Dominant Music Elements

Often music is consisted not only by sounds made from musical instruments, but also by voice and verbal messages. The structure of the voice, or as Roland Barthes describes it ‘the grain of voice’ is the element in a certain piece of music which is responsible for creating the emotions when listening. The grain and the lyrics make the signified and carry out the message. The vocal part of music is formed of words, text, which communicate and make the representation and expression of what it is sung - talked about. According to Barthes the emotive modes of the voice and the changes of the tones from low to high is what delivers the final message and makes us feel the music. (Barthes, R. 1977 [1972]).

Music defines our culture. As Americans, we listen to music while we drive our cars, are at work, doing housework, studying, etc. We have songs for special occasions: Christmas, Hanukah, birthdays, weddings, parties, etc. We have taken songs from the various cultures that make us diverse: Arabic, German, Mexican, Native American, etc. We have many genres: country, hip-hop, rap, pop, blues, jazz, rock, heavy metal, etc. And although we may think of music as simple and easy, looking at all this makes one realize how diverse and complex our music truly is. Two things that contribute to this diversity are theme and symbolism.

We can usually listen to the music in various scenes in life. But we don't often just concentrated on listening. The same was the case with me before. Especially, I was ignorant in classical music. But now I like listening to orchestra concert from the front row seats. It is a quite wonderful experience. Since my children start learning how to play the violin, I came to listen to classical music. After I could a little understand artistic features of classical music, I listened to it with rapt attention. I especially came to like Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto. I was listening it through only my computer, but on the whole I was satisfied.

Music. We all listen to it, don’t we? For those of you who don’t believe that music is poetry, I will change your minds in less than four paragraphs, using the song, “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” as an example.

Each song and each genre has meaning, and that meaning doesn’t necessarily have to be incredibly significant for the music to have value. At its core, music is a vehicle for the expression of culture. Each genre or style of music represents different beliefs and different communities. When I listen to a song, I feel as if I’m having a conversation with the artist, where they tell me all about their way of life. This is what makes music powerful. A song can take me to places and time periods I would never be able to see in real life. In music, I experience a separate side of the exchange of ideas that I’ve come to love through Youth in Government and

Music has a big impact on my life, it is one of my favorite things in the world. My music library is so diverse, so it is hard for me to pick my favorite genre, from hip hop to rock to country. I find it all tasteful. If I had to say may favorite though it would be alternative rock, mostly because my favorite band is the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Their bass lines are amazing, and their music has so much heart and emotion in it, it’s something that everyone can jam along to. My least favorite would have to be screamo, an off shoot of metal. It is just too angry and you cannot understand anything the singer is saying, it isn’t something that is easy for me to appreciate. The Hobbit is my favorite book, the ore behind it keeps me interested and the way it is written is a completely different style than today’s writing. The writing style almost seems archaic but it has an elegance to it that is extremely difficult to achieve.

It is said that everyone marches to the beat of a drum; it starts as a mere noise in the background but before you know it you are lost in the passionate lyrics of your favorite love song or the empty resonating chords of a depressing ode. I have been listening to music for as long as I can remember but it was not until two years ago when I developed a certain fascination for a particular genre that made me realize that what makes a song amazing is its lyrics and melody. Those two components of any “song” have the ability to convey feelings to a listener and persuade them into feeling the same way as an artist. It made me realize how influential the language used in lyrics is on the target audience. On a broader spectrum I thought of the extents

Music surrounds everyday life no matter where you are in the world. Hollow objects make notes when hit. Small wooden reeds, bamboos, and shells whistle when blown into. Anything tightly stretched twangs when plucked and the human voice has a delightful ability to go up and down at will. Even when wind rustles through the wind, birds chirp, or ocean wave’s tumbling is nature’s form of music. I constantly find myself being enthralled by the various forms music. You could say that in sense music as a whole is a form of art. The sounds that entwine harmonize, are rhythmically pleasing, have dynamics, etc., come together as a whole in order to compose a song. “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.” (Confucius)

