In this course, students will acquire a broad foundation of theoretical knowledge, musicianship skills, and practical experience in order to create and understand music in a contemporary context. We will explore sound as a physical phenomenon and will cover the basics of music theory and literacy in a way that can be applicable to a wide variety of musical traditions and practices. In addition to continuing work on theoretical concepts and musicianship skills, we will pursue creative projects, learn how to approach the music around us critically, and examine the ways in which music can acquire extramusical meanings and resonances. No formal musical background is required. This course is a prerequisite for Music and Sound I and II.
We'll meet one another, go over some class logistics, and then ask the question: What the heck is the difference between sound and music?
We begin with a stirring examination of the physical basis of sound. Then we explore six perspectives that help to describe it: pitch, timbre, intensity, duration, location, and source.
This is the class where everybody gets a kazoo!
Please. Treat your kazoo with compassion.
I've made this brief survey so I can learn about your past experiences with music and better tailor the course to your needs and interests. Don't worry if you don't know all of the answers!
How is it that some sounds seem "pitchy" while others do not? What is the physical basis for "pitchiness" and how is it that some sounds are higher or lower than others?
What's the difference between Beyoncé and a classroom full of engineers playing a song by Beyoncé on kazoos?
In past semesters, students have deemed this assignment to be a "real doozy" or "extremely difficult." Please plan your time accordingly!
Using pitch as your guiding perspective, you are going to compare two renditions of the song Hallelujah.
We'll consider how length is a ubiquitous metaphor for duration and we'll connect the ideas of loudness, dynamic, and intensity.
In this assignment, you are going to identify prominent frequencies within three sounds and then name those frequencies in terms of pitch and pitch-class space. If you wish, you’ll also have an opportunity to step outside of 12TET pitch space for extra credit.
The location of a sound-producing body affects the way in which its sound reaches our ears. At the same time, our conception of the source of a sound profoundly shapes our response to it.
As a physical phenomenon, sound always travels through a medium. In a different sense, so too does music. We'll think about headphones, car radios, television, movies, and other media that make the conditions in which we experience music.
You will analyze two renditions of Amazing Grace, one by LeAnn Rimes and the other by… Barrack Obama.
Presentations of… Description Telephone!!!
Bring your A-Game y'all!
In all likelihood, things are gonna get feisty 💀!!!
You will work in groups to describe a song of your choice using the qualitative perspectives on sound as a framework.
We'll take a whirlwind tour through the history of (Western) musical notation and discuss some fundamentals principals thereof.
After the tumult of our first group project, you won't have homework for a few classes. Take this time to focus on internalizing the new topics in notation that we will learn!
We'll talk about the lengths of notes and rests; we'll gawk at flags and gaze longingly at beams; and we see how we can tie it all together to make a nice whole (note).
What is a beat, anyways, and how can we write them down? We'll also talk about repeating patterns of rhythm through meter and time signatures. Finally, we'll examine the bizarre relativism of tempo.
I'll be having fun somewhere else. You're on your own.
Seriously.
Don't come to class.
No one is going be there.
It will be lonely and probably cold, too.
We'll distinguish between pitches and pitch-classes and we'll learn about several ways of visualizing them: graphing them as integers, using the keyboard (a la piano), and on a staff with clefs.
What's the difference between a leap and a step, and what does that have to do with the moon. And how on earth can we fix the bizarre staff system using accidentals?
You will practice identifying pitch-classes just long enough to master the skill.
Sort of like with pitches and pitch classes, we will discuss generic and specific intervals. We will enjoy using the word "notch" and we will have even more fun thinking about addition and subtraction in mod-12 space.
You'll practice identifying generic and specific intervals.
We'll practice identifying intervals and we'll see how pitch impacts the way in which we notate rhythms. We will also discuss BEAMING 🚀.
We'll make sure that you're solid on the basics before we move onto the good stuff in the next unit!
A test for which you will be very well prepared. A test in the face of which you will laugh gently. A test you will look back upon with a quiet sense of nostalgia.
The name says it all…
Complete the practice test, then check your work with the attacked answer key!
What are scales and what do they contribute to music? How are they made and how do they suggest a hierarchy amongst pitches?
We will discuss a variety of chords through the lenses of cardinality and quality. Triads and seventh chords will be center of our focus for the remainder of the course.
We can think of chords as drawing from scales and further organizing them into a palpable hierarchy.
By extending the idea of scale degrees to Roman numerals, we'll learn how chords are typically arranged in tonal music.
Examining musical examples from a variety of media and traditions, we will discuss how rhythm, harmony, and other musical factors contribute to our sense of musical structure.
Presentations.
We will learn how DAWs, Drum Machines, and Virtual Instruments have revolutionized the production of music.
We will examine the tools and ideas behind sampling as a compositional practice.
Stoically, we will consider the meditative value of washing dishes.
Good luck with Thanksgiving. Safe travels!
We will have fun considering film music's wildly diverse evolution over time.
We will examine the cultural force of streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, as well as the ubiquitous access to music they facilitate.
In light of everything else we've discussed, how can we talk about our feelings in response to music? Is music a vehicle for social manipulation, a dangerous tool, a beautiful weapon, something more boring, something more sinister?