I have not written a post the last few days since I have been running non-stop. Even though the SK gig is finished, and the Volunteer Revue featuring Johnny Casino and the Gamblers has been entered into the history books, I have been booked solid with Müle Shöe practices, students, and meetings. My evening is booked solid tomorrow night, and I have a few commitments over the long weekend, so I imagine that I will be unable to take off somewhere. I may have some time to relax, rest assured I am going to make time so I can catch a playing of "Revenge of the Sith". Regardless, I am looking forward to a couple days off.
There are some other exciting potential developments in my life, but I really can't discuss them until they come to fruition. This does have the potential to drastically change my life, and I'd love to tell you all about it, but I don't want to put a hex on the situation by letting the cat out of the bag. I should know more details within a few weeks.
Tomorrow night, select pupils of mine will be participating in a locally-sponsored talent show. It should keep me booked all evening. I sincerely hope my students have been woodshedding all week.
Showing posts with label Teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teaching. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Bittersweet Me
SK, who has given me a lot of gigs in recent months, is moving to Australia for an indefinite length of time. He has been the owner/operator of Absynthe Recording Studio for the last three or four years. Coincidentally, he sold the studio to my guitar player Chris, who obtains full ownership Monday.
Things are exciting and turbulent in my local music scene.
I haphazardly ran into SK two nights ago, and he asked me to play a gig this weekend with him. I told him I would, since I have had a great time playing with him, and it's an opportunity to make a few extra bucks. I was informed that we would be playing at a wedding reception, and that RH would be joining us.
I have had an 18-hour "workday" today. I was up at 9:00, and soon on my way to DM's studio where her and I are putting together a recital featuring both our students. These practices are very long for her and I, as we are working with about 6 groups for an hour each, every Saturday, until the day of the June recital. At times it is very difficult to listen to, at other times it is very rewarding, when we watch our pupils grow musically before our very eyes.
As soon as the recital practice with DM and her horde of pupils, I was running like a headless chicken getting my gear into the reception hall before the guests arrived. I met SK and RH at the hall, and set my gear up in a mad rush. I had my drums set up in under 20 minutes, which might be a record for me. I was off and running, grabbing a bite to eat and changing into a suit.
By 8:30, I had arrived at the wedding reception where we were to entertain the crowd.
Once again, myself, SK, and RH played a successful gig without having a rehearsal. We had a great time playing with one another -- the music felt good, we sounded very tight, for the amount of preparation I had, and the crowd loved us.
The thought of SK moving to the Southern Hemisphere is a little bittersweet. He has been very supportive with me, he has given me lots of work, and he has allowed me to network with a new contingent of musicians in this city I would have otherwise not have met. I am going to miss these spontaneous gigs, playing everything from AC/DC to Kool and the Gang; from Steve Miller to Prince; from Classic Rock standards to the most utter fromage you could imagine.
But he introduced me to RH, who is a relative newcomer in this town. Both him and I have hit it off musically. In a lot of ways, he is a lot like me, lovers of the rhythm section. Good bass players are hard to come by in this town, and I consider myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to meet him. RH and I are taking very seriously about putting together a new band to upset the status quo of my local music scene. All we need now is a gifted guitar player, and there are many of those circulating around this city -- it's just a matter of finding the right one.
I am so excited, I can't wait to see what is going to happen in the next few weeks.
Things are exciting and turbulent in my local music scene.
I haphazardly ran into SK two nights ago, and he asked me to play a gig this weekend with him. I told him I would, since I have had a great time playing with him, and it's an opportunity to make a few extra bucks. I was informed that we would be playing at a wedding reception, and that RH would be joining us.
I have had an 18-hour "workday" today. I was up at 9:00, and soon on my way to DM's studio where her and I are putting together a recital featuring both our students. These practices are very long for her and I, as we are working with about 6 groups for an hour each, every Saturday, until the day of the June recital. At times it is very difficult to listen to, at other times it is very rewarding, when we watch our pupils grow musically before our very eyes.
As soon as the recital practice with DM and her horde of pupils, I was running like a headless chicken getting my gear into the reception hall before the guests arrived. I met SK and RH at the hall, and set my gear up in a mad rush. I had my drums set up in under 20 minutes, which might be a record for me. I was off and running, grabbing a bite to eat and changing into a suit.
