Week 5 In Person Session
Music Analysis
Analysis:
a·nal·y·sis
əˈnaləsəs/
noun
a·nal·y·sis
əˈnaləsəs/
noun
- detailed examination of the elements or structure of something, typically as a basis for discussion or interpretation.
synonyms:examination, investigation, inspection, survey, study, scrutiny; More- the process of separating something into its constituent elements.
synonyms:examination, investigation, inspection, survey, study, scrutiny; More - the identification and measurement of the chemical constituents of a substance or specimen.
- the process of separating something into its constituent elements.
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READ THIS:
"Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteers be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe." |
Because of our Familiarity with with language our brain can understand a lot about this paragraph even though it is completely mis spelled...... ...... We have been exposed to these words so many times that our brain is very good about making predictions / Assumptions / educated guesses |
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For the same reason, we can tap our foot / finger / nod head etc. Along with this Consistent Beat........ ........ Because we are familiar with the consistent pattern in time we can predict when the next beat is going to happen We are familiar because we have been Exposed to other consistent Beats/Grooves/patterns in time , so we know how to expect the next beat |
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Metronome with Skipping Beats
For the same reason, we can Fill in the missing beats in our head
For the same reason, we can Fill in the missing beats in our head
because of how our brains are conditioned , we can kind of " Fill in the Blanks "
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We can Predict or Assume because we are Familiar We are Familiar because we have been Exposed |
Example:
I you take bite out of a Candy Bar and it tastes like Broccoli, You will know something is wrong (because you have eaten both those before and know what they taste like..... ) But if a baby takes a bite out of a Candy Bar and it tastes like broccoli, it won't know the difference (this baby has never eaten broccoli of candy bars) |
Exposure -------> Familiar --------> Expectations --------> Assumptions
Question: Do we do the same thing when listening / extracting meaning / emotion from a song?
????? Can we Make any assumptions about the Genre of a Song just by looking at the Artist ?????
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What if we had to match up these singers with one of the following Genres:
1. Jazz 2. Country 3. Heavy Metal |
??????? Can we Make any assumption about possible Emotions / Song meanings Just from knowing the Genre??????
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1. Country
2. Opera 3. Punk Rock |
A. I'm mad at my parents because they don't like my Girlfriend
B. I just drove down a dirt road in my truck and am now partying with my friends around a fire under the moonlight C. I am in love with an amazing person i Just met today |
??????? Can we Make any assumption about possible Emotions / Song meanings Just from listening to a little of the Background / Accompanying music??????
1. I'm angry because society won't let me do what I want / Anger
2. I started with nothing now I am wealthy and have everything / Bragging
3. I'm so glad I Found you and we are together / Happiness and Thankfulness
1. I'm angry because society won't let me do what I want / Anger
2. I started with nothing now I am wealthy and have everything / Bragging
3. I'm so glad I Found you and we are together / Happiness and Thankfulness
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Lets listen to a few seconds of a tune...... Is your brain filling in any blanks about the song (What it will be about, will you like it ETC. ) Can we figure anything about this song just from the blanks our brain is filling in ? |
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Some Thoughts about this....
- In order for our brain to fill in blanks or ASSUME , be first have a degree of familiarity with the content, and in order to be familiar , we must first have exposure to it .....
- IE The baby didn't have exposure to either the broccoli or candy bar , so it didn't seem weird to it that the candy bar tasted like Broccoli.... It had no familiarity and therefore no expectations or assumptions
SO.......
We can only do this with music we are familiar with
??????? What music are we most familiar with, and what music are we most UN familiar with????????
We are most familiar with the music to which we get the most exposure
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IE our brains are better at filling in the blanks with THIS |
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Than This..... |
Remember also that OUR BRAINS LIKE TO BE ABLE TO ASSUME / PREDICT
We like when our EXPECTATIONS ARE VALIDATED !!!
We like when our EXPECTATIONS ARE VALIDATED !!!
??????? Is it possible that what we 'LIKE' most is really just what we are most Familiar with ???????
This " Fill in the Blank " Style of Analysis is the type of thing we want to Stay away from
We want to Think Critically about a piece of Music , not just make Assumptions.
If we do this we will be much more likely to understand things that we are not familiar with
If we do this we will be much more likely to understand things that we are not familiar with
Group Analysis
NO ASSUMPTIONS !!! We must justify everything say with a [musical] reason!
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1. EMOTION / MESSAGE / PICTURE IN HEAD / MEMORY
2. LYRICAL / MUSICAL THING THAT MADE US THINK OF THAT 3. MUSICAL CHARACTERISTIC SUPPORTING / REINFORCING |
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Challenge : What if we do this with music that is less familiar to us
Can you Get 5 ?
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1. EMOTION / MESSAGE / PICTURE IN HEAD / MEMORY
2. MUSICAL THING THAT MADE US THINK OF THAT 3. MUSICAL CHARACTERISTIC SUPPORTING / REINFORCING |
Artistic Intention : Visual Art
For the following sets of painting, take 2 minutes and decide what you think was the intention of the artist that painted/drew them. (I.E. What was the artist's goal when he/she made the art)
Set #1
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Set #2
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Set #3
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Set #4
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Set #5
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What are we thinking about?
- The subject Matter : What is it ? How is it Portrayed?
