The Art of Listening
Internal Links - Class Notes - Musical Selections - Power Points - Challenges - Assignments - External Links
Last updated 4/29/15.
Welcome to The Art of Listening! - Please scroll down to see the complete page, including links to the course syllabus, defined terms, Listening Assignments, and various professional and amateur performing organizations.
Current notes
MIDI: Musical Instrument Digital Interface.
1. a language that musical instruments use to communicate,
2. the hardware components of this communication (ports, cables, etc.),
3. actual computer files that are created and modified from this protocol.
Voices
SATB
From highest to lowest: - Soprano (high female), Contralto (Alto) (low female), Tenor (high male), Bass (low male); most common are Mezzo-Soprano (medium female) and Baritone (medium male)
Each person has the voice type that they have been given. Training, lessons, exercises, etc. can help strengthen a voice, polish the tone, have more control, etc., but can not turn an Alto into a Soprano.
Vulfpeck article, the group who released a silent album and used money from streaming to pay for their tour.
John Cage's 4'33" article .
Now there's an app for that .
Marvin Gaye: Got To Give It Up
Robin Thicke: Blurred Lines
Axis of Awesome: Four Chord Song
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 3, Third Movement
Santana with Dave Matthews: Love of My Life
Notes Before the Midterm
Definitions of Musical Terms from several different textbooks
Elements of Music from 1/13/15 .
Elements of Music from 1/20/15 .
En los Trigales (In the Wheatfields), a composition by Joachin Rodrigo of Spain. I played this in class this week.
Elements of Music from 1/22/15 .
Elements of Music from 1/28/15 .
Here are a couple of recordings I made in the fall of 2008 on 3 different guitars. See if you can hear the differences in timbre from one instrument to another.
Bach Bourree and Gigue on Spruce guitar
Bach Bourree and Gigue on Cedar "student" guitar
Bach Bourree and Gigue on Cedar "concert" guitar
Class Notes from 1/29, 2/3 and 2/5 on Auto Tune, etc.
Class Notes from 2/24 and 2/26 on Meter, Turning Time Around, and The Loudness Wars, etc.
Musical Selections
Music played in class
Kanye West Only One at the Grammys
Kanye West Only One studio recording - Auto Tune is still used, but as the subtle "helping" application, not the robotic effect.
Zane Matsko's song "Tesseract" uses Auto Tune for the background vocal.
Billy Joel - River of Dreams. Listen for the "sound" starting at 0:50, and again at 1:13.
The Shaggs - "Philosophy of the World". Remember, ALL MUSIC HAS VALUE TO SOMEONE!!!
The Shaggs - "Philosophy of the World" with Prof. Reese on drums to keep it together a bit better!
Santana: "Love Of My Life".
For Other Eyes - Elvis Costello with the Brodsky Quartet.
Crazy Train, Prof. Reese is the director and arranger of this performance by the Guitar Ensemble of the University of Valley Forge.
Current PowerPoints
Enrichment links...
Copyrighting a melody and chord progression.
Here's Victor Borge with the Mozart Opera skit
A voice for black classical musicians. Article on Broad Street Review.
New Music Discovery!!
Here is a self-produced album that Zane Matsko, a student of mine, has just finished, and posted for free. It's worth the download!!
Get the album at http://www.mediafire.com/?e3hcvne33c9bji4
I'm on YouTube!! Click here to watch
I'm also YouTube with Anibal Rojas, the awesome saxophonist. Click here to watch!!
My good friend and colleague Anibal Rojas' website. He's just released his debut CD, and someone you know is on it! Listen to the sample for "Lay Down"...
Here's a brief quiz to take on concert etiquette - if you have any questions!
Concerts
Temple University calendar for recitals
Monthly Recital calendar for the Curtis Institute of Music
Here's a pdf file of free concerts advertised in the magazine Philadelphia Music Makers.
The LaFayette Symphony Orchestra's "First-Timers" Guide
Delaware Valley Philharmonic Orchestra
Kimmel Center, home of the Philadelphia Orchestra
Free shows at the Kimmel Center!!!
See the schedule
Philadelphia Orchestra website - See this site to find out what and when The Philadelphia Orchestra is performing.
Philly Music site - click on Classical to see what's being performed
Bucks County Symphony Orchestra
Concordia Chamber Players - Doylestown
Temple University Student and Faculty recitals/concerts (most are free!!!)
Ambler Symphony Orchestra
And while I'm at it, here's the YouTube video that I'm on!
In the meantime, you can hear me in a performance of Vivaldi's Spring played on guitar!