ARE ALL MUSIC;
SONGS
My five year old niece was grooving with me on this obscure
little track of a rock band.
After the song ended, I replayed the same track; this time
an instrumental to sing along. And, pat came the question:
"What is a song? What's the difference between a song and a
music?" It sounded like a simple question what the answer
was tricky. Are all songs music, are all music; songs?
To understand this concept, I first had to understand the
idea of sound waves. We perceive musicality in the audio
waves through vibrations or frequencies. Since, our heart
rates are different than other species. What appears to
be a music piece to our ears, may end up being too shrill
and even inaudible for animals. So my song choices may
not be necessarily pleasing to my pet. Well, that explains
his rampant barking while I play my yoga playlist in the
morning. On the flip side, the supersonic and ultrasonic
sounds are beyond our ear's reach and we never get to hear
them. This could be music to some species as well.
Our forefathers, have found a way to give regularities or
patterns to these kind of sounds that we can hear. They have
used different means to give these sounds a tonality through
the use of multiple notes. So, this entire exercise is repeated
many times before a piece is called musical. Anything, that
does not conform to this regularity is usually termed as
noise. Sounds simple, not really!
Many instruments like the percussions were developed
and designed to be used sparingly and only in certain
areas where they have the most musical effect to the song.
Interestingly, this instruments in isolation would not qualify
for this regulating wavelengths of sound and could otherwise
be rendered 'noise', when not produced by a skilled player.
So, in clinical terms, music is sound organised in time.
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SOUVIK CHAKRABORT Y
To decode what exactly is a song, you might not have to look
up the annals of history. Because any music that holds lyrics,
and other expressions by a vocalist is a song right?
Think of the shlokas and other chants of the past. They have
little to no use of any external music in a rendition of a song.
Usually its a single note that is recounted several times
until it becomes intoxicatingly liberating. Give a thought,
on the countless lullabies we grew up with. Our folk lores
are replete with songs sans music instruments. Think of the
helicopters whirring on top of you. The clank of a bell and the
thump of a feet, are they not music waiting to become songs?
Its largely observational and subjective as music and
song can also depend on your conditioning and emotional
compass. On a gloomy day a party song might not lift your
mood as a pensive lyrics in another song would do. There are
instances where people have discarded world famous metal
bands as utter 'cacophony'. There are musicians who have
used the sound of almost everything possible into music.
That brings me to the next question, what category of sound
does ASMR creators create? Are they just sounds, or will
they evolve into another form of music in the future?
I have read quotes, examples and theories on progressions
on what is music and what is not. But, what remains as
the undeniable essence of a good piece of music or song is
rhythm. It's good that people have a non democratic take
on what is music to them. It is a very conducive climate for
those artists to thrive, who are constantly experimenting and
evolving into better creators. The debate between music and
noise, or songs and song-lessness are age old.
But, true art is timeless!
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
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