By 8:30, I had arrived at the wedding reception where we were to entertain the crowd.
Once again, myself, SK, and RH played a successful gig without having a rehearsal. We had a great time playing with one another -- the music felt good, we sounded very tight, for the amount of preparation I had, and the crowd loved us.
The thought of SK moving to the Southern Hemisphere is a little bittersweet. He has been very supportive with me, he has given me lots of work, and he has allowed me to network with a new contingent of musicians in this city I would have otherwise not have met. I am going to miss these spontaneous gigs, playing everything from AC/DC to Kool and the Gang; from Steve Miller to Prince; from Classic Rock standards to the most utter fromage you could imagine.
But he introduced me to RH, who is a relative newcomer in this town. Both him and I have hit it off musically. In a lot of ways, he is a lot like me, lovers of the rhythm section. Good bass players are hard to come by in this town, and I consider myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to meet him. RH and I are taking very seriously about putting together a new band to upset the status quo of my local music scene. All we need now is a gifted guitar player, and there are many of those circulating around this city -- it's just a matter of finding the right one.
I am so excited, I can't wait to see what is going to happen in the next few weeks.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
A Psychology Lesson Interspersed With Music
I cannot recall if I have ever discussed left-brained versus right-brained drumming on this weblog before. It is a rather complicated topic, with its' roots buried in Psychology rather than music.
Understanding the complexities of the brain is a huge academic undertaking, and even leading professors of Psychology will tell you that we still understand only very little of the workings of the brain. So, please accept this as my disclaimer that I know very little about the brain itself, but I know enough that I can make a few generalizations to further facilitate this entry.
The frontal lobe of the brain is divided into two halves: the left side, and the right. Both sides operate differently, and both sides are responsible for different aspects of thought, and reasoning. The left side of the brain is the logical side. It is highly mathematical, and rational, among other things, controls the actions on the right side of your body. The right side, is the more creative side of the brain, and controls actions on the left side of your body.
There have been many studies that have shown that artists are generally left-handed. This would make some sense since as just explained, the right side of the brain controls creativity. I am not going to develop this argument further, as I really don't have much knowledge of these statistics, but I would like to take this a step further as it pertains to music and drumming.
When a student takes lessons from an instructor (such as myself), they are provided with a number of exercises that helps develop the student's coordination and reading abilities. Exercises are little more than that - read, and execute in ad infinitum until proficiency develops. Exercises such as the above are logical, and thus only develop the left side of the brain.
Many of my students have developed a proficiency in exercises not unlike those described above, but when I ask them to just "play the drums", they fail miserably. What they play is tortured, rigid, and unmusical. The answer to why they cannot "play the drums" is simply because playing the drums without written material requires development of the right side of the brain.
Developing the creative side of the brain is much more difficult than assigning exercises that develop coordination. I am attempting to address this issue with some of my more advanced students to see how they take to this new approach. It will take a number of weeks, but I am going to see if they can eventually make music without the aid of written material.
Creative drumming is a lot like singing a song, or even speaking a sentence. Music is a language, thus it has conventions that are similar to written and spoken language. There are nouns, verbs, adjectives, grammar, and punctuation of sorts in music. Trying to get my students to speak in such a language is going to be a difficult task. The only way I think I can facilitate this is by starting very simply. Get the student to play some simple figures on the snare drum, and try to get them to develop on that idea. The ideas should be further developed by adding more complex rhythms, and colors such as toms and cymbals.
Applying the rudiments to this exercise is key to the success of this program. So far, I am going to spend a few weeks on the single-stroke roll, as this is the most often used rudiment, and likely, the most diverse.
I will also have to find a way that I can teach them how to listen to other players in order for the experiment to be a success. I have yet to determine the best approach to this idea. If my memory remains intact, I will update this weblog to indicate the degree of success of this experiment.
Understanding the complexities of the brain is a huge academic undertaking, and even leading professors of Psychology will tell you that we still understand only very little of the workings of the brain. So, please accept this as my disclaimer that I know very little about the brain itself, but I know enough that I can make a few generalizations to further facilitate this entry.