A particular piece of music is most appealing to me when I can relate to it. However, I like all kinds of music depending on time, place, and certain moods I may be feeling.Having a relation to music or a song can be uplifting, calming, or inspiring. Have youever felt like there was nothing you can do about a situation or a particular problem could not get any better? That feeling has drowned me at times. At times I have lost motivation for the things I seek to gain or feeling it may be impossible. Hearing the struggles I go through in music or knowing I am not alone has comforted me. In the article, “The Benefits of Listening to Music,” the author, Steven Cornelius and Mary Natvig, states, “Attentive listening is good

Music: it is beautiful in many different manners. I'm many lives and cultures, music plays an essential role. I am Hispanic, and since i am bilingual my family and i listen to both Spanish and English music. Music plays an important role in every culture and in every individual's life just like it affects mine.

Some argue that music is special due to its status as a universal language. Their argument is indeed rather convincing: there is not a single known culture that does not have some form of music as part of its cultural identity. As a vocalist, who is capable of juxtaposing music with text, this communication-based argument holds even more significance. Perhaps the rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic aspects of music add extra dimensions to the realm of oral communication that either work in harmony (pun intended) with the text or even as a standalone component that may or may not imply an underlying textual message. However, I find this literary and cultural interpretation of the meaning of music and its importance to be, at the very least, incomplete. If I appreciate music due to its communicative powers, then why do I prefer singing over simply talking? Singing is harder than simply reciting a passage. Why would I be happy to take the burden of adding additional dimensions to my oral communication? What is so innately special about the added dimensions

Music is very important to me personally. Music has the ability to change my mood and keep me level headed and that’s why it means so much to me. The songs I picked are; Something for Nothing by Rush, Long,Long,Long by The Beatles, and La Villa Strangaito by Rush. All of these songs reflect on my life in different ways some being more personal than others.

I think it depends on the individual choice. In today’s audience, it is no secret that vocal music dominates overall. When we listen to vocal music, the mood of the song can have you feeling one way and suddenly have you feeling another way. Eminem’s song “Stan” is a perfect example. The song has a fan writing a letter to Eminem. In the beginning, he tells Eminem how much of a big fan he was to him and has been trying to get it contact with him, while also telling him about his life and feeling sorry about the loss of one of Eminem relatives, but by the end of the song he is hurt and mad that Eminem never responded to him. Unfortunately, he takes his and his child’s mother life. The lyrics can take you up and down in vocal music. Online radio

Or when the Tran Siberian Orchestra performs. No words are spoken in the entire show, it is strictly just the orchestra that the audience hears, yet their performance is so powerful in the sense that is has the authenticity to control the audience. Maybe not in the same ways as Ariel uses music to control the characters in The Tempest but the orchestra through their music has the power to control the audience’s emotions. One might wonder out of the two, music or words which concept makes the most lasting impression on the listener. When one goes to a concert they walk away from it remembering the way in which the music sounded and not necessarily the words that were heard. There is something about the rhythm of the music or beat of the drums or the excitement of the electric guitar that leaves a memory imbedded in the audience’s brain. These real life examples demonstrate the power that music has over the spoken language whereas the sound is what stirs up emotion within the

“Since the invention of the printing press, poetry is delivered mainly to the eye. Lyrics are delivered mainly to the ear” (Admin 1). For many years, music has been infamous for its catchy beats and rhythms that satisfy the ear, while poetry has the potential to cling to the emotional side of all people. An example of poetry overpowering music can be William Butler Yeats’ piece entitled “Never give all the heart” which shows more evidence of significance behind its poetic devices rather than Demi Lovato’s “Stone Cold.” It can be argued that poetry is the most powerful piece of art due to its focus on the words in which are absorbed through the eye and delivered straight to the heart. On the other hand, lyrics of a song center on the rhythm