University of California Irvine Music Brandye Lee Section Discussions
Answer each discussion first, then reply to the content written by a classmateDiscussion 1 (Lee) - What music do you "secretly" love? - Brandye Lee's SectionAlan TerriccianoFrom MUSIC 3 LEC B: INTRO T...167167 unread replies.176176 replies.OK, let's get started. As much as I wanted to ask you about your ear worms I thought that might be cruel. So this question was inspired by the "Six Songs of Me" article. What music do you "secretly" love? By secret, I mean, what music do you love but don't think your friends, peer group, parents, etc. would appreciate or even tolerate, thereby affecting their opinion of you (possibly). What do you love about it? What about it do you think would make others respond negatively? I recommend talking about an individual piece of music, song etc., rather than a whole genre.Classmate‘s answer:Music is treasure for human. It accompanies with people for thousands of years and is being upgraded continuously. Until now, songs are divided into several groups like pop and rap. I personally appreciate ballad songs, which lots of people, like my friends and peers, would probably hate listening. Ballad music, especially modern ballad, could convey special feelings to audience. That is, listeners follow the music instead of hearing it. Audience could see the stories contained in ballad, just like they are in the song. One of my favorite songs, “five hundred miles” by Justin Timberlake, is a typical example. This song describes a wanderer who wants to be successful outside of his home eventually becomes poor and misses his hometown. The song is full of sadness. The lyrics “lord I’m five hundred miles away from home” tells me that the wanderer is helpless and lonely.The lyric “Not a shirt on my back” further illustrates the trouble that the wanderer has to face. I am totally addicted in this song and always consider myself as that wanderer when listening to this song. Actually That wanderer has the same situation with me. That is, We are both wanderers. I fly over thousands of miles to United States in order to get advanced education and expand my horizons. In America, I usually miss my hometown, my parents and friends. Thus, I could completely understand what that wanderer thinks and even hear him secretly cry. In his mind, home is the only peaceful and enjoyable paradise. However, he is hopeless because he is a loser and can not go home with such shame. As I have mentioned above, I strongly appreciate the song “five hundred miles”, which is one of essences of ballad songs. In my opinion, it is worthwhile to hear ballad and try to understand the feelings within songs.Discussion 2 (Lee) - Adventures in Genre land - Brandye Lee's SectionFollow this link (Links to an external site.),http://everynoise.com/ to the website "Every Noise at Once." Take some time to explore the hundreds of genre samples (be sure to scroll down). By clicking on the double arrow that reveals next to each genre label you can explore that category in depth. The sheer number of genre's makes its own point about the bewildering and often tribal isolation embedded in our traditional approach to genre. After spending some time pick four different genres from the web site and rank them from most attractive to least attractive. By "attractive" I mean only how much you want to hear it again.In your response to this post please do the following:1) Provide your genre list in ranked order. I will assume that the sample piece represents your choice unless you specify otherwise. In other words, when you dig into each genre you will get multiple examples.2) Discuss briefly what you were responding to in your ranking.3) Present an analysis of your top and bottom choices (2 total) in terms of "Arousal, Valence, and Depth," per the article, "Music Genres Re-Sorted into 3 Clusters Linked to Personality."When you respond to your classmate, be sure to listen to their list before you respond. Compare your response to the music of your classmate's list with their own characterization.Classmate's answer:This is my ranked order 1. Remix product 2. Hardcore breaks 3. Hard bass 4. Classic Japanese jazz. Firstly, the remix product is my favorite music genre, because it can generate beautiful music by mixing two totally different music. Remix music is mainstream for lots of music, because if some lyrics mix the beat of others song, which will make both to an amazing new song. My second choice is hardcore breaks. Personally speaking, the most allure part of hardcore music is its lyric. Hardcore music will focus more energy on lyric to express their emotions. My third choice is hard bass because I think that bass has unique tones to stimulate my emotions, which makes me relax. My final choice is classic jazz because I hold that jazz makes me feel so sleepy, and its tones are so flat and slow, which is not my type. Remix product can be assigned to “Arousal”, because Remix product can stimulate people’s energy and passion, which gave people the power to face their life. Moreover, remix music has a special attraction to audiences that there are two songs mixed together to become another amazing new song. In addition, I’m a person who likes to listen to some powerful and energetic music relatively. Therefore, those songs that can stimulate people's passion and energy will have a huge attraction to me. I respect everyone’s music preferences. However, Classic Japanese jazz will be assigned to “Depth”. Even though I believe that jazz is an old people’s music, but I can’t deny that it is an amazing genre of music. Jazz music will combine the tone of cello and piano, and jazz music has given a steady impression to the audience, which makes the audience indulge in it. Music is the most beautiful thing that I’ve ever met.Discussion 3 (Lee) - Mean Old World - Brandye Lee's SectionA little creative writing in this discussion. Start with some listening. Listen to the four covers of the Blues song Mean Old World, linked below. For the first three, listen carefully for the way each four-bar group is split into two bars of vocal and two bars instrumental. By way of contrast, note the continuity of the melodic line in Sam Cooke's version.Mean Old World - Little Walters (Links to an external site.)Mean Old World - Eric Clapton and Duane Allman (Links to an external site.)Mean Old World - an all-star cast featuring Chuck Berry on Vocals (Links to an external site.)A transformation into a 16 bar gospel tinged pop song - Sam Cooke's version (Links to an external site.).For this week's discussion1) What strikes you as the most unusual or surprising changes that you experience in Sam Cooke's transformation of the song? Is it more or less expressive than the other three?2) In comparing the first three versions what element(s) did you find most memorable? Most authentic (heart-felt)?3) add a fourth stanza (text below). Your stanza should follow the AAB format below, and be thematically linked in some way to what precedes your writing. You don't have to be overly narrative but remember to keep it in first person.For your response to your classmate, in addition to responding to their responses to questions 1 and 2, you will add another stanza , i.e. you will add a stanza to your classmate's new stanza. Try your best to respond to somebody who hasn't already been responded to, but adding a fifth stanza would be OK if someone else has already responded.Mean Old WorldThis is a mean old world, try and live it by yourself.This is a mean old world, try and live it by yourself.Can't get the one you love, have to use somebody else.I've got the blues, gonna pack my things and go.I've got the blues, gonna pack my things and go.Guess you don't love me, babe, loving mister so-and-so.Sometimes I wonder why can your love be so cold?Sometimes I wonder why can your love be so cold?I guess you don't love me, gonna pack my things and goClassmate's answer:1) The most surprising think about Sam Cooke's version is the amount of energy that you could feel while you listen to it, possibly during to him 'swinging' the lyrics and stretching them out with his amazing vocals. It is on another level in terms of expressiveness compared to the other three versions, you can feel Sam Cooke's emotions while you listen to his version which creates a more personal connection to the track.2) In the other tracks it feels as if the instruments play a heavier role in the track compared to the singers. The singers also kept the same vocal patterns through out the track which limited the vulnerability felt. Their voice also helps create a environment of a 'traditional' mid-western performance which is roughly what the environment would have probably been like when this music was at its most popular. I think the piano in Sam Cooke's version, and the gospel (pipes? not entirely sure of the proper instrument) really helped create an environment of openness which Sam Cooke uses to his full advantage in his beautiful version of the song. 3) Have to travel through this mean old world by myself Have to travel through this mean old world by myself Without your love, babe, I have got no where to go