One of the subgenres of rock that I’m going to write about is Alternative rock. The alternative rock is different from other types of rock because most of all its’ melody is not as strong as hard rock. The dynamics most of the time don't jump so high and the energy felt is much more calm rather than a scream fest. It is more about the emotional and powerful content that is created by a small ensemble with more emphasis on singing and creativity. Most of all in the alternative rock song, there will be a moment or a part of the song that the singer will not sing but play the guitar, a drum, or a trumpet solo possibly with other instruments to follow. Just like other rock subgenre, in an alternative rock song the instruments are electric guitar, bass guitar, drum and a keyboard instrument. Besides these basic instruments, saxophone and flutes may also be performed within alternative rock.
In the song “More Than a Memory” of Hoobastank there is not electric guitar but instead the acoustic guitar, saxophone and flute.
0:00: the guitar and flute play the recomposed melody.
0:18: the keyboard joins in
0:26: Hoobastank starts to sing
1:54: the saxophone starts to mark the begin of the chorus
2:31: saxophone plays to mark the end of the chorus and then flute and saxophone play the transfer part
3:26: repeat the chorus
3:45: playing keyboard
4:00: repeat the chorus
4:50: finish by al the instrument together
Monday, April 19, 2010
Side Show
The second Side Show performance on Thursday night, April 15th was the night that I attended the show. The show started at eight o’clock but I got to the University Theatre early so that I could sit in the middle of one of the front rows and have a closer view to the stage. Most of the performers are UT Dallas students, they went to the show to earn scholarships for art students, and I’ve been told that they had practiced almost a year to make this show.
Side Show is a musical show so there were people singing as a conversation throughout the entire play, and the orchestra was just the back ground music for the performers. When the lights were off the stage and everything became silent, the performers started to sing and showed up; some of them came out from the front stage, back stage, and some even from the side of the theatre to create a surprise moment for the audience. The music was low until the performers raised their voice and jumped on the box and right after that it was silent. The music that they played gave the feeling of a mysterious magic was in the air, this effect was created by their polyphony. Because of the music being the background for the performers, its tempo was slow and matched to the performers’ pitch. In the show, the twin and most of the girls sang with high vocals while men only used low vocals to distinct the contrast among each group, and for most of the time they were singing duets as the conversation continued. When the stage was rearranged the music kept going to keep the environment lively. The performers had impressed their audience by the colorful outfits and the vivid paintings on their faces, and they also matched the time and place of the play. All together they created the lively mood for the stage and the theatre. The performers often come close to the audience and made the audience feel like they were on the stage together with the characters. The faster the singing, the faster the movement, and the faster the music played. It perfectly caught the entire attention of the audiences in the little theatre. The twins played the important roles in the show but the attractions were also important because at each sense, the attractions were playing as the background described and emphasized the mood for the ongoing conversation between the twins and the two business men. One example was of the party in New York, everybody was walking and drinking around the twins, but when Buddy Foster proposed to Violet, everybody just stopped moving and expressed the surprise on their face. Then everybody was drinking and singing and it created the happy environment of the wedding. Most of the audience was UTD students and some of them were relatives of the performers. They clapped at the end of every single song which sometimes interrupted the performers and delayed the show. The stage was decorated with yellow and red color themes as the background to help the audience feel like they were in the circus and on the side of the stage there was a sign that said, “The Midway, Vaudeville or the Follies…” Because the theatre wasn’t big, and the stage was almost half the size of the theatre the audiences could hear every single word and could watch every single movement. It helped the audience get more into the play and to feel connected with the play.
The audience seemed to take in every moment of the play, because of the great performance. The performers seemed to be enjoying themselves and they deserved it because they had put a lot of effort in the play. The night was not yet over and the music made it feel like there was still plenty of energy left for it to continue. The play was done really well and the polyphony created through the background music and the voices made it that much more enjoyable.
Work cited
Side Show. By Bill Rusell. Dir Robert Longbottom. Perf UT Dallas student. Dallas. 15th Apr. 2010. (Side Show)
Pham, Anh. Program notes. Side Show. 15th Apr. 2010. Dallas. Pham.
