Musicology

[A.K.B.]

Have a good year! I will finish my first year in a few months.

[teajay]

I'm planning to find me a mic and to record some guitar... meanwhile enjoy my unpractised bassplaying in this band: http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video. ... 6573843430

we practise twice a year.

[Igge]

tijs' location is no longer hongy coordiantes??  ;:7        A

[gimp]

So where are you in your studies now teajay? i decided to become a music major about a year ago and started my theory then, right now i am in chromatic harmony and we have finished learning things like secondary functions, enharmonic modulations, some new roman numeral analysis like Vsub6 or Vflat9 chords. i had never imagined music theory could go so deep and i have still only began to touch the surface of it, classical theory is really no different than mathematics only it has more freedom and flexibility, but with rules nonetheless. i <3 it

[teajay]

I have no idea what Vsub6 is meant to be, but well. I am in my third year, but as far as theory concerned, I haven't learn much new lately. I know a fair bit of counterpoint through analysis of Fux, Zarlino and older texts back to the 13th century, and I can sort of analyse music up until Wagner, though I haven't ever done a real Schenkerian analysis of a piece. My major is a bit more about history and media aswell, so I feel like I am missing out. Out of classes I've been reading a bit about jazz theory and orchestration and a very elaborate treatise on counterpoint once more (but only a small part of that book, I must admit).

Anyhoo, as I'm doing way to much stuff besides the classes (guitar, study association), I won't be finishing my bachelor this year. I'm also planning to audition for the conservatory in jazz guitar at the end of spring, so it is likely I will be studying a few years more. We'll see how it goes.

[A.K.B.]

Just finished first year with a GPA of 6.222 (out of 7)

Thought I was going to get a High Distinction for Orchestration, but did a little bit of a lame exam, so got Distinction. Darn Bassoon fundamentals.

What can I say? I absolutely love Composition at the Conservatorium. Best major ever.

[teajay]

Nice to hear you're doing a great job there, though I thought you were doing an instrument major. Do you listen a lot to other composers?

[A.K.B.]

Probably could have done Piano or Double Bass Major, but Composition was my first preference. I do listen to quite a variety of music. We are incredibly pushed to compose in an atonal idiom, but the more I listen to chamber works or orchestral works of the new music/postmodern genre I just feel bored and sleepy. Besides I'm impressing my teacher with tonal works, which is a small achievement.

I get a lot of exposure to other composers on youtube as well. Especially videos which also contain sheet music.

[gimp]

I have no idea what Vsub6 is meant to be

Its a V chord with the 5th substituted for a 6th instead. So if you are in C major for example, a Vsub6 would contain the notes G,B, and E with G in the bass. and cool teajay, i like jazz guitar

[teajay]

Ah.. okay. So in reality it's the first inversion of iii then, though it functions as a dominant, so the e is an anticipation of the third of C major.

Jazz guitar is by the way a very broad term. I for one suck at playing fusion. I like swing style, and as of yet soloing in very simple forms (that's hard enough as it is).

A.K.B., what do you find of string quartet no. 8 in c minor, by shostakovic?

[Grace]

Ah.. okay. So in reality it's the first inversion of iii then, though it functions as a dominant, so the e is an anticipation of the third of C major.

Jazz guitar is by the way a very broad term. I for one suck at playing fusion. I like swing style, and as of yet soloing in very simple forms (that's hard enough as it is).

A.K.B., what do you find of string quartet no. 8 in c minor, by shostakovic?

It's good, if not a little bit hyperactive. I don't particularly like the semiquavers on Cello? i think it is without paying much attention and the violin sounds a bit wimpy, i like broader sounding notes than what the violin is producing, and Cello has no excuse for playing wimpy notes.

[teajay]

Could you perhaps be a little more specific? What movement are you talking about, for example?

[Grace]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjvTTfbpWjY

[analcactus]

hoho, maybe thats lil off-topic but i finished a music school with piano and guitar (i were studying during 7 years and finished 5 years ago)
untill kinda half of year ago i havent played any instrument but then i wanted to play somee piano and now im about to buy sintesator. id prefer Casio one, could some1 recommend meh?
thanks

[A.K.B.]

I find the Shosta Quartet fascinating. (at least the second movement) It's a wonderful blend of colours, cleverly using a riveting first sound world and switching to a slightly dragging, yet horrifying few moments of meno mosso. Wonderful tensions prevail throughout the piece, not only in intervals but in sheer momentum. The movement of a rhythmic ostinato of such velocity conjures up imagery of fear and danger. The movement is wonderfully coherent (look, we all like to foray into something slightly different to emphasise the remaining material) and as terrifying as it is, I would have to concede that it's definitely a brilliant work.

We performed Shosta's 6th symphony in my youth orchestra. You should check that out, especially my bass part in the last movement. Tell me what you think! (there's some very difficult stuff in there that I can pull off)

[teajay]

I will check that out soon. It's so much fun to delve into the world of classical music. Just lately I began to be fascinated by Mahler. My first confrontation with the 7th symphony this weekend, and I was blown away by the richness of the orchestration.

