Jonathan Shaw
  • Music Appreciation Spring 2020 (Blackwood)
    • Homework
    • Syllabus & Defining Music Appreciation >
      • Activity : Judging Music
    • 1/30 Instrumentation Class 1 >
      • Instrumentation Follow-Up
    • 2/11 >
      • Texture
    • 2/13
    • 2/18
    • Melody >
      • Evolution of a Genre : Example Assignment >
        • Week 5 Assignment : Evolution of a Genre Assignment
    • 2/25
    • Quiz
    • Rhythm
    • 3/10
    • Virtual Week 1: Harmony >
      • Extra Harmony Material
    • Film Music
    • Sampling
    • Sampling Follow Up
    • The Blues
  • ONLINE Music Appreciation Fall 2020
    • Week 1
    • Week 2
    • Week 3
    • Week 4
    • Week 5 >
      • Evolution of a Genre : Example Assignment
      • Week 5 Assignment : Evolution of a Genre Assignment
    • Week 6 >
      • Film Music
      • Sampling
    • Week 7 >
      • Sampling Follow Up
      • Survey
  • Brass Methods
    • Fingering/Position Test
  • Fall 2019 Honors Appreciation
    • Day 1 >
      • Syllabus & Defining Music Appreciation >
        • Activity : Judging Music
    • Day 2
    • Characteristics of Music - Part 1
    • Instrumentation
    • Texture
    • Melody >
      • Isn't She Lovely
    • Harmony
    • Rhythm
    • Song Meaning / Analysis
    • Artistic Intention
    • Evolution of a Genre : Example Assignment >
      • Assignment : Evolution of a Genre Assignment
    • Song Form
    • Genre Thoughts
    • Sampling
    • Film Music
    • Movie Projects (Examples)
    • Early Blues
    • New Page
  • Biography
    • Resume/C.V.
  • Aural Theory II
    • Page 2
    • Practice Test
    • Final Days
  • Aural Theory I
    • Reading Material
    • Tuesday 9/4
    • Class 2 : 9/11
    • Class 3 : 9/13
    • 9/18
    • 9/20 >
      • Matching the Pitch Homework
    • Quiz Listening
    • Class 10/2 & 10/4
    • 10/9
    • 10/11
    • 10/18
    • Dictation Practice
    • 6/8 Piece
    • BassLine Singing
    • FINAL MATERIALS
  • Music Fundamentals
    • Homework
    • Class 2 : 9/11 >
      • Melody
      • Harmony
      • Intro to Rhythm
      • Instrumentation
      • Instrumentation Chart / Song Map
    • Class 3 : 9/18 >
      • Quiz
      • Matching Pitches
      • Matching the Pitch Homework
    • Class #4 : 9/25 >
      • Rhythm
      • More Rhythm....
      • Song Form
    • Class #5 : 10/2
    • Class #6 : 10/9
    • Class #7 : 10/17
    • Class #8 : 10/23 >
      • ID'ing Basslines
    • Class 9 : 10/30
    • Class #10 11/6
    • Mid Term Project
    • Mid Term Project Due Dates
    • Class 12 : 11/13
    • Class #13 : 11/20
    • Class 14 - 11/26
    • Class 15 : 12/4
    • Class 16 : FINAL
  • Music Fundamentals for Sound Engineers
    • Week 1
    • Week 2
    • Week 3
    • Week 4
    • Week 5
    • Week 6
    • Week 7
    • Week 8 >
      • Notation Practice - Test
    • Week 9
    • Week 10
    • Week 12
    • Week 13
    • Week 14
    • Week 15
  • Materials
  • Recordings/Links
  • Education
  • Contact

Life Theme / Concept  :   Familiarity Vs.  Contrast

We  (humans) Are creatures of Habit

​-  Take the same route to school/work/home everyday 
-Eat at similar things/ similar times of day
- Go to the same restaurants/bars
-Have similar routines (think getting ready in morning...)


We are naturally partial to Consistency
Consistency :  When things are consistent, you aren't forced to constantly re-learn and re-figure things out!

Example:  Imagine you had to take a different route to work/school/home everyday  ..... You are never allowed to take the same route twice
--->  This would be exhausting!
--> Everyday we would have to re-learn figure out a new way!
-> it is common sense and human nature to find one way that works and that we like, and stick with it!

In Life, we like what we know, and what is familiar
Humans like Familiarity / Consistency = Life Theme


BUT


At some point, we all get bored (also human nature!!) with too much of the same thing/repetition 

At this point we NEED some kind of CHANGE or CONTRAST
(remember this comes at a different point depending on the person)

Just as this is a Theme in Life, It is a Theme in Art
Stories/Film
Action Film:
 Good guy always end up defeating the bad guy at the end = Familiar
 How he does it/when he does it = Contrast
Love Story:  Prince/Princess always live happily after =Familiar
How they meet, what they overcome etc. = Contrast 
Visual Art
There are only so many subjects nature.  
Think of how many paintings of mountains there must be (endless) = Familiar
There are also endless styles to paint them in = Contrast
Pointallism
Picture
Minimallism
Picture
Abstract Expressionism
Picture
Realism
Picture
Cubism
Picture
Impressionism
Picture
Whether it is Film, Stories, Visual art etc. - There will always be certain things in common (familiar) and certain differences (contrast)

The Question is , How are these two things (familiar/contrast) achieved

Example:
In the visual art examples above, Familiarity is achieved by painting the same subject (Mountain), while the Contrast is achieved by painting in different Styles (cubism, realism, etc.)
Question: How is this achieved in music?  

Repetition

Repetitive -------------------------VS.-------------------------Non Repetitive

Class Activity:  
​For this song, let's try to chart out all the
repetitive characteristics, and non repetitive characteristics
"Use Me" - Bill Withers
Repetitive 
Drum Groove
Electric Piano Riff
Guitar Strumming
Bass Riff
​Melody (i.e. notes in lyrics)
Non Repetitive 
Lryics (i.e. the words of melody)
Proudly powered by Weebly