Today, 16 November 2007. Performance for the module, Popular music culture in education.

Dr Eugene was part of the audience. He sent an email as a sort of postlude to keep us thinking. I know he means no harm.. But then, as i read on...

Dear all,



Many thanks for allowing me the priviledge of listening to you. I must congratulate Dr. Francis and yourselves for your creditable achievements these last 12 weeks – and I don’t mean the marks…..



Some curious questions/observati ons:



In your anxiety to get the music and musicality ‘right’, does the fact of your “music as autobiography” have any impact on you as musicians? As fellow sufferers? Imagine playing Schubert Lieder to being dumped or Pavane for a Dead Princess as an elegy…..


What motivated the upward transposition for both songs? In Esther and Yanghui’s song, there was an upward shift. Considering the prelude (5-note descent from F# through B on synthesizer) , the song in E minor, upward shift to F#minor and the codetta (symmetrical with the prelude) – asking if change was needed (before closure in F# minor), was that thought of as a complement with the textual material, as escalated emotional reiteration of still wanting to be back with someone, OR was this an unquestioned ritual/musical formula in contemporary popular musics? Did both songs have to end on the tonic of the transposed key?


Tiffany – were you comfortable with the vocal range you first began the song in? you sounded certainly more ‘at home’ one tone higher….or was this the musical compromise? What are your thoughts on a person who has experienced personal tragedy singing about the tragedy? Interesting Tiffany that you spoke of the gap between the head and the gut/heart….students doing the improvisation course have spoken about the emotional content while being “in the moment”….be curious to find out whether the anxiety in your voice was about the emotional content of tragedy OR the emotional content of musical anxiety……


I enjoyed the care with which the blend was attempted – it speaks highly of teamwork as much as the learning curves towards it….leadership as Dr. Francis is problematic and varies across ensembles – some lead through the bass or percussion section while for others, it might be the rhythm guitar section or among even others, vocalist of lead guitarist – not so much about competence as it is about confidence….


Apologies for any offence if it has been caused and many thanks for letting me witness personally engaging performances…..





All the best for the rest!
Dr. Eugene



So many deep thoughts can come into mind when composing a song. Wow... Especially the part on modulation. whether it is a "ritual" in pop music to end in tonic note of transposed key. The use of modulating a key upwards. Use of voice range. Schubert came into the picture somehow. Schubert dumped? Haha... For more scandalous effect.. I'll probably write about Mozart and Constatine, or Beethoven getting dumped by many women, but he still feels that he's charming. Or even the triangle love btwn Clara, Schumann and Brahms. Hmmm. Sounds exciting.. Not!

Honestly though.. These deep thoughts are like analyzing every bar, every beat. is it neccessary? Or should we keep in mind. To practice on keeping having deep thoughts to analyzr. Should do first den analyze or should we analyze our thoughts b4 we even do anything?

*confusion*

Haha.. But some of the points are valid though. For example, the leadership part. In gamelan, everyone has to listen to the drums and the gongs, whether u like it or not. In orchestra? Haha.. Look (not listen) at the man with THE STICK!!. Music has somewhat turned from listening to looking. Doesnt matter if the whole orchestra is playing alright or not. The most important thing is to LOOK at the conductor. The ear? na.. Throw it away. This "throwing of ear" is so evidently serious in sch COs now. Erhu section. Everyone is looking at their markings on their instrument rather den listen to the tonation. But then, ONe good thing came out of it. Erhu players haf got good memory. Cos jus need to look at markings and occassionally, the condutor. No need to look at score de la.

Ok... Sorry. Got side-tracked... Back to the topic.

If all the latest pop music composers and lyrist meet Dr Eugene, I really wonder what would the situation would be like?

Imagine Dr Eugene having a conversation with Jay Chou (provided the latter knows english or the former knows Chinese. Well, in any case, they could always use the international language. Music and/or sign language.. LOL)
Dr Eugene asks Jay Chou, "Why do u use this modulation here? What does it represent? Does it represent the escalation of mood in context to the content like wanting to be back to the person or was it done to convey the message tt u wan to wish the person well?" Long question hor..? Haha.. But tt's wat i can really imagine la.
And then.. Jay Chou will answer...

“没什么原因啦。就很吊啊。就是要做好音乐。音乐就是要表达情绪的。想这么多干嘛？ 我又不是科学家。”

I can almost forsee.. The battle of analyzing all feelings and emotions VS letting out emotions through making music (with jus bare minimal of asking questions of some stuffs).

Which side are you on?

Haha.. Now I really wonder.. If we sent Dr Eugene's questions and observations to the leading pop music composers and lyrists, would they haf a fit and faint? Or would they... ... ...

LOL.. U continue the sentence....

PS: WHICH SIDE R U ON???? analyze, or just make music????

PPS: Why is he always so polite that he thinks he's intruding into our lives? Lol.. if we were offended (which our lovely class would not be), we'd have shown some traits which are noticeable and tt he would consider deeply b4 coming to our next class. Hm... R all Doctors this polite???? Honestly, I'm kinda like scratching my head over his too much politeness even in emails. Ha... the politeness to me, is very very strange indeed... O well.....