The frontal lobe of the brain is divided into two halves: the left side, and the right. Both sides operate differently, and both sides are responsible for different aspects of thought, and reasoning. The left side of the brain is the logical side. It is highly mathematical, and rational, among other things, controls the actions on the right side of your body. The right side, is the more creative side of the brain, and controls actions on the left side of your body.
There have been many studies that have shown that artists are generally left-handed. This would make some sense since as just explained, the right side of the brain controls creativity. I am not going to develop this argument further, as I really don't have much knowledge of these statistics, but I would like to take this a step further as it pertains to music and drumming.
When a student takes lessons from an instructor (such as myself), they are provided with a number of exercises that helps develop the student's coordination and reading abilities. Exercises are little more than that - read, and execute in ad infinitum until proficiency develops. Exercises such as the above are logical, and thus only develop the left side of the brain.
Many of my students have developed a proficiency in exercises not unlike those described above, but when I ask them to just "play the drums", they fail miserably. What they play is tortured, rigid, and unmusical. The answer to why they cannot "play the drums" is simply because playing the drums without written material requires development of the right side of the brain.
Developing the creative side of the brain is much more difficult than assigning exercises that develop coordination. I am attempting to address this issue with some of my more advanced students to see how they take to this new approach. It will take a number of weeks, but I am going to see if they can eventually make music without the aid of written material.
Creative drumming is a lot like singing a song, or even speaking a sentence. Music is a language, thus it has conventions that are similar to written and spoken language. There are nouns, verbs, adjectives, grammar, and punctuation of sorts in music. Trying to get my students to speak in such a language is going to be a difficult task. The only way I think I can facilitate this is by starting very simply. Get the student to play some simple figures on the snare drum, and try to get them to develop on that idea. The ideas should be further developed by adding more complex rhythms, and colors such as toms and cymbals.
Applying the rudiments to this exercise is key to the success of this program. So far, I am going to spend a few weeks on the single-stroke roll, as this is the most often used rudiment, and likely, the most diverse.
I will also have to find a way that I can teach them how to listen to other players in order for the experiment to be a success. I have yet to determine the best approach to this idea. If my memory remains intact, I will update this weblog to indicate the degree of success of this experiment.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Building a Curriculum
For reasons that soon will become evident (remember my little "secret"), I have been considering building a comprehensive drum curriculum for my students. The idea is to build a graduated system with four or six levels of difficulty. Upon completion of the program, the student should have enough knowledge that they can gain acceptance to the music program in almost any post-secondary institution.
Warning! This entry may be very boring to the common reader!
The problem I am facing, is that I have so many topics I want to cover in said program, that it would virtually impossible for any student to complete the program in six years. I have about 40 drum-related books, plus I have literally hundreds (maybe even thousands) of exercises from issues of Modern Drummer Magazine.
What I really should do, is consult the music faculties at nearby Colleges and Universities, and ask them what their requirements are to gain acceptance to their program. Another avenue which would be beneficial is to pick up a copy of the Royal Conservatory of Music Drum Syllabus, and do some research there. It is easier to write such a program when you know what it should cover in the end.
I would really like a four-tier system, as this would work nicely with the way I teach rudiments. Since I teach 40 rudiments, I break them up into four sets of 10, of increasing difficulty. I would like to teach ten in each tier. I doubt I could cover all the material I would like in four short years. Six years might be more manageable. This works well, as most high-school band programs are six years in length. I still don't believe that proficiency in the high-school band program would guarantee acceptance into the music program at a post-secondary institution.
I know that my program should cover the following elements:
It is likely that I am going to have to first build a very large program, and then do my best to separate the "wheat from the chaff". I can already see that this process is going to take years.
Years ago, studio legend Gary Chester created a brilliant drumming program. Many of the exercises he provided to his students are noted in his books "The New Breed", and "The New Breed 2". One of his brilliant motivational tools was if his students performed his practice material well enough, Gary would then assign the student a "Bonus" exercise. The Bonus, was an exercise of considerable difficulty. I find it ironic that a student would be pleased by being assigned an incredibly difficult exercise, but Gary was a unique teacher, and drummers would travel across the world to study with him.
I thought I would like to apply the bonus ideas to my curriculum. I don't think I could build a system superior to Gary's, but it might be the answer to creating a comprehensive drum program with a minimal amount of paperweight.
