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Exploring Music in Context — (2021)

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Martin Gu
Ms. Faye

Section 1—Exploration of diverse music

Introduction

To achieve the exploration of different music materials, I have chosen from music for
Listening and Performance (AOI 2) & music for dramatic impact, movement, and
entertainment (AOI3) intercept two different music works as research samples. In this case, I
will investigate and explore how the differences in the musical elements in a musical
composition can present the emotion the composer wants to express and make it consistent
with the concept it serves (religious activity, soundtrack composition, etc.).

For AOI 2, I’m going to investigate the piece the “Hell/Heaven” live performance
adaptation “Magnolia” produced by Casey Luong. For AOI 3, I will study from “Spirited
Away” movie soundtrack——“One Summer’s Day” composed by Joe Hisaishi- -the
composer, musical director for Ghibli’s studio’s film music. The two chosen pieces
separately belong to Lo-Fi Hip-Hop and fusion of minimalism with Japanese classical.
Because I have only received finger-style guitar education, training, and solo guitar
arrangements with indie pop and Chinese country folk songs as the main genres, so my
unfamiliarity with Lo-Fi and minimalism music can be considered as the motivation for
exploring different genres. Furthermore, the application of skills conducted by modulations
on “Digital Audio Workstation” to convey the sense of “relaxing”，and the fusion style of
genres in “One Summer’s Day” were notable perspectives could be expand throughout the
exploration.

The chosen piece of music “magnolia” could be mainly synthesized to structure

“ABABA”. The first “A” section is the intro of the song, which is obtained only piano’s
repeated melody line introduced and the sound sample of one man’s breath at the back. After
4 sixteenth notes’ of buddhis wooden percussion, the song was pushed forward to “B” section
which is getting vocal sound to introduce the main melody with lyrics sang. In “B” section,
the strumming chord of Ukulele plays the role of set the color of the song
The first most recognizable instrument is the grand piano sound which is playing the melody
line start from intro. The Ukulele introduced at the refrain part of the song was basically a
loop of 4bars, one chord for each first upbeat in the bar. Another identical instrument used to
reinforce the nature of the chord is the bass laying at the back of the ukulele. The percussion
groups of the song are mainly accomplished by acoustic Asian musical instrument——
wooden clapper also Electric drum set which is used to create the kick, snare, hi-hats in the
sound.
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The technique of modulating vocal sample with “reverse” play was used in the refrain
section of the piece. The original source of the sound was taken from the humming of
producer, and the low cut of sample was made from by filtering certain range of frequency
below a specified frequency cutoff point. In the measure before the bridge, the riser generated
by white noise sampled from breath was to make audience to have the impression of getting
higher energy as the pitch up wooden percussion came in. The insert of vocal sample
repeating the lyrics “you’re so beautiful” was choked down, and it repeated while the
accompany constructed by ukulele, synth pad, piano’s line moved simultaneously. The
producer was using software “Logic” and the instrument’s sound was made by midi signal
but not ukulele. The use of offbeat modulation of the piano’s midi was to mimic the occasion
of man’s react deviation causing the note may not be played in the ideal, absolute timing
manner since the producer want to make it sounds like hand record texture.
According to song’s vocalist, producer——Keshi’s personal cultural background of having
Japanese religion , the traditional instrument applied in Buddhist was added in the music as
the percussion.
The beat of kick was firstly hit on the upbeat of the measure’s beginning, and then the
rest of the kick in the measure usually all placed on the downbeat which is avoid the accent
comes from the tempo of 4/4.

Noting the purpose of the song “magnolia” was to express the holistic motto “being
perseverant” symbolized by magnolia(flower). Keshi was using mainly avoid the use of third
note.The chosen piece was presenting the idea of mimic the sense of producing polyphonic
music texture by having cut, reverse modulated vocal sample and both melody from “human
breath” and the lines played by patterned grand piano.

From my own view of the music, I am attracted by the fusion of mixing both traditional
element and electronic toned sound got from the eq cut-wave process and also the nostalgic
feeling that the removal of 3rd note in chord bring (the sense of having vague identical feature
of the chord’s nature).