From Class Wed 11/10/10

1. Listening for the test:
   Be able to ID the title and the period the piece is from (Romantic or 20th century)
   Might be a good idea to get a handle on the composers (hint hint)
   
2. Free concert:
   Friday, 11/19/10 at Mercer Music school @ Noon. Martha Malone and I will be doing some vocal jazz [well, **I** will be playing, not singing!]
   
3. Free Concert: Friday December 3 at 7:30 PM. The Macon State Chamber Choir will perform at First Presbyterian church [downtown Macon on Mulberry street, across the street from the Grand Opera House].
   
   Concert report must be turned in at or before the Final exam the next week.

Our recordings from 11/8/2010 - posted online!

http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Rule/Music+Appreciation+Experiments

The last 4 tracks are what we recorded the other day. They are freely downloadable - at least for a while - so fetch your copy and amaze your friends and family!

Fall 2010 Recordings posted online

You can listen to them at

http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Rule/Music+Appreciation+Experiments

  ======================================= Tom Rule, the MacMusicGuy http://www.tomrule.info/ 

Internet Radio http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Rule/ 

Bands http://www.tom-and-co.com http://www.moselydixonproject.com 

Royalty-Free Broadcast Tracks http://www.GovAccessMusic.com ========================================

Vista/WebCT --> 20th C powerpoint

Thanks for letting me know it wasn't there.

I had an older version stashed on the server - it mostly matches what I've been using in class. I'll try to upload the newest version this afternoon - if I'm successful you'll see 2 versions inside the 20tn Century folder.

Why writing well is important

 "7 reasons why writing well will help your music career"

actually fits into just about ANY career, unless you end

up in a cubicle your entire life....

.... which is NOT very likely.

CLICK HERE to read the article.

Treat those conert reports like an English paper -

write well!

 ============================= Tom Rule, the MacMusicGuy      http://www.tomrule.info/ Internet Radio      http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Rule/ Bands      http://www.tom-and-co.com      http://www.moselydixonproject.com Royalty-Free Broadcast Tracks      http://www.GovAccessMusic.com =============================

Vista/WebCT Gradebook note

Had a question about all the grades in the gradebook because someone was concerned about all the "missing grades" that show up there.

When you go into your gradebook, you'll see this list of grades:

Midterm
Final
Stupid Sample Test
ElMedRen
BarClass
Rom
Final F09
Presentation
Concert 1
Concert 2
Absences
Spr2010 ElMedREn
BarClassSp
Rom20th
Spr2010Final
F10 E-M-R
BaroClass-Fall2010

What's happening here is that there are several columns from previous semesters that Vista will not let me delete. The only grades that will count are highlighted above in red - there will be one more column for the Romantic/20th century test, of course.

A few comments about class stuff......

1) We're just past mid-term, and I have seen a grand total of 4 concert reports. Remember when I kept hounding you about not waiting until the last minute? There's a real good reason why I said that.

Your report is due by the second class after the concert, and they MUST be completed by the last day of the semester (Friday 12/3).

The only exception is if you attend the Macon State Chamber Choir concert on Friday, Dec. 3 down at First Prebyterian church downtown. If you do, your writeup is due at the final exam.

These concert reports count 15% of your final grade - so if you don't do ANY, the maximum possible grade for the class is automatically an 85.

2) A few notes about the in-class presentations: At mid-term I begin grading them more stringently because you have seen half the class do them already, and know what works and what doesn't as an audience member.

1. Make CERTAIN you understand what you are about to say - don't just pull a definition off the web and read it.
2. Know your material well enough so you can TALK to your audience, not read to them!
3. LOOK at your audience - they'd much rather see your face than your backside, which is what everyone sitting near the door gets to see when you face the computer screen.
4. SPEAK UP. SPEAK SLOWER than you think. ENUNCIATE.
5. Make sure you cover ALL the parts listed in the syllabus. If you're not sure - about the form, for example - give it your best shot, tell everyone what you think, and then say "This is my best guess". We can have a conversation about it, which helps everybody in the class!

Concerts......

Don't forget that Mercer has several concerts a month - many are free. CHECK THE CALENDAR HERE.

Also coming:

Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church

presents the

Credo Vocal Quartet

in a concert

Saturday, October 23rd at 7:00pm.

