and distractions. However, once you make it to the top, your life complete changes and that inspiration is all but gone. Instead of singing about hoping you get a gig here or have enough money to not get kicked out of your home, your singing about how much money you have, how the women/men of your dreams flock to you, and deciding which car to buy. Similarly to how one needs good voice in writing too keep the audience interested in their work, if one's music doesn't tell a good story, then they will lose their audience as well.
So it comes down to "How do I keep my songs inspiration and subject matter to things my fans can relate to and will keep then interested? Well, rather then sing about all the new things you have, sing about the things that, rich or poor, tall or short, fat or skinny, we all go through. Love, loss, relationships, and experience are all things that everyone can relate to. Talk about the things that made you who you are today, recount your difficulties you talked about on previous tracks, but as long as you focus on the journey, your fans will keep on rocking.
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