Sunday, September 27, 2015
music theory
This years choir class has been the first time that I have had the opportunity to not only sing in a choir but to learn how to read music and understand certain musical concepts. Therefore I decided to do some research on music theory, and do a blog post about some of the cool stuff I learned. First of all, music theory is a way broader concept than I expected. It involves not only learning to read music like in our theory books, but basically all of the possibilities of music, which is super cool if you think about it. Some of the more obvious things that it includes are the basic pitch, tempo, harmony, etc., but it also involves a certain amount of "hypothetical speculation", which has to do with individual beliefs and ideas about music. The ideas of what constitute music are always changing. For example, Things such as the importance of silence in music, or rhythmic relationships, don't have set rules like 'finding the doe', and it is up to the composer/singer/musician, etc, to determine what the best way to utilize it is. The amazing thing about music is that you can approach it from essentially any angle; mathematically, analytically, comparatively, descriptively, the ideas of music theory are actually endless. Even in a very simple tune, for example 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star', one can analyze how the music actually works, what methods are used, etc. I am only in theory book 1 right now, and there is a ton of stuff that I am still really confused on, but the ideas of music theory are so vast and massive that I am actually really excited to learn more
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Its also my first time being able to sing and learn about all of the different musical concepts! Im in level one of the "Excellence in Theory" and I was definitely surprised by all of the things were going to be learning, even though I'm a little bit confused on some of it. I especially like the sections towards the back of the book that discuss how various composer fit into history. Its interesting to see that aspect of their life and how the period of history they lived in could have impacted what they wrote about, instead of only learning what songs they wrote.
ReplyDeleteI am only in theory level 1, like many of the newer kids to choir. Though I’ve now been singing for a little over a year now, my first time belting a note was in Singin’ in the Rain with “Beautiful Girls” (throwback!). Though it’s been quite a while, I really do know very little about music theory. Over the past couple months I have tried to dabble a little bit in genres of music, or perhaps different styles of composure, that I would not normally listen to. Most of the time, I would try to pick pieces wish few words, and that are heavy on the instrumentals, in order to practice just learning scales. Opera is definitely a great option for just paying attention to specific notes, but since we seem to be having a lot of that I thought I might share this one composer’s take on modern pop music. Nicknamed “The Piano Guys,” these youtubers put somewhat of a classic twist on commonly known songs of today, often adding elements of European, African, or Asian cultures into the music. What their songs made me realize is how intricate the composure of music is, and how diverse it can be.
ReplyDeleteThough I can’t say it has helped me practice music theory immensely, the type of songs these men and women produce is one of the main reasons I decided to learn to sing. I love to be involved in the arts, and with enough experience and practice in choir, and with the understanding of music theory, beautiful orchestral pieces such as these can be developed for people just to sit back, and enjoy.
Here’s one of my favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgovv8jWETM&feature=iv&src_vid=mJ_fkw5j-t0&annotation_id=annotation_558468
For me music theory is a way to really understand how to read music. When I was younger, I played the piano and the trumpet but I never learned how to the read music because I learned by audio. This means that my teacher would play the song and then I would copy exactly what he played. I learned this way for three years and I could play any song back but I always regret not learning how to the read music because now I want to major in dramatic arts and vocals in college. So for me, joining choir this year is almost like a second chance to learn what I couldn't before. This year I am in book one of the music theory and so many of the concepts out there that I can’t wait to learn about and for the ones I kind of already knew, they are becoming so clear. It amazes me to see how many components there are to music theory.
ReplyDeleteHaving our first concert as opera is a little more challenging than I like but it is a welcomed challenge that I can’t wait to perform on Thursday night. I can’t wait to see and hear the different pieces from the different operas from over the centuries.