Jane

 by TPSMTS Team

Nature’s Symphony

Written by Jane Hong

From the design of instruments powered by the forces of nature, to the imitation of natural sounds in instruments, to the composition of songs motivated by natural scenes; nature inspires many elements in music.

Nature is arguably the most popular musical composer. There is timbre, harmony, and rhythm to be found in rustling leaves, whispers of the wind, birdsong, cicadas, flowing rivers, babbling brooks, crashing waves, and thunderstorms. Just as elements of music can be found in nature, elements of nature can also be found in music.

 

Some instruments are designed to be powered from the forces of nature. For example, wind chimes respond to the natural movement of air. On the other hand, some instruments are designed to resemble specific sounds in nature – such as ocean drums and rainsticks.

Even classical instruments have the ability to mimic nature.

  • String instruments like violins, cellos, and double basses can mimic the sounds of wind and waves through tremolo and glissando techniques. Raindrops can be imitated with the use of pizzicato.
  • Flutes, clarinets, and oboes can imitate bird calls and other natural sounds. By using techniques like flutter-tonguing and pitch bending, woodwind players can create realistic bird and animal noises.
  • Brass instruments can create powerful sounds that some would akin to thunder. By using techniques like growling and flutter-tonguing, brass players can paint a sense of natural power and force.
  • Finally, various percussion instruments can be used to emulate rain, thunder, and other natural sounds. For example, a snare drum can imitate the sound of a crackling fire, while a cymbal can imitate crashing waves.

Many composers have also written pieces depicting scenes in nature:

Lever Du Jour (Daybreak) – Daphnis et Chloe by Ravel

Forest Murmurs – Siegfried Act II by Wagner

Thunderstorm – An Alpine Symphony by Strauss

In essence, music in nature is a universal language that transcends cultural and linguistic boundaries. It invites us to tune into the rhythms of the Earth, fostering a deeper connection with the environment. As we immerse ourselves in nature’s symphony, we discover that the beauty of this music lies not only in its complexity but also in its ability to evoke emotions.

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 by TPSMTS Team

Music and Synesthesia

Written by Jane Hong

Did you ever wonder what it’s like to “see” music or to “hear” colours? This sensory condition is known as synesthesia.

While there are many types of synesthesia, the phenomenon is generally described as when a sensory experience in one modality (e.g., hearing music) causes a sensory experience in another modality (e.g., seeing colours). For example, Chromesthesia is the ability to see sounds as colours.

 

A number of well-known composers like Alexander Scriabin and Franz Liszt are said to have had Chromesthesia.

 

Scriabin associated musical notes and keys with different colours: for example, D would be represented as bright yellow, A looked like dark green and D-flat was seen as a dark purple. He also created a “keyboard with lights” (Clavier à lumières) – an instrument that displayed colours that corresponded to different notes in his pieces.

 

Another composer, Liszt has been quoted giving directions to musicians such as, “A little bluer, if you please! This tone type requires it!”

 

More recent musicians, such as Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, and Billie Eilish have also claimed to have the condition.

 

Music is not the only thing that can trigger chromesthetic experiences. Sounds found in our daily life, such as birdsong, waterfalls, cars, and even voices of the people nearby may elicit a psychovisual response.

 

Chromesthesia is not limited to colours. Some people with chromesthesia ascribe shapes to the sounds they hear – such as circular figures or wavy lines. The range of chromesthetic experience may differ depending on qualities in the music or sound itself (pitch, key, timbre, melody, dynamics etc.). Some have described that they perceive shapes and colours in a mental screen around their body, while others have reported that the shapes and colours appear in their minds. Purportedly, the experiential attributes of chromesthesia can differ between individuals.

 

The following musical works have been written by musicians with synesthesia. We can explore within, how music and visual art can intertwine:

A. Scriabin – Prometheus (The Poem of Fire)

M. Torke – Bright Blue Music

Billie Eilish – Ocean Eyes

 

Sources

  • https://synesthesia.com/blog/sound-synesthesia/
  • Cytowic RE (2018). Synesthesia. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-53509-0.
  • Cytowic RE, Eagleman DM (2009). Wednesday is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia (with an afterword by Dmitri Nabokov). Cambridge: MIT Press. p. 309. ISBN 978-0-262-01279-9.
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 by TPSMTS Team

Should I learn more than one musical instrument?

Why learning multiple musical instruments can be beneficial and fun

Written by Jane Hong

 

There have been many studies to demonstrate the benefits of how learning music affects the brain. Learning a musical instrument can lead to greater levels of patience and discipline, increased confidence, improved motor skills, and the list goes on.

This creates the question: Should you learn more than one instrument? Some think that learning two instruments at once would be confusing or too much to handle.

