An audio/animation piece by Greg Lyons 

Jimmy R's BeatBox

a simple 2 person game of tag

This is what's in Janosik's Lunch Bag!

Beautiful Grieg Piano Concerto played flawlessly!

Great Job! 

 This Google Doc is where we can post our thoughts:

I AM 

Why do some chords sound good together?  Can you come up with an examle of a song that has a good chord progression?

Why do we love listening to heartbreak songs? What do songwriters do to emote such strong feelings? Featuring Adele – Someone Like You Kacey Musgraves – I Miss You Here is what Panoply said:

• 2:00 - Plays "Someone Like You" by Adele
• 2:24 - Main plot is conveyed through the words
• pre-chorus
• chorus
• bridge
• 3:10 - harmony and chord progression
• descending melodic line = sad
• 4:50 - chords linger through arpeggios
• 5:20 - two main chords
• A major and C# minor
• 6:00 - Pattern of chords
• maj - min - min - maj
• 7:00 - Chorus
• A-maj to E-Maj
• I to V
• 8:24 - Facts
• co-written by semi-sonic
• demo recording
• 10:30 Chord Structure
• Verses - Minor feel
• Chorus - major feel
• 11:50 - Podcast - Part II
• 12:28 - Kasey Musgraves
• song example
• 13:10 - "I Will Miss You"
• different than Adele
• words vs. music = tension
• 14:30 - This song uses happy major chords
• the last chord is a dark chord
• minor iv
• 15:40 - This song has an identical chord progression to Radiohead's "Creep"

In this series, it was stated:

" Pop music surrounds us, but how often do we really listen to what we're hearing? Switched on Pop is the podcast that pulls back the curtain on pop music. Each episode, join musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding as they reveal the secret formulas that make pop songs so infectious. By figuring out how pop hits work their magic, you'll fall in love with songs you didn't even know you liked."

What do you think about this first podcast?  Can you find any other songs that work like this?  Are there any compositional ideas that you would like to try? 

Panoply created a podcast series called Switched on Pop.

Play in new window

In this series, it was stated:

" Pop music surrounds us, but how often do we really listen to what we're hearing? Switched on Pop is the podcast that pulls back the curtain on pop music. Each episode, join musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding as they reveal the secret formulas that make pop songs so infectious. By figuring out how pop hits work their magic, you'll fall in love with songs you didn't even know you liked."

What do you think about second first podcast?  Can you find any other songs that work like this?  Are there any compositional ideas that you would like to try? 

What do you think about a computer being creative? 

Aiva Technologies' music composing AI becomes the first in the world to be officially be given the status of composer, which goes a long way to prove that artificial intelligence can be artistic. 

Panoply created a podcast series called Switched on Pop.

Play in a new window  

In this series, it was stated:

" Pop music surrounds us, but how often do we really listen to what we're hearing? Switched on Pop is the podcast that pulls back the curtain on pop music. Each episode, join musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding as they reveal the secret formulas that make pop songs so infectious. By figuring out how pop hits work their magic, you'll fall in love with songs you didn't even know you liked."

What do you think about third podcast?  Can you find any other songs that work like this?  Are there any compositional ideas that you would like to try? 

Did you know the melody to the Star Spangled Banner was once a British drinking song? In preparation for the Super Bowl, we uncover how the national anthem has been co-opted and reinterpreted by mega pop-stars.

Reporting live from Kenya, we search for African pop that is making its way into global dance music. The barriers to producing high quality audio are reduced to merely owning a laptop. Now, regional artists are reaching a global audience.

http://www.switchedonpop.com/008-coming-to-africa/

aylor Swift’s Blank Space is about emptiness of the heart. This motif of Blank Space is contained through the entire piece: from the drums, to the melody, to the lyrics. We pull away the sonic structures to show how Taylor recreates that empty feeling and explores the predictable devolution of fiery romance.

This episode first broadcast on the Very Loose Women podcast on Resonance 104.4FM

Taken From Switched on Pop  

 In Camila Cabello's "Havana" we hear both her Cuban roots and the modern sounds of Atlanta. Though the singer and featured guest Young Thug reference these two geographic identities, the song says so much more through its core musical elements. A Roland TR-808 kick drum evokes an entire repertoire of Atlanta Hip Hop, while the track's supporting piano montuno descends from a Cuban style lamenting the loss of one's traditional home.

Also in this episode, we discuss Cabello's unlikely path to number one with writer Hannah Steinkopf-Frank - and the musical glass ceiling that holds so many young women artists back.

