Wow, this was a wild ride. My final post for this class. And I think I’ll miss it. Class was a fun romp through history with a knowledgeable professor who knew how to make the subject interesting. If he hadn’t told us this was his first time teaching this particular class, I would have imagined him a veteran of it.

What I liked most about the class was how it surprised me. I came in expecting an informative but dry class on how to use the library and other online databases to write research papers. What I got instead was an informative class that was also lots of fun, both in listening to the lectures but also participating in discussion and making the final project.

I definitely recommend this class to any student who is taking a Music based Major or Minor, because the readings and topics all covered pertinent facts about the evolution of digital mediums, but also how the various musical styles and industries formed.

Again, lots of fun, and I’ll miss the class.

Last thoughts of the day:

The end is only the beginning of a new adventure.

The discussion of souls relating to music was quite interesting. And the tangent about recording being a sort of necromancy? Hilarious! Never looked at it that way. In a way, it feels right. Recording anything, be it music, movies, or literature, ensures it endures, and can be examined and enjoyed by later people. Do they keep some of the creators soul in them? Do the author’s words carry a hint of his thoughts, feelings, and dreams? Do the actors roles in a blockbuster film portray not only their talents, but also their own hopes and hidden ideas? And is it possible for future generations to become inspired by these things? If the answer is yes, then I believe a soul of sorts lives on. After all, you only die when you are forgotten.

Clave… such a bizarre instrument and name… it sounds and feels so primitive, more so than drums or stringed instruments. Is it because of the simplistic nature of the tool and the music it creates? Or is it just Whitey being uptight about “barbarians” again…

Coincidence? Probably, yeah.

Thought of the Day:

You only die when you are forgotten. For some, this is a blessing. Others, the greatest hell. Because for every man fondly loved and thought of, another burns on the hate of those who teach of their evil.

“Architecture is frozen music.” An amazing quote. That an Italian came up with it in the Renaissance is equally impressive.

Sound really is a fascinating subject. But if humans can only hear certain pitches, does that mean it is possible for human flesh and bone to rupture and break if exposed to certain frequencies? Could a dolphin’s laugh kill a man?

…Probably not.

Learning about Claude Shannon was amazing. When his idea, “yes or no” was broken down for us in the video, it made a lot of sense. It did a good job with explaining how he came to that, how it works, and why everything we use digitally uses this as well.

If you combine both Turing’s theory (Response to question equals intelligence) with Serl’s (Awareness of response to question equal intelligence) you can create a way to identify true sapience. Though what’s the difference between sapience and intelligence? As far as I can tell, a small bit. Sapience seems to be more of a feature of “thinking before you leap,” while intelligence is akin to instinctive reactions.

On a side note, Ann Frank’s Diary is undergoing a copyright controversy! One side, the owners of the property, want to extend copyright on the novel. The other side wants to let it enter public domain. While the owners make no money off it, as all royalties are donated to several relief funds, extending the copyright could set a bad precedent in European legal affairs.

Thought of the Day:

Music is everywhere. From the songs on the radio, to the chirps of birds, to the hum of gears and pistons in a car. Even if it is just noise to someone, to another it may be the sound of life.

Hah! Serves Time Warner right for trying to copyright a cherished, public tune! Ha! Ha I say! Now they have to pay it all back!

*Ahem!* Pardon me. I’m just so filled with joy it started leaking. Where were we? oh yes, “Happy Birthday.” When I first heard about it being copyrighted, I was certain it had to be a hoax, or at least misinformation. While I was right in the long run, the fact that until recently it was the truth made me ache. Nothing is original under the sun, and sooner or later you’ll wind up remaking or redoing something that someone else once wrote about. Copyright issues aside for now, it feels ridiculous to have an iconic tune such as “Happy Birthday,” one which I myself have sung countless times over the years, was technically borderline illegal for me to do. Hopefully this will invoke a wave of change. Not sure how, but in some way.

