So I guess this will just be a general thread to discuss music; your favorite artists, your role in the world of music, and what music means to you.

I remember how I used to always hate seeing the saying "Music is Life". Especially coming from people who had tastes that I considered to be less than par. I've sort of abandoned that elitist viewpoint as I've developed musically and opened myself to many genres of music.

Anime and gneral soundtrack music probably stand alone as making up my favorite genres of music. For a song to truly captivate me, it needs to have some sort of scene to it. Some sort of moment that I see when I listen, whether or not it actually matches the actual meaning of the song (lyrics mean little to me in comparison to the notes being played). As such, I love the music of soundtracks because they generally have that sort of cinematic quality to them, so that whether or not I've actually seen the work that they've been produced for they still create a scene in my mind. My favorite soundtrack composer is Yuki Kajiura, hands down. Since the 6th grade when I first saw .hack//sign I've absolutely adored her soundtracks above all else. She's melodically brilliant; there's something fantastic yet at the same time intensely personal and nonetheless beautiful about the music she creates. It's sad to say that I've replicated her most commonly used chord progression in my own compositions. Obviously, I also love the work of Shinkichi Mitsumune. Music is perhaps the greatest deciding factor for me when choosing whether or not to watch an anime. From the first episode I was enamored with the atypical soundtrack of Utena. There something so wonderfully inventive to the duel songs especially, from the bizarre yet completely suitable lyrics to the slightly out of tune singing. It's not the kind of music that most people can really understand, but I'm sure that those of us who do absolutely love it. In addition to these two soundtrack composers I also love Danny Elfman, Phillip Glass, Yann Tiersen, Susumu Hirasawa, Yoko Kanno, and Kenji Kawai.

I love international music especially. While I love music from most countries, I can pinpoint three particular countries where I can say my most valued music originates.

The first is obviously Japan, namely for the soundtracks. However, I also do adore another genre of this country: enka. It's melodramatic music at its best. I love the powerful vibrato of vocalists like Miki Kawashima and Noriko Seki. I've only recently come to appreciate this genre, indirectly through my fandom of Utena.

The second: France. I love French music, from the Romantic/Impressionistic period (Chopin, Fauré), to the music of the ye-ye 60s (Marie Laforet, France Gall), to more contemporary artists (Camille, Carla Bruni). There's something very passionate to French music, and at the same time incredibly stylish as well.

The third: the United States. I'm not especially a fan of the music given commercial attention today, but I still love the music from my country nevertheless. I love American folk artists, such as Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen (technically Canadian, but I think he was a substantial contributor to the American folk scene of the sixties as well). I also love music of the African American based genres, like jazz and blues. I feel as though the richest aspect to our culture can be linked back to the Harlem Renaissance and the Jazz Age, and even earlier to the cultural diffusion that occurred after the Civil War. I love American composers of the neo-classical period, like Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, and George Gershwin as well. Samuel Barber's vocal pieces are among the most beautiful I've ever heard (I think I nearly melted the first time my chorus class sang Sure On This Shining Night). As weak as the music of my country seems now, I know that, based on the works of more independent and alternative artists such as Rilo Kiley, Pink Martini, Beirut, and Bedroom Walls, there are still some great works to be produced in the future.

So, my next question: my role in the world of music? I'm obviously and perhaps most importantly a consumer. I love all sorts of music and I love being a part of it by purchasing CDs and allowing the industry to continue to produce them. As a student, right now I participate in my chorus class and I also create pieces in a digital composition class that I attend every school day. For a while I was sure that I was interested in (and only capable of singing) classical music, but now my voice has opened up a bit and I feel more comfortable singing folk music. For this summer, I plan to continue to work both aspects of voice, and try to develop my skills instrumentally (guitar, piano) so that I could potentially build myself up as one of those singer-songwriters. I'm optimistic for this, though I'm sure I'll need to work hard to develop the necessary ability.

Last edited by hayama (05-12-2008 05:51:38 PM)