Elements of Music
Introduction
Music is referred to as the art of combining different sounds arranged in a manner that makes them produce something that is continuous, evocative and unified through harmony, melody, rhythm as well as timbre. According to Webster’s II, music does not have a single meaning as it may mean different thing to different people. Webster also claimed that music is a unique aspect of any person’s life and gives an example with a musician. To a musician, music is all their life as they do it for their daily needs and so their passion is highly tied to the music. To others, music is their source of pleasure and a way through which they are able to pass time.
In other people, music arouses their interests and makes them feel that they can only express their feelings through the music whether through listening to it or doing it that is through singing (Dorrell, 2005). A fan on the other hand might learn music as well as how to play the instruments but since they do not possess that passion that a musician has, they just do everything for fun. Another group of people may consider music as a way of relaxing while others enjoy listening to the sounds rhythms and melodies that music brings to their minds, hearts and ears. It is therefore clear that music has different impacts on people’s lives depending on how they perceive it.
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Different people have tried to bring in the deeper meaning of music in respect to different perspectives. Music is seen a s a science since it is specific, exact and demand for exact acoustics. The full score of a conductor is a graph which is used to indicate frequencies, volume changes, intensities , harmony and melody as well a the exact control of time that is required to make all these work in harmony and bring out the music that is deserved. It is also mathematical since it is mainly based on subdivisions that divide it into fractions and for any music to be successful, this must be done even though not on paper as would be expected.
It is also considered as a foreign language since it uses many terms that are borrowed from other languages which include Italian, French and Germany. The music notation is not also English and endash (Dorrell, 2005). It is a highly developed type of shorthand and makes the use of symbols to represent ideas. The music semantics happens to be the most complete as well as being the universal language. Music is also a history since it reflects on the environment and the times within which it was created.
Sometimes it also gets to the extent of a country as well as the racial feeling that it brings about. Music is physical education since any of the body movements associated with it must be coordinated with the sounds to enhance harmony and rhythm. Music is an art since it allows people to erase all these technical definitions and enables them express their emotions and this is one thing that science can never be able to duplicate that is humanism.
Essentially, there are different types of music and it is also clear that different people have different tastes for music. Some people like listening to blues which is soft music and mostly attached to love feelings. Others may prefer gospel music since that is the only way in which they feel that they maintain their closeness with God. Soft music makes the mind relax and enables one to reflect on their past and even try to create their future based on their past.
Others claim that once they listen to some music they are able to let go the hard things that surround their daily lives and create a world that they feel they do not have hard times. Other people prefer rock music while others want music that will enable them to dance (Levitin, 2008). According to these people, dancing is a way through which they are able to express their feelings and once they dance they tend to feel that they are free from what they were experiencing. There are therefore different types or genres of music and which are preferred different by many people. Research has found that music is something that many people love listening to and almost everyone in the world has their taste of music which makes them feel better once they listen to it. In relation to this, different music is also played in different occasions so that every place has music that is applicable.
There is music that is played in the church and not in any other place. Other music can only be played in the clubs and depending on occasions, some music is only played in burial ceremonies while other music is played in wedding ceremonies. It is thus clear that different music applies differently and to different occasions. It has also been found that people like listening to music at their comfort so that some prefer loud music while other prefers listening to music through their headsets. Different types of music could also be explained through the different times when it was created. For example some music is tied to the colonization period of nations thus its history.
Research has found that music affects the mood of an individual since music and mood are highly interrelated. The changes in moods do not only affect how one feel but also how they perceive things. This is because all music has some message behind it and once the message has been transmitted into one’s mind, they start creating a perception that either makes them happy or sad. This explains why some people will be found smiling throughout since they have a good feeling about themselves while others are found to be sad or sorrowful and this is dependent on the message behind the music that they are always found listening to (Walton, 1974).
A research done by Jacob Jolij and Maaike Meurs of the Psychology Department in the University of Groningen has shown that music has dramatic effects on the perception of any individual and this explains why some people are found to be always happy even though there is nothing to make them happy but the music dictates their mood.. On the other hand, other people are found to be sad since they are always listening to music with sad messages and therefore they feel that there is nothing to be happy about. It is through expectation that people feel different after listening to the different types of music.
Through research it was found out that some people preferred listening to a particular pieces of music. The researchers were able to find out that the main reason as to why people preferred such music as sad music was because they felt that the music was beautiful or because it had beautiful words in it. According to researchers, listening to such kind of music was a way of enhancing moods by the individuals. After assessing some people, the researchers found out that most people, who underwent sad situations in their lives, choose to listened to sad music. The reason behind this was based on their expectations as they listened to that kind of music.
The fact that they thought they would be consoled after such music made people yearn to listen to music that best suited the situations they had gone through in their lives (Levitin, 2008). According to psychologists on the other hand, some people listened to some music with the aim of triggering past memories which made them sad and in doing this, they do not achieve the aim of being better but they end up ruining their moods. It was therefore clear that those people who succeeded in enhancing their moods were those who were able to recognize the aesthetic value of music.
Music acts as a source of encouragement in some people’s lives. It cannot be said that people only listen to one type of music but people should admit that different types of music create different impacts’ in people’s lives. For example, after the death of one’s best friend or a close person, the feeling of having nothing left in the world becomes common and some may even develop psychological disorders. Most of them would release all the sadness through listening to sad music which eventually made them cry out their sadness.
In doing this, they trigger the memories that they had together with their friends and make it clear in their minds that there was no other time that they would ever have such good times as they had already had in the past. It was also a way through which they were able to appreciate their friends even in their absentia as they felt that they had formed a part of their life which could not be erased. They did not love the music in speakers but listened to it through earphones and everywhere (Walton, 1974).
Their aim of listening to the sad and soft music was focused on getting the message that lay deep inside the music and enhance acceptance that it had already happened to them and there was no way in which they could have reversed the situation. It was only to hammer the fact that there was nothing that they could do about it. Though this was a time of psychological torture, they were still able to overcome the situation and got back on their feet.
Dance music is also another type of music that makes one feel that they had already expressed what runs in their mind. The motivation on dancing was triggered through the club hits that one listened to when they were still young. Dance music is not only attached to the heavy beats that are done clubs. People were found to make simple movements but they meant so much to them. They were thus able to express their emotions as well as tell the world what they expected. Researchers were also able to find out that some people did not dance to the music but to the beats and that was the major case in most of the clubs.
The beats of the music were found to possess some power that just made people go wild and everybody including the drunkards were able dance in their own styles. Dancing was found to be a part of many as they could not say it by the word of mouth as sometimes it was hard for people to express their feelings freely and they were always able to say what they felt was important in their life. Dance music could only be explained as a way through which the electronic sounds evoked the body and made it feel that there was need to move and not only moving in any way but in a way that made one feel that the message in their minds had been communicated (Deutsch, 2012). The dance moves were always one way through which most people let go. Most young people have therefore formed dance groups in which they learn more and new styles of dancing an activity that has made some become professionals.
Being in the music industry or having an interest in music made many people have the interest of wanting to learn more about music. The way music is perceived is different but is very important to understand the best way in which to perceive music so as to have the clear message that is incorporated in music. It is only through the understanding of different music types that people are able to use the music that is through listening to it, in a way that makes them achieve what they expect from the music (Walton, 1974).
Dancing does not only entail the club hits but the soft music has its dancing moves that are associated with it and make it better to those who love it. In relation to this, it becomes possible for all people to enjoy the music that they love since they can always make their simple movements and refer to it as dancing to the rhythm of the music. Research has found out that most of the people who allow their bodies to be moved by the music that they listen to seem happier and satisfied with it than those who only listen to it.
It is also clear that music is one way through which people with differences gets closer to each other and creates something that is common in all of them. In relation to this, most musicians have been born from different backgrounds and this also means that they have different cultures that they uphold. They are therefore able to share their cultures through their music all over the world as their music has to conform to their cultures. The listeners of the music are also people with different cultures but since they end up listening to the same type of music, they become one in their way of living.
The type of music that people listen to determines their way of lives and in most cases this applies to the youths who seem to identify themselves with other youths from different continents of the world. Research has found out that most of the youths for example, listen to the same type of music all over the world. This is also reflected on the music that they watch and their musician role models (Caplin, Hepokoski, Webster, Berge? & European Conference of Music Analysis. 2009). Most of them admire the same musicians and this therefore explains the reason as to why they end up copying the lifestyles of the musicians. This explains the reason as to why most of the youths behave the same way all over the world.
