Behind the Curtain: Music in Gus' Life

 Hello all, and welcome to my musical evolution post! Piece #1:  16th century- (By Tsukushi-goto) Kyushu, Japan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpqj1rE21B0 Piece #2: 18th century- (By Kengyo Yamada) Edo, Japan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y35Czy4ZLlA *No specific release date on either piece The koto is a traditional Japanese harp that creates a silky and peaceful sound that can either be cheerful or relaxed. The koto was developed in Japan during the Muromachi period (13th century) through Chinese influence. I plan to focus our conversation on the evolution of the koto between the 16th and 18th centuries, the beginning and middle of koto history. Koto’s are 13-stringed instruments with movable bridges to adjust the the silk strings. The first koto school was founded by Tsukushi-goto on the island of Kyushu in Japan. The island was known as a place where criminals and refugees alike were exiled. Goto pioneered a style of Japanese court music called kumiuta, a type of koto...

"Red Red Wine"  By UB40 (music attached in header) Overview      “Red Red Wine '' is a classic song. Originally written by Neil Diamond in 1967, but sort of unpopular until the reggae group UB40 made a cover of the song in 1983. UB40 didn’t realize the song was written by Diamond until it reached the UK's top 100 songs the year it was released. The song was revived in America in 1988 by a radio station in Phoenix that played it during a weekly special… basically on repeat. It hit #1 in the U.S. for one week that year and was the first reggae song to ever reach the Billboard Top 100 (not even Bob Marley accomplished this). Eddie Sayago of The Chirp Blog, claims “Red Red Wine” to be an excellent drinking song… I can’t say I’ve tested that theory, although the name is certainly provocative! Listening to the album it was released on (“Labour of Love”) I was transported to a place with an oceanic breeze and invisible stress. These were songs I had not heard before, and...

The piece I chose for our first musical analysis exercise is "Lightbeamers" by FKA Twigs. FKA Twigs is a 34 year-old British singer and songwriter. She has worked with the Weeknd before, among other notable artists. "Lightbeamers" is apart of her album "CAPRISONGS", and is her most recent album released Jan 14th (my birthday) 2022. The song starts out with a simple melody with a slow beat. I like songs that kind of build steam, and this one certainly does. The music:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtocy5NIJ6o&list=RDJtocy5NIJ6o&start_radio=1 Analyzing the music- The entire song is underpinned by a slow beat and tempo. The melody begins with percussion sounds, accompanied by a few simple piano keys, finally accompanied by a repeated cut of her lyrics from later in the song. 2 easy ways in which I know it is a melody is the repetition and pattern of the song. I like her use of electronic producing in her music, and Mike Dean mixed the track, one of...