Reflection of this Class (before completion of paper)

I remember early on posting an item about how this class could possibly change our perception of movies and the cinema in general, whether it was for the good or the bad.  I'm not sure if it was assigned or a free blog, but I thought I would address the aftermath of my own experience in the class being someone who usually gets pretty burnt out on analysis when it comes to things that I regularly enjoy.

Firstly.  I notice that among some of my peers- analysis is really fun.  Some others... pure hell. I am somewhat in the middle- being that I like analysis of things I like for a very short portion of time (for the most part- some things being excepted from this list).  

So what do I think about picking apart movies...  I think I have survived.  Although I was heavily skeptical when it came to subscribing to some of the ideas put out by the class and by Chion's book and take on analysis, I feel that I actually can enjoy cinema more after taking the class.  The only unfortunate part is that you are able to find where a movie has a hole.  Something that would make a normal movie great, for instance, I began to realize that some movies are still just normal movies although they had the chance to be something more.  This, coming from a non-movie-critic.  So I am definitely not the first choice in saying whether or not a movie *has it* or not.

But in the mean time, if others are taking a look at this class' blog from another class hoping to decide whether or not this class will be enlightening or not- it is.  

This class has not ruined movie watching for me.

Preparation

I had been holding out on things to write for a few of my 'choice' blogs.  And with little to no topics taking priority over my recital, I figure I would spout something about it.

November 19th, Wednesday - 6pm.  Recital Hall.  Be there.

So as I had no idea what to expect while trying to organize a composition/new media recital, my last month has been very trying.  Also, you have to consider that half of the performances don't include players, so for the traditional comp students:  I take my proverbial hat off to you.

Some of the biggest struggles are due to writing a piece the semester of a performance.  I am not exactly the fastest composer, and would still probably not take any pride in saying that I composed a piece in a day (lie) but the piece I wrote for this semester was especially challenging.  As of this day- I have no idea how it sounds except for what I think it should sound like in my head.  This would be the first piece that I wrote out completely on paper before inputting it into a notation program.  Even once it was there, there were some technical issues with notating vs. accurate playback.  You can really only achieve one of them to satisfaction with only a small window of time with instruments such as percussion.  Or at least from my experience.  If you have a good idea on fixing this- feel free to let me know.

Another challenge is organizing performers.  At this stage in the 'game' it is difficult to find student performers that have enough time, and also- that all of them have the same time open once they do have enough time.  It hurts my brain to think about.  But as the scenario pans out, things usually fall into place.  And if not- we're musicians- We'll improvise.

So.  Just needed to vent if anything.  It should be a fun show.  Full of varying things to listen to.

How Cunning the Ear is to Deceive Us

This last week I was baffled by the Stuart Dempster piece in the cistern. I honestly could have lost a huge bet on what was actually sounding. Baffled. But after hearing some really loud notes hit later in the piece- I think even without the answer given to us, I could have placed the sound.

I still find it funny that two things can emulate each other so well. Or how one thing emulates another, really. It really startled me when I heard the answer too. I felt like I should have known better being that I have played trombone for the greater portion of my life. It also shows how well it worked as an example for what we talked about afterwards.

Room. Make some room in your music for room. It could be its own genre. "Room Music." It's perfect. No. Let's not go there.

In reality, what makes a room "good"? Is there an 'all purpose room'? Or is it really just to fit the situation accordingly in each individual instance? Probably the latter mentioned. I have a friend that owns a studio, and the sound of the room is one of the biggest influences on every sound. From drums, to guitar, to bass, to vocals, to keyboards... Each really needs its own different space to be captured in their own 'perfect' ways, or at least for the aesthetic they are looking for.

Thinking in this way poses a slight problem- I could be on a wrong path of thought, but- if each instrument requires a different size room to perhaps "create the most beautiful sound" of its own- why does it work out when all the instruments are put together live? Take for instance a big drum kit with a booming bass drum and wicked loud cymbals- you need a pretty hefty room to accommodate just the size of the drums let alone the sound produced. It is a big stretch when comparing it to the small sound-proofed isolation booth needed for vocals to be crisp and 'in your face'.

I understand that there are entire institutions devoted to bringing these physical limitations into our grasp, but what about the amateur musician striving to make their trumpet sound better? I have no idea what I just meant by that, but I'm sure I was going somewhere with it so I will keep it. I guess my question would be: how would someone without prior knowledge learn these precise things without analysis of music to a very fine ...lack of word... state. There we go. To a very fine state of understanding.

I guess my whole post was, in a way, without fully understanding what was meant by the post below, to bring to light some of the intricacies that are needed to create even the most simple music. Whether or not the music is created with an intrinsic knowledge of all of the complexities music has to offer- there has to be some intuition of these to make a musical decision that produces, well, good music.

Most people have it- they can recognize good music and can tell exactly what they like about it. They don't have to use very technical details- but their explanation could be worded in various ways- including anything from a lush personal story of enlightenment and experience, but also one could use mathematical formulas and theoretical statements to accurately describe the same musical situation. It really comes down to individual personality. I would go as far to purport that this is not just my opinion, but a pretty rational explanation of some differences in taste.

I don't really know how to close out this post. I guess I feel like the semester is already over- a bad feeling to have- often letting homework slip through my fingers and relinquishing that pleasant grade for a less pleasant grade. Maybe a few Redbulls later I will change my mind. But anyways.

The post I am trying to close out... If anything- it is better to know that there are other methods of understanding how music makes us feel good, then not to know of them. Bleh! I'm rambling. Time for sleep.