Experiencing Music

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Experiencing Music

• One of the most pleasurable AURAL or hearing
  related experiences is listening to music.

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• Different levels of attentiveness impact how we
  listen to music. There are 3 types of listening
  that we will explore in this chapter.
• Casual listening when music blends in with the
  background, considered elevator music
• Sensuous listening when the listener becomes
  completely absorbed in the music, considered
  goose bump music.
• Perceptive listening listening to and
  appreciating music for its full range of
  technical and expressive qualities

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• The more we understand music, the more apt we are
  to have a peak experience. Many people call
  this an AESTHETIC experience.
• Aesthetic is characterized by a heightened
  sensitivity to the content, form, or emotional
  impact of an artistic work or event.

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http//www.youtube.com/watch?vpOCxegQupMU

• Situation 1 sitting in the reviewing stand at a
  July 4th parade, noisy crowd, hawking vendors,
  band is approaching in the distance
• Situation 2 band arrives at the viewing stand,
  musicians face the crowd, people are emotionally
  stirred by the music
• Situation 3 in class analyzing the musical
  aspects of the march, focusing on the social
  function of the music.

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Becoming a Perceptive Listener

• We rely on the aspects of music we know about to
  analyze the music we listen to, including melody,
  rhythm, harmony, timbre, texture, and form.
• The more you know about these elements the easier
  it is to understand the music you hear.

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• Most of the music you hear is based on a scale.
• A scale is a sequence of tones arranged in rising
  pitches. Most of the music we hear is based on
  major or minor scales.
• Major scales are sequences of eight pitches built
  on the pattern of 2 whole steps, 1 half step, 3
  whole steps, 1 half step (WWHWWWH)

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Intervals

• Just as in math, an interval is the distance
  between two objects - in this case, two pitches.
• A melody can move up or down, by step or skip.
  We memorize the sounds of the intervals to link
  the notes together.
• Perfect 4th
• Perfect 5th
• Major 6th
• Octave -

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How we experience music

• Experiencing music alone we choose music to
  match our mood
• Experiencing music together how we react to
  music depends on the type of music, how it is
  being used, and where you hear it
• Musicians work hard to communicate the
  expressive qualities and technical demands of the
  music they are performing. AGREE OR DISAGREE?
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vYzTCUOJKmmk

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Performing Music Alone

• Guitar Libby Larsen has called the electric
  guitar the most important musical instrument of
  the past 50 years.
• The method for tuning a guitar was developed so
  musicians could minimize movement of the left
  hand. In MOST situations, the left hand pushes
  down the strings to change chords while the right
  hand strums.
• Native American Flute Today, there is a renewed
  interest in the instrument. Artist John Rainer
  Jr.

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Performing Music Together

• Texture - the way sounds are woven together
• Ensemble cooperative musical expression
• Monophonic in unison with everyone sounding the
  same pitch or octave at the same time
• Mariachi a musical group with several violins,
  trumpets, large bass guitar, and special 5 and 6
  string guitars.
• Virtuoso a performer with brilliant, flawless
  technique

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Criteria for Critiques

• More than ones opinion, its presenting facts
  about the performance
• Critics look at many different criteria for
  critiques
• Timbre
• Expressiveness
• Technique
• Presentation
• Impact -

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• Critics DO have an impact on the success of an
  artist.
• Virtuoso a performer with brilliant, flawless
  technique

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