Favorite Song

For this assignment, I had a tough time choosing one song that I would consider my favorite. I enjoy so many different types of music that choosing just one proved to be near impossible, which is why it has taken me until now to write this entry. I listen primarily to country artists and bands like Lucky Boys Confusion and The Dog and Everything, bands local to Naperville, IL (where I'm from) but after awhile, I opened my search to bands such as Something Corporate, 311, and O.A.R. but I was still at a loss. I then moved onto King, Clapton, Hendrix, Van Halen, AC/DC and before I knew it I was back to square one of searching my iTunes library to find what I would consider my favorite song. It's a little unconvential considering the time of year and the weather outside, but I would consider "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra to be one of my top songs of all time. I could list the subjective reasons for liking this song and write this entire entry listing them, but talking as objectively as I can, this song is amazing. The timbre of the orchestra by itself is very colorful as each instrument obviously sounds different and adds a different feel to the piece, but specifically the noticeable difference in timbre and texture begins roughly 30 seconds into the song when the sadness of the cello, guitar, and flute are replaced with the intensity of the electric guitar playing one melody line and the rest of the string section playing another, as the bells play and add even more range to the piece. To me, it sounds as though the song is played in a minor harmony because it doesn't have a very happy feel to it. The melody comes off to me as sad because of the song starting off minor and continuing that throughout the piece. It follows a very stepwise pattern of notes as there isn't much, if any, major skipping of notes/octaves in the song. The song is very rythmic and is in 3/8 time, which makes it have a quick feel. I would consider it to be homophonic (though the many sounds make it seem polyphonic) because though there are many different sounds, they are all playing the same melody. The absence of lyrics makes it so much easier to hear individuals instruments too. Although it is August and 80 degrees outside, this song is really transcends the weather outside and the time of year which makes it one of my favorite songs of all time.

Music in 24 hours

In the past 24 hours that I have been aware of the music around me, I have heard a variety of music in a variety of places. My day starts out with my alarm clock, my phone, my roommate's alarm radio, and his phone all going off starting at 8 a.m. and going until 8:05 a.m. Then, after the 4 different songs ranging from "Crazy Train" by Ozzie Osbourne to Garth Brooks' "Friends in Low Places" stop playing, I get ready for my day and have a relatively music free morning up until after my first class when my phone rings and "Fred Astaire" by Lucky Boys Confusion starts playing and my friend is on the other line asking if I've eaten. I meet him at KU and over the speakers, an artist unknown to me is singing a song that I've never heard. I tend to block it out as the opening music for Sportscenter begins to play and I turn my attention to the TV in the corner. I'll watch until after the top 10 plays segment at which point I have to get to class. I pay attention for the first 30 minutes of class, but my mind starts to wander and I start to sing the nameless song from KU. That doesn't last long considering I don't know the words and I realize that I have no idea what is going on. From the time my class is over to the time I get back to Campus South, 10 minutes has passed of not hearing any music which I don't notice when I am talking to people around me. Back in my room, I listen to some Eric Clapton and fall asleep as I become very calm and relaxed. I wake up an hour later not to a song but my roommates telling me to do something with my life and get some food with them, so it's back to KU where I don't know the songs and the artists are just as unknown. After getting some food I go and work out where I hear whatever songs come on my iPod at that point, usually consisting of rock or rap. I get back to my room around 10 and watch TV until 11:30 when I start to fall asleep and make myself go to bed. I don't need anything to put me asleep, but when it comes time to wake up, those 4 alarms do the trick.

Listening in Silence

This morning at 11:05, I sat up in bed for 40 minutes listening to the silence around me. I chose this time because it was a point when all my roommates were out of the room so I knew there would be a lot less noise in and around the apartment. For the first 10 minutes I heard the air conditioner fan blowing and the air coming out of the vents, but I soon didn't hear those sounds anymore and I soon became very relaxed as the only sounds I heard were my deep breaths and the occasional car pass by outside on Irving. Exterior noises were very minimal which made it much harder for me to keep my eyes open. I probably would have fallen asleep had it not been for the noise of the engines of a KC-135 coming in to land and my roommate throwing the door open announcing his presence.