The music class called Art of Active Listening caught me by surprise. During the beginning weeks of the first semester, I was nervous about where this course will take me. I entered college with no background knowledge of music but was excited to take on a new challenge. This course never involved music notation or theory which was very beneficial for me. This course did provide skills and techniques that I can use throughout my everyday life. Some critical points we covered during the semester were focusing on meter, interpreting the meaning of lyrics, and using the background music to guide us in the direction the composer/artist wants us to go. One artist that touches up on a variety of main points covered in this course is Jack Johnson.
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The song begins with a guitar and some form of a shaker instrument. After a few seconds, a drum joins in and keeps the instruments in harmony while providing the beat for the other instruments to follow. The late addition of the drums was definitely unexpected and is the reason why the dynamics change. The chorus changes the texture of the song when certain words are sung by Johnson. Some of the words that create a change are knowing, human, moments, and trying. These four words are stretched out over multiple beats to keep the rhythm flowing in a constant measure. Throughout the whole song, the beat remains unchanged, but the dynamics and texture change briefly. Besides for me naturally enjoying this song, it also has an emotional connection to my life. After being informed of my Opa’s passing, I tried to use music to calm me down. “Never Know,” was the first song that I had listened to during this gloomy time. A specific line in this song that moved me was, “Our hearts are strong, our heads are weak.” During this dismal time, nothing could have summed up by emotions better than this line and this is the reason Jack Johnson is one of my favorite artists. “Never Know,” uses the change of dynamics and texture to keep the listener unaware of what is coming …show more content…
The dynamics continue to grow when the drums join and then they fall when the lyrics begin. The timbre also changes when the vocals start-off. Prior to Johnson singing, the drums and the guitar are in harmony, however, when the vocals begin the drum and the guitar fade into the background which creates the texture change. The vocals are sung in a low tone forcing the background instruments to fade into an almost unnoticeably harmony. The dynamics during the chorus are different compared to the rest of the song. During the chorus, the timbre of the guitar and the drums match the timbre of the vocals but are all being played on a higher register than the previous verse. My favorite part of the song comes at the 1:45 mark where there are no lyrics and only the instruments playing. Over the twenty seconds, both the guitar and the drums change their texture, allowing each other to take over the spotlight for a few seconds. During this break between melodic phrases, the guitar plays a lick at a higher pitch while the drummer plays a drum fill that is finished off with a snare roll. This abrupt part of “Staple it Together,” was performed perfectly and was needed to allow the transition of melodic phrases to be done smoothly. “Staple it Together,” is unlike any other Jack Johnson songs because the
The song begins with a guitar and some form of a shaker instrument. After a few seconds, a drum joins in and keeps the instruments in harmony while providing the beat for the other instruments to follow. The late addition of the drums was definitely unexpected and is the reason why the dynamics change. The chorus changes the texture of the song when certain words are sung by Johnson. Some of the words that create a change are knowing, human, moments, and trying. These four words are stretched out over multiple beats to keep the rhythm flowing in a constant measure. Throughout the whole song, the beat remains unchanged, but the dynamics and texture change briefly. Besides for me naturally enjoying this song, it also has an emotional connection to my life. After being informed of my Opa’s passing, I tried to use music to calm me down. “Never Know,” was the first song that I had listened to during this gloomy time. A specific line in this song that moved me was, “Our hearts are strong, our heads are weak.” During this dismal time, nothing could have summed up by emotions better than this line and this is the reason Jack Johnson is one of my favorite artists. “Never Know,” uses the change of dynamics and texture to keep the listener unaware of what is coming …show more content…
The dynamics continue to grow when the drums join and then they fall when the lyrics begin. The timbre also changes when the vocals start-off. Prior to Johnson singing, the drums and the guitar are in harmony, however, when the vocals begin the drum and the guitar fade into the background which creates the texture change. The vocals are sung in a low tone forcing the background instruments to fade into an almost unnoticeably harmony. The dynamics during the chorus are different compared to the rest of the song. During the chorus, the timbre of the guitar and the drums match the timbre of the vocals but are all being played on a higher register than the previous verse. My favorite part of the song comes at the 1:45 mark where there are no lyrics and only the instruments playing. Over the twenty seconds, both the guitar and the drums change their texture, allowing each other to take over the spotlight for a few seconds. During this break between melodic phrases, the guitar plays a lick at a higher pitch while the drummer plays a drum fill that is finished off with a snare roll. This abrupt part of “Staple it Together,” was performed perfectly and was needed to allow the transition of melodic phrases to be done smoothly. “Staple it Together,” is unlike any other Jack Johnson songs because the