Bekka M.
Introduction to Music
Fall 2012
11/4/12
Project Design Notes
In order to put this project together, I did several things. After choosing which four elements I wanted to work with (Melody, Harmony, Texture and Rhythm), I read through the listed ideas to consider for each element, trying to see if any of those descriptions made me think immediately of any songs in my library. I then went through and selected my eight songs, based on genre, length, and whether or not I actually liked them.
I chose to write use the blog format for my project because I thought that, if done well, it could be a really great layout for something like this. Honestly, my first thought was to make a video, but I soon realized that I have no idea how to work the latest version of iMovie.
I think that the hardest part of getting this project together was picking out the right songs. There were several times where I thought, “Oh, that would be the perfect song!” only to find that it was too short or too long, or that I had already picked a song from the same genre for that category already. I actually had a very hard time finding a second song for Harmony that was not from a musical. I ended up settling on Girl, by The Beatles.
The thing I found in my research that fascinated me the most related to my analysis of Daft Punk’s Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. Late in the song, it appears to speed up quite a bit, but it turns out the tempo does not actually speed up at all. I found this out when I played it from two sources at the same time with one of them offset by about a minute. It happened to work out perfectly the first time so I got the words from both copies of the sings to line up exactly right.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Why I Chose What I Chose
I chose each piece of music very particularly.
For Melody, went with Cliffs of Dover and Will I. I thought that it would be really interesting to analyze Will I without looking at the harmonies the polyphany creates. I wanted a non-vocal melody for my second piece, and my first thought was Cliffs of Dover.
For Harmony, I analyzed Girl and Seasons of Love. Seasons of Love was the first song that I really noticed the harmonies in on my own, without learning the singing parts in a choir class. Full ensemble vocal pieces like that always give me the chills. I thought that the word painting in Girl was really interesting, since it is done primarily through the harmonies.
For Rhythm, I tried to find two very different pieces. So, I went with a very throbbing, distinct example--Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger--and then a very smooth, ethereal example with Because.
My favorite section to analyze was Texture. The incredible skill shown in The Confrontation is undeniable. The entire musical is wonderful, but The Confrontation in particular shows a wide blend of textures in a very haunting way. In contrast, Still Alive has just one vocal line, and all of the texture comes from the mix of instruments used. It is also one of my all-time favorite songs.
For Melody, went with Cliffs of Dover and Will I. I thought that it would be really interesting to analyze Will I without looking at the harmonies the polyphany creates. I wanted a non-vocal melody for my second piece, and my first thought was Cliffs of Dover.
For Harmony, I analyzed Girl and Seasons of Love. Seasons of Love was the first song that I really noticed the harmonies in on my own, without learning the singing parts in a choir class. Full ensemble vocal pieces like that always give me the chills. I thought that the word painting in Girl was really interesting, since it is done primarily through the harmonies.
For Rhythm, I tried to find two very different pieces. So, I went with a very throbbing, distinct example--Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger--and then a very smooth, ethereal example with Because.
My favorite section to analyze was Texture. The incredible skill shown in The Confrontation is undeniable. The entire musical is wonderful, but The Confrontation in particular shows a wide blend of textures in a very haunting way. In contrast, Still Alive has just one vocal line, and all of the texture comes from the mix of instruments used. It is also one of my all-time favorite songs.
Works Cited
“Portal - ‘Still Alive.’” YouTube. Google
Inc. 10 October 2007. Web. 6 November 2012.
“The Confrontation - Les Miserables -
10th Anniversary Concert.” YouTube. Google Inc. 5 December 2010. Web. 6
November 2012.
“Seasons of Love - Rent Original Motion
Picture Soundtrack.” YouTube. Google Inc. 10 October 2009. Web. 6 November
2012.
“Girl.” YouTube. Google Inc. 10 February
2008. Web. 6 November 2012.
“Because - Across the Universe.” YouTube.
Google Inc. 16 October 2007. Web. 6 November 2012.
“Daft Bodies - Harder, Better, Faster,
Stronger.” YouTube. Google Inc. 23 October 2007. Web. 6 Novembe 2012.
“Eric Johnson - Cliffs of Dover (Studio Version).”
YouTube. Google Inc. 10 July 2007. Web. 6 November 2012.
“Will I - Musical Rent.” YouTube. Google
Inc. 22 October 2008. Web. 6 November 2012.
I also used various notes from class.
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