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Music & Dance: Best Buddies!

I’m finding the challenge of this assignment not deciphering thoughts on why I like music into syntax, but finding enough order in my hodge-podge musical preferences to write an intelligent, cohesive post.  Lamely put, I dig many tiny pieces of highly various artists’ compilations, almost too sporadic and specific to claim a category.  This history of my musical choosiness is largely influenced by growing up within close proximity to musical theater.  Thus, many of the deeply engrained show tunes have somewhat dictated my expectations of lyrical music.  For example, I rarely enjoy vocalists who cannot reach perfect pitch.  This cuts a LOT of country out of my playlist repertoire (sorry country fans, that wasn’t intended as a jab).  Additionally, many scores of musicals are near and dear to my heart for nostalgic reasons (i.e. West Side Story, Singing in the Rain, Pirates of Penzance).  Conversely, since attending art school, I have expanded my web of music appreciation.  The abstract, open-minded, anything-goes attitude of much of the Seattle dance scene has inspired me to experiment with previously seeming “trippy” artists.  Experimental musicians such as Tom Waits, Modest Mouse, Beck, the Flaming Lips, The White Stripes, and Devatcka are only some of the artists in whose work I have found meaning since being inspired by the dance scene of this city.  Lastly, obviously, I am most driven to pursue music with a choreographic potential.  At this point in my life (and studies at Cornish), my initial response to a piece of music is how I can imagine it being accompanied by dance.  Every piece of music.  While danceability is totally subjective,  I have found my own concepts of it to be a driving influence of my favor in the music I hear presently.

Sad Songs and Waltzes

I have always loved sad songs. Not because I am a morbid and depressed person. It’s just what I like. The fact that a simple melody line or a certain combination of words is enough to bring a person to tears is actually quite impressive in my book. Don’t get me wrong, I love an up-beat feel good song quite a bit too. I mean, it’s not like I sit in a dark room and cry to sad songs all the time, but when I think about my favorite songs, the ones that I keep coming back to over the years, the ones that I can never quite get enough of, as a general rule, are sad and slow.

The other kind of music I have always loved is folk music. Old folk music, new folk music, traditional folk music, weird folk music, I love it all. More specifically, I love folk music inspired by old time country and Americana. Slide guitar, banjo, harmonica, fiddle, dobro and a good two part harmony have the power to instantly melt my heart and make me happy to be alive. Speaking of two part harmony, I love songs with a simple enough melody line that I can work on my harmonizing skills. For a long time now, my family and I have been singing and playing music together. If you’ve heard the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack, that’s the kind of music we play. So naturally, this kind of old time folkey music makes me feel a little less far from home.

Oh, and lastly, Bob Dylan. Enough said.

So what kind of music do you listen to?

I am awful at classifying music. I never know what to say back when someone asks me “what type of music do you listen to?” But in going through my iPod and glancing over my most played music and various playlists, I’ve come up with a few things that I’m drawn to in music.

• One of the first things that comes to mind is mood. Certain music makes me feel certain things, not necessarily emotions or memories, but more like it creates an experience. For example, while listening to Carla Bruni I feel like its sunny outside. Music completely sets a mood and tone, which is something that, when timed right, is absolutely wonderful.
•  Another thing for me is definitely personal value. There’s some music that I’ve been surrounded by since I was very young that I listen to now and will continue to listen to for the rest of my life because it holds strong personal value. Music like Peter, Paul, and Mary, Simon and Garfunkel, and Roy Orbison will forever and always remind me of my father – and how no matter how many times he tries, he’ll never be able to reach Roy’s high notes. Similar to the idea of personal value, I’ll always love music that triggers memories. Just like taste and smell, music is a sense memory. Certain songs take me back to specific people or moments or periods of time.
•  Something that I’m very sensitive to while listening to music is the relationship between the instruments and lyrics. I greatly dislike when lyrics overpower the music and vice versa. I like instrumental music as well as a capella music, but can’t really handle music with unnecessarily loud vocals. I’m very drawn to music where the lyrics and vocals are woven into the rest of the music – it seems to have a much more complete and satisfying sound.

 So while I’m still not able to really definitively answer the question of what type of music I listen to, it’s interesting to try to uncover common threads between some of my favorites.

Is that music?

This is has been a long term question for myself in particular; what is it that ties me to the music that I listen to? In particular, the music that I listen to habitually. Over and over, I return to certain artists, certain albums, and certain tracks. When I started my senior year, an orchestra director asked me this exact question after I told her my two favorite tracks of all time are the Flower Duet from the opera Lakme and Fame by David Bowie.

