For 5/6 Part I: In C

We are about to have our final two classes! Hard to believe our semester is almost over.

Please remember to bring your laptop to class tomorrow (Monday), for we'll start by having you fill out course evaluations.  Here are some good things to know about course evaluations:

• As with any other writing, the more specific you are, the better.  If something was very valuable for you, or if you have a suggestion or complaint, be as clear and descriptive as you can.
• When faculty are being reviewed for tenure and/or promotion, every evaluation is read by two different committees, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and sometimes the President. They really do matter.
• I read them all and appreciate the feedback.  I always learn something. 

As we discussed on Friday, we've explored a variety ways of "musicking," including the American  "minimalist" approach, inspired and influenced by non-Western music, especially music from Africa and India. Music rooted in repetitive cycles and patterns can alter the brainwave patterns of listeners and players. Some drummers call it "drummer's high" or "drummer's trance."

In our group project, we are experimenting with polymetric cycles (i.e., different meters happening at the same time), and with a piece that is partially composed and partially improvised.  One of the most famous minimalist pieces is Terry Riley's "In C," the score for which I distributed in class on Friday.  If you click on that link, you can download both the score (if you've misplaced it) and the performance instructions.

To me, it's a really fascinating way of organizing people musicking together.  So here are several different versions:

Finally, here's the original recording:

Amazing how differently it can be done!  Listen/watch to a bit of each and post a comment.

Penguin by Avicii

This is Penguin by Avicii, for those who don't know it. It has been remixed into other songs but this is the original instrumental part.

I think it is completely do-able to take these aspects for our composition.

Balinese Kecak Vocalizations

Balinese Kecak Vox

For the vocalization element of our piece, we can use various rhythmic patterns of the "kecak" to create a dense texture that would sit beneath the keys. Our use of non-sensible sounds can vary, and switch up throughout the track to add variety. Listen to the link above and pay attention to the different sounds produced with only vocalization. If we can execute this in a similar manner, and in harmony with the boomwhackers-- I think we will have a hit.

Music for 15 Musicians?

I've been imagining a group project or projects you/we can do in our last two weeks.  We have only 5 more classes together, since classes end on Thursday next week.

We had a very interesting time exploring the melodic structure of "Amazing Grace" and simple harmonies that can fit with it.  That's a very Western (as in European/American) style of music.  Here are a couple of clips of music that is very American, but inspired by the repetitions in African music in particular.

I like the clip below because it is people your age doing something absolutely extraordinary.  And I think we could create some music inspired by this slowly-changing and deceptively simple music.
Unfortunately the window on my iPad is going crazy and won't let me post anything the video, so if after posting it I can't add by editing the post, I'll do another.  It's also not showing the video in the preview window, so it you don't see it, it's here: http://youtu.be/CHVMVDhC-UA.

That's a promo video for a CD of a performance by college-age musicians. There's a full performance  here: http://youtu.be/ZXJWO2FQ16c.  Watch the first clip and then a chunk of the second, and POST A COMMENT about your reaction.

What I'm imagining is using a combination of drums, pianos, voices, and boomwhackers.

About the homework for 4/21

I was SHOCKED to discover some of you haven't been doing your homework when I haven't been collecting it.  So NO MORE MR. NICE GUY.

So . . . . I will collect and grade the homework due Monday (which I just emailed you) AND your analyzed copy of "Amazing Grace."  (See previous posts.)

Have a great weekend otherwise!

Clarification/Review of Homework for Friday 4/19

Your homework for tomorrow (Friday 4/19), as was announced in class, is to:

1) Compose a one-measure, two part set of complimentary rhythms (like we did in class Wednesday, but with two parts rather than four).  Since you are notating rhythms only, you can write this on any kind of paper--it does not have to be staff paper.

2) In your copy of the harmonized version of Amazing Grace (if you lost it, there's a link to it in the previous post), add the superscript numbers which indicate inversions for those chords which are inverted (i.e., the root of the chord is not in the bass, the lowest-sounding note).

Remember, for a first-inversion triad-based chord, put a superscript "6" after the Roman numeral. For a second-inversion triad-based chord, it's a 6 over a 4.  (You can see better in the video.)  When typing in a program where superscript numbers aren't available, or stacking numbers isn't a possibility, things are often written like this"  I 6 (for a first inversion I chord) and I 6/4 (for a second inversion I chord).

For 7th chords, the numbering for inversions is different, because the intervals are different, given that seventh above the root makes for additional intervals.

Using V7 chords as an example, the we label inversions as follows:

• V7 (root position)
• V6/5 (1st inversion, 3rd in the bass)
• V4/3 (2nd inversion, 5th in the bass)
• V2 (3rd inversion, 7th in the bass)

For Wed 4/17: Analyzing an "Amazing Grace" arrangement

As I explained in class, for Wednesday you are taking the first steps in doing a harmonic analysis (i.e., figure out and labeling the chords) of a fully written-out piece.  In this case, it's an arrangement of "Amazing Grace."  If you weren't in class, or misplaced your copy, it's available here.

In this case, many of the chords are not written as tightly-packed, or "closed position," triads and seventh chords; most of the time they are more spread out, in what music theory people call "open" position. They use the same notes, but they are just spread out.

In the chords which are based on triads but have four notes, one note of the triad is doubled. In the very first chord, for example, there are two Gs in the bass clef part (which would be played with the left hand by a keyboard player).  It's a G chord, so we say "the root is doubled."

Here's an explanation of close(d) and open position chords:

Your tasks:

On the "Amazing Grace" arrangement,

1) Write the pop chord symbols above the treble-clef staff: Determine what each chord is, and write the pop chord symbol above the treble clef.  When the chord changes, write a new symbol.  If only the spacing changes, you don't need to write a new symbol.  if the inversion changes, write a new symbol, using a slash chord as necessary.

2) Write in the Roman numerals below the bass-clef staff.  You'll have already determined the root of each chord.  Under the bass-clef staff, write the Roman numeral that corresponds to the scale degree of the root of the chord.  Watch the video for clarification.

Watch this if you are confused: