THE WORLD OF MUSIC
Music has always been a part of us. It is likely that everyday activities such as the movements in repetitive work and in walking or even the transformation of a working tool into an instrument while you are working may have been an early form of music.
Music has found a way to connect with people. It has grown with us over the years. It has touched people in many ways. It an emotional outlet, a way to express ourselves, people can relate to it. I would say that music is the glue that holds us together. We have all come together as one big group for concerts, so we can enjoy music and have a good time.
As the years passed new styles of music came out such as Hip-Hop. Hip-hop music consists of a rhythmic lyrical form of clever wordplay, while rhyming. The rapper is accompanied by an instrumental track, usually referred to as a "beat." This beat is often created using a sample of the percussion break of another song, usually a funk or soul recording.
I have been talking to my brother Shaun, who recently put out his own rap album. I asked him to tell me about the process he went through to get where he is now. He told me there is a long process before he is ready to get into the recording studio.
First he needs to find an instrumental or a beat that fits his personality. Next he needs to put together a chorus or the "hook." He has to come up with three verses (16 bars each) and they have to be relative to his hook.
The songs he writes are all from his own personal experiences. He puts all of his emotions and feelings into his music, and the songs are about things that a lot of kids growing up in the city can relate to. He has to learn the song by heart, so that it is absolutely perfect and he doesn't have to read it off paper. He told me, "You have to put emotion in it, and you can't do that by reading it, you have to feel it." Only then will he be ready to go into the studio.
Phil, a friend of mine is a drummer. He put together a funk band that consists of funk, rock, progressive, metal, acid jazz fused together. I went to one of Phil's shows and absorbed the sound of funk music. I got such a good vibe from their music. It had a special quality, style, and attractiveness. I watched as Phil was playing his drum solo, I could tell that he was playing for the love of music. It made me appreciate funk music so much more, because I could feel the passion in it.
I asked my friend Phil about the process he went through to put this incredible sound together. Phil told me he started by auditioning or as he would call it "jamming" with like-minded players in the area with an extensive background and improvisation experience on their respective instruments.
Three to four musicians were asked to audition and record at the same time. Performing and creating on the spot through spur of the moment improvisations and full recorded instrument separation.
As different line ups on different recording sessions started to build into a great library to choose from, the best of the recordings were taken. The next step was to add additional tracks that were determined after listening back several times and deciding what would work best keys, 2nd guitar, sax, trumpet, samples, sound scapes, voice etc..
Another friend of mine, Steve, produces music. He is a very talented person. Not only can he can play every instrument which is incredible, he can also play by ear. I actually put him to test, because I had to see it for myself. It was astonishing. He has an extraordinary gift and he finds a way to put it to good use.
The most successful artists wrote and performed songs about love, sexuality, identity crises, personal freedom, and other issues that were of particular interest to teenagers.
Another important development at the close of the 20th century was the influence of digital technologies, including storage media such as recordable compact discs and DVDs (Digital Video Discs); the Internet; and MP3 compression, which allows sound files to be compressed to less than 10 percent of their original size. The transformation of musical sound into digital files allowed music to be transmitted, reproduced, and manipulated in a virtual form, easily passing from one computer to another in a different part of the world in just minutes (or seconds). This has raised legal and technological questions which will no doubt shape the course of American popular music for years to come: What kind of rights does a consumer purchase when they buy a copy of a recording? What does it mean when a consumer licenses the right to download and use the contents of an album, rather than buying a physical copy of it? How will the transformation of music into pure information affect musicians and how they are compensated? What will the music industry of tomorrow look like?
Although there have been significant changes in the technology and styles associated with popular music, some aspects have changed relatively little. The long-standing struggle between the tendency of the music industry to categorize and homogenize music and the stylistic diversity of artists is still part of the popular music world of today. While the mainstream music industry establishes stars, reproduces and distributes music, and pursues the highest sales and profits possible, there is also a less-publicized part of the music world that includes entrepreneurs who run independent labels and musicians who create new styles. A select number of these marginal figures are then picked up by the mainstream industry and promoted to a mass audience.
These days music is used in movies, commercials, plays, it is even being used on our cell phones as ring tones.
A big part of music is the musicians. If it wasn't for the talent from the musicians we wouldn't have such a large variety of music to choose from. There is so much for us to relate to.
Music has been there from the beginning and will be there to the end. Musicians are driven and motivated by passion for their music so strong, that they have no other choice but to keep on pushing and working to achieve their goals. Doing something unrelated to music isn't an option. They know they have something to offer creatively and are willing to make the sacrifices and put in the long hours and hard work necessary to achieving success. Whether anyone else agrees with them or sees things the same way, they are determined to keep on. They believe they really have no choice, for music is their passion, it is a part of all of us.