2:00 - Rise of Girl Groups

7:00 - 808 Drums, Marvin Gaye, Hip Hop Today

8:45 - 1995 and "Always Be My Baby"

9:26 - OutKast

10:13 - Changing Pitches in Havana

11:00 - Pitched Kick Drums and 808's

14:00 - Piano and Cuba

16:30 - Tres and Son, very rhythmic

28:00 - Phil Specter

30:00 - Girl Sound

32:00 - Gender Defination

35:00 - Gir Groups - Spice Girls (most successful)

38:00 - Girl Group Origins

39:0 - Reality TV and Lyrics 

From SOP - 84. Can AI ‘Algorhythms’ Write Pop Songs? (With Taryn Southern)

What does the future hold for AI music?

How is AI different from simply dropping loops in a track?

Does this expand musical creativity?

AI vs. Human

1. Bach Bot www.bachbot.com  - 22:48

2. Avia  http://www.aiva.ai - 26:00

3. Flow Machine (Check out Daddys Car) http://www.flow-machines.com  - 30:02

4. Amper https://www.ampermusic.com - 32:40

5. NSynth (Part of Magenta) https://magenta.tensorflow.org/demos - 34:05

1:00 - Sound is all around us

2:00 - Cel Phone Rings

3:30 - Nokia Cell Phone

4:20 - 6:00 - What is an effective ringtone?

• Sequenced music
• stepwise
• the power of three
• Chopin EMinor Example

6:00 - A good melody - not a clothesline

6:30 - Denial of the TONIC

8:15 - Tony ANN

11:00 - Time, MC Escher, The girl and the old woman

14:00 - Gran Vals

Found Sound!

3:00 - Julia Michaels - Issues

5:00 - Level of Commitment

6:40 - IV - V - iii

9:00 - Keep us guessing - Acoustic Mix

10:00 - Rule of 3 Question and Answer

13:00 - Tuned Percussion - Drones

18:00 - Layering vs. Removing

24:00 - Maroon 5

28:50 - Change and Focus

31:00 - Beatles

33:00 - Classical References

2:50 - Stay

4:00~6:10 - Verse is a swung melody

5:38 - Timbale Fill - Expect 1 thing and get another (same pitches, but new melody)

9:00 - Chorus is much heavier, but everyrhing drops out (remember the rule of three)

13:00 - EDM Pop Drop - use of interesting sounds

15:00 - Is it Ab Major or F Minor

24:00 - Review Discussion

28:00 - Orchestration Ideas

31:30 - Classical References

25:00 - "TRY" 

Emily Warren is one of the great rising stars of contemporary songwriting. Her song "Side Effects" with The Chainsmokers is currently rising up the charts. You've also heard her writing on Dua Lipa's "New Rules." She's collaborated with many of the best performers in music earning her a Grammy and multi-platinum success with "Don't Let Me Down." She's also recently released her single "Paranoid." Emily is a real songwriters songwriter. Her process is as much therapy as art. Together we break down her latest work and uncover her creative process. Her album "Quiet Your Mind" is out on October 5th.

Songs discussed

The Chainsmokers – Side Effects

Bach – Prelude in F# Minor from the Well Tempered Clavier

Emily Warren – Paranoid

bülow – You & Jennifer

Teyana Taylor – Gonna Love Me

Nick Jonas – Touch 

Stairway To Hell: Greta Van Fleet’s Scorching Album Review That Went Viral

Songs Discussed:

• Greta Van Fleet – Age of Man
• Led Zeppelin – Rain Song
• Led Zeppelin – In The Light
• Led Zeppelin – What Is And What Should Never Be
• Led Zeppelin – Your Time Is Gonna Come
• Led Zeppelin – Immigrant Song
• Led Zeppelin – Kashmir
• Greta Van Fleet – The Cold Wind
• Led Zeppelin – Custard Pie
• Greta Van Fleet – When the Curtain Falls
• Led Zeppelin – Wanton Song
• Greta Van Fleet – Watching Over
• Led Zeppelin – Since I’ve Been Loving You
• Greta Van Fleet – Lover, Leaver
• Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love
• Spirit – Taurus
• Muddy Waters – You Need Love
• Small Faces – You Need Love
• Willie Dixon – I Can’t Quit You Babe
• Greta Van Fleet – You’re the One
• Led Zeppelin – What Is And What Should Never Be
• Greta Van Fleet – The New Day
• Led Zeppelin – Over The Hills And Far Away
• Greta Van Fleet – Mountain of the Sun
• Led Zeppelin – Celebration Day
• Greta Van Fleet – Brave New World
• Led Zeppelin – Achilles Last Stand
• Greta Van Fleet – Anthem
• Led Zeppelin – Tangerine
• Lover Leaver (Taker, Believer)

Entering Beard Phase (with Mike Posner)

 

We dig into Mike’s new track “Song About You,” which leads to an exploration of songs that reuse the same melody for verse and chorus—from Prince to The Boss to Post Malone. Last, we consider “beard phase”: a moment of artistic reinvention that every artist has in their career, whether you’re Mike Posner, Ludwig van Beethoven, or Taylor Swift.

