Let Me Be Your Star | w. 6 p. 2

Katharine McPhee & Megan Hilty- Let Me Be Your Star

I've always held a soft spot for musicals and when you combine that and a TV show along with the tragic beauty of Marilyn Monroe with that's a hit. Well what do you know they did that with Smash and the original songs of the show quickly found their ways into my music library, with this song coming in on my overall top 25. Both Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty alone have fantastic powerful voices and are different in their own rights. Katharine's holding a sort of more 'Pop' like soft quality while Megan's is very 'broadway' strong and powerful with the glutteral push and this song shows that. The song alone is one that gives off that power of bringing down the house that big songs in musicals have (Defying Gravity) but it still gives that repetitiveness and contrast that makes it easy to sing along to.

Payphone | w. 6 p. 1

Maroon 5 - Payphone

Form Breakdown of the song (ABABACA)

• Introduction (The chorus simplified with only piano accompaniment) (AA)
• Verse 1 (drums come in with the singing and piano. Also the song holds a pretty repetitive pattern then changes half way through into another beat) (AB)
• Chorus (The full band comes in with a faster tempo) (AA)
• Verse 2 (Follows the same form as the first verse) 
• Chorus (Same form with the addition of another line of lyrics "I'm at a payphone) 
• Bridge (Different vocalist -Wiz Khalifa- and a different form but it has the same sort of beat underneath the rapping)
• Chorus with Outro being the "i'm at a payphone" line fading out

Angel With A Shotgun | w. 5 p. 2

The Cab is another band that combines abnormal instruments with the typical band. Unlike Globus they only have a sample of it in the beginning and in places of the song but it gives that feeling of purity that comes with the vision of a church choir. Which makes sense with the lyrics of the song. Otherwise the song is a somewhat typical alternative rock song with DeLeon's smooth and crisp voice, that gives off the sense of empowerment that makes you just want to stand up and pledge your stance, and the choir only helps this.

Take Me Away| w. 5 p.1

Take Me Away- Globus

This week we learned about instrumentation and timbre in music appreciation and what would you know I would find a song that showcases both these topic on Friday afternoon. I had never even heard about Globus before but YouTube is a amazing thing and I just happened to stumble upon the group while looking for another song. They blend not only the typical instruments of a band: drum kit, electric guitars, bass guitar, but they also pull in strings and even a choir. Most of their songs, especially Take Me Away, give off this amazing feeling of something building, you imagine this huge battle building and then it reaches this climax as the choir joins in and there's just this swell of feeling. I have to say that this is one of the better finds on YouTube, so much better than the cat playing piano.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow | w. 4 p. 2

Katharine McPhee- Somewhere Over the Rainbow

The classic song starts out with a great rubato setting the tone for the whole song. It sets up with a monophonic texture also up until about 30 seconds in. Then it switches into a soothing homophonic texture. The tempo for the song hold pretty steady in a slow moving beat, but the variations in the disjunct melodic contour gives it that exciting awe inspiring feel that gives you goosebumps.

Bittersweet Symphony | w. 4 p. 1

Bittersweet Symphony- The Verve

The song if pretty simply a homophony type of texture with Richard Ashcroft's voice being the main melody and the strings and beats being the accompaniment. There are some slight dissonant notes slid in there but mostly it very constant. The really interesting part is at the end at about 5 minutes when I think it his a Polyphonic texture with overlapping of voices and melodies along with the backing of the violins and drums. As for the melodic contouring it's a pretty conjunct song with a bit of disjunct through into some parts in the motives.

TTYLXOX | w. 3 p. 2

Bella Thorne- TTYLXOX

The song has a somewhat moderate tempo with a quadruple beat. The second beat has a small accent along with the fourth which scoops into the first beat. As for the melody it's very conjunct and close to even monotone with little variation between the notes. The phrasing is very predictable with solid cadences but even with it the song is very catchy with a tunefulness that's easy to follow.

Hallelujah | w. 3 p. 1

Justin Robinett and Michael Henry-Hallelujah 

This is one of my favorite songs no matter who it is performed by but this is probably my favorite because of the last few measures in the end. It's a song with a slow tempo with a quadruple beat that has a accent on the second beat I believe. As for the pitch and melody it's has two main pitches and what appears to be a soft dynamic in the beginning. Though as the song builds it turns into this power house with disjunct melodies that just build until turning back into the soft slow ballad.

Music Listened to in Week 3 (Melody & Pitch)

Tupac Feat. Nikki Giovanni- The Rose that Grew From Concrete
Sweet Honey in the Rock- Emergency
Beethoven-Ode to Joy
Whitney Huston-Star Spangled Banner
Riddle Song
Scott Joplin- Easy Winners
Beethoven's 5th
Richard Wagner- Flight of the Valkyries
Star War's Theme
Imperial March/Darth Vader's Theme

More songs used during this week

Muppet Movie- The Rainbow Connection
Chopin-Nocturne No.2 in E-flat Major
Daft Punk-Aerodynamic

Sleepyhead | w. 2 p. 2

Passion Pit- Sleepyhead

The some what shrill strings open up the song and soon it seems that the beat picks up in a duple or couple be a quadruple. What makes me think that is more a duple is because then it seems to pick up into a triplet at some points the the song. Other than that tempo is moderate and steady throughout the song. There's also a rubato with the singing as the singer pushes and pulls the notes into highs and lows.

Landfill | w. 2 p. 1

Daughter- Landfill

The song by Daughter opens up with the main beat from drums. Then as she comes in the expressed beat cuts out leaving a implicit one as she sings over giving a sort of rubato for the instruments to pick up on once again. Once it does come back in the Strong-weak-weak-weak/ Quadruple beat picks up again, but throughout the song it continues to fade in and out switching between. As for the tempo it overall is a somewhat slow one that flows with her high voice.

Song listened to in class

Grandmaster Flash- The Message
Chopin- Prelude in e minor
The Killers- Spaceman

Heartbreak Warfare (w. 1/ p.2)

Madeline Moore Version
John Mayer Original
For my second journal I chose a song that is personally to me so touching that it's hard not to feel something after hearing it. Heartbreak Warfare was originally done by John Mayer and that's when I started liking it. But, only after hearing the Madeline Moore version did I truly fall in love with the song. She, for me, just brings out the vulnerability in the lyrics with her voice. John Mayer's is more rock-pop, and lets through the anger slightly, showing the other side of the argument in the lyrics. Her version calms the instrumental parts, highlighting her soft voice and it shows the sadness, letting through the touch of hurt that the lyrics imply which John Mayer's version doesn't. 

Here's To Us (week 1/post 1)

Song
Here's to us by Halestorm has to be one of my favorite songs at the moment since I saw it performed on Glee. Now the original version is of course a bit more explicit but I think that adds to the meaning. 
The song itself is very inspirational. It's the kind of song-for me atleast- that just wants to make you hold up a middle finger to all those that have doubted you. The lyrics even tell you to, and Lzzy Hale's voice enchances the sound of the lyrics with her scratchy but powerful voice. on the instrumental side of things you don't expect the kind of song to come out of the seemingly sweet intro of the few chords being plunked. But, then as the drums come it picks up into the song that makes you just want to stand up and raise your fist in the air. Now the instrumental parts are a bit repetitive and predictable but Lzzy Hale's excellent vocals just make you not even notice it, especially in the end when the guitar comes in and she just starts belting it out with her grunge type voice.