Article Discussion

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122114058

I found this article very interesting because it relates to the arguments from class. Essentially, the quality of music. The article talks about compression and how it is affecting the quality of music. The idea of compressing music is to make it louder, so that it is more recognizable. The producers want the song to jump out at you from your MP3, that is one of the main reasons for compression. Also, in order to fit all the songs we want as a consumer, they have to compress the song down so that it is a small file, but in return it decreases the quality, increases the volume, and I think, will lead to a lot of hearing problems in our generation. I understand the need to make the file small so that the consumer can have more music, but by doing so we are losing the quality of music and increasing health problems. Therefore, I think it comes down to a question, do we want quantity or quality? Personally, I would prefer better quality out of songs, and only have say a hundred or so, rather than have seven thousand and poor quality that hurts my ears. And in keeping with the discussion with Auto-tune, is compression just as bad because it distorts the truth, or does it all make sense for the consumption of music?

Music in My Lifetime

During my life music has changed a lot, not just in sound but in availability and the medium through which it is listened to. I can remember listening to tapes, and trying to record my favorite songs off the radio to listen to on tapes. Though mostly, I remember CDs. They were everywhere and I had so many, well, most of them were the boy bands. I loved my portable CD players, they were amazing. I could listen to my own music when I was out with my parents. Though they did skip, a lot, sometimes they had to perfectly still for it to not skip. I didn't get a MP3 player till they had been out a while. But I love being able to change up my music, and not being stuck to the radio or one CD. Unless I really like a song, I can hardly stand to pay attention to the whole song. So MP3 players are great for me. I also love the fact that on the internet I can listen to a song before I actually buy it, because I do not want to waste money on something that I will not listen to. The internet, I love the internet, point blank. I like to watch music videos; it gives me a sense of what the song was about to other people, sometimes. The internet provides all sorts of outlets for discovering new music, some that I have never heard in my life, nor probably would have if the internet hadn't changed music.

Music on T.V.

Watch a television program or movie and discuss the use of music in that program/film. For example, does the music heighten emotion, distract from the action, complement the dialogue, or serve some other purpose?

    The best TV show that I have found that has the best selection of music is Grey's Anatomy. Every episode has a lot of music. I think that the music in the show most defiantly heightens emotions during the show. I've noticed that music is most often played during something significant or something emotional throughout the show. If something is sad, then the show will play slow, low music but if there is something amusing about the situations then the show will play more upbeat music. The beginning season really didn't play that much music that had vocals; it was mostly a wide variety of instrumental music. Actually, most of the show consists of instrumental music, I think that most of the time if the show is playing music that has vocals it is during a time in the show that no one is talking. Therefore, it heightens what is going on in the show at that time period. The music defiantly complements the dialogue because it just adds to the emotions. But the music really doesn't distract from the action, but instead draw you to the action. Another thing that I've noticed is that the music with vocals is played at the end of the show when the drama is increased and everything is coming to an end.

Music in places

In what other places/spaces do you encounter music – athletic events, grocery stores, parties? Choose one of these spaces and discuss how music is encountered and what purpose music serves in that space.

I think that the majority of people do not realize how much music that the normal person actually hears throughout the day. I think that I encounter music more in grocery stores, even though I have defiantly experienced music at parties and at sporting events, I see it more as a tool in grocery stores. In Grocery stores it is played to relax the customers and to provide noise to the otherwise, generally, quiet store. For instances, I was in my local grocery store yesterday and Michael Buble was playing. It was soft and quite so that most people do not acknowledge it. It is funny though, most of the time I hear the music, but my mom or dad or whoever I'm with never hears the music playing. Something else, I've noticed that my local store, Publix, plays today's hits along with older stuff. Maybe that is to keep the store balanced with the diversity of people that go to the store. It is also funny how sometimes I have seen people listen to their MP3 devices while shopping. I think that music is played in grocery stores because it is generally a solitary activity.

Five of My Favorite Songs of Right Now

When I sat down to do this blog I didn't realize how difficult it would be for me. The songs are not in any particular order, and are constantly changing. To start off with I pick According to You by Orianthi. Initially I like the song because it sounds like a cross between a Pop song and a Rock song, because Orianthi is a really talented guitar player. It is kind of like a cross between Taylor Swift and some female rock band. For me it's almost like one of those 'girl power' songs because she's talking about either her ex or current boyfriend and how he didn't appreciate her, but this other guy does. It is relatable for me. Next on the list is Cowboy Casanova by Carrie Underwood. Even though it is one of those crosses between Country and Pop, I still enjoy it. First off Carrie Underwood has an amazing voice. This song is just so flirty and fun, while also giving a warning about players. My next pick is Dreams by Brandi Carlile. I really like this song and it is complicated to say why. I really like how the music steadily builds throughout the song. I also love her voice, it's kind of deep, a bit 'punky' in a sense and distinct. The lyrics are pretty good, to me they say that your dreams are your own and you don't have to tell anyone about them, nor do you have to act on them all of the time. The next song is Ain't no Rest for the Wicked by Cage the Elephants. I've liked Cage the Elephants well enough for a while now, but right now I'm really into this song because it is in your face. I also like the way it sounds, it is kind of lazy sounding. And lyrically it talks about real life, though not everyone is necessarily wicked. My last song is 40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet) by Bob Schnider. This song to me is very happy and care free. It has some random lyrics but I think that is part of the point of the love he is describing. The song is all about living and not taking anything for granted. The things he says aren't necessarily the most conventional romantic phrases, but they work because it makes the song a non-conventional love song.

