Thursday, December 20, 2007
Posts
Let me know if anyone wants to be able to make new posts on here, I hope you do so you can start discussions too! You need to make a google account, and if you don't know how just ask, but if you do let me know so I can add you. You'll get a confirmation email then you can make new posts. Leave a comment here if you want, or email me. Cheers.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
So JP. you have an interesting question and one that when I think about, i'm hardpressed to come up with an answer to. It's such a BIG question. I almost feel at the moment that I could try to explain what I think exists in space over this question. And it's not juvenile or unsophisticated. You don't need to be Edo or Prof. Taylor to talk about, appreciate, and be good at music. Sorry it's taken me so long to respond JP, I didn't realize you posted at first, and starting work has been hard for me :(
So, what makes music so incredible? I think in part, and speaking from my logical and arguing with Ryan Ash side of me, it has a lot to do with basic pleasure to our ear. Take taste and touch for example, two other senses that we have. There are foods that please us and for everyone it's a different type of food. Touch: Certain things feel good and some don't, such as a fleece blanket for example. In a sense, it's almost as though hearing is our ears "tasting" sound. I know that sounds wacky, but my point is that I think on surface level, and in it's most basic form, our experiences in life and our personalities contribute to what "sounds good" to us, and in some ways it's similar to other pleasures like I mentioned. I'm not trying to say, however, that this is it. I think it goes much deeper than that physical aspect and when dealing with emotions, I don't think anyone has ever gone past the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the human brain. It's so complex and (most of the time) unpredictable. I think that going back to what I said about experiences and our memory, a lot of that ties into what kind of music gives us chills when we hear it. To be honest I don't feel like I could come up with a better answer than that. I feel like music tries to imitate nature and human emotion in something other than words, if that makes sense.
That's a cool video JP. This brings an interesting point to mind: politics. It's everywhere, including music. And I think this video does a good job of portraying how extramusical events and ideas (especially the video itself) can enhance or change the interpretation of the music. I was trying to think of what it would be like for someone who was in Auschwitz during the Holocaust. I would imagine that I would just break down right then and there. I think this is a little evidence supporting my point about our lives and how much it really affects our perception and aesthetic. We all have our own little memories that we think of when we hear certain sounds and I think that's part of what determines the kind of sounds you enjoy listening too. Let me know what you think about this.
One thing I was thinking about: Music formed from nothing a long time ago into what it is now. Was this by chance or was it natural? Is music natural? I wonder if it happened again, how different/similar music would be to our music. (It could possibly happen again on another planet similar to ours?? Different discussion though.)
So, what makes music so incredible? I think in part, and speaking from my logical and arguing with Ryan Ash side of me, it has a lot to do with basic pleasure to our ear. Take taste and touch for example, two other senses that we have. There are foods that please us and for everyone it's a different type of food. Touch: Certain things feel good and some don't, such as a fleece blanket for example. In a sense, it's almost as though hearing is our ears "tasting" sound. I know that sounds wacky, but my point is that I think on surface level, and in it's most basic form, our experiences in life and our personalities contribute to what "sounds good" to us, and in some ways it's similar to other pleasures like I mentioned. I'm not trying to say, however, that this is it. I think it goes much deeper than that physical aspect and when dealing with emotions, I don't think anyone has ever gone past the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the human brain. It's so complex and (most of the time) unpredictable. I think that going back to what I said about experiences and our memory, a lot of that ties into what kind of music gives us chills when we hear it. To be honest I don't feel like I could come up with a better answer than that. I feel like music tries to imitate nature and human emotion in something other than words, if that makes sense.
That's a cool video JP. This brings an interesting point to mind: politics. It's everywhere, including music. And I think this video does a good job of portraying how extramusical events and ideas (especially the video itself) can enhance or change the interpretation of the music. I was trying to think of what it would be like for someone who was in Auschwitz during the Holocaust. I would imagine that I would just break down right then and there. I think this is a little evidence supporting my point about our lives and how much it really affects our perception and aesthetic. We all have our own little memories that we think of when we hear certain sounds and I think that's part of what determines the kind of sounds you enjoy listening too. Let me know what you think about this.
One thing I was thinking about: Music formed from nothing a long time ago into what it is now. Was this by chance or was it natural? Is music natural? I wonder if it happened again, how different/similar music would be to our music. (It could possibly happen again on another planet similar to ours?? Different discussion though.)
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Elements of Music
So! Sorry to sound juvenile, overly broad, or unsophisticated, but just what do you think it is about music that makes it so incredible? What on earth allows it to become such an emotional powerhouse? What do you think happens that turns these sound waves floating through the air into feelings, ideas, and gestures? hmmm....
I thought this was a kinda neat video too, by the way. I don't know how I feel about the vocalist yet though.
Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, Second Mov- Henryk Gorecki.
I thought this was a kinda neat video too, by the way. I don't know how I feel about the vocalist yet though.
Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, Second Mov- Henryk Gorecki.
Monday, December 3, 2007
First Post
Hey guys. I created this blog so that we could all post our thoughts/ideas/developments about music and comment with each other about it. Feel free to post about whatever you want.
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