Let's start simple. In the program I wish to build, the majority of the student's first year of studies would focus on Ted Reed's Syncopation. This is a brilliant book. At first glance, the book doesn't look like much, but it is in the applications that this book really shines. There are a million different ways to play the exercises in the book. It is in the applications that I hope I can build some ideas for Bonus exercises for ambitious beginner students. The student of course, would have to demonstrate the ability to perform the assigned exercise to some degree of proficiency, but then, I could apply the bonuses. The bonuses could get more complicated as the student progresses in the book. The following list is just a few ideas on the different ways to apply the first 12 lessons in Ted Reed's Book.
All this being said, to just cover the above 8 applications could potentially take the student 8 years to learn just the book. I think I am in over my head. I may return to this subject at a time when I have a better understanding of what I am getting myself into.
Warning! This entry may be very boring to the common reader!
The problem I am facing, is that I have so many topics I want to cover in said program, that it would virtually impossible for any student to complete the program in six years. I have about 40 drum-related books, plus I have literally hundreds (maybe even thousands) of exercises from issues of Modern Drummer Magazine.
What I really should do, is consult the music faculties at nearby Colleges and Universities, and ask them what their requirements are to gain acceptance to their program. Another avenue which would be beneficial is to pick up a copy of the Royal Conservatory of Music Drum Syllabus, and do some research there. It is easier to write such a program when you know what it should cover in the end.
I would really like a four-tier system, as this would work nicely with the way I teach rudiments. Since I teach 40 rudiments, I break them up into four sets of 10, of increasing difficulty. I would like to teach ten in each tier. I doubt I could cover all the material I would like in four short years. Six years might be more manageable. This works well, as most high-school band programs are six years in length. I still don't believe that proficiency in the high-school band program would guarantee acceptance into the music program at a post-secondary institution.
I know that my program should cover the following elements:
- Rudiments
- Coordinated Independence
- Reading
- Symphonic Snare Technique
- Tympani
- Auxiliary Percussion (Tambourine, Bells, Shakers, etc.)
- Latin Percussion (Bongos, Conga, and Timbale)
- Mallets (Xylophone, Vibes, and Marimba)
- Rock Drumming
- Jazz Drumming
- Latin / World Percussion
It is likely that I am going to have to first build a very large program, and then do my best to separate the "wheat from the chaff". I can already see that this process is going to take years.
Years ago, studio legend Gary Chester created a brilliant drumming program. Many of the exercises he provided to his students are noted in his books "The New Breed", and "The New Breed 2". One of his brilliant motivational tools was if his students performed his practice material well enough, Gary would then assign the student a "Bonus" exercise. The Bonus, was an exercise of considerable difficulty. I find it ironic that a student would be pleased by being assigned an incredibly difficult exercise, but Gary was a unique teacher, and drummers would travel across the world to study with him.
I thought I would like to apply the bonus ideas to my curriculum. I don't think I could build a system superior to Gary's, but it might be the answer to creating a comprehensive drum program with a minimal amount of paperweight.
Let's start simple. In the program I wish to build, the majority of the student's first year of studies would focus on Ted Reed's Syncopation. This is a brilliant book. At first glance, the book doesn't look like much, but it is in the applications that this book really shines. There are a million different ways to play the exercises in the book. It is in the applications that I hope I can build some ideas for Bonus exercises for ambitious beginner students. The student of course, would have to demonstrate the ability to perform the assigned exercise to some degree of proficiency, but then, I could apply the bonuses. The bonuses could get more complicated as the student progresses in the book. The following list is just a few ideas on the different ways to apply the first 12 lessons in Ted Reed's Book.
- Play the exercise as written
- Play the bass drum part with the hi-hat and play the snare part with the bass drum
- As (2, above), but play 2 & 4 on the snare.
- Play the exercise as written, but play eighth notes on the hi-hat or ride.
- Play the exercise as written, but play a bossa-nova or samba pattern with the bass drum
- Play the exercise as written, with a jazz ride pattern, plus 2&4 on the hi-hat with the left foot
- Play the exercise as written, plus any of the following hi-hat patterns: quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, broken triplets (i.e. shuffle), plus various broken sixteenth note patterns.