Side Show is a musical show so there were people singing as a conversation throughout the entire play, and the orchestra was just the back ground music for the performers. When the lights were off the stage and everything became silent, the performers started to sing and showed up; some of them came out from the front stage, back stage, and some even from the side of the theatre to create a surprise moment for the audience. The music was low until the performers raised their voice and jumped on the box and right after that it was silent. The music that they played gave the feeling of a mysterious magic was in the air, this effect was created by their polyphony. Because of the music being the background for the performers, its tempo was slow and matched to the performers’ pitch. In the show, the twin and most of the girls sang with high vocals while men only used low vocals to distinct the contrast among each group, and for most of the time they were singing duets as the conversation continued. When the stage was rearranged the music kept going to keep the environment lively. The performers had impressed their audience by the colorful outfits and the vivid paintings on their faces, and they also matched the time and place of the play. All together they created the lively mood for the stage and the theatre. The performers often come close to the audience and made the audience feel like they were on the stage together with the characters. The faster the singing, the faster the movement, and the faster the music played. It perfectly caught the entire attention of the audiences in the little theatre. The twins played the important roles in the show but the attractions were also important because at each sense, the attractions were playing as the background described and emphasized the mood for the ongoing conversation between the twins and the two business men. One example was of the party in New York, everybody was walking and drinking around the twins, but when Buddy Foster proposed to Violet, everybody just stopped moving and expressed the surprise on their face. Then everybody was drinking and singing and it created the happy environment of the wedding. Most of the audience was UTD students and some of them were relatives of the performers. They clapped at the end of every single song which sometimes interrupted the performers and delayed the show. The stage was decorated with yellow and red color themes as the background to help the audience feel like they were in the circus and on the side of the stage there was a sign that said, “The Midway, Vaudeville or the Follies…” Because the theatre wasn’t big, and the stage was almost half the size of the theatre the audiences could hear every single word and could watch every single movement. It helped the audience get more into the play and to feel connected with the play.
The audience seemed to take in every moment of the play, because of the great performance. The performers seemed to be enjoying themselves and they deserved it because they had put a lot of effort in the play. The night was not yet over and the music made it feel like there was still plenty of energy left for it to continue. The play was done really well and the polyphony created through the background music and the voices made it that much more enjoyable.
Work cited
Side Show. By Bill Rusell. Dir Robert Longbottom. Perf UT Dallas student. Dallas. 15th Apr. 2010. (Side Show)
Pham, Anh. Program notes. Side Show. 15th Apr. 2010. Dallas. Pham.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Gullah music culture
The music culture of Gullah is mostly used for celebration in church music. Their music is more about nature and spiritual things. Because of the slavery period, the Gullah people are angry at their ancestors.They resent them for coming under the contol of Americans and then being forced out by the same people that enslaved them. Gullah people are mostly agricultural; they live their life with nature and try to develop it the best that they can. Most of Gullah people are Christian, they go to church, pray for life and they are proud of their culture even though it is not really modern. Because the Gullah people are majority christian they share their love of church through music. For the instruments, drum is one of the main ones that make the melody sound wild and they also add words like “yeah or ah” to a certain part of the song. The performers wear their traditional clothes while they sing and dance with each other. They usually perform a duet between a male and female singer or a group of male and female dancers. The performance is outdoors and their audiences just stand around to make a big circle to show the friendship between each Gullah person. They clap along with the rhythm of the songs too.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Hanami Festival
I went to the Hanami Cherry Blossom Festival at Dallas Arboretum on Sunday. Under the blooming cherry blossoms the two performers played the koto and shakuhachi (floor harp and Japanese lute). Everybody brought their picnic blankets and sat around the performers and enjoy the music.
The performance started with a shakuhachi performance, it was played by a male performer. Shakuhachi is the vertical bamboo flute that the performer blows from one side to the other and makes a very soft windy sound. The tone of shakuhachi song was soft, each note flew slowly one to the other and became louder then it dropped to a silence note. The sound was almost like meditation music. The performer also made shakuhachi notes vibrate and repeated the pattern over and over again with different pitches. After he performed two songs, the female woman started to join in the third song. The two performers played with a chasing style, shakuhachi played first and koto played exactly the same notes but one or two beats later. Only at the chorus, the floor harp became background for the lute; it made the lute sound distinct from every other sound around. Several solo koto songs were performed after that; Japanese koto has thirteen strings stretched over the curved board. The female performer usually puts the rings on her first three fingers and plucks the string to make its sound. Koto songs had faster tempre than shakuhachi and more vibratos with bending pitch. The song went on continuously without a stop or silence note. The male performer wore Hakama pants with a black Haori and the female wore a Yukata which is cloth for summer. By wearing Japanese traditional clothing performers had created the mood for their audience, and helped the audience feel relaxed and like they were in Japan enjoying the music. The performance was at noon on a windy day, the air was clean with a few breezes from the lake chilling the air. The musicians chose to perform in the middle of the blooming cherry blossom space and with the audience gathering around them to listen to the music and enjoy their picnic lunch. When the wind blew, a thousand cherry blossom petals fell down on the grass and made the place become unforgettable. With the beauty of area also came some obstacles, the performers told me “The wind blowing makes it hard for us to play, because it affects and bends the sound of the instrument.” (interview). To be able to play outside, they had to watch out for the weather and decided on the best time to perform. He also told me “I have to stay very focus to play, but this is the first time for my partner to play outside like this, it is very hard for her.”(Interview). The male performer is a white dentist professor, he grew up and lives here so he knew the weather and chose to memorize the songs to make it easier. Most of the audiences were families, couples and friends; they either sat under the cherry blossom trees or in front of the performers to hear it more clearly. They also prepared Japanese food for lunch such as sushi, rice cake, and some other foods. Looking around the audience and listening to them I noticed that quite a bit of them are Asian and Japanese or they are American but had lived in Japan and love to go back to visit. The audience shared their experiences with each other and talked freely.