 

Mike Posner – Song About You
Jean Ritchie – Barbary Allen
Original Sacred Harp Singers – New Britain (Amazing Grace)
Prince – I Wanna Be Your Lover
Prince – Let’s Go Crazy
Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A.
Post Malone – Rockstar
Beethoven – String Quartet No 1 Op. 18/1
Beethoven – String Quartet No 10 Op. 74/III
Beethoven – String Quartet “Grosse Fuge”
Taylor Swift – Teardrops on My Guitar
Taylor Swift – We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Taylor Swift – …Ready For It?
Beatles – Strawberry Fields Forever
Dennis Wilson – River Song

Peaches ft. Iggy Pop – Kick It 

As much as we might have crazy love for pop music, pop music also loves to drive us crazy. Earworms that grab you and won’t let go; cookie-cutter compositions that bedevil in their unoriginality; strange new sounds that vex, rankle, confound. How does pop music possess the unique ability to get under our skin? We pull apart some of the stickiest songs to try and find out.

Songs Discussed:

• The Fine Young Cannibals – She Drives Me Crazy
• The Backstreet Boys – I Want It That Way
• Katy Perry – California Girls
• Kesha – Tik Tok
• Mozart – Piano Concerto No.20 in D minor, K.466
• Grady Smith – Why Country Music Was Awful in 2013
• Grady Smith – Country Stars Who Don’t Like Their Own Records
• Fletcher Hederson – The Stampede
• Skrillex – Bangarang
• Elvis Presley – Jailhouse Rock
• Kylie Minogue – Can’t Get You Out Of My Head 

• Beatstars is a $50 Mil Industry
• It promotes collaboration and connection
• It starts with a simple search
• (8 mins) - Type beats  vs. similar style
• (18 mins) - Stealing beats - the power or a time/date stamp
• (21 mins) - composing and the nitty gritty
• (22 mins) - mass economy vs. true creativity
• (23 mins) - It takes a truly creative and driven mind to be successful online
• Everything evolves the music industry, the video industry, the gaming industry... Where are you in this process?

This melody is used in countless movies, songs and compositions.  Do you think the compositions, songs, and movies are creative?  Is it stealing?  

Other points:

• Can you think of any other songs?
• Does a descending melody evoke sadness?
• Can you think of another melody that evokes sadnes? Does it descend?
• How about happiness?
• Cn you think of othersongs/compositions that borrow from each other? 

EPISODE 141

Nate doesn’t know much about the musical style known as emo. Sadly, he was too busy nerding out on jazz during his youthful years to catch the moment. That’s a shame, because emo is experiencing a revival right now - most surprisingly within the world of hip hop. All of which leaves Nate in the awkward position of not really having any idea what’s going on, so thank goodness for some schooling by Vox culture reporter Allegra Frank, who spent her teenage years the right way: getting emotional to the soundtrack of emo. Her first lesson about this endlessly fascinating subculture? It’s way more than just a sound.

The Hopes and Fears of Mac Miller, Future, Drake, and Billie Eilish 

Mac Miller, Future and Billie Eilish all have good and bad news to share. On Miller’s posthumous album, Circles, he exposes personal struggles with fame, addiction, and mental illness — sobering topics given his unintentional drug overdose last year. Yet at the same time we hear him searching for “good news,” practicing self care and accepting that “there's a whole lot more” waiting. Future & Drake’s celebration of material excess also finds them “working on the weekend” just to keep up appearances. Similarly, Billie Eilish has achieved “everything [she] wanted,” but dreams of death and darkness overwhelm her. Yet she’s buoyed by the support of her brother FINNEAS. Many pop songs are about a single emotion: love, heartbreak or exuberant joy. But these great songs evoke more complex emotions, existing somewhere in a liminal space between our hopes and fears.

The video is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1Frm9LrnfE

In this video, we discussed how music became more complex.  Is it better or worse?  Can you think of a song that has a high-level of compllexity?  Is it a song that anyone can listen to?

The video is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26hVmuQw-TQ&feature=youtu.be

Did you know music often reflects the time and place in which it was written? Historians often look to music to learn more about a society and its culture.  Can you tjhink of a piece?

The podcast is here: https://bit.ly/2R1bXXw

With Nate’s birthday around the corner, it’s time to admit that our go-to birthday song is actually the worst to sing to someone. There are reasons both musicological and cultural why this wooden celebratory number needs to go, ranging from funereal rhythms to Wagnerian opera to the Wizard of Oz. Tune in to uncover the horror of “Happy Birthday” and consider some of the alternatives on offer, including a recent Anne-Marie hit that takes birthday wishes and turns them around 180º.