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 by TPSMTS Team

Facing Stress with Humour

Finding a way to laugh in the middle of trying times…

Written by Jane Hong

 

Everyone deals and copes with stress differently.

 

While we previously explored a “Happy Playlist” to help promote positivity in our lives, most of us can agree that laughter is medicine. Humour draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Research shows that laughter strengthens your immune system, improves mood, relieves pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress.

 

While we aren’t making light of the events in the past year (and TPSMTS takes its’ health and safety procedures and protocols very seriously!), we can always try to find light in dark situations.

Here are some examples of songs that have taken on a completely different meaning today:

  1. All By Myself by Celine Dion
  2. Don’t Stand So Close To Me by The Police
  3. I Want To Hold Your Hand by The Beatles
  4. It’s The End of the World As We Know It by R.E.M.
  5. Yesterday by The Beatles

 

Some people has also taken upon themselves to create parodies of existing songs to fit the situation:

Social Distance (Parody of Go the Distance)

Lockdown Rhapsody (Parody of Bohemian Rhapsody)

In Quarantine (Parody of Under the Sea)

Staying Inside (Parody of Staying Alive)

Hello From the Inside (Parody of Hello)

For a final laugh, and something that the TPSMTS teachers/therapists “perform” multiple times a day, we have a live performance of the Coronavirus Etude on the piano.
Fun fact: The composer who created this video and piece is a spouse of a music therapist!

Coronavirus Etude by Jeff DePaoli

We wish you all continued health, safety, AND humour among these unpredictable times!

Resource:

 https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456

 

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 by TPSMTS Team

Staying Positive with Music

Boosting our moods with a happy playlist

Written by Jane Hong

 

It’s easy to feel cooped up and frustrated during uncertain times. The absence of normalcy can cause a lack of motivation to get things done. Research shows that listening to music releases endorphins in the brain, which in turn reduces anxiety and stress.

Here are some great examples of upbeat songs that send out positive messages (we included playlists below!):

  1. Happy by Pharrell Williams
  2. Can’t Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake
  3. I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas
  4. Don’t Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin
  5. Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys
  6. Walkin’ on Sunshine by Katrina & The Waves
  7. Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey
  8. Fight Song by Rachel Platten
  9. Brave by Sara Bareilles
  10. Firework by Katy Perry
  11. Dynamite by Taio Cruz
  12. Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars

 

 

 

YouTube Playlist    Spotify Playlist

 

Other than listening to songs, we can also get creative and write our own! Song parodies are a great way to lighten up the mood. Songwriting may seem daunting at first, but you can always start simple. For example, by only switching out one word per line, the whole song can go a completely different direction. Deciding on an overall theme can also help with brainstorming new lyrics.

 

With many people moving onto online platforms, online jamming is also becoming popular! Strangers, friends, teachers, and students can play and sing together via video calls on platforms like Google Meet, Zoom, or Skype. More and more services have popped up in the last few months to help musicians connect with one another.

 

Music can help us stay positive during discouraging times, keep afloat and stay motivated. Besides, more music is always welcome!

 

Resource:

Why Listening to Music Makes Us Feel Good

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 by TPSMTS Team

Music Transcends Language

Ways that music narrows the distance between cultures

Written by Jane Hong

Music plays a big role in many people’s lives. From pop to classical music, everyone has their preferences.

Top music lists are no longer confined to songs in English, and often consist of popular songs from foreign countries. In many cases, people can enjoy songs in languages that they don’t understand themselves. This is a great example of how music transcends the boundaries of language.

 

Another example of how music transcends language is through translated songs. One of the most translated songs in the world is Amazing Grace. It has been translated into over 60 different languages including Zulu, Mandarin, Farsi, Filipino, and Arabic. Through these many translations, the meaning of the whole song is kept very similarly and faithful to the original that was first published in 1779.

Another song that has been translated many times is a very popular Christmas tune, Silent Night. It has been translated into over 100 different languages (originally in German as “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht”).

In addition, Happy Birthday To You has been identified by the Guinness World Record as the most recognized English song, and has been translated into more than 30 languages!

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 by TPSMTS Team

Music in Tonal Languages

How music works in different languages

Written by Jane Hong

 

Many people in the world speak tonal languages – where pitch contributes to the meaning of a word. Tone in these languages are phenomic, meaning that a change in pitch or pitch contour of a word can drastically change the meaning of a word. For example, in Cantonese, altering the tone of “mother” (maa1) will result in you calling her “grandma” (maa4) or “horse” (maa5).

Since pitch is also a main component of music, many people wonder what happens when the two intertwine.

For some tonal languages, such as Mandarin Chinese, the melody usually takes over and the 4 tones in the spoken language are ignored. Mandarin speakers should still be able to discern the meaning of the song by the pronunciation of the word without the tonal information. However, some words may still be confusing on rare occasions.

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