The Russian quartet will enterain with a program of Russian sacred songs, Russian folk songs, and contemporary songs.

Founded just four years ago, Credo Quartet was formed with a desire to sing choral music of many countries, musical styles and traditions. This esteemed vocal ensemble produces fresh interpretations of many well-known choral works that are customarily sung by larger choirs. Though the group is very young, each of its members has great working experiences in leading choirs of Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
The ensemble’s name “Credo” is of Latin origin and means “I believe”. All members perform for Orthodox churches during the many beautiful liturgies of the Eastern tradition. Each of the singers professes a deep belief in the ministry of their musical works and they demonstrate a great understanding of the substance of the Divine Liturgies. Indeed, they are believers in the grace, beauty and divine nature of the gift of singing.
The Russian Orthodox musical heritage comprises the heart of Credo’s repertoire. However, the quartet also engages the listener with an array of Russian folk songs, western classical music styles, contemporary works by Russian and international composers.

Tickets $10 in advance [call 478-405-5128], $15 at the door

Kids 12 & under free

859 First Street, Downtown Macon

(A few blocks west & down the hill from the Medical Center)

Participants -
Irina Grinberg — soprano, director

Born in Nizhniy Novgorod. Musical training at the Nizhniy Novgorod Musical College. Later she studied choral conducting under professor D. N. Ardentov at the Academy of Arts in Saint-Petersburg. While a student in the Academy, Irina started performing choral works with the Saint-Petersburg Chamber chorus under N. N. Kornev’s management. In 2000 she organized the vocal ensemble “Credo” which she directs to this day.
Alexey Barashev — tenor

Born in Saint-Petersburg. He graguated from Saint-Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov’s Conservatory with major in coral conducting. He began serious vocal training and concert activity in 1997. To date Alexey has worked with many choral groups of Saint-Petersburg. He has been in the ensemble since 2007

Marina Chihacheva — mezzo-soprano

Born in Saint-Petersburg. Marina finished college at the Saint-Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory. She started her concert career as a soloist with one of city ensembles. Marina first encountered the art of choral singing in chamber chorus “Rossika”. At the present time she sings in the chorus of the Fiodorovskiy Cathedral in Tsarskoe Selo. Since the organization of “Credo” she has been the unchanging mezzo-soprano of the ensemble.
Yan Largin — bass

Born in Saint-Petersburg. He is a graduate of the Glinka Choral Academy and Saint-Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov’s Conservatory with major in coral conducting. He has sung in numerous chamber choirs, including the Saint-Petersburg Chamber Choir and has performed with well-known directors internationally. He has been in the ensemble since 2003.

Ever heard of a Bowafridgeaphone ???????

You can see it AND hear it here: 
the Bowafridgeaphone


===========================
Tom Rule, the MacMusicGuy
     http://www.tomrule.info/
Internet Radio
     http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Rule/
Bands
     http://www.tom-and-co.com
     http://www.moselydixonproject.com
Royalty-Free Broadcast Tracks
     http://www.GovAccessMusic.com
============================

Vids from Mond 9/13/10 class

Baroque example - watch for the continuo.

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Harpshichord Demo

Listen how the sound changes as he plays, and watch for when the keys on the second keyboard move as he plays the first keyboard.

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The group Robin R talked about

Rodrigo y Gabriela "Hora Zero" live @ Eurockéenne

Videos from 9/1/10 class

NOT chant!

A "chest" of recorders

Another Palestrina Mass Example

A Madrigal "La Guerre" - notice all the special effects

Another Madrigal - Fair Phyllis

What Renaissance instrumental music might have sounded like

just for fun - PDQ Bach

Free Concert!

Monday, September 13

Mercer Brass Quintet presents
American Music for Brass
7:30 p.m.
McCorkle Music Building,
Free admission

http://www2.mercer.edu/Music/calendar.htm for several upcoming FREE concerts at Mercer - including an organ concert on Sept 28 at Christ Church [Walnut Street]

Directions

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Mccorkle+Music+Building+1329+Adams+Street+Macon,+GA&sll=32.830125,-83.672047&sspn=0.101403,0.15398&ie=UTF8&hq=Mccorkle+Music+Building&hnear=1329+Adams+St,+Macon,+Bibb,+Georgia+31201&ll=32.834453,-83.644216&spn=0.013126,0.019248&z=16&iwloc=near

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View Larger Map

Vids from Monday 8/29/10 class

Tuba Quartet - this would be MUCH better live!