SONGS DISCUSSED

Frédéric Chopin - Piano Sonata No 2 in B-Flat Minor, III

John Williams - The Imperial March

Judy Garland - Over the Rainbow

Richard Wagner -  Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde

The Beatles - Birthday

Anne-Marie - Birthday

Fetty Wap ft. Monty - Birthday

Stevie Wonder - Happy Birthday 

1. What songs do you think have lasted a generation or more?
2. Why do you think a song will last?
3. Do you have a favorite song from the 90's? Why?

The Podcast may be found here

Bruno Major blends old song structures from The Great American Songbook with contemporary production on his new album “To Let A Good Thing Die.” The result is a nostalgic, yet contemporary collection of love songs for the Netflix and chill generation. We speak with Bruno Major about how he draws inspiration from the past to craft something new. He breaks down his songs "Nothing," "To Let A Good Thing Die," and "The Most Beautiful Thing," which he wrote with Finneas. And we unpack how Bruno Major found success only after being dropped from his record label.

• 1:00 - A mix of styles
• 2:00~4:00 - Embrace the old and forge ahead
• Mario 3:12
• 5:30 - Song Structures
• 6:00 - Jazz Standards
• 6:40 - More on song structure
• 9:30 - Time before a chorus
• A TAG
• Destinations - tension and release
• 10:30 - Common chords
• 10:40 - Diatonic sounds I-IV-V-vi
• 11:00 - The dominant triad and extensions
• 11:30 - Relationships between words and music
• 12:00 - AABA / Jazz / 30ies / 808
• 16:00 - Making meanings for new people
• 17:00 - Bridges and Paul Simon "Still Crazy"
• 18:00 - The use of new keys
• 24:00 - Record Label Deals
• 32:00 - How to fit in?
• 35:00 - Mixing and borrowing from jazz , the great American art form
• 36:00~37:00 - Phinneas and songwriting structure

What tools can a pop song use to affect us psychologically to make us like the songs more? We'll take a look at everything from music theory, to linguistics, to rhetoric, to applied psychology.

• Time signatures 
• The unexpected
• Shifting time
• Repetition vs. new
• Early and late
• Risers and bass drops
• Conscience and unconscience
• The jump scare
• "There is no terror in the bang. Terror is in the anticipation of the bang."  - Alfred Hitchcock
• The cycle repeats and we get used to it. 
• What other songs have this feeling?
• What other aspects (not time signatures) can help the scary feeling?
• BOO!!!

What makes a song scary?

Have you ever been creeped out by the music at a haunted house?

Have you ever watched a movie with a soundtrack that just terrified you?

Have you ever gotten in the pool only to hear someone sing “duh duhn”?

What made that theme so enduring? And so scary?

Welcome to Song Appeal, where we dive into your favorite songs to answer the question “Why do we like the music we like?” I’m your host, Hunter Farris. And over the month of October, we’ll do a mini-series where we take a look at 4 famous horror themes (and a fifth one on Patreon) to answer the question “What makes music scary?” So let’s start out this mini-series by taking a look at what makes the Jaws theme scary.

You can find the full transcript for this episode, the shownotes, and a link to hear the theme at SongAppealOfficial.com/Jaws.

The Jaws theme just might be the most enduring piece of horror music ever. The movie came out in 1975, and over 40 years later, my piano students still recognize the song… even if they’re under the age of 8. Over 40 years later, people are still afraid of sharks, even though selfies kill more people than sharks. And over 40 years later, as soon as my dad gets his swimming trunks on and his head underwater, he hears in his mind [the Jaws theme].

And even Spielberg said, “I think the score was clearly responsible for half of the success of that movie.”

That’s partly because you can feel the shark is there, but more importantly, you can feel that the shark is dangerous. The Jaws theme gives us the feeling of being chased by something that could eat you because it’s a leitmotif that uses low notes, a gradual increase in speed, and an uneasy amount of dissonance. Let’s dive into the music theory behind why the Jaws theme is so scary.

Part of why this theme worked so well was because it was something called a “leitmotif”. A leitmotif (spelled l-e-i-t-m-o-t-i-f, if you’re wondering) is the shortest possible piece of music that represents a person, place, or thing. When we hear the Imperial March, we think of Darth Vader. When we hear “Is She With You?” from Batman v Superman, we think of Wonder Woman. When we hear the Jaws theme, we think of the shark. In fact, the Jaws theme is probably the best example of a leitmotif to ever be put to film. Not only is it as short as it can be – you only need to play 2 notes – but it represents a character better than perhaps any other piece of music ever.

