Category: Music

The Oscar For Best Original Song, Goes To…

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The Oscar For Best Original Score Goes To…

Oscar 2

The 2013 Academy Awards are all set to be broadcast this weekend. A time for movie goers to celebrate their favorite films and actors of the year. A time for millionaire actor$ and billionaire $tudios to finally be bestowed some actual credit for their hard work. ;)

Of all the yearly award shows the Oscars is my favorite. Much more than the Grammys, my own industries honors. Even more than the ESPYs…wait do we really need a sports award show? Isn’t that why they play the games to figure out who’s the best?

Of course my favorite awards of the night are for my favorite part of most movies…the music! Best original score and best original song.

Nominees For Best Original Song:

Chasing Ice– “Before My Time,”  J. Ralph 

Surprise surprise, Scarlett Johansson can sing and sounds great. Joshua Bell’s melodic violin lines are incredibly expressive and make the song for me. Every time I hear this song I like it more!

Ted- “Everybody Needs a Best Friend,” Walter Murphy; Seth MacFarlane

Cause, everyone knew Ted was Oscar worthy from the start! ;0 Norah Jones sounds great. The song is just a typical showtuney jazz thing. They should enjoy the nomination!

Life of Pi- “Pi’s Lullaby,” Mychael Danna; Bombay Jayashri

The biggest drawback against the original score from, “Life of Pi,” in my opinion is the minimalist lack of direction. That same dreamy quality is what makes this song so successful. In song form the lushness of the orchestration shines. I love this song!

Skyfall- “Skyfall,” Adele Adkins; Paul Epworth 

Adele at her best! Great sultry voice blends great with the ‘spy’ genre accompaniment. I like her voice, but, nice to hear her mix it up a little on this piece.

Les Miserables- “Suddenly,” Claude-Michel Schönberg; Herbert Kretzmer; Alain Boublil

Do you like this song? Do you hate this song? It is not really my cup of tea. It’s nice. Hugh Jackman sounds good. Will it win?

Which song will win the Oscar? My favorites are, “Pi’s Lullaby,” and, “Before my Time,” for their well crafted artistic nature. I like, Adele’s “Skyfall,” as a really effective 007 song, but….I dont see how any song is going to beat, “Suddenly.” Like it or not I don’t see how Les Miserables can not win the Oscar for best song.

Begrudgingly I have to say…

The Oscar for Best Original Song, Goes To…Les Miserables, “Suddenly.”

The Oscar for Best Original Score, Goes To…

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The Oscar For Best Original Song, Goes To…

The 2013 Academy Awards are all set to be broadcast this weekend. A time for movie goers Oscarto celebrate their favorite films and actors of the year. A time for millionaire actor$ and billionaire $tudios to finally be bestowed some actual credit for their hard work. 😉

Of all the yearly award shows the Oscars is my favorite. Much more than the Grammys, my own industries honors. Even more than the ESPYs…wait do we really need a sports award show? Isn’t that why they play the games to figure out who’s the best?

Of course my favorite awards of the night are for my favorite part of most movies…the music! Best original score and best original song.

Nominees for Best Original Score:

While all are very well composed scores with interesting soundscapes, there were none that were truly unique or mind-blowing, over the top. That said…

Anna Karenina– Dario Marianelli

Perhaps the most artistic of all the nominees. Reminiscent of the Russian Romantic composers of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Argo– Alexandre Desplat

A nice combination of modern technology and middle-east flavors. In my opinion the synth driven background is not as difficult in compositional nature as Lincoln and Anna Karenina.

Life of Pi– Mychael Danna

Danna sets a very nice mood with the peaceful score in Life of Pi. The use of eastern instruments and ideals lends perfectly to the movie. In my opinion the score is a bit too minimalist and might suffer from its demure sonic atmosphere.