They aim of identifying themselves with the youths from other parts of the world and this includes the borrowing of even their music and cultural values. It has also been noted that there are dance groups that have been formed in different nations and compete with each other and they are composed of the youths. This is a culture that has been adopted by different nations bringing in a common factor among the youths.
Music is a machine that collects similar feelings and puts them together to enhance their being solved. For example, different musicians have got different ways of expressing how they feel about a certain occurrences in their lives. It is then possible to have different music but based on one aspect for example love. This means that it is possible to have different genres of music expressing love. Rock music can be based on love, reggae music can as well have the expression of love and so does gospel music. Therefore, even as different musicians create their works, they may be talking of one thing but in different ways.
This thus creates commonality among musicians as well as the listeners since they may also be listening to different types of music but with the same message incorporated in them. This explains the reason as to why music creates commonality to the differences that exist between individuals. It has also been found that different genres of music originated from different nations. They have then spread all over the world and have made people start generating all these genres in their own nations (Deutsch, 2012). This is another aspect that has made the music world a village and especially due to the use of advanced technology which has expanded the music industry.
According to research, music has its own experiences that it brings to people. Some people listen to music with the aim of flashbacking on their lives and this means that their aim is focusing on their past that they have experienced. Based on this, they may end up feeling terrible about what happened in their past and may even tend to think that their future holds nothing good for them in the long run. In relation to this it is in a way important to focus on the present happenings in one’s life rather than the past that happened many years back. On the other hand, many people listen to music and focus on building castles in the air so that they start mediating things that do not exist in their real life (Caplin, Hepokoski, Webster, Berge?, & European Conference of Music Analysis. 2009).
Sometimes it is good to meditate on things and in this case music so as to ensure that one’s mind is clear and gives them hope for a better tomorrow. It thus becomes confusing to determine the best experience that music should give one as both the co- present and the mediated seem equally good. According to research, the co present experiences are found to be better than the mediated experiences in music.
Participating in the music industry is important as it enables one to learn new skills and may finally be able to identify their talent as a result of continued participation. According to research, music has given people the experience on how to cope with life. This does not only happen to the musicians but also to those who listen to the music in general. When it comes to dancing, this is seen as a form of exercise that people engage in as it is seen to keep them fit and healthy at the same time. The body movements during dance are considered as the physical education which ensures that the musicians as well as the listeners are healthy as all their body parts are actively engaged. Psychologists have also argued that music is one thing that acts as a cure to psychological disorders that affect most of the people in the society (Hesmondhalgh, 2013).
Through music most people are able to focus on how they can become better and admirable in the societies within which they live. Some other kinds of music contains words of encouragement to the listeners which makes them forget their worries and keep on smiling even when their lives are greatly affected by things that are undesirable. Psychologists therefore explain that if there is one therapy to depression that is found to yield fast and good results is listening to music as well as participating in music. Music is also seen as one way through which people are able to build their characters as in most cases it is calm and requires less energy to let go what is undesirable to the participant.
Most students have the belief that music is one way of shaping their lives is deeply instilled in them. They explained that music was a way through which they could get directions in their lives and that this would enable them be the persons they always desired to be in future. Additionally, they believed that their pride, responsibility, compassion, respect and patience among others were all inculcated in them through music as a part and therefore they owed a part of their success to music. In cure for depression, since it is a condition that makes people lose their quality of life as well as their general functioning of their body systems, music was found to be the best nourishing material that could rejuvenate their strength and make them better in their lives.
This was especially a common disorder to the working class people (Caplin, Hepokoski, Webster, Berge? & European Conference of Music Analysis. 2009). The best thing that they could therefore do was to listen to music and mostly through their headphones since they did not have time to sit down just listening to music. Once they used their earphones, they would then be able to work as their music was still playing. In doing this, they could not have time to think of their many troubles as music would create them another world.
Although music has all these positive attributes, if some is overdone, then it can have negative impacts for example club music can be the introduction of one to full time drunkenness. It is also important for the music participants to ensure that they uphold their morals since some music can make one forget their real personality.
Some music has been generated and aimed at criticizing the politics of a given nation. It has been found that some gospel is aimed at spreading propaganda against some political leaders or even parties. Some musicians have therefore based their business on “correcting” the politicians due to their wrong acts, speech or even ideas. The message in this music is not only hidden but also twisted since this is against the laws of any state (Deutsch, 2012).