Because this leitmotif had to represent the shark better than any piece of music ever had. You see, the mechanical shark wasn’t working for a surprising amount of the filming. So Spielberg found an ingenious solution: Just don’t show the shark. Not until he had to, at least. But if the camera wasn’t going to show the shark, something else had to tell the audience that the shark is coming. Enter the music that would play anytime the shark was near. That way, even if you didn’t see the shark, when you heard that theme, you knew the shark was there.

But this leitmotif didn’t just need to give us a feeling that something is there. It needed to give us a feeling of what this shark was. So the Jaws theme gives us the idea that this shark is big enough to eat you by using some of the lowest notes it possibly can. The cellos are playing the lowest E and the lowest F that they possibly can. You can almost feel the instruments groaning from the strain of playing notes that low.

Why does that matter? Because in our minds, low sounds come from big things and high sounds come from small things. The YouTuber Sideways made a great video about why low noises sound like big things and high noises sound like small things, and if you want to watch it, I’ll include a link at SongAppealOfficial.com/Jaws.

His video points out that humans needed to associate low sounds with big things and high sounds with small things if we were going to survive. If we hadn’t learned that early on, we would hear some big scary animal in the bushes and assume it’s just a bird. Or we might become paranoid and think every sound is something that could eat us. To avoid being eaten and avoid paranoia, our brains gave us a general rule of thumb: Low sounds come from big things; high sounds come from small things.

And the notes in the Jaws theme are really low, compared to the sounds that animals make. Here’s the sound of a very small cat’s meow. Now here’s the sound of a lion’s roar. It’s lower, so we feel like it’s bigger. Now here’s the sound of the Jaws theme. It’s even lower, so we can feel that the thing this leitmotif represents must be even bigger than a lion.

If it were using higher notes, the theme wouldn’t have the same effect on us. Here’s the same E and F, played 3 octaves higher [music]. But since the theme is as low as it is, we can feel that this piece of music represents something big enough to eat you alive.

Second, the Jaws theme gets faster a little bit at a time. In music theory terms, it uses an “accelerando”. Or “accelerando”, if you’re feeling fancy. At first, the theme plays every 6 seconds, then every 4 seconds, then twice in a row with no pause. And then after 3 seconds of hearing nothing, we hear the theme continuously, and then it doubles its speed for the rest of the song.

Now, if this were just a piece of music for music’s sake, we’d feel like it’s just getting faster a little bit at a time. But since this is a leitmotif, since this is a piece of music that represents something (in this case, a shark), we get to feel that the shark is getting faster and faster, because the music starts moving faster and faster.

Now, since this leitmotif focuses on low notes and uses an accelerando, we can feel that the leitmotif represents something big that’s moving faster and faster. But that doesn’t have to mean the big moving thing is dangerous. It could be something peaceful, something that doesn’t want to hurt you, like a blue whale. It could be something big that’s just minding its own business, like an elephant.

This movie doesn’t need to give the idea that the shark is big and the shark is moving. This movie needs to give the feeling that if the shark is moving, that’s dangerous. So it needs something that gives tension, something that gives a feeling of unease, something that gives the feeling that something’s wrong.

So it uses dissonance. Dissonance is that feeling when notes are too close together, like this [example], and in the Jaws theme, the notes can’t get any closer. After all, they’re only a half-step apart.

Now, usually dissonance involves notes that are played at the same time, but the Jaws theme uses a more subtle type of dissonance: dissonance between one note and the next note. So the dissonance is more subtle than we’re used to, but people can still feel that these notes are too close for comfort.

Most people think of notes in terms of how much higher or lower they are than the notes before them. After all, you don’t hear the chorus of “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” by Fall Out Boy and think “that starts on a D, then moves to an A, then F#, then….” No, you feel a starting note, feel a big jump up and a medium jump down, then you feel the notes stepping down and stepping up. You’re not thinking about which notes you’re hearing. You’re thinking about how much higher this note is than the last note. And when you hear the Jaws theme, you’re thinking “This note is not much higher”, and you’re feeling that the notes are really close.

Since the notes are really close and they come one after another, the dissonance gives us the subtle feeling that something is wrong, and that a moving shark means danger.

The Jaws theme has one purpose: Make the audience feel like something big enough to eat you is chasing you.

If that theme weren’t a leitmotif, if it weren’t representing a character, it wouldn’t be scary. When Antonín Dvoák used basically the same tune in his New World Symphony, nobody fled in terror. No, this theme is only scary because it represents something.

We can feel that it represents something big because of how low the notes are.

We can feel that it represents something that’s moving faster and faster because the notes are getting faster.

And we can feel that it represents something dangerous because of the subtle dissonance.

