Two or Three?

Time for a little theory :P

Two common musical forms found in Music are the Binary and Ternary forms.

Binary Form

A very simple explanation is a piece made up of two different sections. This form can be represented by the letters A-B. (This music form was actually used for all the dance movements of the 17th and 18th century!)

This is Queen's "We Will Rock You" (YES I know it's cheesy but it's a very OLD video, so bear with it - you can google for the latest versions yourself):



A:
Buddy you're a boy make a big noise
Playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day
You got mud on your face
You big disgrace
Kickin' your can all over the place

B:
We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you

A:
Buddy you're a young man hard man
Shoutin' in the street gonna take on the world some day
You got blood on your face
You big disgrace
Wavin' your banner all over the place

B:
We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you

A:
Buddy you're an old man poor man
Pleadin' with your eyes gonna make you some peace some day
You got mud on your face
You big disgrace
Somebody better put you back in your place

B:
We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you

So that makes "We Will Rock You" a song in binary form. :)


Ternary Form

This form is one of the most commonly used forms. It is represented by the letters A-B-A. Like this:

A:
Twinkle twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are

B:
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky

A:
Twinkle twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are

Here's a cover version of an old song by Billy Joel, sung by Westlife:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i6YkXRj4G0&feature=related

A:
Uptown girl, she's been living in her uptown world
I bet she never had a back street guy
I bet her mama never told her why
I'm gonna try for an uptown girl
She's been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she's looking for a downtown man
That's what I am

B:
And when she knows what she wants from her time
And when she wakes up, and makes up her mind
She'll see I'm not so tough
Just because
I'm in love with an

A:
Uptown girl, you know I've seen her in her uptown world
She's getting tired of her high class toys
And all her presents from her uptown boys
She's got a choice

Uptown girl, you know I can't afford to buy her pearls
But maybe someday when my ship comes in
She'll understand what kind of guy I've been
And then I'll win

B:
And when she's walking, she's looking so fine
And when she's talking, she'll say that she's mine
She'll say I'm not so tough
Just because
I'm in love wth an

A:
Uptown girl, she's been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she's looking for a downtown man
That's what I am
Uptown girl, she's my uptown girl
You know I'm in love with an
Uptown girl, my uptown girl
You know I'm in love with an
Uptown girl...

This is (kind-of) a ternary form song - only thing is it's repeated so it looks something like A-B-A-B-A. But I think you get my drift.


So is it gonna be two or three?

SOUND and its EFFECTS

Ahh, the unseen 'musicians' behind the scenes, videos and whatever visually stimulating interface you can think of.

I remember when sound effects meant waving and banging on tin sheets to create loud thunders, literally sloshing water around to get the sounds of water et al. Those were the days :) when all we had were physical objects to work with.

Nowadays, any sound can be created using computer technology and all sorts of digital softwares and equipment - I mean, look at Lord of the Rings and Star Wars!

Speaking of which, let me show you a little of the 'good ol' days' kind of sound effects, which can be quite fun to do; check it out here:

(Note: For optimal quality, use your little white ipod earphones or any others you've been blasting your ears with :) )

Silence is golden, but my eyes still see

Music is an amazing thing.

It cannot be seen nor touched, but yet somehow it never fails to affect us in ways that are so powerful.


The National Anthem that will remain ingrained in your brains long after you leave school (some of my friends STILL remember how to sing it!), those sappy Korean dramas with theme songs that keep playing every time something 'drama' is happening, the explosive rock concerts with screechingly liberating electric guitars that makes fans go wild and of course, our own special song that means something to us.

What is it about these tunes and words that brings out our emotions, connects friends and bring the world together? Let's do a little exercise and see if you can get your answer to that.

Here's a video - I have absolutely no IDEA what the song is about as it's KOREAN :P
1. Turn off the sound on your computer/ laptop.
2. Play the video and watch the whole thing.

How did you feel? Got restless? Doing other stuff? Sleeping? Already on your psp/ds before finishing it?

Now turn the sound back on and watch the vid again. How's that?

Personally, I find that when the sound's on, I want to keep watching to find out what happens, compared to when I didn't hear anything.

So music really helps us to link up what we see with our brain activities, and makes it more interesting. :)

Catch y'all later and keep listening.