The Effects of Jazz and Classical Music on Musicians Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Jazz and Classical Music on Musicians Essay A thesis presented on the history of jazz as compared to classical music and the effects on musicians, beginning with the birth of jazz, and covering the twentieth century. Berliner (1994) impresses upon the idea that jazz music is more important to a musician’s development and an individual’s mental health than classical music. It is this author’s opinion that Jazz is superior over classical music because jazz music is often soft, smooth, and reflective. In addition, the world of jazz has some wonderful artists who can both play and write jazz music so extraordinary that it will make music lovers melt like ice as the stress washes away. Jazz allows people to close their eyes, relax, mediate, and dream about their loved ones. It is the best for mediation purposes because it provides people with softness, calm, soul, and fantasy. The freedom found in jazz represents the freedom inside of all Americans. Jazz itself is a success story told through its own invention. True jazz musicians play the music that they do as a necessity to themselves. Their music is their diary, and their diary is more pure than words can tell. Jazz is Americas great contribution to the arts. It is thrilling, exhilarating, and thought-provoking music that stirs emotions of all kinds. Jazz is in the mind, heart, and in the soul. Its influence extends worldwide, and touches all related forms of music. It is an enriching art form that deserves a special place in our vibrant culture. III In the world of jazz, young performers must master a repertoire of chord progressions, off-beats, and harmonies so that they can count on them as structures around which and through which they might weave more magical variations. Jazz players use chord changes as a means of giving shape to melodic improvisation. Classical players merely read lead sheets or book arrangements and use strict chord symbols in a much more static way. â€Å"Classical music is simple for its rhythmic pattern and simplistic chords while jazz’ chords are complex† Cook (p. 17). Many may argue that classical music is a more integral part of development, but a talented classical composer will in fact draw on stylistic elements of jazz to enrich the classical tradition of symphonic music. Classical composers have consistently been making use of two elements of jazz over the years which are syncopation and harmony characterized by blue notes. â€Å"Indeed, even apparently knowledgeable classical musicians often sound confused and unsure about the essence of jazz music.† Carr (p. 174). Some of the most accomplished musicians of our time have devoted themselves to a life-long study of jazz music, and few classical musicians have been able to master jazz. Jazz music ran parallel to the development of the twentieth century classical style music. Those musicians that learn both types of music are not locked into one type of discipline, and will have more musical experiences. â€Å"We are the musical melting pot achieving a vision of merging cultures that fulfilled the image that America had of its own social destiny.† Gioia (P. 395). As a result of this concept, jazz composers began to attend symphony concerts, and subsequently jazz and classical styles began to overlap to a degree; which resulted in an art form now referred to as jazz fusion. Some would argue that jazz music is too different from classical due to being unceremonious, gritty, or too improvisational. Between 1920 and 1950 jazz and classical music together made the most successful contributions to music. â€Å"One genre essentially has the ability to learn something from the other, and can create an even more captivating sound.† Ratliff (p. 23) Many could dispute over the fact that a newcomer to jazz might feel bewildered by its proliferation of styles and differing approaches to music-making. â€Å"Indeed, harmonies are more dissonant, phrases more irregular, accents sharper, and tempos are more varied, but that is what makes it so beautiful. Its casual nature is evidenced by the inoffensiveness of wrong notes being plated, by singers taking breath sometimes without relation to lyrics, and musicians being introduced right in the middle of a performance† Ratliff (p. 72). Classical music on the other hand can occasionally trigger a thorough exploration of self and mind. It may cause a person to look at their failures in life. A sudden realization of self can be extreme or painful. Not everyone enjoys classical music. In the UK, classical music is used to drive groups of youths away from places they congregate in. Jazz music is a beautiful improvisational art making itself up as it goes along just like the country that gave it birth, and with each tap of the foot, jazz musicians reaffirm their connection to the earth. Jazz waxes and wanes between tension and repose. It challenges the musician with unpredictability and then rewarding the listener with predictable rhythms. â€Å"Jazz rewards individual expression but demands selfless collaboration.† Ward (p. 1). Listening to jazz is not just a satisfying and rewarding experience; studies show that it is actually good for a musician’s health. Listening to jazz or playing jazz melodies can relieve chronic pain and migraines, reduce blood pressure, accelerate post-stroke recovery, improve memory, boost immunity and induce relaxation. 2 Jazz music helps distract people. It gives individuals a sense of control and also releases endorphins into their bodies that alleviate pain. There is a very contextual debate that classical music is superior due to the fact it can release dopamine during anticipation and experience of peak emotion to music. It conveys very well what the composer puts into it, and although classical music does activate pleasure and reward-related regions of the brain creating a high, playing highly pitched stimulating music for long periods is not healthy because it leads to cortisol and noradrenalin secretion without the concomitant fight or flight action. Long term overdose with those hormones is well documented to create many health problems, from depression to sexual dysfunction. The current market share of Jazz in America is mere 3 percent, but jazz is still regarded as a very powerful music which is in the blood and feeling of the American people more than any other style of music. It can be made the basis of serious symphonic works of lasting value in the hands of a talented composer. â€Å"Jazz music has always been and forever will be fundamental in the development of future musicians† Cook (p. 65). Glossary Bebop: the style of jazz developed by young players in the early 40s, particularly Parker, Gillespie, Kenny Clarke, Charlie Christian and Bud Powell. Small groups were favored, and simple standard tunes or just their chord progressions were used as springboards for rapid, many-noted improvisations using long, irregular, syncopated phrasing. Improv was based on chordal harmony rather than the tune. The ‘higher intervals’ of the chords (9th, 11th and 13th) were emphasized in improv and in piano chord voicings, and alterations were used more freely than before, especially the augmented 11th. The ground beat was moved from the bass drum to the ride cymbal and the string bass, and the rhythmic feel is more flowing and subtle than before. Instrumental virtuosity was stressed, while tone quality became more restrained, less obviously ‘expressive’. The style cast a very long shadow and many of today’s players 60 years later could be fairly described as bebop. Blues: (1) A form normally consisting of 12 bars, staying in one key and moving to IV at bar 5. (2) A melodic style, with typical associated harmonies, using certain ‘blues scales’, riffs and grace notes. (3) A musical genre, ancestral to jazz and part of it. (4) A feeling that is said to inform all of jazz. Boogie (boogie-woogie): a style of piano playing very popular in the thirties. Blues, with continuous repeated eighth note patterns in the left hand and exciting but often stereotyped blues riffs and figures in the right hand. Cadence: A key-establishing chord progression, generally following the circle of fifths. A turnaround is one example of a cadence. Sometimes a whole section of a tune can be an extended cadence. In understanding the harmonic structure of a tune, it’s important to see which chords are connected to which others in cadences. Free Jazz: a style of the early and middle sixties, involving ‘free’ playing and a vehement affect. It was originally associated with black cultural nationalism. Sometimes two drummers and/or two bass players were used. Some free jazz was profound, and some not very good. Some who played it later denounced it, but the style became an ingredient in future styles and still has many proponents despite its lack of general popularity. Groove: an infectious feeling of rightness in the rhythm, of being perfectly centered. This is a difficult term to define. A Medium Groove is a tempo of, say, 112, with a slinky or funky feeling. Improvisation (improv): the process of spontaneously creating fresh melodies over the continuously repeating cycle of chord changes of a tune. The improviser may depend on the contours of the original tune, or solely on the possibilities of the chords’ harmonies, or (like Ornette Coleman) on a basis of pure melody. The ‘improv’ also refers to the improvisational section of the tune, as opposed to the head. Inner voice: a melodic line, no matter how fragmentary, lying between the bass and the melody. Interlude: an additional section in a tune, especially one between one person’s solo and another’s. The Dizzy Gillespie standard A Night In Tunisia has a famous interlude. Jazz Standard: A well-known tune by a jazz musician. See Standard. Latin: (1) Afro-Cuban, Brazilian or other South American-derived. There are many special terms used in Latin music and I haven’t tried to include them here. (2) Played with equal eighth notes as opposed to swung (see swing def. 2). Also ‘straight-8†². The feel of bossa novas and sambas. Pattern: a pre-planned melodic figure, repeated at different pitch levels. Something played automatically by the fingers without much thought. Reliance on patterns is the hallmark of a weak player. REFERENCES: Berliner, Thinking in Jazz, University of Chicago, 1994 Carr, Ian, Jazz the Essential Companion, Prentice Hall Press, 1987 Cook, Richard, The Penguin Guide to Jazz, Penguin Books, 2004 Gioia, Ted, The History of Jazz, Oxford University Press, 1997 Ward, Geoffrey, Jazz a History of America’s Music, Random House, 2000 5

