As the semester comes to a close I thought it would be fun and a little silly to find a place for some of these nonharmonic tones in songs that mention these key words. Let's dive right on in!
Anticipation tone: These are approached by step, end on the same note and happen on weak beats. Basically, it is the anticipation of reaching the next chord and going ahead and getting there just a little bit early. Prematurely, if you will. I thought a good song to look for this would be none other than "Anticipation" sung by Carley Simon.
https://youtu.be/4NwP3wes4M8
The first place I found it was at the :28 mark on the word "Really".
I found it again at 1:27 on the word "Word"
The most appropriately important use is at :46 on An-tic-i-pat-ion. It happens on the "I" and is glorious!
Neighbor tone: These are basically a decoration of a single note. If you have an E, you might go up to an F or down to a D and then return right away to the E. They can be strong (accented) or on weak beats. They are approached by step and left by step in the opposite direction. Mr. Rogers theme song anyone?
https://youtu.be/zMUGJZrR9Jg
The first time I hear a neighbor tone is all over the instrumental opening but for my purposes, I will stick with spots where lyrics can be used as a landmark.
I hear it at :33 on the word "Neighbor" and again at :36 on "A Neighbor"
It is everywhere in this song!!!! Did I mention how happy this song has made me as I am writing this? It is making me so happy! HAPPY!!!!
Sorry for getting sidetracked...on to the next type of tone.
Escape tone: This one is a little bit of fun! What happens here is movement by step with a leap in the opposite direction. Picture climbing up the steps to the diving board, and then hurling yourself off! I am quite pleased with the musical offering I have for you on this one. I had no idea the song was called Escape (the pina colada song)!
https://youtu.be/_WkR2Tv4dq4
I find escape tones in the chorus at :45 and :49 with the words "getting caught in the rain" and "not into yoga." It continues in the rest of the choruses as well.
I hope you enjoyed this little bit of lightness as we prepare for summer!
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Sunday, April 2, 2017
The Legendary-ness (yes, I made that one up) of the Mix-Tape!
There were certain things we could count on growing up in the 80's and 90's and perhaps one of the greatest was the mix-tape! From the hours spent sitting with our ear up to the boombox and our finger poised over the record button, to the inevitable break-up mix-tape, they were a huge part of life for the angsty teenager.
Making just the right mix-tape for any occasion was an art form. If we were lucky enough to be the proud owner of a boombox with two tape-decks, the world was our oyster. Armed with a blank tape, a piece of scotch tape, a pencil and the radio, we could make around 60 minutes of super specific entertainment for ourselves. Going on vacation? There was a tape for that. Just get dumped? There were probably a couple tapes for that. Your crush noticed you in the hall and now you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? You know it...there was a tape for that!
I fondly remember sitting in my room on the weekends waiting for the newest hit song to play so I could hit the record button and capture it for all eternity (well, we know better now). The double tape-deck allowed us to get the best songs off of a previously purchased cassette and add them to mix for "riding in the car on a sunny day" or "parents suck."
With advances in technology came advances in the mix-tape. The format went to CD and gone were the days of collecting songs off the radio. Now we were ripping, and queuing our hearts out. Think your friend needs to hear these songs? You could easily duplicate the mix for them with the touch of a button. Making a mix was easier in a lot of ways but it also brought to light the topic of piracy. Napster and other sites would allow a user to get songs for "free", but it was always at the expense of the artist. I loved the freedom I had to get my favorite songs off the the CD's I would buy and having them all in one place.
Today, we can create playlists and make "stations" but it is not as fun as it was when we could make our own tapes. Our playlists don't take near the thought to create and we can't really share them with others like we could before we understood the legal ramifications of doing so. I believe we are being exposed to more types of music than in the past with these new advances but the familiarity of our favorite bands singing our favorites songs for that time I needed a "sleep over" tape are long gone.
Mix on, good people!
Making just the right mix-tape for any occasion was an art form. If we were lucky enough to be the proud owner of a boombox with two tape-decks, the world was our oyster. Armed with a blank tape, a piece of scotch tape, a pencil and the radio, we could make around 60 minutes of super specific entertainment for ourselves. Going on vacation? There was a tape for that. Just get dumped? There were probably a couple tapes for that. Your crush noticed you in the hall and now you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? You know it...there was a tape for that!
I fondly remember sitting in my room on the weekends waiting for the newest hit song to play so I could hit the record button and capture it for all eternity (well, we know better now). The double tape-deck allowed us to get the best songs off of a previously purchased cassette and add them to mix for "riding in the car on a sunny day" or "parents suck."
With advances in technology came advances in the mix-tape. The format went to CD and gone were the days of collecting songs off the radio. Now we were ripping, and queuing our hearts out. Think your friend needs to hear these songs? You could easily duplicate the mix for them with the touch of a button. Making a mix was easier in a lot of ways but it also brought to light the topic of piracy. Napster and other sites would allow a user to get songs for "free", but it was always at the expense of the artist. I loved the freedom I had to get my favorite songs off the the CD's I would buy and having them all in one place.
Today, we can create playlists and make "stations" but it is not as fun as it was when we could make our own tapes. Our playlists don't take near the thought to create and we can't really share them with others like we could before we understood the legal ramifications of doing so. I believe we are being exposed to more types of music than in the past with these new advances but the familiarity of our favorite bands singing our favorites songs for that time I needed a "sleep over" tape are long gone.
Mix on, good people!
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