Really, bass is the most interesting concept, musically, as an evolutionary science. Music has been evolved from early humans as a form of communication of both emotion and also ones surroundings. Beginning as beats and cries/grunts, it had evolved into a more religious, than an artful or traditional form of communication. Most talking and early musical instruments (except for drums and beat-keepers alike) are all represented by the treble clef. Bass is therefore an era-defining concept in our evolutionary process.

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“Is This It?”- by the Strokes (note that there is no bass until 0:51). This isn’t my favorite bass song, but it just really gives a good contrast of the effects that bass has on the sound of a song. Most classic rock, rap (OLD-SCHOOL OR BUST), R&B, grunge, punk, new wave, 90s alternative, and not to mention blues, jazz, classical, etc., are all rich in bassiness.  Most songs one would hear on any pop radio station are all treble heavy, with those few exceptions of songs that are equal in bass-treble deliciousness. Do you know why good songs sound better live or on LP? It’s because, in a live venue, TEAMS of people’s jobs are to set up a good all-encompassing sound system that can provide both the short sound waves of the treble, and the long wavelength sounds of the bass. On a record player, the process by which the sound gets from the record surface to the speaker separates the sound in such a way that you get this similar fullness of wavelength and sound quality. On digital songs, like on a CD or and ipod, the middle sections of the sound are crunched together. You HEAR the exact same song, but it just doesnt sound as good unless you download some type of equalizer.

Get a record player. Go to shows. Listen to music that is good, but ditch the bassless crap or the crap that claims to have bass but it’s irrelevant or boring. Imagine a song like a building. If the building doesn’t have strong foundations, it will fall. Much like a song, if the bass is weak, so is the entirety of the song itself.

Despite some thoughts, a good music video doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. The White Stripes in their video for “We’re Going To Be Friends” simply performed the song while sitting on a couch, and it was a relatively good video. Being low-budget, however, doesn’t mean low-creativity. The best videos I have ever seen have just been simply creative. Take the British band Coldplay, the first video I saw of theirs was for the song ”Lovers in Japan”. I must say I loved it, and it remains one of my favorites to this day. The use of the camera (simply spinning it around) and simple effects (the swirling lights that turn into lines) really made the video. In addition, I recently saw the video for “The Scientist”, and it blew me away. The whole video is shot in “backward” motion while Chris Martin sings the song “forward” and moves “backward” through the scenes. The perspective is quite amazing.

Now, of course, all of this is relative to the person viewing. Producers going strictly for a sex appeal type of video may fall short with one crowd but really hit it off with another. Also, different types of music merit different types of videos. You wouldn’t expect a heavy metal band to do a video with a country music or pop feel (unless with a satirical undertone). The lines of “genres” become extremely twisted when you introduce satire. It can be incredibly clever, or it can go halfway and end up being hurtful. But this is all part of the process of liking a certain type of music. People should concentrate more on the music they like and less on that which they “hate”. Music has come a long way from the drums of the aborigines, and the differing of opinions and taste is just a part of the process. But I digress, that is a topic for a different day.

The point of all this is that a good music video doesn’t need to be this expensive, high-tech production for it to make an impact. Too often have I seen a video try to be too modern or “different” and end up being easily forgotten or not even understood. It ends up being the little things, those extra little sparks, that make a video something you want to show your friends. Ingenuity really counts in a field such as this, and when applied correctly, it can make an incredible difference.

- mmeyer

One of the most amazing characteristics that music has is that we sometimes don’t even realize when its being exposed upon us. Within almost every electronic device, there is some form of this great art being utilized. From the beeping of an alarm clock to the ringtone of a cell phone, music ubiquitously intrudes on our lives. Even when watching television, music is used as a form of propaganda to influence us, the loyal customers, to buy the sponsored companies’ products (i.e. McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it”). When commercials aren’t being shown, the shows (i.e. Seinfeld’s interludes of bass riffs) and movies (i.e. the dramatic score of the Star Wars trilogy) we all love have a great amount of orchestrations and songs being used to make us feel the ambiance of the various scenes of love, tragedy, comic relief, and suspense.

Another lovely use of music is its application in school. In elementary school, we enjoyed the extra “break” from work, aside from recess, to bang on xylophones, beat wooden sticks together, and sing traditional folks songs (I speak of these from my wonderful experience at Sonoran Sky Elementary). After that short transition in and out of middle school, high school gave us the opportunity to take music seriously. From Choir to Guitar to Piano to Dance to Orchestra to AP Music Theory (my subject), students bring forth their right-brained abilities and are given the chance to find out if they might consider music as a career.