- Play any of the above exercises, adding either quarter notes, eighth notes, upbeat eighths, or 2&4 with the left-foot on the hi-hat pedal.
All this being said, to just cover the above 8 applications could potentially take the student 8 years to learn just the book. I think I am in over my head. I may return to this subject at a time when I have a better understanding of what I am getting myself into.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Veruca Salt
True Story. I swear on my stamp collection.
I have been quite busy with my students lately, and I have been wrapping up a number of projects, as it is approaching the end of the school year. This "final" week of teaching features a number of my students playing in a recital-type situation.
Last night, there was a performance with my students and a number of other novice players at a local all-ages club. Every Monday evening, this club has an open stage night, where players can have the opportunity to play before spectators. My mother is a member of this club, and she has been trying to get me to attend these jam sessions.
Immediately after I finished teaching my last pupil last night, I went to this club to greet my students. I was greeted at the main doors by a teenaged-girl, whom I had never met, but who I will refer to as "Veruca Salt" (For those who are familiar with Roald Dahl's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you will soon understand why I named her that).
The first thing out of Veruca's mouth was "Are you with all those people that have just started showing up?" I nodded. She then asked "Why?" in a rather cynical tone of voice. I tried explaining to her that myself and another teacher brought our students to this open jam session to allow them an opportunity to perform for other people. Her response was absolutely ludicrous, stating something of the fact that we were invading her space, and we were not welcome -- while she stormed away.
I was left completely speechless. Never in my life have a met someone who was so blatantly rude to me in front of my face. I certainly did not have ample time to conjure up a witty remark in retaliation of this assault. I know how I felt; like telling this witch what I thought of her attitude problem, and deflating her ego, in hopes of bringing a little humility to her.
I asked my mother what this girl's problem was. She started laughing, realizing that I just had a close encounter with Veruca. It appears that this girl behaves like this all the time, and very few people at the club can tolerate her. Of course, Veruca got up and played a few songs, but I certainly can tell that her talents weren't worth bragging about -- certainly not to the degree she throws her weight around that club.
Obviously, Veruca does not realize the importance of people skills in a musical situation. If you have a poor attitude, and you are controlling and demeaning to others, no one will want to make music with you, regardless of your talents. I know this from experience, as I have played in bands with controlling and manipulative people. What normally happens in this situation is the band members fight, people quit, the band breaks up, and eventually the word gets around that certain people are difficult (or impossible) to work with. Thus, these rude, egocentric, controlling people end up playing by themselves.
Nearing the end of the night, there were less than ten players left at the club. I asked my mother how many people show up to these jams on a weekly basis. My mother replied that the people I saw in the club at that moment, consisted of the core group. No wonder so few people attend this jam session at this club anymore. This little brat has sucked out any enjoyment anyone could have. It has certainly convinced me that I don't want to go to that club to jam on any regular basis.
I have been quite busy with my students lately, and I have been wrapping up a number of projects, as it is approaching the end of the school year. This "final" week of teaching features a number of my students playing in a recital-type situation.
Last night, there was a performance with my students and a number of other novice players at a local all-ages club. Every Monday evening, this club has an open stage night, where players can have the opportunity to play before spectators. My mother is a member of this club, and she has been trying to get me to attend these jam sessions.
Immediately after I finished teaching my last pupil last night, I went to this club to greet my students. I was greeted at the main doors by a teenaged-girl, whom I had never met, but who I will refer to as "Veruca Salt" (For those who are familiar with Roald Dahl's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you will soon understand why I named her that).
The first thing out of Veruca's mouth was "Are you with all those people that have just started showing up?" I nodded. She then asked "Why?" in a rather cynical tone of voice. I tried explaining to her that myself and another teacher brought our students to this open jam session to allow them an opportunity to perform for other people. Her response was absolutely ludicrous, stating something of the fact that we were invading her space, and we were not welcome -- while she stormed away.
I was left completely speechless. Never in my life have a met someone who was so blatantly rude to me in front of my face. I certainly did not have ample time to conjure up a witty remark in retaliation of this assault. I know how I felt; like telling this witch what I thought of her attitude problem, and deflating her ego, in hopes of bringing a little humility to her.
