Then again, our school systems are failing so hard that high school graduates are effectively ninth graders from 10 years ago, so I guess this dream can wait so Madison can learn how to read.

(But when will she learn how to feel ?)

Anywho, these guys are more than satirists, but pretty savvy musicians. It takes a creative mind to come up with compositions, then they splice-slice-dice live non-musical footage into the compositions. The rhythms need to be kept to some extent so the speech can still be understood, but there are snips and repetitions so it slides right into the musical groove. It also allows satiric emphasis- you hear what the creators want you to hear again and again. The visual element gets spiced up by having the creators green-screen themselves to provide musical/satiric foils to the actual news bits. The music makes it memorable and catchy, but the real point is the political satire.

While a lot of the messages are liberal in nature, the musical style is pretty standard pop music. The heavy electronics, the ubiquitous auto-tune, and the ostinato and repetitions are very “pop”. I think the music genre lends a topical aura to the source material: that which is literally topical. While it definitely makes a splash today, the musical workmanship in the future will probably only be admired for its innovation, rather than as a work of art. You don’t go listen to old episodes of Auto Tune the News because the news is out of date, therefore the video is out of date. Topical becomes stale, stale becomes history, history becomes retro, and retro churns out hipsters and thrift stores, and who really likes thrift stores? Really? You just want to admire old things for being old. “These dresses are so silly! Let’s go get a bubble tea.”

Out of date isn’t necessarily bad. Some choice phrases (“Very thin ice,” “Hide yo kids, hide yo wife”) make the music a little catchy, but you sing that on the streets and people will give you the crazy eye. [aside: I may have turned the auto-tune remix of the double rainbow clip above into my ringtone. Listen to the end, and you'll see the whole troupe doing a live version. ] But still, there used to be lots of classical compositions that “quoted” other popular composers in their works…and nobody knows who those quoting composers are. They were topical. Now they’re forgotten (mostly).

Old clips of the Daily Show? Entertaining only because of the gags, not the news. There’s a huge difference between John Stewart making an impeachment joke about Clinton when Clinton is in office versus out of office for 8 years. It’s old. Yeah. Get with the times.

I also get the vibe that the most outspoken people would not recognize a cappella arranging as a legitimate art. I feel like they, as well as other people, may see arranging as a skill but not an art, and would scoff at an a cappella arranger considering himself to be equal to a composer. What do you think: is a cappella arranging a low-brow form of theivery, or is it an art of interpretation?

~How would you write out parts for someone who doesn’t read music?

~How do you teach an Alto2 if they don’t understand how quarter notes work?

~How do you put together an a cappella arrangement without writing down any notes?

Ponder that while I’m on a boat.

Not as easy as A and B

While it’s well and good to know what your group is about, who your target audience is, where you want to take the group, and if your 2nd soprano is single, that doesn’t actually pick your songs. This article is geared towards the practicality of picking songs, and several methods with their pros and cons. Naturally, you can adapt these archetypes to suit the ensemble; you’re the one making the sauce.

Read More…

Here’s the original rant, which was followed by a techno remix, R&B/Club remix, and my personal favorite, a Newsies trailer re-release.

Oh, how technology and cheap beat machines have revolutionized the political cartoon.

Good wholesome music.

If you’re lucky enough to scrabble together a handful of boys and girls to hold productive rehearsals amidst incredible sexual tension, creating unique and engaging arrangements are going to be a piece of cake. Co-ed groups not only have the advantages of a ready pool of datable singers, but the vocal range and palette of effects are astronomical. You get the best of both worlds- girls who can sing crazy high and guys who can sing crazy low. What’s not to love about that?

Before you get carried away on a cloud of dreams, the cost of having so many possibilities is that…you have so many more things to worry about. This guide is here to help elucidate the headaches of co-ed groups (such as range concerns and balancing) as well as the perks (composite parts and really cute choreography). However, if you think about it, just mesh together the assets of an all-male group and an all-female group and add a little soap opera drama.

However, here are some general points to keep in mind when you do your co-ed arrangements.

Read More…

The fact is, that if you sing other people’s songs for a living, the jobness of it starts to impinge on the rest of your musical experience. The rest of music is, at least momentarily, slightly less fascinating because your brain doesn’t quite have the void, the hunger for notes than when you’ve got a more “typical” dayjob.

Having vocationally pursued musical theater for about three years now, it’s a problem I’m used to. Learning music and being surrounded by fellow musicmakers provides the endorphin kick of camaraderie and pretty sounds that keeps me in the business. Even the torturous 16-bar auditions I attend all the time in New York are amazing opportunities to perform for highly trained judges. Even if they’re more interested in the way you look, you still have a rapt, even fixated audience for those 16 bars. The pressure is on to do your absolute best–your Absolute Best!!–and if it’s just right, they’ll pay you to do more, for more people. A girl can get pretty wrapped up in the whole process, and even bring herself to (gasp!) wait tables for 10 years. Fortunately, that phase is over and I’ve joined the ranks of the freelancers, the telecommuters. Those idiots who told me not to double-major were totally idiotic idiots. My “side job” is paying not much less than a Broadway salary, and I can do it from any computer in the world. But I digress.

