Favorite Midi Song Format
The First Electronic Filmscore- Forbidden Planet: A conversation with Bebe Barron
After Reading:
It’s crazy to think about the sounds we hear in movies, tv shows, and even some of our favorites youtube channels and video games. The average person doesn’t think about where they come from or who in the right mind could be so dangerous and to some, weird. For these creators making the sounds in “ Forbidden Planet” must have been hard. To create a sound that goes with something and you don’t know exactly what it should sound like but you somehow make it work is amazing to me. I think one would have to have a ear of a thousand men to be able to understand what the viewer/ listener would like. Sound is something that isn’t physical in which mean a person eye can’t see, it is hard for the average person to be able to tell another person what makes sense to something they both have very little knowledge of.
Music Listening Assignments (14 songs):
- Fela Kuti - Zombie
Has a funk kind of feel to it mixed with some blues and jazz. I could hear a variety of cultures in this such as African and Latin. I could definitely see some dancing going on to this. It has a old feel to it but at the same time I picture something like this being in a lot of the new movies I watch today. Happy Music. Never really listened to something like this continuously but after listening to it I notice it help me concentrate on writing this, helped me to clear my head. Good stuff. Instrumentation: Percussions, Chordophones, definitely some aerophones and the voice saying “Zombie” Idio.
- Bjork - Pagan Poetry
Interesting Song. I tried to understand the meaning of the song she kept repeating “she love him” and went on to say “I keep it to myself”. Even with the voice I still fell more into the beat and melody of the woman’s singing. So I guess in a way it’s sort of a trance song. I feel this person interpretation of music is different than the “norm” and is probably why the video are so successful. Surprised I haven’t heard of them before. Instrumentation: Really hard to tell I know it has to be if not all tech based “computerized”.
- Radiohead - Idioteque
I am not sure if I like song so much because Pat played it so much in class but it is really nice. I used to listen to a lot of dubstep in the passed and I sort of strayed from it but this reminds me of the things I used to listen to. Chillstep really chill and I actually watch the youtube video wit the lyrics it is really meaningful. “The Ice Age Is Coming”. Great track. Instrumentation: Guitar, Piano, computer tech, and the voice
- Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love
Has a rock feel to it. I never had an interest in rock music, opening my ear to this will make me a good listener future music I listen to. It help to see where the artist was trying to go even though I was kind of confused where the effects came into but I feel it more for the feeling than for the actually thought of the song.
Instrumentation: Voice of singer, Guitar, drums, sound effects car engine like, airplane like, alien like, outer space “retro”
- Captain Beefheart - Moonlight in Vermont
Honestly one word, huh? I mean I guess a couple more. It was an interesting listen, tried to get what the artists purposed was and I think I might have got it is either too confuse the hell out of the listener or subliminally talk about sex/ a relationship with another person?? Not sure, but overall it kind of gave me a blues, country, kind of feel. Not my cup of tea but it was bad. Good song, learning experience. Lol Instrumentation: band ensemble(guitar, drumset, some sort of guitar/string instrument)
- Terry Riley - In C
Not sure if I was supposed to watch this video. I really liked this this one. I feel like this is a good meditating song, but if played at a low sound level. Deep meditation!!! Still listening to it as I write this it has it nice slow parts but then it’s nice but steady paced higher frequency. Different variety of songs… Instrumentation: Piano, violin, cello, voice, some sort of flute/ wind instrument, I could also hear some strings
- John Chowning - Stria
His use of FM synthesis to make the bell like sound in this track is amazing. He didn’t just make one specific bell sound but many different kinds that varied in its frequency and modulation frequency. Throughout the track you could hear ringing, some very sharp and some that seems to fade. Instrumentation: FM synthesis
- Steve Reich - Come Out
Listening to this at first I did not know what I was listening to. I had to do some research on what was really going on, it was then that I understood why certain things were being stressed. I even watched a kind of weird video before doing the research of two women doing something to the music but after learning about the song I understood completely why they were doing these “weird” things. Very meaningful song.
- Xenakis Concret - Ph
Sounds like small pieces of glass hitting the ground and popping. I thought something was wrong with my headphones originally and after clicking a few other video I figure out I was on the right video. I the read the description of one of the videos and it said this was a use of burning charcoal layered to create snaps, crackles, and pops. After knowing what the sounds were I could actually hear it to, but to my untrained ear something so complex couldn’t be understood.
- Miles Davis - So What
Listened to the whole thing. Growing up I always wanted to take interest in jazz music but never did. Listening to this brought me back to those same thoughts. This was a nice song. No adays I would only hear that in elevators or some fancy place. I feel like society myself included sometimes forget where the sounds we have in our music today comes from. Instrumentation: drum, trumpet, cello, saxophone, and piano.
- Parliament Davis Funkadelic - The Mothership Connection
Definitely some funk and soul in this. A happy setting kind of sound, some sort of upliftment. Did not get nothing to exciting from this but I felt very chill mellow listening to it I feel this is something a person could listen to in their car lay back and “chilling”. I could picture that a lot people got stoned listening to this, it just sets the mood. Not that I know anything about smoking, non smoker over here.
- Charles Mingus - The Chill of Death
Very poetic, the music in the back just supports the voice of the poetic storyteller. The accompaniment of the sounds make what he is saying to be dramatic and helps the listener create a image in his/her mind. It sounds like someone in a movie speaking in third person describing a scene. Disney like. Instrumentation: trumpet, saxophone, piano, sounds like some recorded sounds also some some technology based sounds
- James Brown - The Big Payback
Soulful. Soft music in the back but a very expressive singer. Showing off his skill of apply high intense volume and screeching in certain places to draw the listener to key points where he feels need more expression. A very smart tactic and very different to the other songs. Instrumentation: drums, guitar, recordings, trombone, adlibs
- John Coltrane - My favorite Things
Very smooth! Not sure why, but when listening to this song it reminded me of a movie introduction. Sort of had a modern day feel to it but at the same time you could recognize it wasn’t. Nowadays this type of music is exaggerated where as this song sounds very simple. Very structured song, wasn’t any random parts, everything flowed together.
15. Black Sabbath - Supernaut (Metal):
Even though the guitar and the singer stood out the most my ears loved the drumming. I am a bass/percussion kind of guy and with the simple drum part I feel kept the tempo of the song and did it for me. Overall the song was not that bad. I am not that really interested in metal but this song was very effective in the way that it drew me in.
16. The Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated (Punk)
Very catchy from the start. I feel like no matter what kind of music you listen to a person could enjoy listening to this. It gives you a healthy rush and with the catchiness again it draws the listener in. The instrumentation was pretty fast but somehow the vocals somehow was able to slow the feel of the song down in some parts of the song, I feel this was a very smart song in the way it was both played and written.
17. Iggy Pop and The Stooges - 1969
Listening to this song I was trying to find a point and after a while I started saying in my own head “It’s 1969 Bayyyyybe”. I think it was not supposed to be as complex as I tried to make it and just enjoy the repetitiveness of the song. Sooner or later the listener would start singing the song in the way the artist did even after the song is gone because of how catchy it is. One thing that I really liked was the guitar solo with the change in treble and fader.
18. Television - See No Evil
Whoever is playing that guitar has some skill and passion going into it. It very crazy that I am really liking these song choices, I am not sure if it is because I have a different mindset about music now but I would never had picture myself listening to punk or metal but this song really does it for me. The emotions I get from listening to this is very positive and it just shows me people have different ways of interpreting good music and from this group punk was there way of interpretation.
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