Negative Music

I try to not be very negative to music, but it happens. For instances, I really do not like Mariah Carey for reasons I’m not going to discuss right now. What I will write about instead is two songs that I have equal strong negative feelings towards, making it hard to just pick one of them. It’s not a genre, because they are from separate ones. The songs are “You’re Beautiful” by James Blunt and “Every Breath You Take” by The Police. The James Blunt song was very popular a couple years ago, it is difficult to try and avoid the song when every single girl within 5 yards had the song as a ringtone. Initially, the first 5 seconds of the song are good, nice beat, an almost pleasurable sound, but then he opens his mouth. His voice is like nails on a chalk board for me, all whiney, scratchy, irritating, and really just annoying. The lyrics have some potential, if they were rewritten. Singing a song for a random girl, telling her how beautiful she is, that’s a bit weird. Now for The Police, really it is just the lyrics that bother me. I don’t have a problem with The Police, I’m partial to Roxanne. But “Every Breath You Take” is often played at weddings, romantic events, etc… If you look at the lyrics, however, it’s a lot creepy and a lot stalker-ish. It is not at least bit romantic in my opinion. It really annoys me that it is perceived as a romantic song.

Distribution of Music

The idea of buying and selling music is complicated. On one hand it is up to the listeners to support the artist, because if they don't then all artists would be homeless beggars littering the streets. There would not be any money for them to produce the music, unless they had a 'day job' but then, generally, their music would suffer because it wouldn't be their main focus. Therefore, the right thing to do is to properly buy the music. On the other hand, you have the producers who charge so much money for everything, that the cost of listening to music becomes ridiculous. It is understandable that producing music cost a lot of money, but it seems to me that the higher up on the totem pole you are in the industry, the more money you can charge for the production of a single record. I do occasionally purchase a CD from a store, but I really don't like to because it adds to clutter. I'll get the CD bring it home, rip it to my laptop, sync it to my Zune, and be done with it. The CD is then just sitting there. But if I was to purchase it from say Itunes, the middle ground, and it's cheaper.

Experiencing music in everyday life How do you experience music in your daily life? In what ways do you experience and interpret music as a part of culture and music as an art form?

The way I experience music daily really depends on the day, ha! For instances, some days, I don't want to listen to music or watch TV. I want the quiet. This is very rare. Most of the time I need some sort of music, whether it's on a movie I'm watching (like Phantom of the Opera) or just playing of music. I do listen to music that reflects my mood, but sometimes I want to change my mood. For instance, if I'm sad and down and I want to change it, I'll listen to a song I know that makes me happy, and in a way it will reverse my mood. I like music as a background noise type of thing, right now I'm listening to music to drown out the silence that is around me. I like music in the car, and there I can discover new music without trying too hard, in the car music acts as a companion for me. More often than not, music for me is preferred than people, for a simple reason. If I'm in the car with people, and there is music on, some people feel the need to just yell over the sound instead of turning it down, and that irritates me to death, especially if I want to hear the song. But then again, music in the car with friends can be the best of times; driving down a dark road sing a song that everyone knows the words to at the top of your lungs. Essentially, my music in everyday life is as diverse as my musical taste. Sometimes I want music all of the time, other times I don't want any. It is a bit complicated, and weird, but that's ok with me.

Music is a part of culture, pure and simple. One does not exist without the other. In the way back past, tribes could communicate with each other with drum noises. From that sprang dancing to the noises in order to communicate. In today's culture it does that too, communicates a feeling or a message between the artist and songwriter with the listener. I do think that different cultures can have different types of music that is indigenous to their roots. For instances, Native Americans have a particular type of sound that is related to their communication with their gods and with different tribes. It is full of drum beats and other handmade instruments with seemingly random yelling or chanting noises put in. Even though that is their music culture, the probably have been artist that have taken some of that sound and remixed into their own, but it still has its roots in the Native American tribes.

Music is an art form. It is so tempting to say that it can be an art form, only if it creates some sort of emotional feel or connection, but different types of music communicates different feelings to different listeners. There are types of music that I wouldn't categorize as being music because I can't see the appeal, but someone else can. That's why I think that music is an art form because it will touch someone somewhere.

What is your music culture? How did you learn about the music you listen to or play?

In order for me to say what my music culture is, first I must define the concept of music culture in my own words. Essentially, I take music culture to mean the type of music that surrounds me in my situations, not necessarily the generic music in local places, but the music that the people around me listen to and what I prefer to listen to. With that, my music culture is diverse. Starting with the influences from my parents, well, both of them are young, like barely mid-30s, so they are more open to different types of music that some older parents would not. For instances, I grew up, meaning below 10, through my mother listening to the glam/arena rock groups of the 70s and 80s, Poison, Foreigner, Motley Crue, Kiss, etc… along with some popular R&B/rap hits of the era. My mother also listened to a lot of country music so by default I did too and still do; my favorite artists were Reba, Garth Brooks and Shania Twain. I still occasionally listen to country music and have some favorites, but it is not necessarily my favorite genre. From my father I received more hard rock, heavier music such as Metallic, Megadeth, Slayer, etc… My father also helped influence my likes of 50s and 60s music like Buddy Holly and Janis Joplin. So from their influences and my favorites from that I have developed my music culture which consist of those but includes other areas like alternative, grunge, indie, soft rock and R&B/hip-hop. Most often I learn about the music I listen to through word of mouth. Since music is generally a universal object in our society, conversations can be led there very often. I also like to listen to the songs on my favorite TV shows, the best show I have found for new or rising artist is Grey's Anatomy. I have found several great bands through watching that show, and it's a good show. Almost always, when looking for a particular band, other bands that are similar or in the same genre pop up, so it is almost like an endless loop of discovery.