In our minds, this theme is the shark. It tells us the shark is there when we can’t see it. And on top of that, it does what the shark does. And that’s what letimotifs were always supposed to do. They were supposed to represent a person, place, or thing, and this theme truly represents the shark.

We can feel from the music alone that the thing we’re watching is dangerous. That’s what makes the Jaws theme scary.

Freddie Mercury and team made one of the most unusual anthems of all time. “We Are The Champions” has a somber beginning, an uncertain ending and a sprinkling of operatic allusions. Yet more than 40 years after this slow burners debut, it continues to be a staple at sporting events. In the first episode in a four part series, ANTHEMS, Nate and Charlie break down the song’s fundamental elements that place this song in the anthemic pantheon. 

 What do you think?

-half cadences

-alternate endings

-major and minor verse/chorus

-balanced/unbalenced phrass

Every song Cyndi Lauper writes is pop perfection according to Sam Sanders, host of NPR’s “It’s Been A Minute.” Many fall for “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” but Sanders's favorite song is the slow burner “All Through The Night,” save for one moment: the synthesizer solo. For Sanders, this solo never fit in. Charlie investigates the source of his musical malady and uncovers how the 80s got its groove. 

• What do you think about 80's synths? Wow - only 20% of synth owners actually built their own sounds.
• How about Disco?
• What about realistic sounds vs. sounds people simply like?
• What other songs have iconic sounds?
• Moog and Prophet - 16"
• 18" - a sound that defined a musical style. 
• What other sounds or instruments helped define music?
• How about new music of an era?

More

Read Dr. Megan L. Lavengood's research on the DX7

Listen to Dave Smith's (recently re-released) Sequential Prophet 5 synthesizer

Learn about William Wittman's production credits on Discogs

Celebrate 50 years of A Charlie Brown Christmas and his eponymous holiday album. If you’re feeling worn out on holiday music, this one never wears old. Its gone triple platinum and charts almost every year on the holiday Billboard. Join us as we dive deep into the brilliance of Vince Guaraldi, the pianist and composer behind Linus and Lucy. We bet you might be hearing the song all wrong.

Vince Guaraldi – What Child Is This, Christmas Is Coming, Linus and Lucy, O Tannenbaum, Christmas Time Is Here, El Matador, Cast Your Fate To The Wind

The Supremes – Oh Holy Night

Leonard Bernstein – Carol Of The Bells

Bobby Timmons – This Here

Lee Morgan – The Rumproller

Julian “Cannonball” Adderley – One For Daddy-O (featuring Miles Davis)

Jack Gleason – Unforgettable

This podacst is about thebreakdown of the iconic song from MAriah Carey.  It starts with the intro:

G- G6 - C- Cmin | G 6/4 - B7 - Emin - C min | G 6/4 - E7 | Amin7 - D --> G

Then, it discusses AABA

Finally, the sleigh bells!

https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/the-5th-movement-2-struggle-to-victory

In the first movement of his famous symphony, Beethoven sets up a battle between hope and despair. The dark side of that spectrum is represented by the anguished opening notes of the first movement: DUN DUN DUNNN. Over the course of the next three movements, Beethoven keeps trying to overcome his dark fate with bright major melodies, and keeps getting defeated.

With each high and low, we begin to understand that this battle isn't just about major and minor keys, it's about the will to live in the face of adversity. How do you perform such an emotional rollercoaster? We talk to the members of the New York Philharmonic about what it's like to sound a symphony whose stakes are life and death. 

Before Beethoven’s time, classical music culture looked and sounded quite different. When Mozart premiered his Symphony 31 in the late 1700s, it was standard for audiences to clap, cheer, and yell “da capo!” (Italian for “from the beginning!”) in the middle of a performance. After Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony debuted in the early 1800s, these norms changed — both because the rising industrial merchant class took ownership of concert halls and because of shifts in the music itself.

When we listen closely to the Fifth, we hear that's it more than a museum piece, it’s a living testament to self-expression and determination. Which means that we get to decide how to honor this symphony today, whether that means taking a break from Beethoven to commission new works from underrepresented composers, bringing new audiences into the fold by staging concerts in communities outside of the concert hall, or re-writing Beethoven’s works to make them reflect our present moment.  These efforts don’t tarnish Beethoven’s legacy — in fact, they celebrates a composer who wanted to break all the rules in pursuit of a better world.

How can artists survive?  What do you think about copyright?

 The pandemic has upended the art and business of making music. Producing, performing and releasing — every aspect is new and uncharted. The need for social distancing means that it’s unsafe to collaborate in small studios or perform for large crowds — not to mention finding the right thing to sing about in such a charged moment. We’re telling three stories about how artists are working within these constraints: Ricky Reed and John-Robert have found a way to generate a creative spark remotely, Jacob Collier has defied the laws of physics to master live performance over the internet, and Dua Saleh has released a powerful new track that helps support the protests in Minneapolis. Everything is radically different than it was a few months ago, but these stories shine a light on why making music matters more than ever in 2020. 