One of the first things that I realized that I listen for when I first delved into this question is that I am most drawn to music that makes me want to get up and move. The tracks that stick in my brain often evoke a need to express that which I am interpreting from the melody, from the lyrics, or from the piece as a whole in a physical manner. Through further inspection, I’ve found that I really dislike lyrics that are too literal. They box in the listener’s ability to interpret the music and apply it to their own circumstances.  More broadly written music is more palatable. I sometimes listen to music that I discovered when I was little simply because the words mean something different this time around.

It was fun to start noticing what factors have influenced my tastes in music. My mother is a singer songwriter who was classically trained and also plays several instruments; as a result, if a vocalist is performing either live or on a recorded track, I really notice excellence in musicianship. Without some real technical basic abilities, I am distracted by mistakes or problems with execution. I also enjoy vocal textures that have a strong tone; often a husky or scratchy tone give lyrics a jazzy, intimate feel that I love. As far as instruments go, string orchestra was my first musical obsession, so I have a strong tie to anything starring a stringed instrument simply because of the possibilities in expression. I admire heavy percussion; friends with musical education tell me I lean almost towards a processional type of rhythm, but I disagree with them because I also have a strong love for big band music which is typically a faster tempo.

The only music that I really can’t compute is classical Japanese court music. The melodies are difficult for me to discern and the instruments are often a little to abrupt. Though I am a little picky, I love opera and classical voice, as well. A recent obsession; Cage The Elephant’s Aint No Rest For The Wicked, Lilly Allen’s Alright, Still, MIA, and The Pogues.

This is has been a long term question for myself in particular; what is it that ties me to the music that I listen to? In particular, the music that I listen to habitually. Over and over, I return to certain artists, certain albums, and certain tracks. When I started my senior year, an orchestra director asked me this exact question after I told her my two favorite tracks of all time are the Flower Duet from the opera Lakme and Fame by David Bowie.
One of the first things that I realized that I listen for when I first delved into this question is that I am most drawn to music that makes me want to get up and move. The tracks that stick in my brain often evoke a need to express that which I am interpreting from the melody, from the lyrics, or from the piece as a whole in a physical manner. Through further inspection, I’ve found that I really dislike lyrics that are too literal. They box in the listener’s ability to interpret the music and apply it to their own circumstances.  More broadly written music is more palatable. I sometimes listen to music that I discovered when I was little simply because the words mean something different this time around.
It was fun to start noticing what factors have influenced my tastes in music. My mother is a singer songwriter who was classically trained and also plays several instruments; as a result, if a vocalist is performing either live or on a recorded track, I really notice excellence in musicianship. Without some real technical basic abilities, I am distracted by mistakes or problems with execution. I also enjoy vocal textures that have a strong tone; often a husky or scratchy tone give lyrics a jazzy, intimate feel that I love. As far as instruments go, string orchestra was my first musical obsession, so I have a strong tie to anything starring a stringed instrument simply because of the possibilities in expression. I admire heavy percussion; friends with musical education tell me I lean almost towards a processional type of rhythm, but I disagree with them because I also have a strong love for big band music which is typically a faster tempo.
The only music that I really can’t compute is classical Japanese court music. The melodies are difficult for me to discern and the instruments are often a little to abrupt. Though I am a little picky, I love opera and classical voice, as well. A recent obsession; Cage The Elephant’s Aint No Rest For The Wicked, Lilly Allen’s Alright, Still, MIA, and The Pogues.

Looking beyond sounds…

While reading some posts about what people look for in music, I started to see some reoccurring things. Many bloggers talked about the lyrics, vocals, emotional qualities and connections, and groovability in music. These are all things that I, too, look for in music. But now I challenge myself to look even deeper into the topic and possibly discover some other things that I look for in music. Here are a few things I came up with…

• I like to think about the sensations of music. What does this music physically feel like, taste like, smell like? For example, when I listen to Jack Johnson I smell rain and can feel sand between my toes. Or, when listening to Radiohead, I feel warmth and the texture of jello (weird, I know).
• Relating to the emotional connections in music, another thing I like is how a song makes me visualize something. What do I see when I close my eyes while listening to a song? It could be a memory or a vision of my imagination. When I listen to Sigur Ros I picture myself alone in the clouds. Or, whenever I hear a song that I’ve danced to in the past, I can see myself in costume, performing that dance.
• And lastly, I look for a message in music. What message do I think this song is presenting? It could be a very obvious message or one that I figure out for myself and according to my thoughts and opinions. Most of the time, music with lyrics gives away a message. But it could also depend on how a person perceives the text. When listening to music without lyrics, I like developing my own idea about what the message could be.