The music performance at the Hanami Cherry Blossom Festival was performed by a Japanese female koto player and a white male shakuhachi player. They had created a Japanese festival moment for the audience in the Dallas arboretum. The blossom trees blowing and swaying in the wind while the performers played soft and gentle notes created the perfect Japanese atmosphere which everyone was swept in. It was a scene that could be enjoyed by a single person or with the whole family.
Work Cited
"Hanami Festival." Personal interview. 28 Mar. 2010.
Pham, Anh. Program notes. Hanami Cherry Blossom Festival. 28 Mar 2010. Dallas.
The performance started with a shakuhachi performance, it was played by a male performer. Shakuhachi is the vertical bamboo flute that the performer blows from one side to the other and makes a very soft windy sound. The tone of shakuhachi song was soft, each note flew slowly one to the other and became louder then it dropped to a silence note. The sound was almost like meditation music. The performer also made shakuhachi notes vibrate and repeated the pattern over and over again with different pitches. After he performed two songs, the female woman started to join in the third song. The two performers played with a chasing style, shakuhachi played first and koto played exactly the same notes but one or two beats later. Only at the chorus, the floor harp became background for the lute; it made the lute sound distinct from every other sound around. Several solo koto songs were performed after that; Japanese koto has thirteen strings stretched over the curved board. The female performer usually puts the rings on her first three fingers and plucks the string to make its sound. Koto songs had faster tempre than shakuhachi and more vibratos with bending pitch. The song went on continuously without a stop or silence note. The male performer wore Hakama pants with a black Haori and the female wore a Yukata which is cloth for summer. By wearing Japanese traditional clothing performers had created the mood for their audience, and helped the audience feel relaxed and like they were in Japan enjoying the music. The performance was at noon on a windy day, the air was clean with a few breezes from the lake chilling the air. The musicians chose to perform in the middle of the blooming cherry blossom space and with the audience gathering around them to listen to the music and enjoy their picnic lunch. When the wind blew, a thousand cherry blossom petals fell down on the grass and made the place become unforgettable. With the beauty of area also came some obstacles, the performers told me “The wind blowing makes it hard for us to play, because it affects and bends the sound of the instrument.” (interview). To be able to play outside, they had to watch out for the weather and decided on the best time to perform. He also told me “I have to stay very focus to play, but this is the first time for my partner to play outside like this, it is very hard for her.”(Interview). The male performer is a white dentist professor, he grew up and lives here so he knew the weather and chose to memorize the songs to make it easier. Most of the audiences were families, couples and friends; they either sat under the cherry blossom trees or in front of the performers to hear it more clearly. They also prepared Japanese food for lunch such as sushi, rice cake, and some other foods. Looking around the audience and listening to them I noticed that quite a bit of them are Asian and Japanese or they are American but had lived in Japan and love to go back to visit. The audience shared their experiences with each other and talked freely.
The music performance at the Hanami Cherry Blossom Festival was performed by a Japanese female koto player and a white male shakuhachi player. They had created a Japanese festival moment for the audience in the Dallas arboretum. The blossom trees blowing and swaying in the wind while the performers played soft and gentle notes created the perfect Japanese atmosphere which everyone was swept in. It was a scene that could be enjoyed by a single person or with the whole family.
Work Cited
"Hanami Festival." Personal interview. 28 Mar. 2010.
Pham, Anh. Program notes. Hanami Cherry Blossom Festival. 28 Mar 2010. Dallas.
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