- The artist themselves : What type of person they are, What kind of life they have, The mood they were in when they created the work,
- The Type of Audience they are trying to reach
-They Type of Reaction they want out of their audience
Narrow our Criteria
Now what if we try to Narrow down our judgement of their intention to this spectrum (remember, we are speculating about the INTENTION of the artist, not necessarily the real life outcome):
$$$$$ ------------------------------- vs. ------------------------------- ART
- The subject Matter : What is it ? How is it Portrayed?
- The artist themselves : What type of person they are, What kind of life they have, The mood they were in when they created the work,
- The Type of Audience they are trying to reach
-They Type of Reaction they want out of their audience
Narrow our Criteria
Now what if we try to Narrow down our judgement of their intention to this spectrum (remember, we are speculating about the INTENTION of the artist, not necessarily the real life outcome):
$$$$$ ------------------------------- vs. ------------------------------- ART
What is Art? What is Artistic? And What ISN'T ?
Art: the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.
Key words: Creative Skill / Emotional Power
I.E.
Artistic = Did the artist use their creative skill to make us feel something
Key words: Creative Skill / Emotional Power
I.E.
Artistic = Did the artist use their creative skill to make us feel something
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Here is a picture I took one day while stuck in traffic on 130 South at the intersection to Route 73 in Cinnaminson
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This is a picture I took from an online art gallery of photography
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SO......
With all are (Visual / Dance / Cinema / Film ) We must consider the INTENTION OF THE ARTIST and what THEY WANTED FOR THEIR ART
Did they want it to be:
Viewed in a museum? Admired by the masses and the Elite?
Sold for a lot of $ ?
OR
Is it meant to be an expression of Emotion?
Possibly without an intended audience?
Does it matter if anybody listens / views it?
?? What is the Artist's list of priorities for what they want for their art ??
AND
Does this make a difference to us as the audience?
Do we think about this when we listen to music / look at art?
Quick activity:
1. Can you think of a song where the artist's intention was REACH MASSES OF PEOPLE AND MAKES LOTS OF MONEY
(think of our judgement criteria - monetary success)
1. Can you think of a song where the artist's intention was to EXPRESS EMOTION THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF THEIR ART
(think of our judgement criteria - Artistic Skill)
This is a question of:
ART --------------------------VS.--------------------------$$$
?'s
How did you we decide which end of the spectrum any given song ends up closer to?
What makes it sound Artistic ? What makes it sound $Valuable$
One thing these two have in common ( Art / $ ) is that one big goal is to reach PEOPLE , The Difference is in the
WHY
Artist #1 - " I want to get my album on iTunes/Youtube so I can sell a million copies and get Rich and Famous"
Artist #2 - " I want to get my album on iTunes /Youtube so a million people can hear my message! "
Does the Third Type exist?
Artist #3: "I want my Music to be on youtube so it can reach millions of people and they can feel my message - and it did, and they all bought it on iTunes and i made millions and got famous"
What makes it sound Artistic ? What makes it sound $Valuable$
One thing these two have in common ( Art / $ ) is that one big goal is to reach PEOPLE , The Difference is in the
WHY
Artist #1 - " I want to get my album on iTunes/Youtube so I can sell a million copies and get Rich and Famous"
Artist #2 - " I want to get my album on iTunes /Youtube so a million people can hear my message! "
Does the Third Type exist?
Artist #3: "I want my Music to be on youtube so it can reach millions of people and they can feel my message - and it did, and they all bought it on iTunes and i made millions and got famous"
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Many Artists / Songs Fall into one category or the other ------------->>>>> |
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Is there a middle ground where the artistic intentions yielded monetary value? <<<---------------- |
Group Activity: Artistic Intention
Instructions:
For the following examples, plot each song on the "$ vs. Art Spectrum"
1. Which Side of the spectrum does it fit most appropriately ?
- Why did you think this? What from the music or your prior knowledge of the song/artist makes you think that way?
2. Aside from $$ and Art, were there any other intentions at play
3. Come up with a group answer (sentence form) for : What makes a song Artistic
Things to think about (as proof for your answer):
The Subject : What the song is about, what is the artist saying about it?
The artist: who they are, what they are like, what are they trying to say, what mood were they in when they created to the art
The audience: Who was the artist trying to reach? What did he want to say to them?
I Will collect these from everyone at the end of class!!
For the following examples, plot each song on the "$ vs. Art Spectrum"
1. Which Side of the spectrum does it fit most appropriately ?
- Why did you think this? What from the music or your prior knowledge of the song/artist makes you think that way?
2. Aside from $$ and Art, were there any other intentions at play
3. Come up with a group answer (sentence form) for : What makes a song Artistic
Things to think about (as proof for your answer):
The Subject : What the song is about, what is the artist saying about it?
The artist: who they are, what they are like, what are they trying to say, what mood were they in when they created to the art
The audience: Who was the artist trying to reach? What did he want to say to them?
I Will collect these from everyone at the end of class!!
Song List:
1. Thrift Shop
2. I'm the Slime
3. Anaconda
4. Tears in Heaven
5. Tribute
6. I Don't Wanna Live Forever
7. Space Oddity
1. Thrift Shop
2. I'm the Slime
3. Anaconda
4. Tears in Heaven
5. Tribute
6. I Don't Wanna Live Forever
7. Space Oddity
