Imagine, if you will, that life could be auto-tuned. So you got a B+ on a paper. Just fire up the auto-tune and that becomes a solid A. So you came this close to getting a job. With auto-tune, that dream position is all yours...
Let's put this back into a musical context where it's most comfortable. Using auto-tune, you can tune any inputted pitch to any other pitch, and a person's vocal range and agility becomes theoretically boundless. Popularized by the likes of T-Pain and Akon, and now featured on a large percentage of the tracks produced today, Auto-tune has definitely left its on-point mark on the pop music scene. With powerful musical implications, auto-tune has secured its place in the industry. While I understand why Auto-tune has gotten a boat-load of flak in recent years because some people view it as musically deceitful, I do not share this view. Check out T-Pain's "Buy You a Vocal Coach Buy You A Drank" for the all too familiar sounds of this industry-shaking software.
In defense of auto-tune, I offer these sentiments:
Auto-tune in some cases is a crutch in other cases it is used as an effect: as a crutch if a singer can't hit a note they hear in their head due to vocal constraints, and as an effect if a singer just wants that infectious, metallic shimmer on their recorded vocal tracks. In either case, Auto-tune allows the artist to sing the melodies in their head regardless of their vocal virtuosity. Does this represent a breach in integrity or honesty? I prefer to think of it as a vehicle for musical honesty. Now an artist can convey the melodies that are truly playing in their head without hiring someone to do the vocalizing for them.
I have a great respect for the singer who doesn't require auto-tune to hit atmospheric notes with the precision of a laser-guided missile. Granted, these people have a load of talent. But not everyone will ever be able to hit certain notes accurately no matter how much vocal training is received. I am not arguing that users of auto-tune are the most talented of vocalists, but they are not talentless. Successful artists utilizing auto-tune often have strengths in other areas such as lyrics, rhythm, and unique vocal timber. Auto-tune allows artists to display their musical strengths even if hitting pitches perfectly isn't one of them. This shouldn't be such an issue because popular music isn't largely an exhibition of vocal virtuosity. It isn't opera. It isn't Broadway.
Some people mark the rise of Auto-tune with the downfall of creativity. This is completely and utterly false. Auto-tune is not a melody-generating software. An artist still has to define and realize a melody. The software bares no creative input into the music. There is still a lot of human in the equation. This is not machine-music of any kind--it is not an algorithm that spits out searing singles. It influences a layer of the track(the vocals) and increases the preciseness of a singer(to a degree determined by the sound engineer and artist). Auto-tune does not sing for anyone, and it can't make just anyone a singer You can't go into the booth, spit gibberish in mono-tone, run it through auto-tune, and have a hit that goes platinum in a week. As an auto-tune user, I can attest to this fact. Factors that make for a successful auto-tuned recording include: raw vocals which come close to the desired pitches, having an interesting quality of voice, and good air support.
If you want to purchase auto-tune or take advantage of the ten day full-feature demos visit Antares. This is the software the professionals are using.
If an artist creates a catchy song, I believe the end justifies the means. Auto-tuned or not, that's all that pop music boils down to--creating a song that plays on repeat in many a person's head long after the song stops playing.
Hello World! Welcome to my blog, a commentary on today’s popular music through the eyes (or ears, rather) of me, trisax. Why ‘trisax’? Well, I play three saxophones: the soprano sax, alto sax, and tenor sax. I also dabble in piano and am fluent in the jazz and pop idioms on all of my instruments. I play sax in a college big band (with a focus on modern jazz), lay down the sax/keys parts in a folk rock group (we are currently in the studio working on our next album), and have a solo project focusing on electronic/indie music.
Music has always been a subject that resonated with me, and a great passion of mine since I can remember. Sometimes music relaxes me. Sometimes it inspires. Sometime it gets my blood-pumping. And often music leads me to introspection. I love compiling the soundtrack to my life by the songs I listen to and helping to write it through my own composition. Currently I am pursuing this passion with a jazz studies degree. I have been exploring both the academic and creative sides of music on a daily basis. I am also working towards a Biology degree, for what it’s worth.