Click here to view on youtube

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The Music Technology demo I threw together - just a quick something to demo the technologies mentioned in class.

Click here to view on youtube

Music Technology: Good or Evil?

The Good?

From the New York Times
For Pianist, Software Is Replacing Sonatas
Read more @ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/21/arts/music/21taub.html?_r=1&ref=technology

The Evil?

From Wired:

Simon Cowell’s X Factor Singing Contest Auto-Tuned Contestants

Read More @  http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/08/auto-tuned-xfactor-contestants/#ixzz0xopGFinF

Ahead of the game: 200th Anniversary of 2 Romantic era giants

The Romantic era-a time of soaring melodies and outsize personalities-spawned numerous tormented souls who burst onto the scene like shooting stars, produced exquisite art, then plunged rapidly into insanity, illness or an early demise, spent by their own glorious flames.

Two of the greatest such figures are celebrating their 200th anniversaries this year: Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849), a lyrical genius whose impeccably crafted music was marked, as Franz Liszt noted, by a "deep melancholy"; and Robert Schumann (1810-1856), whose sense of fantasy overwhelmed his art and, ultimately, his mind.

Read the full article here.

Quick note from Wed 8/18

1) I just loaded the Disk One tracks listing into the iTunes database, so at least Disc 1 will come up with titles. None of the others disks will come up with anything [unless someone else has already punched in the titles and uploaded them]

2) The Kamien Connect link on the right sidebar is working now. [I had an extra / at the end of the url].

Music App FAQ

{from this webpage }

What is Music Appreciation?

Music Appreciation is a course that has different goals depending on the instructor, the department, and the school where it is taught. In general, though, it is designed to heighten your enjoyment of music by improving your listening skills, increasing your knowledge, and exposing you to new styles and forms of music.
Most courses concentrate on what is commonly known as "classical" music; symphonies, sontatas, chamber music, opera, and other forms of art music. Many courses, though, also introduce music from different parts of the world as well as more "popular" music styles like jazz, rock, or musical theater.

Why do I need to learn about music in order to enjoy it?

The short answer is "You don't!" You have been listening to (and probably enjoying) music for years. However, music listening is a skill, and some kinds of music are an acquired taste. In a sense music is like wine. Your first few sips might not be enjoyable, but as your experience grows you find your palate growing more and more discerning. Eventually, you develop your own taste in wine. In music appreciation, your listening palate will become more discriminating as well. You may learn that you like some kinds of music that didn't previously appeal to you. You may also learn to hear much more in the music you already know and enjoy.

What is the difference between listening and hearing?

An excellent question! Perhaps the easiest distinction to make is that hearing is an involuntary activity that requires no active participation on your part. If you're awake and your ears are exposed to the air you WILL hear the sounds around you. When you start to pay attention to those sounds, you move from hearing to listening.
Listening itself can happen at different levels of intensity. You may carry on a conversation with a friend while still listening to music or the television. However, the amount of information or satisfaction you get from either activity is directly related to the amount of focus you give to it. In the same way, listening to music can provide many different kinds of experiences. Listening to the radio as a background to study is much different that listening to a recording through headphones or attending a live concert.
It's important to realize that all of these different kinds of listening have value. But, as in the example above, your satisfaction with the experience will depend to a large degree on your own focus.

What is classical music? Why is it called classical?

"Classical" is a term that has two different meanings when it comes to music. In the broadest sense, classical music refers to music of certain forms and genres (symphony, string quartet, sonata, etc.) for certain instrumental combinations (solo violin, symphony orchestra, string quartet, etc) and intended for concert performance. Like many other things in the today's world this definition has become increasingly less useful as other forms and genres of music contributed to and borrowed from the traditions of classical music. In general, though, it's as good a definition as any.
In a narrower sense "classical" refers to a specific period in music history and a specific set of stylistic traits. This is the dominant music style of the late 18th century in Europe as exemplified by the music of Haydn, Mozart, and the young Beethoven. The hallmarks of this style are balance, clarity, and proportion. These qualities reflect the artistic sensibilities of ancient Greece and Rome, the so-called "Classical" civilizations.

What's wrong with the music I like now?

