| |
| |
|
|
Music Information |
|
|
|
3 Secrets To Understanding What Makes Music Tick
It's no secret that virtually everyone loves music in some form or other. After all, music is the universal language. In one way or another we all participate in it from our cradle song to our wedding song to our funeral song, with thousands of other s stops along the way. The country-western fan may not like jazz, but he or she sure loves the sound of pickin' & grinnin'. And that's as it should be. If we all liked the same kind of music, there just wouldn't be the variety that is available to us now. We can choose from musical styles ranging from heavy classical and opera to rock to children's songs to Broadway musicals to gospel music to the blues. Each has its place, and each seems on the surface to be drastically different than another form of music. The key word is "on the surface." But beneath the surface of all music is a commonality that is organic to all forms and styles of music. So what does all music have in common? What makes music tick? At least 3 things - sometimes more, but never less: 1. Melody 2. Rhythm 3. Harmony The melody is the part of a song or composition that you whistle or hum - in other words, the tune of the song. In one sense, it is the most visible of the 3 elements, because melody is what identifies a song. Without melody, it would be difficult to even conceive of a song or piece. In musical notation, the melody is almost always written in the treble clef - also known as the treble staff. It consists of a horizontal line of notes that move up and down on the clef as the tune moves higher or lower. Rhythm is the beat - the swing - the throb of the music. It happens in repeating patterns, depending upon the type of music. It is like a horizontal line of beats which occur at regular or semi-regular intervals. A waltz, for example, basically consists of a heavy beat followed by two lighter beats. So we say that a waltz is in triple meter - one strong beat followed by two weak beats, then repeated. A march, on the other hand, generally consists of a heavy beat followed by a light beat, then another heavy beat followed by another light beat. (I'm simplifying, of course - there are many varieties?) So a march is in duple meter - as you might expect since we have two feet and we march in left-right-left-right patterns. All rhythms are some combination of triple meter and/or duple meter, and the possibilities are endless - from boogie to R&B to mambos and sambas and bossa novas and?.on and on. Harmony, the 3rd aspect of music, is the musical background of a song - the chords, or intervals "behind" the melody. Without harmony, a song sounds empty - like a vocalist singing without an accompanist - or accapella. Music doesn't HAVE to have harmony to function, but in actual practice it almost always does, even if it is just the interplay of two melodies, as in counterpoint. You could spend a lifetime learning all the nuances of music, but it its most basic form, it is these 3 elements combined together; melody, rhythm, and harmony that comprise music. Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for both children & adults. His book & DVD course titled "How To Dress Up 'Naked Music' On The Piano!" is used by adults around the world. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He is the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled "Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions" with over 59,700 current subscribers.
MORE RESOURCES:
Music - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Legal Music Downloads On July 28, 2004, French Internet access providers and music copyright owners signed a joint national charter aimed at cracking down on illegal downloads and expanding the amount of legal music tracks available online (AFP). This is the latest in a series of moves taken across the world to combat music piracy as production labels see more and more of their profits being lost to illegal downloads of music files. Guitar Performance - Make The Most of It! Getting ready for any type of guitar performance can be a little scary at first, but if you are well prepared, you will find the experience much easier to handle. Whether you're playing with a band, or by yourself; are a seasoned performer, or a rookie; there are several things you can do to make the most of your performance. Home Run Gigs Are you still playing your heart out to small audiences on gigs at unappreciative dives (excuse me, I meant to say nightclubs) that feel paying you a couple of hundred dollars for a 3-4 hour gig is also paying you about $150 too much?Unless you are a masochist, why do you continue to take such beatings? Is it due to laziness, complacency, cynicism, your now being jaded, or a combination of any of the above?Are you aware that you could dramatically improve your live performance income by making simple changes in the types of performances that you accept?For instance, see the below list of gig types and the average earnings possible, compared to traditional nightclub work:* Weddings ($1,000 *minimum* for 2-3 hours work)Instead of working yourself to death, so to speak, by chasing wedding performance opportunities on an individual basis, consider approaching a number of area caterers and offering your services to them as an add-on to their own services as, obviously, they will have significantly more client opportunities.Not only will your music service now give catering companies more value, as the client can now also purchase the wedding entertainment through