Just today I was by the way playing jazz again. I'd like to play the song Misty, as sung by Ella Fitzgerald, but I need to work out a better arrangement. But with this girl from my studies I can play a, in my opinion, pretty good version of My Funny Valentine. I will soon be buying my long wanted hollow body electric, and perhaps I can then finally make a recording. Don't expect too much virtuoso; I am still very limited in my expressions and plain skills. My lack of musical training still shows, hihi.

[A.K.B.]

Ah, Misty, you mean the wonderful Errol Garner ballad? Beautiful, I play it on piano. My favourite work from Mahler comes from his outlook on his life as he got sick and faced tragedy, namely the 4th movement of his 9th symphony. It has such an incredible farewell notion that strikes a sense of passion in me somehow, and lifts my spirits. The richness of the French Horn solos and the barbaric forays reminicent of the other 3 movements in the symphony emphasize and excite me so!

[teajay]

No offense, but I literally fell asleep when I was at a concert of the 9th. When the audience began to clap, I was surprised, since I though there had only been 3 movements played yet.

[Grace]

French horn solo's can be utterly heart wrenching if done right, but they are oh so often fucked up :3 (I sit next to French Horns in my wind band.)

Next year i'm registered into another 2 bands at school so that makes 4 One is a laid-back 6-piece Jazz combo that does random shows and basically acts as a little ambience, just for fun so that could be entertaining, and rejoining the schools senior choir (Teacher convinced me to rejoin because i has a sexy tenor.)

[A.K.B.]

No offense, but I literally fell asleep when I was at a concert of the 9th. When the audience began to clap, I was surprised, since I though there had only been 3 movements played yet.

Strangely enough, my personal "sleep" music is all avant garde music. In fact we were listening to a present day composer's extreme orchetral work and many of us fell asleep in workshop, in fact one of us were snoring quite loudly! It was Steve...

[teajay]

It doesn't surprise me at all. :p

Though I don't know this orchestral work by him, but I listened to this trains composition, which was a whole new concept by itself. And boring.

[A.K.B.]

We are pushed and pushed into the avant garde. I think I'm the highest scoring tonal composer at the moment. I would like to create some listenable works new music with much dissonance, but I'm not sure disregarding western scales is the right approach to take.

[teajay]

I think the whole concept of atonality is quite a harsh route. In between there's all kinds of stuff, and even outside the scope of the tonality/atonality dichotomy there's much in the world of sound to deploy. The octace, the twelve tones, it's all a practical destillation of what nature has to offer. You simply fit yourself in a tradition, and you suddenly are a composer of a) neomodal b) popular c) avantgarde d) traditional, folk e) jazz f) film, music. All these labels are quite nonsensical ofcourse, but all the same quite necessary. I haven't thought this all out thoroughly, so there's much to say about this.

[teajay]

Gimp, how's your major coming along?

I'm now reaching the end myself, though a bit behind schedule. I'm gonna take another year to straighten it all out. All this commission work sucks all the time out of my life. Next year I'm done with presidency of our study association, I'll focus instead on the audition for the conservatory (as a music teacher, the only affordable option available left for me), and on completing the whole bachelor with interesting stuff. Some jazz courses, a minor in german language (supertoll), and a bit of commission work for the choirproject we have each year.

At the moment, I'm reading Paul F. Berliner's book about jazz improvisation. It's very thorough and comprehensive, and it inspires me to play more and more each day. I also have to read Taruskin's history of western music still. Maybe during the summerholidays. All in all, musicology opened my eyes for the path I wish to follow for the rest of my life - making music, teaching music. Musicking, as the insiders would say. =)

[Grace]

Thinking of minoring Musicology or Music Performance, certainly want to continue on with musical studies after this year.

[gimp]

teajay, will you be teaching guitar i assume or music theory? unfortunately i have a lot more to do than you but im also a bit younger than you. right now i am still attending a community college and trying to get my general education classes out of the way here for the sake of money. so far i have taken music fundamentals, diatonic harmony, chromatic harmony, and am currently in counterpoint. also i have taken musicianship (ear training) courses 1 through 4. and i am in a repertoire class where i perform classical pieces and have my own private guitar professor. basically this is all setting me up to get accepted into C-Sun (a state university) where i hope to enter into their music therapy program because i have decided that's what i would like to do. for the long run i am thinking about having a double major in business as well so that i can fantasize about the possibility of one day opening up my own music therapy clinic for kids with autism. i probably have a good 3 years of school left on my plate before i actually get a degree and begin my career. my biggest weakness is that i don't know how to play piano, do you? keep me posted on how things go for you, music is a tough major so we gotta stick together

and congrats on almost being done!

[teajay]

I never knew you were younger than me. But hey, doesn't matter. It seems to me you've had more training in musicianship. At times I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of what I want to do. I can't play any classical piece, like you do. Playing piano surely is a pro. I'm a complete joke on it, though I can do some things on teh. Start out with preludes and you'll be busy enough. Don't start with debussy

The idea is you spend 10,000 hours on something and you're pro. That's working fulltime for about 5 years. Great prospect. When I was 19, I said I would be a virtuoso at the age of 30. Now I'm 22, and not even close, but I will be. The idea of music therapy is sweet by the way. My goal as a teacher could be in front of a class, or one on one, in music theory, history or guitar. It all suits me. Most likely a combination of all. We'll see how it goes.