Nothing, and anyone who says differently is just plain wrong (even if it's your instructor). Music in all of its forms is one of the greatest expressions of our humanity, and it all has some value at some time in some circumstance. This is not to say that all music is created equal, or that all music is equally good by some kind of universal artistic standard. The point is that all music provides some kind of window into the experience of being human. It might give pleasure, provoke dancing, encourage reflection, promote relaxation, incite anger, or inspire joy.
There are as many varieties of musical expression as there are facets of human emotion. As your awareness of and appreciation for different musical experiences grow, you'll discover new worlds of sound, artistry, and meaning.

I can't read music. Will I be able to get anything out of this class?

Yes! In fact, this kind of course is designed expressly for someone without the ability to read music. This course is about listening and understanding. While your textbook contains a number of examples of music notation, they are not essential. You'll be able to follow the listening guides and other text material perfectly well without them.

BEGIN FALL 2010

BEGIN FALL 2010

If you've already taken the class, then you probably ought to UNSUBSCRIBE from this [unless you enjoy being pelted with mail relating to a class you've already taken!] There is a link to unsubscribeat the bottom of the email.]

Relating to Parking:

All students will need to secure the new 2010-2011 Macon State College parking permit. 
MACON CAMPUS
Please bring your Macon State Student I.D. card and your license plate number to the kiosk in the Student Life Center lobby as follows:
Wednesday, August 11    8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 12     8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Friday, August 13               8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Monday, August 16               8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday, August 17      8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
 
After August 17, parking permits will be available at the Department of Public Safety located on the first floor of the Sciences Annex from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

A Copyright Story

A songwriter - Jason Robert Brown - took it upon himself to peruse a site where people "trade" files they have accumulated [though the word "trade" is a lie, as used here].

He emailed members of the site and asked them to stop giving away his songs - and then wrote about it.  It is an interesting read, and a good explanation of how this whole copyright thing plays out for artists - who still have bills to pay!

http://www.jasonrobertbrown.com/weblog/2010/06/fighting_with_teenagers_a_copy.php

His wife, Georgia Stitt, also wrote an interesting article about this problem:

I'll stop telling the story for just a minute to explain why I was getting angry. For starters, selling or trading copyrighted material to which you do not own the copyright is illegal. So we can start there. But further, selling or trading copyrighted material which I own and sell as part of how I make my living is totally invasive, violating, and well, illegal. If someone distributes a piece of music that I could otherwise have sold, that distributor has stolen directly from me -- taken money out of my pocket. And if that music is published (in my case by Hal Leonard), then you're stealing from them, too. When you're talking about one piece of music, $8 here or there, I suppose it's not a huge deal. But once you open up your sheet music files to the world wide web, we're talking about thousands of dollars at stake, and suddenly it matters.

Experimental Instruments

So this Italian guy takes apart instruments, puts them together in various ways, makes music with them - and ends up as a "featured soloist" in a major feature film.

Interesting stuff!

The video:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1815813330?bctid=90707126001

The Wired Article:
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/06/gallery-strange-instruments

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The BassoForte

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The Experibass

Student Gradebook

I just discovered that the downloadable gradebook does NOT take into account absences - so if you have already calculated your grade using that tool, you may have to adjust the score.

Per the syllabus:

0-2 absences = no change

3 absences = -3 points

4 = -6 points

5 = -9 points

6 = automatic F

Our class recordings......

can be found at

http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Rule/Music+Appreciation+Experiments

I've also enabled them so you can download them & preserve your performes for posterior I mean posterity [or use them to annoy a sibling....].

20th Century roundup

If 20th century music history is a chocolate cream pie, all we did in class was smell the aroma - we didn't even touch the thing! But since we'd all like to go home at semester's end, we have to move on to America's Classical Music on Wednesday.

Before we do, though, I want to play the piece below for you. It ties together several of the 20th C characteristics we've seen:

• it uses noise as a sound source,
  
• uses rhythmic speech as a melody,
  
• sometimes has a melody & sometimes doesn't,
  
• and requires a lot of technology.
  

In particular you'll hear some bongo/conga type sounds that are synced up with spoken syllables - that was done with sampling (as far as I can tell).

Take a listen and see if you can connect what you are hearing with the concepts we discussed in class.

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Talk Radio Screencast

View more presentations from Tom Rule.

