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
Instrumentation VS Texture ​
​
deals with dissecting what a song is made of  -  What physical Instruments / Timbres are contained within the musical Example

Whereas ....

Texture
Is the the final product of that combination of Timbres - The byproduct of mixing together many unique timbres
Example 

This shirt has a "soft" texture,  but is is not made up of "soft"   -    It is made of Cotton  /  Polyester threads

​

A Song may have a " Folky"  or "Country" Texture, but it Doesn't contain   " folk,"    -    It contains Violin,  Guitar,  Upright Bass, Vocals etc.
 ​Example

A cookie might taste "Sweet,"  But not everything in it is sweet -   it chocolate/ sugar, but it also has flour, salt, butter ETC. 

BUT

​The final product comes out sweet 
​

​Pop-Folk  Texture

We wouldn't necessesarliy listen to any of these particular instruments individually  - or even in pairs   -   
......
put together in the proper combination, and played in the right style, they Compliment each other 

SO....

The Texture,   is a result, or byproduct,  of the combination of individual Timbres (aka Instrumentation)

This is leads us to a larger concept in music (and really , all art)  where many different parts come together to create a unique


​Texture with 1 Instrument
Thin Texture - Scarlatti

Bach

String Quartet


Thick Texture - Debussy

​
Texture / Song Maps
SO.... There are a couple ways to think about texture  ​
1. One is the think about the texture at any given moment in a song
​(or the overall 'feel' / vibe )

Possible Ways to describe / Judge Timbre : 
  • Thick    -------------- VS ------------- Thin
  • Complex ----------- VS -------------Simple
  • ?? others ??
    • ​Descriptive Words?
      • ​Intense Heavy Metal VS.  Soft ...
    • Genres?
      • ​​Folk Country  VS.  Electro​

2.  The other is the think about the overall use of texture throughout the song
(Think of the shape of the 'song map' , and how the artist is strategically using the texture changes throughout the entire song

Are there any Common uses / Techniques employed by artists writing songs? 
  • What are they trying to achieve with these techniques? 
  • Are there any that you like / Dislike (personal preference)

Texture Listening

  • For the following Songs, listen, and keep track of any change in texture you hear. 
  • A Change in texture is signified by :  Addition,  Subtraction, or Change in Timbre  
  • For every time you hear a change in texture, record:    (1) a time stamp     (2) the number of timbres you hear    (3) What kind of Change in texture you heard   (4) If possible, name the timbres
Ed Sheeran  -  Shape Of You
0:00 - 0:08
  -   Guitar Rhythmic 
0:08 - 0:19   -   Guitar Rhythm +  Keyboard
  • 2  Timbres  -  Addition
0:19 - 0:33   -  Guitar Rhythm  +  Keyboard +  'Oh-I' Backgrd Vox
  • 3 Timbres - Addition
0:33 -  0:44  -   Gtr Rohm - Kbd + Back Vox + Gtr Strums
  • 4 Timbres - Addition
0:44 - 0:54   -  Gtr Rthm  +  Kbd +  Bck Vox + Gtr Strums + Gtr smacks
  • 5  Timbres -  Addition
0:54 - 1:55  -   Keyboard + Lead Vox
  • 2 Timbres - Subtraction
Lets see if we can do the same exercise as a class......

0:00 -  0:06
  -  Guitar Plucks
0:06 - 0:20   -  ______________
Cont....... 

Song Map

Picture
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