I’d like to give you a taste of my musical preference. Some of my favorite jazz artists include John Coltrane, Brian Blade, Vincent Herring, Bill Evans, and Joshua Redman. I highly recommend checking out the music of all of these fine musicians. As for popular music, I enjoy listening to The Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay, and Owl City. I also enjoy listening to hip-hop artists if I’m in the right mood/place such as Jay-Z, Mos Def, and Lupe Fiasco. As I previously mentioned, this is only a taste of my favorite artists. While reading this blog, you will definitely gain a more complete view of my musical taste. But this isn’t all about me--I will not be limiting my discussion of popular music to the music I like. This blog is about popular music whether or not it is popular with me or not.
I love casually listening to as well as critically listening to/dissecting pop music. For clarification purposes, by ‘popular music,’ I am referring to the ‘Top 40’ songs that grace (or plague, depending on the song) the radio. I would like to share my thoughts on the current state of the popular music scene with you via this blog. I aim to provide insight into this scene from a jazz-pop musician’s/scientist’s perspective.
Among other topics, I will discuss the evolution of popular music from the 90s to today, trends in popular song lyrics and how they reflect upon societal ideals, conformity and originality within the industry, current technology being utilized in the industry today, and the future of the industry. Furthermore, I will relate the topics discussed to the music I am involved in creating.
I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I am looking forward to composing it throughout the coming weeks.
2. Profile of a Blogger: Mike
At first glance of the “Pop Trash Addicts,” the simple layout is tastefully pink. You can see for yourself right here: Pop Trash. It isn’t one of those glaring hot pinks, right? It’s more of a soft pink that I wouldn’t mind looking at for a while--even every day for that matter. I suppose that is a good feature for a blog to have.
This pop music-oriented blog is very sleek. It is clear that this blog is about reviewing pop music, not an exhibition of a mastery in computer code or an excuse for a deluge of pop-up windows (as is the case with some blogs I have come across). My blog will follow suit in this category—a focus on content above all.
As this is pop music, naturally it is a hot topic for discussion. I was browsing the web for other bloggers in the same vein as me and found Mike’s blog: “Pop Trash Addicts.” Mike is obsessed with music, a true music lover, as I am. This blog, written in Australia, has been in existence since November 2006. Posts occur every week or so, although sometimes more frequently. The audience is clearly anyone who listens to pop music. The musical eye candy in this blog is courtesy of the imbedded movie clips (often from Youtube.com) displaying the songs being discussed and also the good supply of large album cover .jpgs throughout the posts relevant to the current musical discussion.
Pop Trash focuses on casual, yet detailed pop album/single track reviews and also artist/album countdowns. In fact, On December 23rd, Beyonce Knowles was named "Pop Trash Woman of the Year." Mike writes that Beyonce
cleaned up at every award ceremony and revolutionized the way albums are promoted with her dual singles and 'Sasha Fierce' alter ego. The pop pioneer also somehow found the time to release a remix album and a live album as well as two brilliant duets (with Lady GaGa and Alicia Keys). Like it or not - 2009 was the year of Queen B
Furthermore, Mike displays a clear command of sarcasm and a witty sensibility which I appreciate very much. For example, on Thursday, January 21, Mike thoroughly reviewed each track on MTV’s Heidi Montag’s debut “pop masterpiece:"
Never before has one reed thin voice belted out so many unforgettable anthems about topical issues like clubbing, shopping and looking hot. Heidi's music will not only make you dance - it will widen the horizons of your mind and help put you on the path to righteousness
You can read more from this post and get your full serving of sarcasm for the week here: Heidi Montag
This blog provides insight while inducing a giggle every now and then. I definitely recommend regularly reading this blog. While my blog will be less about full album reviews, I hope to include a similar graceful mix of wit and social/musical commentary in my own blog as Mike has done.
The sub-line of the “Pop Trash Addicts” title reads: “Oh no, you didn’t.” Well, oh yes, I did.
3. A Melismatic Dream
'Melismatic' is a musical adjective describing a melisma-full vocal performance.Melisma could pass for some sort of skin cancer, couldn't it?
Doctor: "I’ve identified a melisma.”
Patient: “Is it B9?"
Doctor: “Well…yes. That’s the chord it's being sung over”
In actuality, a melisma is characterized by the vocalizing of many notes over one syllable, either out of necessity or for aesthetic embellisment. Melisma is often exercised within a bluesy, honest, and emotional context. Think Mariah Carey, Beyonce Knowles, Whitney Houston, or Christina Aguilera. Check this out: Melisma Examples
I'm sure you've heard melismas before as it is all the rage in the pop music industry today, but feel free to impress someone with your now increased vocabulary when you hear it next.