If robots are playing it, is it music (even if Pat Metheny is playing along?)

http://emusician.com/interviews/feature/pat_metheny_well_oiled_machine/

YouTube - Remember when I said in class.......

that it was a copyright infringement case waiting to happen?

It's happened - actually, it's BEEN happening. Meida gian Viacom sued Google (which owns youtube) over copyright infringement. This is a case that is going to take years and teh lawyers are going to get rich.

The lawsuit began in 2007 and is asking for over $1 billion in damages.

CLICK HERE for some details, including screenshots of documents made public this week. There are some interesting back-and-forth comments on that site, and a few "whoops!" instances.

CDs & your iPod/MP3 player [Aug 10 version]

I've been surprised at the number of people who have no idea how to transfer the music on your CDs to your MP3 player/iPod. The details will vary depending on whether you are using Macs or Windows, and what your player is/how it works. however, here is a quick idea on how to get the tracks into a more protable format.




The directions are going to be vague, but should help.
iPod/iPhone owners (this works for both Macs & Windows machines):

1. Call up iTunes. [If you don't have iTunes on your computer, go to iTunes.com and downlaod/install it].
2. Check the iTunes preferences. There's an option to set how iTunes will import CDs - I suggest using "Apple Lossless" as the format. If you really don't have a lot of hard drive space on your computer OR not a lot of memory on your player, use MP3 set to 256. If you REALLY don't have much room, set it to 128.
3. Pop in a CD. iTunes will either automatically start importing the CD, or will ask you what to do, or will just add the CD to the list, there on the right.
4. If it doesn't import automatically, click on the name of the CD. Highlight the tracks you want to import. (Click the top track, then shift-click the bottom one.)
5. In the advanced menu, select "Create Apple Lossless" or "Create MP3..." - it'll say something similar to that!
6. Plug your i-whatever to the computer. It should show up in the right-hand column in iTunes.
7. Click your music library icon [It says "Music", at the top].
8. Select some file. Click-n-drag them to the iPhone/iPod icon on the right.
9. The files should copy over.

Other MP3 players
You've got a few options. YES, you can use iTunes. You can also use Windows Media Player, or any of several MP3 rippers out there (there are many that are free. Some are good, some not so good...).
The short version:  After "ripping" the files [i.e. getting them copied over from the CDs to the hard drive] - for a lot of players, all you have to do is open up two windows - one from the computer where the audio is stashed, the other to your MP3 player. Then drag the files to the MP3 player to copy them over.
The longer version:
If you are going to use iTunes:

1. Follow steps 1-5 in the iPhone list above.
2. Plug your player into the USB port.
3. Macs: You should see the player show up on the Desktop. Windows: Open up My Computer.
4. Doubleclick the icon to open a window. Slide the window over a bit.
5. Macs: Open up where iTunes is stashing your files [usually Documents-->Music--->;iTunes, then nose around the folders. try looking inside the "Compilations" folder.)
6. Windows: Open up My Documents---->My Music--->iTunes. Nose around the folders there - look for the "Compilations" folder.
7. Drag the files from the Computer---->iTunes window to the MP3 player window.

That should do the trick.
I'm not familiar enough with Windows Media Player to really type up anything helpful - if you know it well enought to give some detailed instructions, type 'em up and send them to me. I'll post it!

Links from Feb 1 class presentation (Renaissance)

Recorder example - "chests" of instruments

Palestrina Motet

Palestrina Mass

Madrigals: La Guerre, Fair Phyllis

Instrumental example

Just for Fun: PDQ Bach Sonata Immorata
--------------------More about PDQ Bach

Medieval Period: What Monks are NOT like.........

Music Technology video

Here is the Music Tech demo (WARNING: high cheese factor!!!) that I mentioned in class. You'll see a quickie examples of a Synth, a sample-playback instrument, MIDI, and how you record MIDI and audio on a computer using these technologies.

Incidentally, the audio I played from the DSi in class today formed the basis of a tune posted on my last.fm page. It's called "Fun" and can be heard at http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Rule/One+Syllable+Songs.

I worked up that bit you heard in class today, then transferred each track of audio into the computer - and added additional tracks as well as some effects on the DSi audio before mixing it down to 2 tracks and loading it into last.fm.

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Can a phone/game system be an instrument?

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Korg KAOSS

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iPhone Band Demo

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Korg DS-10 for the Nintendo DSi

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