Music & Me

What do I listen for in music?

I listen to a variety of music for my everyday life.  I try to sample everything.  However, when I choreograph, I am more specific.  When I am looking for a piece of music to choreograph to, I look for:

• Emotional quality- One of the first things I listen for in music is what emotion it brings out in me.  It does not really matter if it is happy, sad, mad or whatever as long as I can feel something, the song sticks with me.
• Association- To go along with an emotion I might experience, I see if I have a personal association with the song I am listening to.  A memory, sensation, or quality from my life makes the song more personal.
• Lyrics- If a song has lyrics, I listen to what they are and decide if I enjoy what the artist is trying to say.
• Instruments- I am more likely to listen to percussion and strings in music instead of electric guitars or brass instruments.  I enjoy softer sounding music, and some instruments are too loud for my taste.

Play It Again, Sam….

What do you listen for in music? That is a very hard question to answer if you are a lover of music like myself. Although I am personally not crazy about contemporary/pop music, I have always been a huge fan oldies, R&B, and all types of jazz.  I always find myself commenting to a friend, “Oooh, I love this song! It’s in my top five!” In reality, I probably have said this about thousand times. For me, the most difficult part is choosing your favorites.

When I think about why I love certain types of music, a few things jump out in my mind right away. The first thing that I listen for in great music is unique and harmonious use of instrumentation. For me, when jazz musicians are jamming together, taking turns playing the lead, with the rest of the band backing each other up… that is the most exciting. I love the natural flow of that exchange; it seems that each different instrument has its own voice and personality. Great jazz feels like a group of old friends talking in conversation.

I also am also a fan of oldies an R&B, but for completely different reasons. I grew up listening to the music of my parent’s generation. Every family road trip growing up was surely accompanied by hours of oldies sing-a-longs. As an adult, I love the familiarity of those old tunes and appreciate the nostalgic feeling they leave me with.

My mother was also an avid opera-goer. She took my sister and I to many operas during my highschool years, and I loved every minute of it. Our favorite was Madame Butterfly, written by Giacomo Puccini. We read the stories together first, and then listened to cd recordings over an over. By the time we finally got to the opera house, we knew every note and nuance. At the opera I learned the depth of feeling that music could convey.

Regardless of the genre of music, your favorites can always been listened to over and over again. They will always be able to carry you to places that nothing else could.

slow, fast or super fast

When listening to music I look for quality’s  that put me into a state of mind or “The Zone,” as I like to call it. I really look for the feel to change the state of mind into what I need, like feeling relaxed, pumped, energized, etc. Also when I think of what I look for in music I automatically think of when I’m actually listening to music personally; When dancing, working out, resting/stretching or  just ridding the bus. Overall, I mostly listen to music when I’m working-out and have 3 quality that I look for…..

• Tempo: am I going to need a slow tempo to stretch and work on flexibility. A fast tempo to work on free weights and any other resistance exercises. Or do I need a super fast tempo to get pumped and work on cardiovascular machines.
• Beat: How does the feel of beat match to what I’m doing. Can i walk to the down beat or run. Maybe I want the up beat for height or for just have a bouncy feel. I usually use the down beat for any reps, (makes it easier to keep track of  how many rep I’m doing.)
• Instrument: The type of instrument is a very important quality to me and is the heart of what i look for in music. Romantic music seems to drive my soul on any occasion whether I’m happy, sad, working out or just resting.  I’m a very big fan of piano harmonizing with a flute, violin, cello or guitar. If theirs to many instruments playing in a song it tends to lose my interest in the piece, so I tend to stick with duets and maybe some drums playing in the background.
  ~Brent

Singing From Your Heart

I listen to all sorts of music, everything from country to classical, and have found each genre has it’s own way of being inspirational, whether it makes me want to dance, or sing my heart out. When looking for songs to dance to i look for a couple of things:

•  If feel that it has been written from the artist’s heart. This means the song gives me a glimpse into the artist’s everyday life or truly feelings about certain situations.
• I also appreciate songs that create a story, not only with the lyrics, but with the melody and harmony which helps give the movement inspiration to tell a story as well.
• A silence in a piece of music can be so powerful, so when i find it in a song, i remember it. More often than not, the silence gives the song a sort of momentum to it, which makes me want to move to it.

I have quite a few different songs stored away for choreographic opportunities but the have ended up catching my attention using one or more of these qualities.