"Melismatic" is also the title of a fascinating pop music blog which I highly recommend checking out for yourself. The author of this blog is Mel, a 22 year-old self-proclaimed "Pop Diva". She hails from Manhattan, New York. Besides being a pop fanatic, she has a love for "guilt pleasures, elephants, and all things aquamarine." Interesting.
After reading a handful of her posts like it was an addiction of mine, I identified her consistent, playful, casual, and honest voice which is rather enrapturing.
One of her posts cleverly entitled "Grammy Got Run Over By A..."details her impressions of the 2010 Grammy Awards which aired Sunday, January 31. As the title suggests, she was generally unimpressed with the Grammy's this year. I found them rather lacking as well.
The first paragraph of this post is essentially a couple long strings of phrases connected with commas. This creates momentum and effectively pulls you along into the point-of-no-return. I have noticed that a lot of her sentences are rather lengthy, which also increases the impact of her short sentences when used.
Every year, I, like many audiophiles, get some weird feeling that this means it is must-see-television, when in actuality, I could already tell the folks who I wanted to win, or thought deserved to win, would likely lose in favor or what is more successful saleswise...
On occasion, her diction is a reflection of her content. Lady Gaga's opening performance for the Grammy's this year was dark and morbid. Appropriately, Mel begins by mentioning Lady Gaga's "so-dead-it's-been-beaten-multiple-times-like-a-dead-horse "Poker Face" live performance. I agree that even Lady gaga looked dead-tired of the song (but perhaps it was just her stoic poker face). Mel continues to write that Lady Gaga then returned with a "morbid black piano" across from Elton John, singing "Your Song/Speechless." Emphasizing “dead,” “morbid,” and “black” in this section of the post, Mel subtly reflects the morbid theme of the entire performance.
The Elton John and Lady Gaga duet was the musical highlight of the Grammy's, and Mel writes that:
and the fact that it opened the show should show you -- the rest was kind of downhill from there.
Mel's uses italics effectively throughout her posts. The double dash is also used to add emphasis to the preceding statement. Both also add to her casual vibe.
In addition, this post is brimming with colorful descriptions. The most visually inspiring moment had to be Pink's high-flying, graceful choreography to her song "Glitter in the Air." She hung from the ceiling and spun around, often upside down, all the while giving a solid vocal performance. Mel writes:
Then the performance took a whole different turn when she was dipped in water then again rose high and spun around, spraying the audience of awe-induced celebs like they were watching a Shamu Show at SeaWorld. Crazy.
It is just this whale-of-a comparison that is representative of Mel's creative way with words, which is on display in every one of her posts. I bet Pink would not be too keen on being compared to Shamu, but, regardless, I still appreciated it. Mel infuses humor into many of her lines, which is a good way to cultivate readership.
Her subsequent discussion of Taylor swift is particularly evident of her causal tone.
But girlfriend -- this whole Gee Willikers! I'm so shocked I won! schtick is starting to feel real thin.
She playfully refers to Swift as her girlfriend as one would do in conversation. Similary, the Taylor Swift impression interjected in here (accurately capturing the sweet Swift persona) contributes to the conversation-feel. Furthermore, Mel casually calls Taylor Swift's song "You Belong with Me" "a whine fest.
In fact, colloquial diction is used throughout this post and al of her posts--she calls the Grammy's a "bit of a wash" but offers a "sum-up" for those who didn't bother tuning in. Evidently, she is very conversational and relatable in the way she writes.
Another of her posts I read (http://popdivalc.blogspot.com/2010/02/wgo-may-best-charity-single-win.html) again gained momentum and garnered interest within the first two sentences--only this time via conciseness. The Haiti disaster, as any major disaster with international attention will do, has spawned a number of charity singles. Leading a discussion on two of these tracks (one produced by Simon Cowell and the other by legendary Quincy Jones), Mel cuts to the chase and writes: "Let the battle of the Charity Singles Begin!"
She is very straightforward when she gives the details of the two tracks. So many artists were involved on each project, that the majority of her paragraphs could double as the invite lists to the past three Grammy's combined. She acknowledged the insane name-dropping with: "Just writing that made my head spin."
A bit off topic a bit for the post, she discusses Taylor Swift's
latest single, "Weak New Version of 'Love Story'" "Today Was A Fairytale."