It therefore becomes music that has parables in it but is aimed at reaching the few politicians in the governments or the government as a whole. In other cases, music has been used to accomplish politics but today, music is fully politics as all that requires to be done in the political world is incorporated in music and thus is the message in politics. In relation to this, some races have also decided to use their languages to promote their politicians and go against politicians from other races. It has therefore become sensitive to people as politics has been included in the industry that reaches everyone in the world. This has put many nations at risk since there is no confidentiality in the matters related to the politics of the state.
Music is one thing that spreads easily and quickly all over the world. Diasporic music has had many effects on the cultures of different nations. There may be some effects that are positive but in most cases through the borrowing of cultures that are exhibited by different musicians. This has led to the abandoning of the original cultures of people and adopting new cultures that belong to other nations in the world (Stige, 2010).
The borrowing of cultures therefore has made people live in a way that they do not even recognize their roles in the society and their morals have also been washed away from them so that they only act in ways which they deem important and beneficial to them not considering what the society expects of them. Cultures are therefore no longer meaningful as they have already been contaminated.
Different genders participate in the music industry but it has been found that some genders are more prominent in one genre of music as compared to the other. In most cases, women have been found to participate in love music more than men. Men on the other hand have been found to focus on other aspects of life that they feel suit them best for example politics. In relation to this, reggae music for example has been left to men as they dominate the genre.
It is through this music that they are able to express their feelings best (Hesmondhalgh, 2013). The women on the other hand have dominated the blues genre where they are able to bring out their emotions as well as their expectations from those that they love. Through music, people with differences can be brought together and this would create a platform for socializing and making each other understand the other freely. This is one way through which the world has become a village as people can easily socialize and therefore nations have created relationships that are of benefit for example trade relationships.
NERD is a group of musicians and has been in the music industry for some years. Recently, they released new song for example Squeeze me and then people were fascinated by the album. It received so many positive comments although there were dislikes. The group explained their struggle for five years to release the film. The film scored a rating of 8 which means that it was satisfying and made many feel good. Creativity is an aspect that every musician must have for his or her survival and success in the music industry (Hesmondhalgh, 2013).
It is through creativity that the best music is made and also spread. Creativity also facilitates commerce since it is through creativity that competitive business is created and made to thrive successfully. The two therefore work hand in hand and are aimed at ensuring achievement of success without strain. It is impossible for any of them to succeed without the other. This therefore explains the reasons as to why the musicians must be creative with the aim of giving the society what it requires.
Music cannot be done away with in any society since it has a role that it plays. It is a way of life to others and has been found to make other people’s lives better. There is no music genre that does not have a role since every person has their taste of music. It has been in the history of many nations that music must be in existence. It can be said that music is a wind that is continuously blowing and in different directions meaning that different music from different parts of the world, covers different aspects of life. Through music, many people have been able to identify themselves as well as develop their future as they focus not on the past (Stige, 2010).
Listening to music has been found to be one activity that makes the mind get relaxed and anticipate for more things to come which are batter and in their favor. It is also a way through which one clears the anger, disgust, hatred and envy that may lie in their hearts. Music is power to them that believe so and it also heals when given time. It is also clear that music is an art as well as a science that continues to develop and have impact on the people living in the society.
Work cited
Dorrell, P. (2005). What is music?: Solving a scientific mystery. United Kingdom: Philip Dorrell.
Levitin, D. J. (2008). This is your brain on music: Understanding a human obsession. London: Atlantic Books.
Walton, C. W. (1974). Basic forms in music. New York.
Caplin, W. E., Hepokoski, J. A., Webster, J., Berge?, P., & European Conference of Music Analysis. (2009). Musical form, forms & Formenlehre: Three methodological reflections. Leuven: Leuven University Press.
Deutsch, D. (2012). The psychology of music. S.l.: Academic Press.
Stige, B. (2010). Where music helps: Community music therapy in action and reflection. Farnham, England: Ashgate.
Hesmondhalgh, D. (2013). Why music matters.
https://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/1842/9478/2/Gadir2014.pdf.
http://cmer.arts.usf.edu/content/articlefiles/3122-MERI04pp.19-30.pdf.
