Explore the World of Music: From Pitch to Performance

1. WHY study music? 1. Musician 2. Advertising 3. Presentations at work or party 4. Knowledge to impress co-workers 5.putting on a profession show 6. arts separate us as a species (for enjoyments sake)

2. What is Music? Organized sound in time? Performance was only media today blessed with high quality recordings and playback mobile devices plus unprecedented access to all kinds of music. What is Sound? Vibrations interpreted by Brain into anything you hear

3. FOUR MAIN properties of sound : • Pitch • Dynamics • Tone Color • Rhythm (time)

4. PITCH: highness or lowness of defiant vibrations (frequency of sound waves)= tones (440 cycles per second)distance between two tones is interval ( i.e. 440 to 460)tones that are doubled or half arecalledoctave (i.e 220 to 440 to 880)In western music octave is dividedintotwelve tonesNon-western can have more.Definite pitch (piano, guitar, trumpets, keyboards) Vs. Indefinite (drums, percussive)

5. DYNAMICS: degrees of loudness and softness (amplitude) • accent= play one or few notes differently than those around it • dynamic markings = pp(pianissimo) ,p (piano) ,mp (mezzo piano),mf (mezzo forte),f (forte),ff (fortissimo) • crescendo & decrescendo • TONE COLOR:timbre = bright, dark, brilliant, mellow, rich, ect… • By combining instruments, using different ways to play them and with today’s electronics almost and infinite amount of tone colors available.

6. Rhythm (time) • How fast or slow (tempo) (BPM) • Number of beats in a measure • Feels (laidback, on top,ect..) • All instruments or vocalist play time

7. Stravinsky = Listen for: Crescendo / Gradual addition of instruments/ repetition of same melody at different pitch / sudden dynamic change / crescendo to ending • Ellington = listen for : repeated note melody / tone color changes as melody passes to different instruments / brass using mutes / full band at end

8. Jazz - • •Individual voices - performers • •Collective expression - how performers interact musically • •Jazz has a history of performers more than composers • •Early on, all music that was not clearly classical was considered jazz • Classical music - each instrument has an “ideal” sound • •Jazz - individuality of personal sounds (sometimes causes listeners to question the sounds they hear) • •Growls, bends, slurs, vibrato, or adding any device to assist their personal interpretation • •Instrumentalist imitate vocalist

9. Jazz blend • •Blend of African oral tradition and European musical tradition • •Urban and rural folk music • •White & black church music practices • •Marching bands, jug bands (jug plus homemade instruments like tub bass, washboards, spoons) • Understanding jazz • •Requires understanding the performer • Requires an understanding of the instrument they play • •Personal voices are more important that composers • understanding the context of the music piece/recording by time period/ location/performers/ ect…

10. IMPROVISATION & COMPOSITION • Whole piece is not always composed unlike most classical & pop/rock • Improvised solos make individuals composer, arranger & performer in “real time” • –Change melody • –Play over chords • –Create entire new musical performance • Makes “recordings” & “live performances” individual works of art not just representative pieces. • SOME Examples of different Jazz Styles • 1. Swing beat 2. Latin 3. Blues 4. Fusion • **YOUTUBE examples

11. HOW VOCALS RELATE TO PITCH/ DYNAMICS/ TONE COLOR/ RHYTHM • pitch octaves (12 notes on piano) • VOICES =Singing styles use all 4 or some of the properties of music plus introduces words and story telling. • Pitch Range of vocal= pro singers can get up to 2 octaves (octave is doubled same pitch freq 220hz 440hz 880hz ect.) • larger vocal chords make larger sine wavs (lower pitch) four basic ranges: SOPRANO, ALTO, TENOR, BASS

12. Methods of singing or singing style differ with how singer uses the four types of sound & lyrically content. • Examples – Opera uses wide pitch range, tone color of singer, lots of dynamics, and varying rhythms • JAZZ = good pitch range but less than Opera / dynamics Big/ rhythm varies but less, goes with the groove/Tone color of singer becomes more important • Rock / Pop = usually uses less pitch range, tone color ofsinger, some dynamics, less rhythmic variations • Hip Hop / Rap = usually uses almost no pitch range , tone color of singer, less dynamics, relies heavily on rhythm