I asked my mother what this girl's problem was. She started laughing, realizing that I just had a close encounter with Veruca. It appears that this girl behaves like this all the time, and very few people at the club can tolerate her. Of course, Veruca got up and played a few songs, but I certainly can tell that her talents weren't worth bragging about -- certainly not to the degree she throws her weight around that club.
Obviously, Veruca does not realize the importance of people skills in a musical situation. If you have a poor attitude, and you are controlling and demeaning to others, no one will want to make music with you, regardless of your talents. I know this from experience, as I have played in bands with controlling and manipulative people. What normally happens in this situation is the band members fight, people quit, the band breaks up, and eventually the word gets around that certain people are difficult (or impossible) to work with. Thus, these rude, egocentric, controlling people end up playing by themselves.
Nearing the end of the night, there were less than ten players left at the club. I asked my mother how many people show up to these jams on a weekly basis. My mother replied that the people I saw in the club at that moment, consisted of the core group. No wonder so few people attend this jam session at this club anymore. This little brat has sucked out any enjoyment anyone could have. It has certainly convinced me that I don't want to go to that club to jam on any regular basis.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
The Art of Noise
I have had a busy week with my pupils. Yes, I have disciples who want to be just like me... Well, they would like to play drums just like me. Select students of mine were involved in a recital on Saturday. Another music teacher and I collaborated together and brought about sixty pianists, guitarists, keyboard players, bass players and singers together to play a bunch of contemporary music. I am happy to say that my pupils performed well, and I am proud of what they have accomplished in a few short months. They even surprised me, executing patterns that I had not shown them. It was a great end to a few months of hard work and dedication. I believe that they may become true drummers after all.
One of my pupils often brings me samples of music that he enjoys, and he would like to learn. Most of what he brings is in the indie-rock persuasion, full of raw emotional energy. Some of it I have found to be very intriguing to listen to. Some of it is rather predictable, others are rather boring, and even others border on being unlistenable. I have to thank him in many respects, as I had been going through a (long) period where I have felt that the new music of this decade is un-groundbreaking, untalented, and unlistenable.
At his lesson last night, this particular student brought in his usual arsenal of compact discs. This particular one -- a band from Toronto in pursuit of the elusive record deal, he was quite excited about. When I put in the short EP, I was assaulted by heavy machine-gun guitars, playing no more than two chords, aggressive drumming played as loud and as fast as possible, and a vocalist whom I could not tell whether he was in pain or on meth. Every lyric was unintelligibly screamed at the top of the vocalists' mouth; I could not even tell if he was in key -- or if he knew what "in key" meant. After a few moments I turned off the aural assault, and asked if he had anything else to show me.
To say I did not enjoy the above artist would be an understatement -- and it's not due to the aggression of the music. In fact, I do enjoy a great deal of aggressive music, just refer to my last post. It is something that goes a little deeper, something that hits me in a certain way that says that the music band "x" makes is worth listening to rather than band "y".
Take for instance, what I call the "new rock". This is the music that has been dominating the airwaves for the last five years or so. The guitars are often tuned down to "d", the production is slick, and the sound is groovy, loud, penetrating and full. Artists like Creed and Nickelback could be considered pioneers of this genre. Since these two artists have achieved international success, literally hundreds of other bands have tried to copy this style in order to achieve stardom. The thing is, that these clone bands do not have the same attitude, potential, or talent as the pioneers. Unfortunately, when a sound like this is capitalized by the recording industry (largely the ones to blame for the homogenization of popular music), my admiration of the genre of music is tarnished. I find it difficult to admire the pioneers, as well as the clones. The music just does not move me on that personal level.
The reason why I have a difficult time supporting (and admiring) even the pioneers of "new rock" is that they become victims of their own demise. Even though they originally started this new trend in popular music, they are inevitably a part of the system, and the system dictates to all their artists what is expected of them. Nickelback is unfortunately forced to write sequels to "How You Remind Me", because their record label forces them to write what sells. This creates dissention between the artists and record companies, as the recording industry is more interested in making huge profits, rather than being conduits for artistic expression. So given this above situation, it could be argued that the record companies are wholly to blame for the lack of original and artistically compelling music that is otherwise absent from the airwaves. I could blame the recording industry for the massive homogenization and marketing of manufactured artists that sell millions of records due to multi-million dollar marketing, and not due to artistic merit. I could even say that it is entirely due to the recording industry that the majority of my music purchases are from recordings made between 1969 and 1989. I could rant on this subject for endless paragraphs, but this isn't what I wanted to discuss in the first place.
