In response to my previous post, I will open for discussion a composer
who is apparently free from the Ecumenical Philosophy: Harry
Gregson-Williams.
I have noticed a new style of music emerging. My theory is that it
evolved from various television drama shows (not that I have seen
many). This style is a very rhythmic and driven style designed to keep
the audience on the edge of their seats. I am no expert on this
particular style, but I have definitely noticed it's emergence. It
appears to be accomplished with heavy accents and fast-paced moving
parts, primarily in the strings. A few movies that appear to have used
this new style extensively would be: The Lion, The Witch, and The
Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, All three of the Pirates of The Caribbean
movies, and National Treasure one and two. Now that you have these
films called to mind, you might be thinking that this is just typical
action music, right? Well, it's my opinion that until at least the
seventies (probably until even later), action-music was scored in a
neo-classical way. That's right, if you think about the harmonies
used, this will make at least some sense. But the turning point is
Lord of The Rings.
I myself have seen very few of the movies made in the eighties to
the present. However, I think this new action style might have
emerged in Lord of The Rings. The score to Lord of The Rings
has many moving parts in the action sequences, but still appears
to use many of the old neo-classical harmonies. There are heavy
accents in some places of course, like the Isengard theme, and this
set up the development of the new action style (which in my
hypothesis was already being developed in the TV dramas).
So, what do you all think? Is this a good style? It's true, it doesn't
seem to place the accents on the weak beats (yet), but how good
is it for your blood pressure?
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21 comments:
I think that high blood pressure is a good thing to have while watching an action movie.
I agree. But is this the way to
get it?
What other way is there? If I remember correctly, it is exactly by this music's "undesirable" qualities that it has the effect it does. Take away the cause, and you remove the effect. Not that there aren't other causes that could have the same effect.
Personally I like this style a lot. Another example is the Resurrection theme from The Passion of the Christ. I believe it is a great way to further engage the audience in the story (this is assuming, of course, that we are aiming at something more than mere entertainment).
I agree. The purpose of using that
particular style affects wheather
or not it is good, but some styles
are bad in themselves.
Such as rock. (it didn't let me
finish)
Rock music.
first, what is rock?
and second, why is it bad?
Rock and roll is what I mean by
rock music. I haven't studied it,
but one quality I've heard it has
(aside from the chaotic
instrumentation) is that it accents
the weaker beats (the second and
fourth in 4/4 time). As for it
being "bad", it's hard to say why,
since it violating many rules isn't
enough to say that. One reason that
I would say it is bad is the effect
it has on many people. It is a
disorderly genre and promotes
that disorder.
Did I also mention it kills plants?
What is chaotic instrumentation? (And don't worry that we are ganging up on you, Don Pedro and I sometimes grill each other too, but that usually belongs to another blog. I think that grilling makes friends better. Both kinds of grilling.)
And as for whether this sort of music is good in a movie, I think we went over it already in another post's comments, though it wouldn't hurt to go over it again.
I love grilling!!!!! Well, grilled
food that is. Just think about it.
Rock music employs almost entirely
electronic intruments, and is
usually at a high volume level. If
this doesn't make people crazy, it
will at least damage their hearing.
There are at least a hundred other
negative things about rock music.
I'm sure you would know better than
any of us, Old Fashioned Liberal.
well, I'm a reggaeton fan, so this is particularly intersting to me. However, I do believe that the Dem Bow (base reggaeton beat) does accent beats 1 & 3. I have no idea why 2 & 4 are bad.
I also hate when music is blaired, and I really hate iPods without iHomes, and there certainly are lyrical issues with most modern styles. However, many of the same critisms are applied to the Latin rythyms, when what I see is that they simply have no appreciation of traditional vulgar (of the people, in this case) styles.
Reggaeton, does that mean reggae?
No offense, but that style never
really struck me as a "musical"
style. I mean, when you just speak
with a rhythmic background, how
can you call that music?
Yes, beats 1&3 are the accented
beats. If you accent 2 instead of
1, it would seem to me that the
music becomes very unstable, as
you don't define when the new
measure starts (I'm starting to
sound like a certain professor
we both know, right Old Fashioned
Liberal?).
Hmm... no, reggaeton is definitely not reggae, even though reggae certainly influenced it. I'd say the closest thing you can come to to the "father" of Reggaeton is Caribbean dancehall. Anyways...
Reggaeton is a flexible Latin style born in the 1990s in Puerto Rico. The one die hard rule of the genre is the inclusion of the Dem Bow beat (which you will be happy to know, accents the first beat). personally I think the Dem Bow creates a floating on choppy water effect (choppy as in on waves, not asymmetrically). Anyways, I'm going to look for a good example of the genre which doesn't succumb to the usual temptation to be obscene. let's see... here's a good one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDqsLQWnSAs'
Anyways, I really like Latin music and I really don't think it can be compared to hip hop and rap and criticized in the same ways. Personally I don't buy the criticisms of modern music in general (though their certainly are exceptions). But I'm definitively not the musician on this board. I'm more the dancer, which would explain why I defend Latin music =)
The accents on 2+4 are said to be undesirable because they have been shown to be harmful to plants when plants are exposed to them for long periods of time, Don Pedro. Like alcohol, this sort of thing can be said to be dangerous because it has the potential of causing harm to huans when used immoderately. Like alcohol, it has small benefits (such as in soundtracks). Though alcohol is definitely the more dangerous of the two, it also is the more beneficial. There's an excellent Chesterton essay on this subject: "On Sandals and Simplicity." Because I wouldn't call this accent pattern evil in itself, just dangerous, I think it belongs in the things treated of in that essay.
damaging to plants in what way?
It kills them!!!!!!!!!!!!!
do you guys have a link to that study???
Um, I'm not sure. Old Fashioned
Liberal was the one that did the
study. I just like getting on my
soapbox about it. :-)
Old Fashioned Liberal did the study???? now that's cool! Do you have a write up of the results. I'd like to put my newly acquired statistical skills to the test (except I can't do inference... yet).
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