War in Iraq :: essays research papers

Self-improvement. When I finished highscool in Ukraine, my mother taught me one very important lesson. She said: â€Å"Self-improvement is a key for your success†. In 1998 I got a bachelor degree in Child Education. I took me two years to complete a school program. During my school years I went through difficult times. There were moments when I wanted to drop out of school, but I always remembered my mother’s words about continual self-improvement. Now, after all, I am really proud of my achievements. I have accomplished my goal. But, I’ll never stop to better my education, because this is lifetime process for me. After I finished high school I had a dilemma. Whether to do ordinary, low paying work, or pick a major and further my education. One evening I had a long conversation with my mother. She explained to me that education is the only way to improve my life. Regular jobs would only allow me to survive, but if I wanted to improve my life I need to go to college. For that reason, I decided to make a plan of my further education. During my collage years, 1996 – 1998, I wanted to drop out of school many times. I had to complete a four-year program in two years. I had a very busy schedule. Monday through Friday I was in school form 8 am to 6 pm. After school I did my homework until 3 am in the morning. Even, on Saturdays and Sundays studied for 8 – 10 hours. Nevertheless, I graduated with good grades and award letter for my academic achievements Right after I had finished my studies; I felt a sense of relief and a great joy of self-achievement. . At that moment I wanted to relax for a while and then continue my education. My education didn’t stop after completion of the college program. During the summer of 1998 I went to my parent’s village for a short rest. Then I decided to continue my studies at Kyiv Pedagogic University. In fall 1998, I started an eighteen-month program. It was easy for me at this time, because I had a basic knowledge of the subject. Also I didn’t have to study until 2 – 3 in the morning. On top of that, during the weekends I was able to relax. In February 2000, I successfully graduated from Kiev Pedagogic University. I received a diploma for Child Care specialist.

Animal Protection Decision Essay

In â€Å"Why Do Species Matter? †, Lilly-Marlene Russow argues that humans have a moral obligation to protect and to ensure the continued existence of things of aesthetic value which includes some but not necessarily all animals. In this paper, I will argue that the subjectivity involved in determining aesthetic value makes it an insufficient element for determining moral obligation to the protection and preservation of some animals. Russow begins the argument by separating humanity’s obligations toward species from obligations to individual members of a species. This is to allow consistency with the disapproval of speciesism. Russow admits that by protecting individual animals we may, as a byproduct, protect some endangered species but members of the endangered species should be treated no differently than those of a flourishing one. She states that the concept of having interests, as it relates to determining value, cannot be applied to species but rather only to individual animals. Russow then uses several test cases to draw some conclusions about humanity’s confusion around what a species really is and what it is about certain species that we are trying to preserve or, in some cases, we do not care to preserve. Next, Russow provides objections to three traditional arguments for why species do matter. The first is the argument for stewardship which Russow dismisses due to its assumption that species are valuable. The second is the argument for extrinsic value of species regarding their contribution to big picture of life. Russow objects to three different extrinsic value perspectives by 1) stating that we cannot use a specie’s declination as a sign that humans are doing something wrong because that cannot account for unforeseen events, 2) stating that not every species is required for ecological stability, and 3) denying the evolutionary chain argument because extinction and development of species are both part of evolution. The third argument objected to by Russow is the argument for intrinsic value. Ironically, Russow’s main objection to this argument is the same objection that debunks her own argument. What gives intrinsic value? How much intrinsic value does something have? Drilling into intrinsic value further, Russow objects the biodiversity view claiming if diversity is virtuous than we would be obligated to create as many new