What I wanted to talk about stems from this no-name artist my student played for me. After some careful thought on the subject, I concluded the reason why I did not like this particular band, was that they were not making music. Now music is of course a subjective term, but from what I know about music, it has a few commonalities between all genres.
First, music is supposed to have three integral components: melody, harmony and rhythm. Music is also meant to tell a story. It must have a beginning, a development, and an end. Much a like a piece of literature, music must be able to take the listener on a journey of sorts. If a song is just a alternation between a verse and a chorus, there is little development, it just moves from one musical statement to another without and conclusions being made. Endless techno dance mixes fall into the above category.
What was played for me the last evening did not fit into my definition of music. It had no melody, nor harmony. The rhythm itself was predictable for music of the indie-punk persuasion. And for musical development, there was none. I found myself extremely bored while listening to this barrage of heavy guitar, frantic drumming and tortured singing. If there was any musical development, I found it to be very predictable. So what I heard was definitely not music, but my pupil seemed to enjoy what he heard.
I thought about this for some time and came to some conclusions. Perhaps he had been able to decipher the lyrics, and there was a message that the singer communicated that he could identify with. I know music of the punk genre often preaches political and sociological reform -- a mandate I wholly commend. As for the music being loud and aggressive, I can appreciate. Punk music is largely about attitude rather than glamour and fashion. Punk is usually against the homogenization of culture and society, for which I can appreciate (a homogenized culture is often a socialist one).
So then, what was it, that my student enjoyed, and I missed completely? Though I felt that this particular band did not make music, I can firmly say that what they did make was art. Art of course, is closely related to music but one does not make the other. To say it another way, music can be classified as art, but art does not necessarily have to be music. Art has the potential of instigating sociological change, some find it offensive, and others just don't understand it, period. Art done well can expose a fundamental flaw in the values of our culture.
Art is a form revolution. Art is a form of rebellion. Art is beautiful. Art is not ever to be censored. To censor art is to deny our fundamental human rights of expression, belief and opinion.
People often forget that art is not always pretty. Art is sometimes disturbing, and classified as offensive, sacrilegious, gory, pornographic, or morbid. True art, by its' definition is meant to make us think; for us to question or values and beliefs, conversely it may be meant to reinforce them. Of all the advanced civilizations that have been documented in our great history, all of them shared art and music. Both forms of expression must have had impact on the values and beliefs of the cultures that had existed. When we reflect on the art of the Ancient Greeks, Chinese, Romans, Egyptians, etc., we are often dazzled by it's beauty and marvel at the greatness of these ancient civilizations. To deny and censor art of all genres and civilizations would be to deny the greatness of ours.
One of my pupils often brings me samples of music that he enjoys, and he would like to learn. Most of what he brings is in the indie-rock persuasion, full of raw emotional energy. Some of it I have found to be very intriguing to listen to. Some of it is rather predictable, others are rather boring, and even others border on being unlistenable. I have to thank him in many respects, as I had been going through a (long) period where I have felt that the new music of this decade is un-groundbreaking, untalented, and unlistenable.
At his lesson last night, this particular student brought in his usual arsenal of compact discs. This particular one -- a band from Toronto in pursuit of the elusive record deal, he was quite excited about. When I put in the short EP, I was assaulted by heavy machine-gun guitars, playing no more than two chords, aggressive drumming played as loud and as fast as possible, and a vocalist whom I could not tell whether he was in pain or on meth. Every lyric was unintelligibly screamed at the top of the vocalists' mouth; I could not even tell if he was in key -- or if he knew what "in key" meant. After a few moments I turned off the aural assault, and asked if he had anything else to show me.
To say I did not enjoy the above artist would be an understatement -- and it's not due to the aggression of the music. In fact, I do enjoy a great deal of aggressive music, just refer to my last post. It is something that goes a little deeper, something that hits me in a certain way that says that the music band "x" makes is worth listening to rather than band "y".