MORE

Watch Nice Live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC24tNtu1NuD9yZ9t2YUATIQ

Dua Saleh's "Body Cast" BandCamp campaign: https://duasaleh.bandcamp.com/track/body-cast

  Rick and copyright

What does it mean when you receive a copyright strike? Can i be fixed? Is is bad?

How do we talk about music when we can't show or play it? How can an artist be compensated for creative property? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5lY_DbUsok

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7AyZq5dVFI 

What Makes BACH Music Great ?

Who has been inspired by BACH ?

What do you think? Will his music live on? Do you know the big pieces? Are there any others that you like?

Are there other big pieces that sound like Bach? 

How do musical engineers  make song sound so wonderful?

What sounds  do they use? 

Is Everything A Remix ?

How about in the classical  world?

Do you know any?  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8Dtc_s7FKc

Rick breaks down the top 10 viral songs from late 2021. These song, except a few have only 4 chords and a catchy beat. 

https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/we-do-talk-about-bruno-encanto-disney

EPISODE 255

The number one song on the charts is a bit of a mystery. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is the unlikely hit from Disney’s sleeper animated musical Encanto. Set in a  mountainous village in Colombia, the film was a middling commercial success when it was released in Nov 2021. But in recent months it has become a pop culture phenomenon for a confluence of reasons: an expansive discourse on Colombian representation in media, fan videos on TikTok, and of course it's ear-wormy hits. 

The musical is yet another notch in the belt for Lin Manuel Miranda (the auteur behind Hamilton and In The Heights) who wrote the now chart-topping song book. While Disney certainly commands vast commercial success, its musicals rarely see such crossover attention.  The last #1 Disney musical number was  “A Whole New World” from the animated Aladdin back in 1993. Where that song was literally uplifting, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is quite the opposite.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgDbj2OvSwI

This song is old. How does it stand up to music from today?  What makes tis song good?  Can ou think of an"old" song that defies time and is still considered to be great?

What is the secret chord? Wht key is thing even in? Why do so many people cover this song? Can you think of a song that is this simple and yet so powerful?

How about this version (a whole strp lower than the version mentioned in the discussion, btw..): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRP8d7hhpoQ

In this episode we take an in-depth look at Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World".

 What do you think of this song? Does it still hold as a 'good' song today? How about the chord progression? Pedal non-harmonics? Interesting?  

March 18, 2022 marks 37 years since its original release.  Rick says that this song is great. Do you think it is great? Why?  Tears For Fears released a new album in March of 2022. How does this sound in comparison to their older music?  

Evoke a familiar tune in a song and get slapped with a lawsuit ... it's a tale almost as old as copyright itself. Lawyer and technologist Damien Riehl digs into why "owning" a melody is a ludicrous legal assertion and composes a radical solution for the musical woes of songwriters everywhere.

https://www.ted.com/talks/damien_riehl_why_all_melodies_should_be_free_for_musicians_to_use
http://www.allthemusic.info

https://www.ted.com/talks/bjorn_ulvaeus_how_music_streaming_transformed_songwriting

 Money, money, money ... in the music business, there seems to be little left for the songwriters that fuel it. ABBA co-founder Björn Ulvaeus calls for the industry to support its most valuable asset, breaking down how the streaming revolution impacts creator royalties, careers and craft -- and outlines what can be done to truly thank artists for the music.

https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_hellmuth_margulis_why_we_love_repetition_in_music

 How many times does the chorus repeat in your favorite song? How many times have you listened to that chorus? Repetition in music isn't just a feature of Western pop songs, either; it's a global phenomenon. Why? Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis walks us through the basic principles of the 'exposure effect,' detailing how repetition invites us into music as active participants, rather than passive listeners. [Directed by Andrew Zimbelman, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Joshua Smoak and Alex Admiral Collier].

https://www.ted.com/talks/charles_limb_your_brain_on_improv

 Musician and researcher Charles Limb wondered how the brain works during musical improvisation -- so he put jazz musicians and rappers in an fMRI to find out. What he and his team found has deep implications for our understanding of creativity of all kinds.

f you like Ambient Chillwave, Synthwave, Retrowave Music, and loves BLADE RUNNER, then this music may be something for you. It is inspired by the master of Ambient Synth music, Vangelis. This Vangelis Inspired Relaxing Music is a 1 hour long loop. You can find a 8 min alternate version at SpaceAmbient Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf6Kv...

Zoom H family 

This is the OP-1.