13. JAZZ VOCAL STYLES & TECHNIQUES • Standards (Swing or Straight) • Latin • Fusion (close to Pop/Rock) • SCAT • **youtube examples

14. Performance mediaINSTRUMENTS = mechanism other than a voice that produces musical sounds. (single note or multi) • Traditional Sections or classifications • 1.Brass 2. Woodwinds 3. String • 4. Percussion 5.Keyboard 6. Electronic • JAZZ Sections of instruments • 1.Rhythm section • 2. Brass section • 3. Wind (Sax) section • 4. Vocalist & soloist

15. Different class of types sometimes have Soprano, Alto Tenor Bass (Baritone or Contra) subclasses determined by pitch Advantages/ differences to voices wider range, faster, more tone color options, larger dynamic range, sometimes easier to produce tones than singing, can be organized into multiple different groups to produce varying types of sound combinations.

16. SAXOPHONE SECTION Part of the WOODWINDS Flute family (flute, piccolo, recorder-NO reed) Clarinet Family (clarinet, Saxophone –single reed) Oboe Family (oboe, English horn, -double reed) Bassoon Family ( bassoon, contrabassoon – double reed)

17. WOODWINDS • traditional made out of wood • (however, Saxophone is more modern instrument that is typical made of metal and coated w/ nickel, silver, or gold • produce sound with air columns that have holes that are covered or uncovered to change length of air column. • produces only one note at a time.

18. SAXOPHONE RANGES • Soprano Sax • Alto Sax • Tenor Sax • Baritone Sax • ContraBass Sax

19. BRASS SECTION • Four Main instruments are • Trumpet (soprano) • Trombone (Alto /Tenor) • French Horn mainly orchestral (Alto/Tenor) • Tuba (Bass)

20. Blowing into cup of funnel shaped mouth piece , vibrations come from players lips not a reed. • Tone is then colored in the flared end called the BELL. • Pitch is controlled by varying lip tension and by values and slides to change the length of the tube (sometimes hand on a French horn). • Tone color can be altered by using a mute (made of wood, plastic, or metal) on or in the bell • Pitch & tone color can be altered by using other no conventional tools such as a plunger, ect.. • Single note instruments

21. THE RHYTHM SECTION • Drum-set • Percussion • Bass (Stringed) • The Guitar (Stringed) • Keyboards

22. THE DRUMSET (Indefinite Pitch) • Bass drum • Snare • Tom Toms • Rack Toms • Floor Toms • Cymbals • Rides & Crash • Hi Hats

23. Percussion • Indefinite Pitch • Tambourines • Shakers • Cowbells • Definite Pitch • Chimes • Vibes

24. BASS(definite pitch /low range) • Electric • Fretless electric • Acoustic upright • Arco technique

25. Guitar (Definite Pitch / Mid range) • Acoustic • Arch Top • Electric

26. String Playing techniques • PIZZICATO • DOUBLE STOP • VIBRATO • MUTE • TREMOLO • HARMONICS • techniques can be used on almost all string instruments

27. Keyboard (Definite Pitch / Full Range) • The Piano (88 Keys) • The Organ • Fender Rhodes • Analog Synthesizer • Digital Synthesizer

28. ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS • ANALOG TAPE STUDIO • SYNTHESIZERS (KEYBOARDS) • COMPUTERS

29. ANALOG TAPE STUDIO • recorded sound was manipulated by slowing and speeding tape cutting or splicing tape • length of looped tape could be timed to give rhythmic feel

30. COMPUTERS • with use of MIDI (code that allows digital instruments and computers to talk to one another) computers can now not only record music but be part of the creation process. • with programs you can control sound , change sound, fix sound. (GOOD vs. BAD) • I.E. fixing singers pitch, rhythm, same with any instrument but can create sounds and rhythms that are physically impossible to do live.

31. HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT 1 • FINDING LOCAL STL MUSICIANS & Jazz VENUES