Mozart Theme and Variations

Here's the youtube video I showed in class today.

Direct Link

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Lego Harpsichord

A Lego Harpsichord?Yup. A guy actually built a full working harpsichord out of legos. Really.

Details here.
You can hear it here.
A short Video is here.

The British Audio Archives

The sound archive of the British Library (trust me, it's HUGE) has gone
online - for free! There is a TON of stuff here you'll never hear anywhere
else - if you have a few minutes, take a listen!

The article is at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/sep/03/british-library-traditional-music

There are several soundfiles in the article you can hear.

The archive is located at
http://sounds.bl.uk/

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This might be a good break from the Music Appreciation test!

Instruments of the Orchestra Links

Instruments of the Orchestra guide
http://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/guide/

ID the Instrument game
http://www.thirteen.org/publicarts/orchestra/

Flashier tour of the Orchestra
http://www.sfskids.org/flash/instruments/instruments.swf?dom=3

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Plus links to the "cheesy Music Tech videos" to be shown in class:
Synthesizer
Sample Playback kybd
MIDI as a word processor?
MIDI & Softsynths
MIDI recording

Is it music to play an entire building?

from http://www.wtop.com/?nid=114&sid=1735146
David Byrne makes music with London building

from http://www.roundhouse.org.uk/whats-on/productions/playing-the-building--3268
Playing the Building: An Installation by David Byrne

from http://www.davidbyrne.com/art/art_projects/playing_the_building/index.php
Playing the Building

Playing the Building is a sound installation in which the infrastructure, the physical plant of the building, is converted into a giant musical instrument. Devices are attached to the building structure — to the metal beams and pillars, the heating pipes, the water pipes — and are used to make these things produce sound. The activations are of three types: wind, vibration, striking. The devices do not produce sound themselves, but they cause the building elements to vibrate, resonate and oscillate so that the building itself becomes a very large musical instrument.

Click here for a video

Is this music?

Last day of class - videos

Charlie Parker Youtube search

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Kind of Blue 50th Anniversary

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More Music Technology - verrrry cool!

This was an encore of a piece performed by a couple of "Tesla Coils" - which are basically gizmoe capable of generating very high voltages. The sound you ehar is actually the sound of the electric arcs produced by the coils - I don't know how they tuned them.

This was the final night of the SEAMUS convention, an Electro-Acoustic music making association.

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An interesting Friday tidbit.....

Since I was talking about music technolgoy the other day...

here's an article about a HANDMADE turntable... partly made from a Harley Davidson!

Enjoy your weekend!

Links from today's class - painos, synths, and screencasts!

Modded Piano article

Analog Synth/Dancer/Video thing

Demo of the Minimoog

Buchla Modular synth demo

Moog Modular Synth demo

Nintendo DS synth - the Korg DS-10

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"TALK RADIO" Screencast

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Talk Radio Screencast

View more presentations from maconmacguy.

New Musical Instruments @ Ga Tech

Original Article here

"It was like a low-stakes X Prize for music as musicians, inventors and hobbyists competed against each other in the first annual Guthman Musical Instrument Competition at Georgia Tech for cash prizes of $10,000."

There are some interesting things in this article. Take a look at the some of the creations that were shown! The article includes sound AND video.

The Worlds Most Unwanted Song

A tidbit for a Friday the 13th:

I ran across an article describing the World's Most Unwanted Song and what musical characteristics it would have (it would have a large orchestra that included the accordian and bagpipe, be over 25 minutes long, and also have an operatic soprano).

Click this link and read about it.

Click this link and take a listen!

For you guitarists out there

You may have heard about "virtual" stuff when recording - you have a piece of software that can make your guitar sound like it's plugged into any amp, using any mic, etc. Since it's software it's easy to make changes.

There are also "virtual instruments" - you run a midi cable from your keyboard to your computer, and your computer can make sounds like any of a gazillion synthesizers.

Now they've come up with a "chameleon" guitar at MIT - where you can make it sound like just about anything. Very interesting - read the article and watch the short video.

Castrati links

For your enjoyment, here are links to the
Article
and the
Recording

I for one am thankful those days are past!

More info on Copyright

Ran across an article from an Oneonta, NY newspaper that gives some practical explanations about copyright from a songwriter's perspective. It's short and to the point, and might clear up some confusion.

Copyright links - interesting articles to read

These are link to articles where you can see the effect of copyright. In both of these article you can see the problems some people face because fo copyright - however, they really don't tell you the whole OTHER side of the story (these people are using other people's work, who should get paid)

http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081106/digital-music-deal-nearly-done-but-web-radio-darling-pandora-not-out-of-the-woods/

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/nov/08/collector-keeps/?partner=RSS


Here's a take on the content owner's side:
http://blog.copyrightalliance.org/2008/11/copyright-in-a-free-market/

How Math Unraveled a Beatle's Mystery

One of those "hmmmmm....." things I run across. The Beatle's "Hard Day's Night" starts with a mysterious chord that no one has really figured out.

It took Dalhousie University professor Jason Brown six months and some
advanced mathematical analytical techniques to crack the code

Read about it here

Quite interesting! The article has a sample of the opener, if you don't what this is all about.

Classical/Romantic Test - NOTE

Your score listed in WebCT is based on "out of 81 points".

I'm curving the test - instead, it's out of 72 points.

For example, if WebCT says you scored 66 - instead of 81%, your score is 92%.

I'm going to ask for some feedback on the test in class.

Get ready for the 20th Century - it's a wild ride!

Medieval/Renaissance Notes

Medieval Period
450-1450
Primary music: Chant, Mass
Ordinary vs. proper
Secular, instrumental music in Medieval

Organum = development of Polyphony
Step 1 – second part marched in Lockstep
Step 2 – second part many notes to Chant’s one
Step 3 – add rhythms (measured rhythm, Notre Dame)

New Age (Ars Nova) – Secular music rampant, new rhythms, notation system updated
Music written that DOESN’T use chant as basis
Machaut


Renaissance
1450-1600

Music Characteristics
Word Painting (illustrate text with melody line)
Texture: Polyphonic
A Cappella (“as in church”) – unaccompanied
Syllabic vs. melismatic

Gently flowing Rhythm
Say this phrase:Hail Mary Full of Grace The Lord is with you, serene Virgin.

Music Types
Sacred:
Motet
Mass
Secular:
Madrigal
Instrumental

How to make a living
Church: as a monk. Steady, traditional, high quality.
Court/Patron: higher profile, not much job security. Just beginning to happen in this period.

Youtube Video Links used in class
Short People
Organum
Palestrina Mass
Madrigal: La Guerre
Madrigal: Fair Phyllis

PDQ Bach: Sonata Innomorata

Medieval Music Youtube Links

Notre Dame
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB8gn3ixehk

Other Monks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ8iRv67lVM

Organum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W2-xz0nr9c

Instrumental
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e98MKAP3x7w

Note about the upcoming test

Don't forget to look at the composer of each piece as well as the title, and connect that info with the sound of the piece.

See you next Wednesday AT THE LIBRARY - downstairs, all the way past the stairwell. Lab #1.

Bring something to write with.

..... and your brain!



Have a great Labor Day weekend!