Music and Magic

[geekgurl]

I find that listening to the music of Stan Rogers and later music from his brother Garnet can be a very "zen" sort of thing for me. I have it on my computer at work and call it my "programming music". If I need to focus on a difficult problem I'm trying to solve, that's what I listen to. (I seem to have a thing for Canadian baritone singer/songwriters - I've also been a major Gordon Lightfoot fan for years.....)  

[TheDisreputableDog]

geekgurl

I find that listening to the music of Stan Rogers and later music from his brother Garnet can be a very "zen" sort of thing for me. I have it on my computer at work and call it my "programming music". If I need to focus on a difficult problem I'm trying to solve, that's what I listen to. (I seem to have a thing for Canadian baritone singer/songwriters - I've also been a major Gordon Lightfoot fan for years.....)

My programming music is the Dresden Dolls with a seasoning of Guster, the Like, and OK Go. 3nodding Mmmm, Amanda Palmer and C.

missmagpie

Anyone else find that making music gives you more energy?

Took full advantage of this over the summer. Kiddies tired? Have a group sing. Tired of keeping track of the kiddies and sick of the group songs? Sing something to myself. When they put me on the unit farthest from main camp, it was usually Guys and Dolls or songs I'd learned at camp but no one sang at this one. Adelaide's Lament, If I Were a Bell, and Marry the Man Today are so much fun to sing that they give me a nice boost.

Exhausted from an cross-Atlantic flight? Improvise trumpet solos in the airport. cool The only problem is if I've been doing it long enough, I can't shut it off. xp  

[Pelta]

TheDisreputableDog

Exhausted from an cross-Atlantic flight? Improvise trumpet solos in the airport. cool The only problem is if I've been doing it long enough, I can't shut it off. xp

I sing in pubs. People look at me funny. Oddly enough, most of the time I'm not singing songs with words. wink

I recently did a concert for some friends of mine, one of whom very kindly recorded it for me. The opportunity to play in public is very rare for me. I usually hole myself up and practise several hours a day without being heard by anyone but my family and neighbours. Many of my friends have actually never heard me play. I am attempting to remedy this by finding new opportunities to share my music.

Are there any performers in the house, or do people feel music is something too personal to share?

Stage fright is the shits. I've got no problem doing speeches, singing or acting in plays. When it comes to playing flute in public, unless I'm totally relaxed, I freeze.  

[Deoridhe]

missmagpie

Are there any performers in the house, or do people feel music is something too personal to share?

Stage fright is the shits. I've got no problem doing speeches, singing or acting in plays. When it comes to playing flute in public, unless I'm totally relaxed, I freeze.

I have horrible stage fright. I think it comes from the people telling me my voice was bad, or that my singing was bothering them, and some such. I've spent the last couple of years trying to overcome it; having everyone at the office holiday party say my voice was lovely helped. I still freeze a lot, though, which makes reaching my upper registers really difficult. I've been practicing throat manipulation to counteract this along with the soft palet work I've been doing to try to break my upper register barrier.

One of these days I need to get someone who actually knows what notes I'm hitting to give me my range. I know I'm going above E above high C, but I'm not sure how much above.

I usually only sing the lullaby I wrote to people I care about or love.  

[maenad nuri]

The last time I sang in public was to help a friend out with some bawdy lyrics to "Roll Your Leg Over".

We were running the Bardic Games (I was a judge) I had to help!

A friend and I are starting a group to sing for Belegarth at Events. I always get a good buzz when I sing or dance at them, so I'm looking forward to practicing and performing again.

I bought that boy a cheap bodhran (to see if he likes it, we'll upgrade later), I'm listening to Rennie music. Maybe someday we'll put something online.  

[Pelta]

Nuri

Maybe someday we'll put something online.

Odd you should mention that...

You see, I was considering putting up the recordings of the concert I did on this thread for people to listen to. That is, if I actually think it's good enough. Listening to it the first time was ok. After I just get a little too critical. sweatdrop

I'm not entirely sure if I will yet. It's up in the air.  