Take for instance, what I call the "new rock". This is the music that has been dominating the airwaves for the last five years or so. The guitars are often tuned down to "d", the production is slick, and the sound is groovy, loud, penetrating and full. Artists like Creed and Nickelback could be considered pioneers of this genre. Since these two artists have achieved international success, literally hundreds of other bands have tried to copy this style in order to achieve stardom. The thing is, that these clone bands do not have the same attitude, potential, or talent as the pioneers. Unfortunately, when a sound like this is capitalized by the recording industry (largely the ones to blame for the homogenization of popular music), my admiration of the genre of music is tarnished. I find it difficult to admire the pioneers, as well as the clones. The music just does not move me on that personal level.
The reason why I have a difficult time supporting (and admiring) even the pioneers of "new rock" is that they become victims of their own demise. Even though they originally started this new trend in popular music, they are inevitably a part of the system, and the system dictates to all their artists what is expected of them. Nickelback is unfortunately forced to write sequels to "How You Remind Me", because their record label forces them to write what sells. This creates dissention between the artists and record companies, as the recording industry is more interested in making huge profits, rather than being conduits for artistic expression. So given this above situation, it could be argued that the record companies are wholly to blame for the lack of original and artistically compelling music that is otherwise absent from the airwaves. I could blame the recording industry for the massive homogenization and marketing of manufactured artists that sell millions of records due to multi-million dollar marketing, and not due to artistic merit. I could even say that it is entirely due to the recording industry that the majority of my music purchases are from recordings made between 1969 and 1989. I could rant on this subject for endless paragraphs, but this isn't what I wanted to discuss in the first place.
What I wanted to talk about stems from this no-name artist my student played for me. After some careful thought on the subject, I concluded the reason why I did not like this particular band, was that they were not making music. Now music is of course a subjective term, but from what I know about music, it has a few commonalities between all genres.
First, music is supposed to have three integral components: melody, harmony and rhythm. Music is also meant to tell a story. It must have a beginning, a development, and an end. Much a like a piece of literature, music must be able to take the listener on a journey of sorts. If a song is just a alternation between a verse and a chorus, there is little development, it just moves from one musical statement to another without and conclusions being made. Endless techno dance mixes fall into the above category.
What was played for me the last evening did not fit into my definition of music. It had no melody, nor harmony. The rhythm itself was predictable for music of the indie-punk persuasion. And for musical development, there was none. I found myself extremely bored while listening to this barrage of heavy guitar, frantic drumming and tortured singing. If there was any musical development, I found it to be very predictable. So what I heard was definitely not music, but my pupil seemed to enjoy what he heard.
I thought about this for some time and came to some conclusions. Perhaps he had been able to decipher the lyrics, and there was a message that the singer communicated that he could identify with. I know music of the punk genre often preaches political and sociological reform -- a mandate I wholly commend. As for the music being loud and aggressive, I can appreciate. Punk music is largely about attitude rather than glamour and fashion. Punk is usually against the homogenization of culture and society, for which I can appreciate (a homogenized culture is often a socialist one).
So then, what was it, that my student enjoyed, and I missed completely? Though I felt that this particular band did not make music, I can firmly say that what they did make was art. Art of course, is closely related to music but one does not make the other. To say it another way, music can be classified as art, but art does not necessarily have to be music. Art has the potential of instigating sociological change, some find it offensive, and others just don't understand it, period. Art done well can expose a fundamental flaw in the values of our culture.
Art is a form revolution. Art is a form of rebellion. Art is beautiful. Art is not ever to be censored. To censor art is to deny our fundamental human rights of expression, belief and opinion.
People often forget that art is not always pretty. Art is sometimes disturbing, and classified as offensive, sacrilegious, gory, pornographic, or morbid. True art, by its' definition is meant to make us think; for us to question or values and beliefs, conversely it may be meant to reinforce them. Of all the advanced civilizations that have been documented in our great history, all of them shared art and music. Both forms of expression must have had impact on the values and beliefs of the cultures that had existed. When we reflect on the art of the Ancient Greeks, Chinese, Romans, Egyptians, etc., we are often dazzled by it's beauty and marvel at the greatness of these ancient civilizations. To deny and censor art of all genres and civilizations would be to deny the greatness of ours.
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