Introduction to Musical Concepts

Welcome to MUS 1P on the Web

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Classwork

• Course Syllabus
• Practice Material for Quiz 3 on December 18
• Notes on Intelligent Listening
• Current Intelligent Listening Checklist
• Checklist Form to Use for First the Checklist Assignment
• Online Practice Checklist (Updated 11/20/17)
• Full Intelligent Listening Checklist (use this version for the Second Checklist Assignment)
• Looking at Form (requires Flash)
• Looking at Form 2 (Flash not required)
• Video Analysis of the song Earthbound
  (Played in class as an example of a motive. Listen for the two-chord motive - "Earth-bound")
• Analyzing a Melody (requires Flash)
• More on Texture (requires Flash)
• An Analysis of Beethoven's 5th Symphony (Flash Movie)
  Also, a Wikipedia Article
• For Your Second Intelligent Listening Assignment. Completed example checklist for Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven. There is a link on the page to listen to the song as you read the analysis. Note: because we will study the Clapton record in class, you can not use it for your checklist assignments
• Note Tester
• Time Signature Tester (with 4, 8 and 16 as the bottom number)
• More about Rhythm (requires Flash)
• Mozart Piano Sonata (for the Mozart links in For Your Ears — and Eyes too below)

Textbook Links

• Course Textbook
• EBook and Online Resources (requires login)

For Your Ears – and Eyes too (IOS compatible except where noted)

• Music Player — The music of Aaron Copland (1900-90) (How many do you recognize?)
• Music Player — Music from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque eras
• Music Player — Music from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries
• Music Player — Music from the 50s (How it all started)
• Videos - a follow-up to our discussion of meter in music. Count along as you watch
  • Star Spangled Banner. Triple meter (1-2-3)
    Traditional, U.S. Marine Band
  • Star Spangled Banner. Quadruple meter (1-2-3-4).
    Whitney Houston and the Florida Orchestra, Super Bowl, 1992
  • Theme from Mission: Impossible. Quintuple meter (1-2-3-4-5)
    Original TV show, 1966
  • Theme from Mission: Impossible. Quadruple meter (1-2-3-4)
    Members of U2. Movie, 1996. Listen closely - it doesn't start with a 4 beat pattern. What is the meter at the start? Where does it change to the 4 beat pattern?
• Music Player: Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16 in C (All three movements)
• Flash Movie: First page of Mozart's sonata
  Music for the page you received in class
• Music Player: No Dice. Beirut
  As discussed in class, listen to this song while you visualize an ACID XPress screen in your mind. Imagine listening to a song you're working on as you watch the cursor move across the screen. Imagine the different loops in your song starting to play at different times. Now, count how many different "loops" you hear in this song. Imagine how this song might look in ACID. How many loops do you hear? (Used several years ago in this commercial)
• Video: A very interesting video of J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor
  An example of Baroque Era music. More on "Toccata" (Baroque Toccata). More on "Fugue". As we did in class, in the fugue section listen for the different voices entering, imitating the preceding voices. Listen for any "repeating" ideas.
• Video: Another Fugue from J.S. Bach - Fugue 20 in A minor
  An example of Baroque Age music. Listen (and watch) as the different parts enter, each a separate independent voice.
• Video: Handel's Hallelujah Chorus from the Messiah
  An example of Baroque Age music.
• Video: Beethoven's Symphony No 5 in C min
  An example of music from The Classical Period
• Video: Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring
  One of the most exciting, and controversial, pieces in the world of classical music, When it premiered in 1913 it caused a sensation and a near-riot. Read more about it in Chapter 46 of our textbook and at Wikipedia.
• Video: Translating Great African Composers with guitarist Derek Gripper
  This video is an excellent lesson in hearing music "horizontally". Listen for the bass, then the accompaniment, then the melody - he makes it very easy to hear each "layer" as they're played simultaneously.

Links of Interest

• Some places for you to visit on the Web
• Notes and Stuff

Free Software

• Get ACID XPress (free version of ACID for PC. MAC users, you have Garage Band)
• ACIDPlanet (listen to what others are doing with ACID)
• Use this search to find free ACID loops to download
• Audacity (audio editing software for PC and MAC)