From the day we arrive on the planet

And blinking, step into the sun

There's more to see than can ever be seen

More to do than can ever be done

There's far too much to take in here

More to find than can ever be found

But the sun rolling high

Through the sapphire sky

Keeps great and small on the endless round

It's the Circle of Life

And it moves us all

Through despair and hope

Through faith and love

Till we find our place

On the path unwinding

In the Circle The Circle of Life

It's the Circle of Life

And it moves us all

Through despair and hope

Through faith and love

Till we find our place On the path unwinding

In the Circle The Circle of Life

Part of the song was cut from the film. An additional verse was to play when Dorothy was locked in a room in the witch's castle, helplessly awaiting death as the witch's hourglass ran out. A rehearsal recording of the song survives and was included in the Deluxe CD set. In that rendition, Dorothy weeps her way through it, unable to finish, concluding with a tear-filled, "I'm frightened, Auntie Em; I'm frightened!"

That phrase was retained in the film, followed immediately by Auntie Em's appearance in the witch's crystal, and then replaced by the image of the witch, mocking and taunting Dorothy and then turning toward the camera and laughing hideously, directly at the audience.

Garland's tearful rendition of this extra verse was reportedly deemed so heart-rending that it was edited from the film, in order to spare young viewers from its powerful emotions, especially given the startling scene that immediately followed it.The song is often referred to as Somewhere Over The Rainbow, however the actual title of the song is simply, Over The Rainbow. The intro was never used in the movie, nor was there ever intentions of using it in the movie.Garland first recorded the song in July, 1939 and it was released as a single by Decca Recordsin September of that year. In March of 1940, that same recording was included on a Decca "Cast Album" entitled "The Wizard of Oz." Although this is not the version of the song featured in the film, Decca would continue to re-release the "Cast Album" well into the 1970's.

The North Allegheny Golden Strolling Strings performed this for North Allegheny School District's Opening Day Kick-off on August 22, 2007. I hope you enjoy this fantastic performance.

This is a wonderful performance by a 12th grade student.  He also arranged the music.

This African Melody performance includes 10, 11, and 12 year old students playing band instruments.  There are also hand drummers from middle school. Great job.

This piece is includes singers, orchestra members, and some other musicians. 

Good vs. Evil | Good Witch vs. Bad Witch | Wicked!

Great performance by two great singers.  

Fantastic job girls! 

This is a piece that was created on an iPod Touch using the app called Pattern Music. This app allows composers to create tracks and "mix" them by dragging them up and down for volume and left and right for a stereo blend.

 North Allegheny is fortunate enough to have a School Board and administrators that truely value music education.  The 11th and 12th graders were given an iPod mobile learning lab in the Spring of 2010.  This lab made the students expolded with creativity!

 Mrs. Leckey, the AP music teacher, has engaged the students in many activities using iPods.  This is one example.  The composition was performed live on the iPod and sung during the AP composition night in the Spring of 2010.

 Thank you Mrs. Leckey for being a fantastic educator.  

-Bob 

I AM.......that is the statement we are asking the subjects of our movie portraits to complete.  It will begin to reveal who they are beyond the first impression.  What what else will we learn about them?....and how?

What other questions can we ask them?
What else can be included in the movie portrait that will show and tell who they are?  How might we shape, edit and highlight the material to best portray them and our theme of the power of diversity and unity?

This is an original student composition. 

In the Spring of 2013 students of the North Allegheny Multimedia Arts Classes created a video that interpreted Elegy, by Elgar.  It was inspired by orchestral music and is built to accompany the live performance by the North Allegheny Honors Chamber Orchestra at the 2013 PMEA State Convention.  The video of Elgar’s Elegy was created to convey the cyclical nature of things, reflecting on life and death and remembering fondly those lives past. This creative endeavor had the Multimedia Arts students carefully listening, critically analyzing and researching the music to develop the themes and style of the video.  They planned, shot, and edited in teams to created the pieces for each section of the music.  

We hope you enjoy this collaboration of student sound and vision.

In the Spring of 2013 students of the North Allegheny Multimedia Arts Classes created a video that interpreted Elegy, by Elgar.  It was inspired by orchestral music and is built to accompany the live performance by the North Allegheny Honors Chamber Orchestra at the 2013 PMEA State Convention.  The video of Elgar’s Elegy was created to convey the cyclical nature of things, reflecting on life and death and remembering fondly those lives past. This creative endeavor had the Multimedia Arts students carefully listening, critically analyzing and researching the music to develop the themes and style of the video.  They planned, shot, and edited in teams to created the pieces for each section of the music.  

We hope you enjoy this collaboration of student sound and vision.

This was my annual trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo to see the Asian Lantern Festival. I highly recommend visiting this awesome event!