The trouble with all that excitement is that it’s a digression, in a way, from the music. From creation, from study. At the end of a long rehearsal day, the song from the beginning of Act II is lodged in my ears, and it has more staying power than anything else I’d try to insert. I’ve been singing all day, so I no longer need the release of music when I get home. Now: How do I find peace without becoming complacent?

Jimi Hendrix had a hard time understanding metaphors...

There’s no escaping it, really… the guitar occupies a singular place in the popular consciousness of the twentieth century. Nearly everyone you’ve ever met either plays a little bit of guitar or knows someone who did, or does, or wants to. When compared to a piano, even an excellent instrument is ridiculously affordable. The guitar is light, portable, and offers access to a width of tones unavailable to any other instrument save the synthesizer- and even that is a gap which can be closed. It fits into a seemingly limitless number of popular musicks, makes wonderful accompaniment to the voice in all kinds of styles, and (thanks to the modern world: “Thanks, modern world!”) can be quiet enough to be inaudible or loud enough to hear a mile away. It’s great!

But it is one of the truest things I’ve ever heard that the guitar is the easiest instrument to start playing but the hardest to master. Anyone who has a little patience can pick up the most basic chords in a few weeks, but it can take years of careful study and practice to gain fluency in any particular genre. I’ll tell you this right now: that duality is a wonderful thing.

First things first: There is nothing wrong with learning the basics and never going any further. You can spend a few days and learn a half dozen chords, buy a capo, and practice a few strumming patterns and pretty much be able to play almost every pop song of the last half century. You can even write your own, there’s nothing to stop you! Countless happy amateurs while away their evenings singing songs with acoustic guitars or trying to copy a famous solo by ear, and even many professional artists are content with this level. Pop quiz… What’s wrong with that? Nothing, that’s what. Don’t assume that there is no value to somebody’s art because they don’t know much about what they are doing or have more interest in blues licks than Bach. Just don’t do it.

Second things second: There is nothing wrong with earnest study of the technical and theoretical aspects of the instrument or music in general. Contrary to a widely circulated mythology, music theory is NOT anathema to creativity. Self expression does not have to be compromised in the pursuit of greater understanding, and technical proficiency does not preclude individuality. Don’t assume that there is no value to somebody’s art because they know everything about what they are doing or have more interest in theory than catchy melodies. Just don’t do it!

The ideas that more knowledge breeds elitism or that amateurism is of no value are both just wrong, wrong, wrong. This is a false dichotomy born of insecurities on both sides, and any bright eyed student should take extra care to ignore it post haste. You can enjoy the Ramones and then listen to Berlioz, or write a three chord pop song and then follow that up with a twelve tone composition, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Things are what they are, and that’s it. Music is a river, wide and deep; cast your net wherever you want.

A note on theory…

Theory is not a set of rules, theory is not law. Theory is not just one thing. Theories seek to explain logically what we walking hairless apes do intuitively. Theories are guesses, some of them pretty good, and some of them way off base. Don’t be afraid of theory, it doesn’t want to take away your muse.

Ultimately, better understanding can only help, because you can always choose to ignore it. Theory doesn’t have to be complicated, and in fact it really isn’t. When somebody starts spouting off about “upper structure color tones” this or “quartal motion in the superlocrian mode” that, it can seem pretty overwhelming, but don’t be intimidated- they’re just words that describe musical sounds, that’s all they are. If you start from the beginning, these things build on themselves and make perfect sense. Besides, if you’re reading this then you’ve already mastered a subject far more complicated: Communicative English!

Also: AMAZE YOUR FRIENDS, MAKE YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER SWOON AND LOVE YOU MORE!! ALL IN THREE EASY STEPS, 29.99! EASY! NO MORE HARD! EASY!

Yeah, we wish. I’m not going to lie to you, sometimes music can be really difficult or frustrating or infuriating, but it can also be beautiful and transcendent and meaningful. In the long run, it’s worth your time, trust me! And remember, you get what you give- and the more time you spend learning and growing as a musician or guitarist the more rewarding the whole experience will become. So what if your fingertips hurt for a month or two? At least you don’t play the upright bass! My God, you should see the blisters on those people…!

This guide makes no assumptions except that the reader has an interest in learning about the guitar and music and possesses a certain amount of natural curiosity. It helps (a LOT) if you like music and listen to it often (OFTEN)! I want more than anything to be instructive, clear, and concise. It can be difficult to effectively teach something that you’ve long ago internalized, but it is also an excellent exercise. It is my hope that this collection of essays will prove helpful and interesting to many different people, from stone cold beginners to seasoned musicians. Even if you already know how to play, I definitely recommend starting at the beginning. These lessons will build on one another, and hopefully they’ll be fun to read, too.

Eventually, we’ll get into the things that make styles different. We’ll get into complex harmonic devices. We’ll get into all kinds of mess… but to start with, we will cover only the basics and concentrate primarily on two things: getting you playing (soon!), and getting you to understand what you’re playing (soon!).

SO. Give it a try and see what happens. Best of luck and welcome to the club!