Lincoln–  John Williams

I am really impressed with this one. When I first heard Williams was penning the music for Lincoln I kind of rolled my eyes. ‘Lets use the biggest name in the film scoring business.’ He tends to be bombastic and his moves often have a similar style. However, I really like what he did for Lincoln. Williams did a great job composing Americana music, as well as, setting traditional songs of the day. Maybe not some of his most memorable sounds, but, some of his truly best artistically and structurally!

Skyfall– Thomas Newman

This is a cool fun score. Newman did a great job interpreting the James Bond theme we all love with some techno beats and backgrounds. I think this nomination will suffer from being a 007 film and similar to Argo I don’t think this piece had the same compositional chops as Lincoln and Anna Karenina.

So you can probably already tell where I am going with this pick. In my opinion it is definitely between Lincoln and Anna Karenina. My personal vote would be for Lincoln. I am torn on who I think the Academy has picked. The slightly superior Lincoln or the more artistic Anna Karenina.

Gotta go with my gut…

The Oscar for Best Original Score, Goes To…John Williams for Lincoln!!

YNGWIE

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YNGWIE, not just a great Scrabble word, one of the most talented rock/metal guitarists.

Thought I would post this in honor of the guitarists upcoming tour bringing him to the House of Blues in San Diego on May 14.

This clip has everything a self-respecting guitar geek would want. A blistering lead guitarist, playing with his teeth, throwing his guitar and all the while backed by a full symphonic orchestra.

If you’ve never heard Yngwie play watch/listen to the clip. He is a very classic influenced guitarist. Actually more Baroque or Romantic period traits, but, it’s all ‘classical’ music to most folks.

Enjoy!

This is IMPRESSIVE, Cure For Bieber Fever

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I saw these kids on the Today Show, they are amazing! In the video below they appeared on David Letterman. Dave was joking and teasing at first then amazed after their performance.

No offense against the Justin Biebers and Jonas Brothers and farther back the Britney Spears and even farther back the Debbie Gibsons and the New Kids on the Block and on and on. The list is endless of industry created acts. Of course they all have talented voices and can dance well and most of them are pretty …even the boys.

However, not one of them got anything on the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys! These three brothers play their instruments with a virtuosic command many long time studying musicians wish they had. They say the name came from the fact the little brother playing banjo was too small to actually hold it up when he started out and would lay down to play.

All the best to these three!!

Here is the link to their website.

Enjoy!

Key Points from My Lecture on Baroque, Classical and Romantic Music

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Here are some of the key points to my recent UCSD lecture on music of the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods.

Dates

Baroque 1600-1750 The end of the Baroque period corresponds with arguably the greatest composer of the era, J.S. Bach’s death in 1750.

Classical 1750-1820 There is much debate regarding the transition date between Classical and Romantic periods largely focused on Beethoven and which period he belonged.

Romantic 1820-1910 The Romantic period ended early in the 20th Century as an artistic movement. However, in music it is still largely utilized in popular media most noticeably in the film scores of John Williams.(Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter)

Definitions

Baroque -Originally a derogative term to describe a mis-shapen pearl due to the music’s ornateness stemming out of the more ‘refined’ renaissance period.

Classical -Highly formulaic and stylistic. The term ‘Classical’ is often employed when discussing all ART music from Middle Ages through Modern styles.

Romantic -In reaction to classic ideals. Romantics strove to push the envelope and express nature and the human spirit.

Style/Texture

Baroque –Polyphonic, Multiple simultaneous melodies creating harmonies(chords)

Classical –Homophonic, One main melody over chords(most pop music is homophonic)

Romantic –Chromatic, All twelve notes of the octave became important during this period vs. the propensity to concentrate on the seven belonging to each key.

Composers

Baroque -Handel, Vivaldi, J.S. Bach

Classical -Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven

Romantic -Schubert, Chopin, Brahms, Liszt, Wagner, Mahler

Society

How musicians were chiefly employed

Baroque –Church, sacred music

Classical –Court, employed by the monarchy

Romantic –Rise of the virtuoso/self promotion, Much in the way bands today distribute fliers for their shows musicians had to pave their way and make a name for themselves.