Lastly, what I consider the most important thing that we can use music for, music brings people together. It gives people the harmony and rhythm that greatly assists in keeping the world a more peaceful place. As the French composer Edgard Varése famously stated, “Music is organized sound.” The subconscious thought of “organization” may be why music impacts us so much, and why we should use it to our advantage to give us the expression and tranquility that we need. Going back to what was stated before, we are fortunate to have the innovative artists that we have today and that we still listen to from when they ruled our worlds. As we listen to them throughout our days, on our iPods or Zunes or others of the sort, we receive the messages these musicians send to the world. And when these messages aren’t towards society or certain individuals, they make us feel “that feeling” – that feeling that you are alone in your own world, able to do anything at all and able to live your life the way you want.

I’d like to finish this article by celebrating everyone and everything that somehow contributed to releasing music into our universe: musicians, musicians’ families, musicians’ fans, musicians’ inspirations, producers, managers, record companies, musical instruments, schools, friends, iTunes, iPods, LimeWire, torrents, technology, feelings, expressions, catchphrases, relationships, sex, drugs, dreams, hallucinations, God, Buddha, Allah, all the remaining deities and supernaturals, and all the other less significant influences on music that I haven’t remembered to add on to this list.

-Iron Man

Now jump forward to the 1960’s, when The Beatles explode in America and the UK. Week after week, month after month, they would continue to release hit after hit, constantly topping the charts. In ’71 Led Zeppelin released Stairway to Heaven, which would go on to become a classic rock staple. In ’75 Queen released Bohemian Rhapsody. By the ‘80s, there was so much unbelievable music; alternative rock was becoming mainstream, and even the punk scene was rockin’.

But now where are we? Music nowadays takes no talent. Record labels search for the bands that the kids will be sure to like. The charts are dominated by rappers whose lyrical focus only seems to be ‘whips, cash, hoes and booty’. Of course, there is always Hot Topic’s newest fad. If it can make the kids feel cool—they’ll buy it.

Bands these days only seem to have the capacity to write lyrics about three things: overused love scenarios, death, and depression; whatever makes all the kids in the suburbs feel like their life is some kind of mess, or that they are suffering more than anyone could ever understand! Musical groups find three chords and ride them to fame; drummers play a simple beat, and the vocals yelp out a horrid wail into your ears. Even crazy metalcore bands get to pass their drums pounding away with no rhythm and their screaming, cacophonous, dissonant singing about murder for talent.

Even in the past there was bad music. Today great music is still being created, but it is so few and far between the piles of garbage that anyone could come to this conclusion: “The ‘00s will be a huge gap in musical history.”

-FRUIT

Rap, along with hip-hop and r&b of the sort, has planted its name in the current generation of music. Just walking down the hallway of a high school, one is probably bound to run into some cacophony of strong, rhythmic lyrics and a booming bass (that is, when he or she is not walking near a headbanger with a pair of loud headphones). If not in the form of overblown iPods, the very act of rapping can be heard in a multitude of places, from walking down the streets to the middle of gym class.

But what is it about this style of music that captivates so many young adults these days? Is it the ongoing beat throughout each song? Is it the eccentricity of the lyrics? Or does the music somehow speak to the listener through the creations of the artist?

Here is my humble opinion as a fellow musician and listener: rap is a load of crap. Not that I believe the lyrics are untrue in any sense, but that the diversity that I look for in music is not what I would find in a rap song. The music that I listen to varies from classical to alternative. In all the songs that I enjoy, the expression that I feel from the artist is indescribable. However, the way in which the artist does this is what I’m amazed by. What I look for when exploring new forms of expressions is dramatic changes in key, chords, structures, and melodies. What I find when I listen to almost any rap song is a simple, 2-3 riff change with some clever words (that pretty much talk only about sex, drugs, gangsters, and betrayals). The very format just seems so irritating to me. It’s so repetitive, with few varying melodic changes and no traditional or original climax at all. This can also be said about minimalist music (a classical genre that is not so successful in our generation because of this very reason). The odd thing about this is that these two styles have the same structure, but one is so much more recognized than the other. I must suppose that the lyrics must be the source of this fandom, because the instruments (or should I say, drum machine) do not bring forth what seems necessary for adequate entertainment. The worst part is, the very source of my discontent is the lyrics. I just hate having to listen to the same thing over and over again with each song, about falling in love with a stripper and life as a P.I.M.P.

Therefore, I do not intend to give lenience on my already low appreciation for rap anytime soon, but if there is anyone that can debate on the matter, I will gladly hear his or her voice.

This is my youth’s voice. What’s yours?

-Iron Man