The Decemberists vs. Tom Waits: Music Analysis

Although I enjoyed the concert, it was very different than how I normally think of jazz. It sounded as if they're playing could've been improvisatory. Although I know that's not the case, at many parts it felt like there were three musicians playing separate pieces that didn't go together. It felt very free, and possibly purposely made to be unique. As they announced titles, they would indicate where the song comes from. Sometimes, they would indicate one of their band members and sometimes it would their version of someone else's song, such as their song “The Robots.” You can see the personalities of the musicians as they play and in their songs. The drummer, Dave King, wrote one of their songs “Keep the Bugs Off Your Glass and The Bears Off Your Ass” and was the most freestyle player. He seemed to have fun, and looked like he was completely free as he played. After relistening to the songs at a later point, I can confirm that not just his playing, but the entire song wasn’t exactly the same, which leads me to believe they do a lot of freestyle typical in jazz. Specifically, Dave King was very humorous throughout the concert. He would tell jokes the entire time between songs, and told a story about his big dream to give out ice cream at their concerts one day. Out of all of them, his personality and playing shined out the most. The performance showed clear elements of jazz and popular music as they played, using syncopation, freestyle, and melodies to musically communicate with the

The pieces were quite odd for me at the first time, first hearing, but I got used to it at the end of the each piece. “The Gospel Train” and “Little David, Play On Your Harp” were African-American Spiritual songs, which I kind of enjoyed, because I was also, very spiritually active. The last song, “Precious Lord Take My Hand” was very calming songs. I liked the lyrics of the song. The lyrics were very touchy that it made me ponder after the applause.

The Dave Matthews Band has been a musical power house for years. They have meshed together almost every type of music together to create their extremely unique sounds and attractiveness towards their music. Dave Matthews, lead singer and guitarist from South Africa has put together a band that no one will ever be able to create again. Dave picked four extremely talented and unique sounding men to join his band and together they have created some amazing music. The members of the band include Stefan Lessard on bass, Boyd Tinsley on violin, Leroi Moore on saxophone and one of the best drummers in the world, Carter Beauford. Together these men will one day leave behind a similar reputation as one of the all time greatest "jam" bands of time.

First, the overall tone in all three pieces was phenomenal, but there were a couple spots during the performance that were not as amazing as the rest of the performance. In the first song, Hamilton by Jerry Brubaker, it was hard to hear certain sections

Christmastime means performances filled with gaudy, poorly composed pieces whose only purpose is to rouse the spirits of audiences. But still, the band manages to add a little spark into each one that has me giving a standing ovation like the rest. It’s perfect as always.

When they started playing pieces, it was what I expected. I have heard Irish music before so it wasn’t a surprise to me. The first thing that came to my mind when they started playing was the scene from the movie Titanic when Jack takes Rose down

My favorite part of the concert was the second part. The group played a song called “Body and Soul.” The guitarist played slowly before the others joined. They created a relaxed atmosphere with an old-school effect. All the notes were legato except the melodies of the drum which was staccato. The combination added character to the piece and made it entertaining. At 19:00, the pianist played briskly but beautifully, then the guitarist did the same. The notes became high pitched and the tempo and dynamics increased. After the guitar stopped, everything went into decrescendo and the melodies from the bass and drums became choppy (staccato). Overall the piece surrounded the theme of dependence and how it affects one’s happiness or strength. The piano and the guitar brought the happy aspect to the piece and without it, everything weakened and became uncoordinated. Initially it celebrated peace,

They showed great dynamics and balance. I felt that the dancer’s (The Golden Stars) piece was short and rushed. Their piece and routine didn’t even last a full minute (5:16-6:07). Now; I’m not of fan of vocals being featured in Marching Band performances unless it is done correctly. In order for performances like these to sound good, the band needs to have enough balance, dynamics, and technique while still giving just enough volume where you can still hear the vocalist. I will give Miles credit; they sounded fabulous, music wise. The technique was there, the dynamics were there (instrument wise), and the balance was there. The ballad “Stand” by Donnie McClurkin sounded amazing. However, I felt that there were times you couldn’t really hear the vocalist as he sung, but it did get a little better towards the end. I also appreciated the nice woodwind parts towards the end of the ballad. Miles College Purple Marching Machine did a really good job and was one of the most consistent bands on the

I first thought the concert would include full band, background singers, different lightings and costume changes. My thought was quickly changed when I saw that there was one drummer and the artist with his two guitars. It was very different from the other concerts that I’ve been to. He was really laid back and speaking about his life openly to us. He shared with us about his life as an artist, a husband, father and a follower of Jesus. The concert was very energetic, with a lot of dancing, shouting and sing along. The songs he sung were from his old and upcoming

This song was viewed as more of a sweet love song with lyrics “Would she ever doubt the way I feel about her in my heart If tomorrow never comes, Will she know how much I loved her” (GARTH BROOKS LYRICS). Brooks said he had the idea for the song and many were not getting it till he meet with Kent Blazy who would have the verse written out in fifteen seconds (Hostelley). The song was not only a chart topper by Brooks, it would go onto to be named Favorite Country Single in the American Music Awards of 1991 even though it was a number on hit back in 1989 (List of awards and nominations received by Garth Brooks). The song was also popular among artist across the world to be a cover song. With Ronan Keating, taking it to number one on the UK Singles Chart in May 2002 (Bing Search

The combination of Colin’s deep soulful voice and the bass pedal he used to keep a beat made the performance one that you could feel in your chest. As far as Colin’s voice is concerned, he didn’t seem to have extensive range in his vocal performance, however, he was able to maintain a consistent tone throughout each song. His songwriting felt a bit heavy handed at times, often making direct references to places or locations rather than obscuring them through metaphor as many song writers do. Regardless, it was clear that each song had personal meaning and was meant to tell a story. Everything considered the performance was definitely a good experience and I wouldn’t hesitate to see Colin again if he played a venue near

I feel that the fourteen members of chamber orchestra and the two vocalists did an outstanding job. This piece was well put together. I loved the harmony that was brought forth between the orchestra and the vocalists. The two vocalists a tenor known as Paul Groves and a soprano known as Anna Larson, did a beautiful job staying in tune. The way that their voices went back and forth in harmony was just beautiful.

If you look at any moment of time you could find music right around the corner. You could find it a funerals, weddings, dances, and at your car. Music is the most influential thing someone could listen to. If it were thrash metal then you’d obviously be filled with adrenaline. For me being in the marching band at my school really changed my views in music it helped me not only hear the music but move to the music I am producing

The two songs that made the grates impression were "there is nothin' like a dame" sung by the singing cardsman and "light of a clear blue morning" sung by the collegiate chorale. They were not the traditional chorale songs I was expecting to hear. The first song stuck out because of the performance itself. The men made it entertaining as explained earlier. In contrast, the second song had a high clear sound that contrasted with the emotion the soloist managed to evoke. The words of the song produced a sorrowful mood but the crispness of the soloist’s voice brought the feeling of hope to the

I think that the performer’s ability was appropriate for their location and for their audience because the tone quality of the musicians sounded very rich and clean. When I listened to the performance, I was able to hear all of the different parts of the piece clearly, which has made me much more conscious of the balance and dynamics of each phrase when I play. The texture of the pieces played was very rich and full because an orchestral piece is designed to have a good balance of instruments and good range of frequencies of sound that has lots of different things happening at the same time.