In both music entries, the topic of depression is shown. In Billie Ellish’s song, the cause of depression in her song has to do with fame. She expresses the sadness she is facing currently. As mentioned in the presentation even though she has accomplished so much, that does not correlate to her being happy. In Lana Del Ray’s song, the depression is focused on suicide. In the lyrics, she talks about losing someone due to suicide and the pain it has caused. The musical characteristics discussed relates to the rhythm of both songs. These songs both have a consonant harmony.

If I did this topic I would use “1-800-273-8255” by Logic ft. Alessia Cara and Khalid. This song focuses on suicide and the struggles of depression. When this song came out it was performed at music award shows. When it was being performed they created a movement out of it. The timbre in this song stands out to me. There are three very different voices, and it adds a lot to the song overall. Another song that I would use is Billie Eilish’s song “ idontwannabeyouanymore”. This song talks about not only being depressed but, being upset that you are even upset. I think this song offers a different and interesting perspective on depression. The harmony in this song is constant and the rhythm matches the feeling of being tired. Which in this song is expressed as being tired of being sad.

In ” High For Hours” J.Cole speaks on politics throughout the song. His message is very straightforward. He talks about violence in America. Police brutality is also talked about and how America is celebrating violence. The genre of this song is rap and, rap music has been used for political statements in the past.

He says “they came here seeking freedom and they end up owning slaves”. This is addressing the idea of the “American Dream” and how people came here for freedom. However, that’s not the reality when looking at the way society is made up. “Claiming that he reached for a gun” this is speaking on police brutality. In America, there have been numerous cases of police brutality happening. With these cases, there have even been videos showing the victims weren’t reaching for a gun. The violence that was used on them was uncalled for, and that is what J.Cole is bringing up. Furthermore, this song focuses on “American hypocrisy”. He lists how this hypocrisy can be seen. Whether it is celebrating violence or justifying it.The Timbre in this song remains the same throughout the song. This allows what he’s saying to be the focus rather than a change in the beat.

The music in the Sema ceremony reflects the ceremony itself. The music has a consonant harmony that gives off a zen tone. As mentioned in the video the dancers leave their eyes open so that they see things in a blur. Considering this is the goal of what the dancers should perceive, it makes sense the music is consonant. When I listened to the music I recognized a vibration being a part of it. This makes sense since it’s also mentioned that the ceremony has to do with manifestation. Manifesting things are all about meeting the vibrations of what you’re manifesting. So I think it’s fitting that the music gives off the idea of manifestation.

In relation to, gospel music such as amazing grace there are some similarities. Both songs are reflecting a relationship with God. Amazing grace refers to being found and, the Mevlevi ceremony has to do with receiving God’s blessings. The difference between the two is that the gospel song is composed of just voices. In the Melvi Sema Ceremony, there are instruments like the flute involved. These instruments in this song allow the dance that goes with it to be in-sync.

My parents are both Guyanese. The music associated with Guyana is just like music from other Caribbean areas. Some examples are soca, dance hall, and reggae. One genre that is widely listened to is reggae. Reggae music originated from Jamaica which is another Caribbean country. It was made around the late 60’s.
Reggae music is still tied to Guyana and other Caribbean countries. It’s closely associated with dancehall and soca music. These genres are often mistakes for one another because they are very similar. This music is influenced by other genres like jazz and calypso. Calypso music is a parent genre from many other genres in Caribbean culture. The harmony in reggae music is typically consonant. Reggae music influences today’s pop music. Other genres even include this genre such as rap. There are different types of music in this genre. Some are more calming and peaceful. Whereas other songs are made for dancing and are played at parties. Bob Marley was a very famous reggae artist. His grandson Skip Marley also makes music in this genre. Other artists such as Tory Lanez has music inspired by this genre. Recently Koffee won a Grammy for the song “Toast” which is a reggae song.

After listening to the performances, the jazz club would be the most comfortable environment for me. It seems the most chill and laid back compared to the other performances. I think in this performance it would be a really fun environment to be in. As an audience member, I would expect to be able to have conversations while the performance was going on. I think the performers would be smiling a lot and just very positive. It’s a place I could see people going with friends. 

The least comfortable performance would be the chamber music recital. This atmosphere seems very serious and structured. I think it would be an environment that I would have to be very serious. Whereas, the jazz club seems playful. I would expect everyone there to be silent, as the performance is going on. The performers themselves would probably also be very serious and professional. This reminds me of middle school when I went on a trip to listen to a live orchestra performance. I remember everyone having to be very quiet. We even had to dress in formal wear and be very well behaved. These performances are very similar in the environment and sound.

The opening scene of “Get Out” starts with a black man walking at night on an empty street. He is on the phone with his girlfriend, talking about the directions he is given. As he’s walking a car passes by him slowly so, he turns around to go in the opposite direction. Then as he looks back he notices the car door is open and someone takes him out. They put him into the car and drive off.

As this scene is taking place there is a lot of diegetic sounds. First, crickets are chirping in the background then you hear his voice. There is also the sound of his footsteps and the car passing. You can also start to hear the music playing from inside the car. At the end of the scene, there is a violin playing as the car drives away. The sounds add the creepy aspect of this scene. The car passing with this sound makes this driver’s motive seem sketchy. The song being played gives off an ominous vibe. Even though the song wouldn’t be considered a scary one it’s for sure creepy. It makes the scene even more chilling because of the oddly positive tempo of the song.

Crescendo is another musical element being used in this scene. As the scene progresses the music gets louder. Which intensifies the scene and puts the viewers on edge.

There are many forms of musical technology one that is widely used is SoundCloud. Streaming has become the main source for listening to music. SoundCloud is a software that allows music to be streamed all around the world. It is a platform that holds many songs in one place and then allows users to stream it. Not only are there songs on this app but podcasts can also be listened too. This app also allows covers of songs to be published and remixes. Many rappers in today’s industry come from mixtapes they dropped on this platform. I use SoundCloud daily to stream songs that aren’t on other apps. As well as remixes of some of my favorite songs.

The song ” Old Town Road” by Lil Nas blew up on SoundCloud. It increased the audience of this artist and made his name known. It allowed people from other countries to hear this song. They were also able to stream it whenever and wherever they want. Over the course of last year and the start of this year, this song was playing everywhere.

I chose Alapan from Sitar, Sarode and Tabla. While listening to this song the musical element that stood out the most was harmony. Harmony is the sound of two or more pitches occurring at the same time. The harmony in this song seems very consonant. The harmony isn’t harsh at all, it just flows together. Timbre is also an element that came to mind when listening to this song. I couldn’t tell exactly what instrument was being used. However, the instruments being used all stood apart from each other. They gave the song a unique sound, especially the keyboard sounding instrument.

The second song I listened to was Kyrie from The Pope Marcellus Mass. This song just like the other one has a consonant harmony. The voices meshed together easily and didn’t sound abrupt. Another element I observed was the texture, this is the way music is fitted together. This element was harder to pick out. It required more analysis of the song. I had to listen to the song and find the layers of the voices. After listening to the song I heard the biophony. At one point in the song, the biophony was very easy to hear. The two different lines were heard but gave off the same melody.