This is why I think that the Bridgeport Music vs. Dimension Films case is so stupid. If you can’t tell or prove what the tune or melody was without using fancy instruments and technologies, then why should it be treated as anything other than original? They (the artists) spent time and effort cutting out a small, insignificant section of someone else’s tune, and remixing the Bass out of it so it sounded nothing like the original! That’s effort, almost as much as what may have been put into making the orginal in the first place! Sure, some people will say, “if you can spend the time copying/stealing, then spend the time creating your own stuff!” To which I reply, “OK, you go ahead then! Make something completely original that no one else has ever conceived of!” Sheesh… As a writer, I know how hard it is to come up with original plots, characters, and stories. So much has been done in so many ways, it is difficult to find a way to make your ideas seem unique and not a pale reflection. Of course, I understand the need and purpose of copyright, and will defend it because I too would like to be paid for my work, but there are definite ways that the current system needs to be toned down.

Of course, that would mean a major change in mindset for people. A lot of copyright issues seem to spring up because someone wants money that someone else made off of them. I understand that completely. But at a certain point, is it all about money? Jumping onto anyone over a small infraction just to get money seems both heartless and vile. Our society praises monetary wealth highly, and anyone who attacks that is seen and treated as worse than a murderer. Take Madoff and his ponzy scheme. He stole millions from people. And while pacifists bemoan the death penalty, they’d willingly tear the flesh from Madoff’s bones for his theft. What does that tell us about ourselves? Nothing good, that’s for certain.

As for Corporations, if they are treated as human-like entities under the law, could it be possible for someone to marry them? I doubt it is possible, but if they have every right except the right to vote, surely this would be the next logical step in someone’s mad get-rich-quick scheme.

Thought of the Day: Gold endures. Use it to make the worthwhile things in life last as well. Spend it on freedom, and knowledge, and people. Because what good is it when you are cold and dead?

The musical genre I chose to investigate was “Blues.” While so many other music genres have names based on some connection to sound or beat (Pop, rock ‘n’ roll) or originate from non-English words (Reggae), Blues is named after the tone and mood of the music often associated it with, and is color coded as such.

The origins of Blues lies in the south of the USA between 1870 and 1900. Linked to the freed African American slaves, it evolved from a country/folk style into its own type. According to Pierro Scaruffi, university lecturer and musical web-journalist, “The quintessence of the blues was pain, but the art of the blues often consisted in bridging the chasm between tragedy and (broadly speaking) comedy..” This beautifully sums up the emotions felt when listening to Blues, and also gives an insight into where the pain was coming from at the time of Blues’ conception.

The Blues endorsement website, Blues on the Meadow, argues that the origin of the naming for “Blues” comes from “a reference to the “the blue devils” – a term for depression, sadness or  just simply ‘down in dumps’. Earliest reference is 1798 one act farce by George Colman called Blue Devils.”

The first recorded Blues music comes from 1920, when African American singer Mamie Smith sand and recorded his rendition of the song “Crazy Blues” by Perry Bradford.

The notes of Blues are based on a twelve-bar, 4/4 long melody. In order to further differentiate  it from others, Blues included “two “flattened” notes, the “blue” notes.” (Pierro) This gives Blues a flat, mournful sounds if done right.

A very old style with a lot of its own unique twists, Blues is enjoyable for relaxation music, or to set a somber mood.

Thought of the day:

Music is Universal, just like Kindness and Peace.

Sources:

http://www.scaruffi.com/history/blues.html

http://www.bluesonthemeadow.com/BluesMusic.aspx

http://www.earlyblues.com/chronology_of_blues_on_record.htm

This was definitely an interesting class with an interesting topic. I remember taking a War and Remembrance class here at GMU where we talked about the Text Book Scandal. While it is unlikely there were that many color soldiers in the Confederacy, due to the laws restricting them joining the armed forces, the possibility of any of them being rear-guard so not to rouse suspicion is possible. Still, when Lewis Steiner claims to have seen 3000 “negro men under arms” it raises numerous questions about that. As discussed in class, they probably weren’t actually soldiers, merely ancillary staff and support units. Then, looking at the picture of Shane and James (I think those were they’re names) makes me wonder about the people who owned slaves and the like. Did any of them actually see blacks as people, or were they all indoctrinated?

Also, faking a photograph to show black and white soldiers dead on the field together is an interesting tactic, and would certainly be something to talk about. The real question however, is who staged it? Confederates trying to show that their slaves were loyal unto death? A Unionist trying to show that the slaves weren’t worth saving? Hard to say, maybe even impossible to know.