Global

Baroque –Nationalistic, There were several ‘schools’ of composition in Europe. Italian, French, German, English…

Classical –International, Throughout Europe,  Western classical music could be heard with similar styles and tastes.

Romantic –Nationalistic, Once again styles were locally influenced. In the Romantic period composers actually incorporated local folk music into their works. This created more of an ethnic diversity than the individual stylistic schools of the Baroque.

Examples

Baroque, This is a great illustration of the multiple voices that are integral to Baroque style

Classical, The following clip displays the grace and highly stylistic nature of the era.

Romantic, Compare the grandiose individualistic nature of the following Mahler excerpt to the stylistic Mozart piece above.

Be Careful Buying Your Romantic Valentine’s Music

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Alright, we are one day away and you might be scrambling to plan the perfect Valentines Day for your significant other.

Consider this a public service announcement if you are planning on setting a mood with some ‘Romantic’ music!

The Romantic period in music includes the years 1830-1910. It was at times a bombastic, virtuosic, grandiose style of music to express nature and the human spirit.

It is NOT Kenny G playing a sweet melody on his saxophone!

Here is an example of Romantic period music.

This music may or may not be the mood you are trying to create for your partner!

This has been a public service announcement!

…I am here for you!

My Review of the 2013 Grammys

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I thought I would do a review of the parts of the Grammys that I watched last night.

So here it is…

 

 

 

 

….Thank you!

Nope didn’t watch a lick…

Nothing against the Grammys or pop music in general…I just love music, not awards for who sells the most records.

Tune in next week as I review Paris Hilton/s greatest hits…

Guitar Practice Tip, It Ain’t Like That…

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This guitar practice tip may be one of the most important to keep in mind when learning the instrument(or anything new). Unfortunately, for some it might be one of the hardest pieces of advice to truly grasp and put in your tool box.

Recently, I’ve been reading about how adults learn vs. how children learn, not just guitar, but, in other areas like language, as well. As is often suggested, do kids really have a larger capacity to learn than adults? Looking back upon my most successful students over the years they all have had one thing….

As previously mentioned, it is often said that kids learn things so much easier. Brain science and genetics aside this may not be a true statement. In my experience teaching both adults and kids it has a lot to do with learning style.

Adults have learned how to learn already. We learn how to study, play sports and drive for success. There are as many strategies for tackling new things as there are people trying new things.

Kids are more pliable in their learning styles. More willing to take to heart what teachers suggest. Without as much life experience, they are more open to just purely DOING something new and seeing what happens.

By the time we are adults we have developed certain preconceived notions how to learn  things. An athlete may learn by taking new experiences head on with brute force and strength. An engineer may face things analytically, breaking down problems, systematically and logically solving the unknown.

How we were brought up determines how we learn, as well…good ol’ nature vs. nurture.

Athletes pound it out, music ain’t like that…

Salesmen don’t take no for an answer, music ain’t like that…

Students work extremely hard studying to do well on tests, music ain’t like that…

Where am I going with all this? Teaching thousands of students from 4 year olds to elderly and all ages in between over the past 20 years one thing stands out.

To go Yoda on you, …”Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.”

Yeah it is kind of ‘use the force’ when learning music.

-You may need to check your learning and drive for success styles at the door when trying an instrument. (Although they may help some they may ultimately hinder you, as well)

-You need to be open to exposing yourself a bit by dropping your pre-conceived notions for success in other fields.

…So what is the one thing my most successful students possessed?

They had an adaptable approach…They knew when to push hard and when to let off the gas. When to listen and when to attack. On and on…

In essence they had a flexible approach rather than a rigid pre-learned approach to learning and achieving musical success.

Bottom line approach the guitar with an open mind!

Be willing to learn in a different way than you’ve previously had success in other areas of life, when needed.

Above all, at all levels of your journey enjoy playing!!