species as possible, however useless they may be. She also objects to the aesthetic value view of species in that other benefits, such as economic, may override aesthetic value of a species. However, Russow does believe that the aesthetic value view is correct but must be applied more granularly to individual members of species. Russow argues that humans value the aesthetics presented by a single member of a species, not the species itself giving the example of valuing the beauty of a specific Bengal tiger we might encounter but not the species Panthera tigris. She also argues that we value the continued existence of â€Å"individuals like that† which sounds very similar to species. This is odd since the argument for aesthetic value related to species was previously objected by Russow. I argue that aesthetic value is a very subjective concept that is incapable of providing information that would be useful in determining the fate of some animals. Furthermore, aesthetic value is not an appropriate measure for making any relative comparisons to other individuals’ aesthetic value or other worldly good things or benefits in order to make logical decisions concerning the individuals in question. Much like the case of inherent value, there is not a reliable method for determining what has aesthetic value or not. Russow uses the rarity of encountering a member of a species and the desire to see a member of a species again as possible qualifiers for assigning aesthetic value. Other factors include beauty, intriguing environmental adaptations, and awesomeness. However, not all humans are going to consider these factors equally when determining aesthetic value of an animal. For instance, using Russow’s Case 1 as an example, one person may admire the survival techniques of the snail darter enough to protest the building of the dam while another person may not care at all about the snail darter’s existence because they are disgusting and unnecessary. One objection to my argument concerning the subjectivity of aesthetic value may be an appeal to the majority. Opponents may draw a comparison to the case of moral good and evil. A heavy majority of people believe that murder is wrong. Society determines murderers are immoral and governs accordingly. Therefore, if many people find something to be beautiful that a minority finds ugly, the case might be made that the minority is incorrect or somehow lacks the proper aesthetic judgment to make a proper determination of the thing’s value. To tackle this argument, I look no further than my own home. My wife is ophidiophobic, i. e. she has an irrational fear of snakes. I on the other hand greatly admire the beauty and intrigue of snakes. If there were a vote to be made on whether to annihilate a rare species of snakes in order to develop the land which they reside, I would most likely vote against. Conversely, my wife would rally supporters and be first in line to vote for eradicating the snakes; simply for the fact the snakes would be gone. Even if it was known that these snakes ate some kind of potentially harmful insect that would not matter to her. A 2001 study from Gallup, Inc. suggests up to 50% of Americans may possess a fear of snakes so I feel she would not be alone in this decision. We cannot determine who is right or wrong in this situation. I can’t say my wife is wrong because no snake will ever have a drop of aesthetic value to her. Meanwhile, to argue against a case for preserving a snake population to aid in eliminating a harmful insect population doesn’t seem correct either. This leads back to my original objection which is that there is simply too much subjectivity involved in determining aesthetic value for the idea to be relevant in decision making related to the protection of animals.

International Accounting Free Essay Example, 1000 words

Selling and general administrative costs are not included in valuing inventory. Tesla Motors uses the standard cost method to value inventories while Coda Automotive uses the retail method to value its inventory. There are key differences on the methods used in inventory costing. In Tesla Motors, the last in first out method (LIFO) is used to establish the total cost of inventory for the period. In Coda Automotive, inventories are priced at net realizable cost. Pricing inventories at their net realizable costs under the IFRS indicate that inventories can be written-down. This is not the case for the U. S GAAP standard; inventories cannot be written-down under any circumstances. Both companies depreciate their fixed assets. The U. S GAAP and the IFRS recognize the importance of presenting truthful information to the auditors. It would not be realistic for one standard to value long-term assets at their original value. Long-terms assets are depreciated over their entire life span to indicate their true value at the period of financial reporting. Under this category, some variation is noted on how property plant and equipment (PPE) is valued. We will write a custom essay sample on International Accounting or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page