a single source as opposed to contracting performers separately, but this single joint venture alone will dramatically increase your income, and on a more consistent basis. How Has Eminem Risen to the Top? How is it that a little white boy from Kansas City has become the most well known rapper in the world? Starting from nothing and eventually moving up to a multi-millionaire, Eminem over the past seven years has been in the eye of the public everywhere you look. He has essentially entered a black man's business and gone to the top over the course of a few years, but how?On October 17, 1972 Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born in St. Shut Up And Sing What is it with these performers and their politics? Do they really think that people who pay $100 or more to hear them sing want to hear them utter political opinions? The audience pays hundreds of thousands of dollars to see and hear a performer PERFORM. You want to spout politics, run for freakin office, you moron! When performers use a paid venue to play politics they are abusing the paying audience, the venue, the sponsors and everyone connected to their artistic performance. These MIDI Tools Are Music To My Ears Curious about MIDI? Want to find out what tools are out there and what they do? Here are a few pointers.MIDI Maestro is music software designed for use by amateur and professional music directors, conductors, and soloists in live musical theater and similar musical accompaniment situations. Closet Monsters London Spicoluk Way back in November I found myself at the Casby Awards after party trying to socialize with whomever I came across. One person who I chatted with that night was a guy named London Spicoluk, from the band Closet Monster. Is the Record Album Dead? Not by a Long Shot In 1982, Sony and Philips introduced the compact disc, a digital music playback format that used a laser to read the disc. The compact disc was expected to quickly replace the long play record album (LP) that Columbia had introduced in 1949. Musicians Injuries: OUCH, It Hurts When I Play (But Please Dont Tell Me To Stop!) This article takes a look at musicians' injuries. For an expert perspective, I interviewed Dr. CD Clubs: How to Get the Best Deals Online (1) The BMG Music Service offers the best deal you'll find -- 11 CDs for the price of shipping ($2.79 each) when you buy one CD at full club price, which is typically about $15 plus shipping. Copyright Basics for Songwriters Should you copyright your song? If you're a songwriter, sooner or later you will probably have some questions about getting your material copyrighted. Since I've already been down this road before, you might be able to benefit from my experience. The Time Machine Exist! We call it music, ever noticed how vividly music triggers memory?The music start and instantly we remember who we were with, where we were, what we were doing. And a whole range of emotions to back them up. Discover The Perfect Place To Perform Once you know what your Unique Selling Proposition is as a musician (we covered this in the last issue), it's time to ask yourself what kind of venue you want to be letting those talents out in. This is the process that will help you determine your "Perfect Performance Venue" so that you don't waste your energy and efforts searching for performances in the wrong area!Take some time to do this visualisation. If Setting The Gain Correctly is So Important, Why Dont Mic Preamplifiers Have Meters? When you first learn how to use a mixing console, you will be shown how to set the gain. Your instructor - either in audio school or in the workplace - will emphasize the importance of this and kick your ass every time you get it wrong, until you can't do anything other than get it right. Play Piano in the New Age Style It's not what you play, it's how you play it. These words summarize the art of piano playing in general and New Age piano playing in particular. Suzuki Violin Vs Traditional Violin The Suzuki violin method has come to dominate the way violin is taught in America and throughout much of the world. Mention the Suzuki violin method to music educators, and you will get a variety of responses. How to Become a Filthy Rich Record Label Mogul Let me guess, you love music and would do anything to be able to enter into the fabulous life of the music business? Better yet, you would love to become the next record mogul like P.Diddy or Clive Davis. Eminem: A Social Commentator In an interview given to Musik Magazine in 2000, Eminem comments some of his lyrics: 'Please Lord, this boy needs Jesus/Help this child, help him destroy these demons/Please send me a brand new car and a prostitute while my wife is sick in the hospital'. What I'm trying to say is we've got all these preachers going 'Jesus, Jesus! And then they're molesting kids. How Many Guitar Chords Do I Need To Know? Guitar chords, (chords played specifically on a guitar,) differ only from other types of chords by virtue of instrument; they're simply a series of three or more notes played together. These notes don't necessarily have to be played simultaneously, however. Mp3s - The Future of Music? Mp3 music is audio that has been digitally encoded and compressed to make the amount of data smaller without compromising the overall sound quality. It's a revolutionary technique with incredibly good results; mp3 music is frequently indistinguishable from music found on a CD (though some audiophiles with very sensitive ears dispute that statement).
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