This strikethrough is particularly effective in showing what she really thinks of the song. Mel's posts contain many phrases in parentheses, such as a "(::cough::cough::)" every so often, and strike-throughs when extra commentary on certain subjects is deemed appropriate or inappropriate. I feel like she is supplying a window into her mind, or as if I am the privileged owner of a limited release DVD with BONUS special features. This is a good feeling.
Mel's voice is casual, honest, and creatively playful. If she were a singer instead of a blogger she would definitely be singing with melismas.
'Melismatic' is a musical adjective describing a melisma-full vocal performance. A melisma is characterized by the vocalizing of many notes over one syllable, either out of necessity or for aesthetic embellisment. Melisma is often exercised within a bluesy, honest, and emotional context. Think Mariah Carey, Beyonce Knowles, Whitney Houston, and Christina Aguilera. This vid does a good job of showing many strong examples melisma: Melisma Examples
I'm sure you've heard melismas before as it is all the rage in the pop music industry today. Feel free to impress someone with your now increased vocabulary. It could pass for some sort of skin cancer, couldn't it?
Doctor: "I’ve identified a melisma.”
Patient: “Is it B9?"
Doctor: “Well, yes. That’s the chord it's being sung over”
In all seriousness, some people think melisma as it is exercised today is a cancer in the music industry. I was talking with my Godmother a few months ago about pop music, and, recalling a recent performance of the national anthem she witnessed, she questioned me (with a disgusted tone): "Why do all these young singers sing so many damn notes. I want to hear the melody without all that extra stuff." I agree that it can lose its impact if done in excess, as most things do. When tastefully done, however, I dig it. This is beautiful: "Let It Be"-Across The Universe
"Melismatic" is also the title of a fascinating pop music blog which I highly recommend checking out for yourself. The author of this blog is Mel, a 22 year-old self-proclaimed "Pop Diva". She hails from Manhattan, New York. Besides being a pop fanatic, she has a love for "guilt pleasures, elephants, and all things aquamarine." Interesting.
After reading a handful of her posts like it was an addiction of mine, I identified her playful, casual, and honest voice which is undeniably clear, consistent, and enrapturing.
Her latest post cleverly entitled: Grammy Got Run Over By A...details her impressions of the Grammy Awards which aired Sunday, January 31 2010. Generally she was unimpressed with the Grammy's this year. I found them rather lacking as well.
Her comprehensive look at the Awards ceremony is chock-full of colorful descriptions, which makes for a very engaging read, and is also a huge part of the strong voice that permeates her posts. Lady Gaga opened the show with a performance of one of her singles: "Poker Face." Mel describes it as "so-dead-its-been-beaten-multiple-times-like-a-dead-horse.” I think that is a very accurate description of the musical number. Lady Gaga appeared tired of the song herself (perhaps her Poker Face would have come in handy?). Mel mentions Lady Gaga's more than redeeming duet with Elton John, which I agree was the musical highlight of the Grammy's. Lady Gaga and Elton John
The most visually inspiring moment had to be Pink's high-flying and graceful choreography to her song "Glitter in the Air." She hung from the ceiling and spun around, often upside down, all the while giving a solid vocal performance. Mel writes:
Then the performance took a whole different turn when she was dipped in water then again rose high and spun around, spraying the audience of awe-induced celebs like they were watching a Shamu Show at SeaWorld. Crazy.
It is just this whale-of-a comparison that is representative of Mel's creative way with words, which is on display in every one of her posts. I bet Pink would not be too keen on being compared to Shamu, but, regardless, it still made me laugh.
The way Mel presents her musical commentary is conversational and pleasantly casual. When delving into a light discussion on Taylor Swift and her Grammy sweep, she begins with
But girlfriend--this whole Gee Willikers! I'm so shocked I won! schtick is starting to feel real thin
I can definitely hear Taylor Swift in her sweet, innocent, little voice of hers saying just that. I think Mel hit the nail on the head with this one. I couldn't have put it better myself.
Furthermore, Mel's posts contain many phrases in parentheses and strike-throughs when extra commentary on certain subjects is deemed appropriate or inappropriate. I feel like she is supplying a window into her mind/writing process, or as if I am the privileged owner of a limited release DVD with BONUS special features. For example, in discussing who she thought should win awards she writes that her top picks
would likely lose in favor or what is more successful saleswise, or what the typical Grammy Voter deems worthy (::cough::cough::)
Mel is casual, honest, and creatively playful with her words. If she were a singer, instead of a blogger, she would definitely be singing with melismas.