On the topic of Confederates, the “Son of the Confederate Veterans.” Of all the scum of the earth, these are some of the worst living on American soil. Why glorify what is now generally considered to evil? Why defend your ancestors who were either mere cannon fodder troops or slimy racist? I was in Norfolk once, and I saw the statue memorializing the “southern dead.” I commented, “They should add a sign that says, ‘they fought on the wrong side.'” Rude and ignorant, I know, but the praise a batch of deep South tourists were giving it boiled my blood.

One of the historical topics I still argue about today is that the South should have been punished. The Union should have crushed the old plantation owners into the ground and made sure that none of the Confederate supporters got a position in any form of government, local or federal. Because the North desired “reconciliation,” Southern politicians got off Scott Free! No fines, no jail time, nothing! They were allowed to keep their jobs, which, I argue, is one of the major reasons we had Jim Crow Laws able to be put into effect. Because the South was never punished, they never learned.

Thought of the Day:

Don’t cut off the head of a movement; they body will still struggle. Instead, cut off their feet; that way they never get anywhere.

Tosches was not a fun read. His work was interesting in a few places with strong feelings towards his subject, and more than once he caught my attention with neat trivia, specifically with the history of Minstrel Show actors making it big in the new world of motion pictures. But he has a bit too much a preachy tone, and is never consistent with his examples or points.

More than once, Tosches makes me cringe with his disregard of academic writing. Why does he dislike historians so much that he has to butcher the medium they work with? The world may never know, or care too. But as it stands, Tosches writing is too middle school for my tastes. High School at best. He uses poor imagery and rarely connects his examples with anything relevant to his current speech. For example, at one point he discusses French theater while mere sentences ago was explaining the development of motion pictures. I can’t say they aren’t dissimilar, and don’t have a connection, but he never goes beyond, never bridging the two or explaining why he brought it up in the first place.

Final review: 5 out of 10. Has some intriguing concepts, and is at least written in coherent English, but Tosches’ ramblings and contempt of academia makes it a hard read for anyone with ties to scholarly anything.

Thought of the day:

Learn your enemy’s ways. That way, you crush them on their own field, at their own game. Victory from that is oh so much sweeter.

If timekeeping was more or less down town to town, what about clocks? There were, to my knowledge, mechanical clocks that abounded in the cities. Did these not have a universal measurement for them? What I mean is, who decided the day had 24 hours, or two sets of 12 (like on a clock) and when? We take it as a given today, but back then, such nuances were more or less unnecessary for the common citizen. How and when did such standards such as numerical time measurements come about? I think I’ll look this up on my own time, since I can’t stop questioning this.

Is “Lomax” a Yiddish or Jewish name? It sounds somewhat like that, and it certainly doesn’t sound or look like a common Christian European name.

Thought of the day:

God created man. Man created clocks. And thus man created a way to control God and all his other creations. Time waits for nothing, now.

Not much to say, honestly. The info about the different beats between oceans was interesting, but I couldn’t help but keep thinking about Roombas when Rumba was brought up, making my thoughts drift and wonder if I’d turned mine off before I left for class.

Other than that, the fact that banjos were an African American instrument was fascinating, since nowadays when you think banjo, you think white trash red necks.

I do have to thank you for introducing me to Post Modern Juke Box! I’ve already subscribed, and I am really enjoying their work! I have to say, its nice to have new things to listen to, especially on a professional level. Ever heard of Lindsey Stirling? She’s also on Youtube with her own channel, and produces original violin music. Its peppy and upbeat, so I’d recommend giving her a listen.

https://www.youtube.com/user/lindseystomp

Thought of the day:

Focus, and you will see the goal. Reach out, and you will grab it.

The internet sure has grown! The fact that there were only 200 or so websites back in 1993, a mere year after my birth, is mind boggling. Especially as it increases by almost 100 fold by 1996 (with 200,000 websites). The progress of technology is insanely fast! And to think, mouses were made with wood back in 1968!

To learn that the first “truly American” music was the eponymous “black face” musicals kind of stings, in a way. Knowing that our identity as a country back then was based on racism brings about a lot of annoyance and shame. Sure, it was the Bad Old Days, and they didn’t know any better, but to have Black Face as the public face of original US entertainment is disheartening.

Thought for the day:

Laughter is the best medicine, but tears are the best cleaning solution.