[TheDisreputableDog]

missmagpie

Are there any performers in the house, or do people feel music is something too personal to share?

It depends.

I love singing with choirs; I've been doing it for ages and it's so much fun.

At camp I have no problem teaching kids songs or leading them, but that's partly because I can put on my Toad persona and it becomes really easy and just part of the package. But then when I had to sing for Aloha Idol in front of the whole camp with just one other person with me, something I volunteered for, I screwed up all the notes that I normally know so well, whether accompanied or alone.

Sometimes I will spontaneously sing among friends, but it depends on who it is. I annoy the heck out of my roommate singing along with whatever music's playing, but I think my girlfriend has asked me to sing for her twice and both times I have gotten really nervous, haven't been able to think of something to sing, have forgotten words, etc.

Sometimes I sing songs just for myself. I think I have yet to sing a song I've written myself to anyone else. So it depends.  

[CuAnnan]

missmagpie

Are there any performers in the house, or do people feel music is something too personal to share?

If I have a serious amount of backup, then I have no problems.
This stems from some serious neurosis I have. Used to be a boy soprano. Now I'm a bog standard tenor. Not really anything to write home about. I was an award winning singer. This has massively under-ridden my confidence and left me not all that comfortable singing when there are people there.  

[Pelta]

Cuchullain

This has massively under-ridden my confidence and left me not all that comfortable singing when there are people there.

heart You still have a good ear.

But while you're here, are you going to put up something about music and maths? I'm sure we'd all like to hear your thoughts on how the two coincide.  

[Deoridhe]

*snugs Wing*  

[CuAnnan]

I was waiting for you to ask that, Maggie.

Music and Maths are tools we get from observing nature (ie the natural world) and expressing what we see. There is no musical notation that cannot be expressed mathematically. But in doing so, the mathematical notation lacks the actual thing which makes it music, the human interaction. Likewise, music can epxress most mathematical equations.

There is an overlap between the two but they are seperate entities. I've heard autogenerated music following mathematical notation. Hell that's all midi is. I've even heard some randomised music following mathematical notation.  

[Eshmasesh]

Cuchullain

I was waiting for you to ask that, Maggie.

Music and Maths are tools we get from observing nature (ie the natural world) and expressing what we see. There is no musical notation that cannot be expressed mathematically. But in doing so, the mathematical notation lacks the actual thing which makes it music, the human interaction. Likewise, music can epxress most mathematical equations.

There is an overlap between the two but they are seperate entities. I've heard autogenerated music following mathematical notation. Hell that's all midi is. I've even heard some randomised music following mathematical notation.

That's partially why I like electronic music. I've always liked math and EM is heavily based on patterns and constructing sounds as you want them to be, which involves playing around with its sound wave.

...I'm not sure if it's appropriate for the topic, but I made a trance song...  

[Rhiannon333]

i'm really new to this, as in just exploring and wanting to learn more. one thing i know is that when i'm playing my saxophone, i get this electric feeling running through and around me. its such a powerful feeling. then i started playing with two other musicians and it was magical. i could feel something building up around us. i am completely new to everything, but this energy is the way magic should feel, i think. i wish i could train this somehow, i really need someone to learn from and mentor me.  

[SonarP]

I get a buzz whenever I play my flute..personally, I can't stand it, but I really do thing music has a powerful influence on me. I don't know if it can help one get to the astral planes, but I seem to be able to do so much more easily than when I'm not listening to it, and influences where I am.  

[Pelta]

SonarP

I get a buzz whenever I play my flute.

Yay! Flute! biggrin

Quote:

personally, I can't stand it, but I really do thing music has a powerful influence on me.

Wait... You can't stand music? confused

Quote:

I don't know if it can help one get to the astral planes, but I seem to be able to do so much more easily than when I'm not listening to it, and influences where I am.

Some people find it easier to slip into trance meditation when listening to music. It can help relax and soothe the nerves. I don't. I am incapable of concentrating on anything else when there is music playing. It's also a crutch. If you get used to travelling when there is music playing, what happens if you don't have it or the cd runs out? Too many uncontrolled variables.