The Instrument: Peter and the Wolf

      Chances are, you have heard the tale of Peter and the Wolf. And when I say heard, I mean exactly that, as Peter and the Wolf is no ordinary story. It is a very well known children's story, but it is quite unique in the sense that the tale of Peter and his adventures in the forests is grounded to the musical world. Although since its birth and inception as a story, Peter and the Wolf has been adapted into almost all forms of media ranging from live action adaptations to Disney animations, Peter and the Wolf was originally just a soundtrack. Written by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev in 1936, this unique composition told the story of a young pioneer named Peter and his interactions with all the animals of the forest near his home, and it does so solely with instruments and an accompanying narration. Just as a picture book relies on images to fabricate an imaginary world, Peter and the Wolf relies on sounds to provide the substance of the story. How are the themes of nature and the relationships between man and animal portrayed through sound? How does Peter and the Wolf accomplish this feat? Well, based on the lens of this blog, I'm sure you have already guessed the answer: instrumentation.

Record cover of Disney's adaptation of Peter and the Wolf

     The score of Peter and the Wolf is performed by a fully fleshed out orchestra, consisting of string, wind, brass, and percussion instruments. You have probably seen an orchestra perform before, and if you haven't, just trust me, they're big. It's quite an awesome experience to see the sea of musicians and their instruments, all swaying to the motions of the conductor. Anyways, this massive collective of music serves as the foundation for the story of Peter and the Wolf. It also presents a challenge. How can the emotional content of a story be portrayed by such a variety of instruments and components? And, since Prokofiev was commissioned to create this piece to "cultivate musical tastes in children from the first years of school," how could this be done in a way that could be appreciated by children? Well, before I delve into this, I suggest that you give this recording a listen. The introductory narrator will begin to paint you a picture of what really makes this piece tick. The entire piece is roughly around thirty minutes long, but just pay close attention to the opening couple of minutes and continue reading. 

     So, clearly, instrumentation really plays a vital role in Peter and the Wolf. Instead of solely composing a piece that contains the emotional connotations of certain musical modes and keys, Prokofiev does something extremely intriguing. He assigns instruments, and their distinct sounds, to the numerous characters of the story. Prokofiev did not do this randomly, either. He connected instruments to animals based on the relationship between the instrument's sound type and the personality of the animal. For example, the high, lightly fluttering sound of the flute represents the bird in the story. Meanwhile, the lower and more meandering sound of the oboe represents the waddling duck. There was definitely a method to his madness.

     

The Instrument: Popular

     Popular. Outside of the musical context, we all know what this word means. Something popular is something that is generally favored by the public, and, due to the innate tendency of human beings to associate with current popular trends, popularity is also something that is desirable. Now, since this blog primarily focuses on the instrumental intricacies of the music, I must ask this question: Does the word "popular" have a place in artwork, the realm of the creative?

     The correlation between "popular" and "music" is instantly recognizable. After all, there is a genre of music that dominates the airwaves and iPods of adolescent teenagers. It is a genre that is, interestingly enough, labeled "pop" music. I found it intriguing how the genre of pop claimed its name, as it is the only genre of music that is labelled as an adjective that already has an established definition, and is not self-describing such as jazz, blues, or rock and roll. Pop music clearly derives its name from "popular," but I struggled with this concept, being an avid listener of music and an even greater critic of pop due to the genre's musically limiting characteristics. I thought to myself, how could the likes of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Nikki Minaj define the popular music of my generation? This cannot be so! Alas, this is so. One only needs to go on Youtube and compare the number of views between a catchy Taylor Swift pop single and Herbie Hancock's masterfully crafted and musically intricate jazz work to realize that, yes, pop music is truly quite popular.

Katy Perry; popular music artist

     I hate on pop music, but I get the appeal. Pop music is so successful and, for lack of a better term, popular, because the music focuses completely on the catchy. I agree that pop music is easy to listen to compared to more complex genres such as classical music and jazz, but I find the simplistic instrumentation of popular music to be boring. I don't like being bored when I listen to music; it's a paradoxical mistake to listen to boring music because I believe that music should be musically engaging. Nevertheless, I wanted to dig deeper on what is and has been deemed popular music from a strictly instrumental perspective. How has the instrumentation of popular music evolved over time? Has the genre followed a specific trend?

The Beatles; popular music circa. 1960

     And the answers to both of those questions are: a lot and a little. The origin of modern pop music is the emergence of popular rock and roll in the 1950's, with up and coming bands such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and ABBA winning the hearts of an entire population of young adults. In terms of instrumentation, there are no similarities whatsoever between the pop music of young and old. The standard implementation of the electric guitar, the electric bass, and drums in the instrumentation of rock and roll are completely absent from today's pop music, which has leaned more heavily towards electronic compositions accompanied by strong and clear vocals. So, it is clear that the only trend that popular music has followed over the years is just that the music has always been popular.
   
     Ultimately, pop music is a genre that will continue to change as long as music continues to be consumed. After all, mindsets do not last decades, and I'm sure that the popular music of today will not be considered "pop" music in another half-century. Although popular music has continued to define youth culture and sentiments since its conception, just look at how much popular music has drastically changed since the 1950's, at least in a strictly musical sense. So, the question to ask is this: is this unstable, "popular," definition of music worth it? What's the point of characterizing music based on it popularity?

     I have mixed opinions on the matter. First of all, I believe that popularity has no place in determining the quality of music. I realize that personal preference is ultimately the deciding factor on a persons musical taste and his or her value of the quality of music, but the popularity of a song should never be discussed when analyzing its musical qualities and attributes. In this sense, popularity simply has no place in music. However, I also realize that music can be a very community-oriented experience. Being a fan of the Grateful Dead and Phish, two bands that have intensely devoted and almost cult-like following, I understand that there is a huge appeal in being a part of musically extended family. The concert experience in itself is a testimony to the power of this experience; whether you are at a Justin Bieber show or a Grateful Dead show, you will undoubtedly hear the roar of the fans singing along to the tune. So, to provide an answer to the previous answer, I'll say that yes, the "popular" definition of music is worth it. It was an definitely interesting experience researching how the community of the popular has defined its own genre of music over the years. Although I may not be a fan of what popular music has become, I am reassured that it is ever-changing. Who knows, one day I might enjoying pop music on my balcony as an old man, finally thinking, what a good time it is to be alive.

The Instrument: Propaganda...?

     In an blog post that I wrote near the end of last year, I called advertisement a corporate instrument. The astounding attention to detail that is present in powerful and effective advertisements instantly made me think of how the use of advertisement was the corporate equivalent of playing an instrument aimed at pleasing "the listener's ear", so to speak. Recently, I have made the parallel hypothesis that propaganda is the instrument and tool of the government. Just as advertisements attempt to convince consumers to purchase the product or service being advertised, works of propaganda aim at influencing the will and perspective of the public. This is a much darker interpretation of instrumentation in general, and that definitely has something to do with the ellipses and question mark that ends this blog title, but I will further describe my hesitance later in the post. So, let us analyze the instrumental qualities of propaganda.

Propaganda from World War I

     This is maybe the most iconic piece of American propaganda. Distributed during the first world war, this picture depicts Uncle Sam, the patriotic mascot of America, pointing at you to enlist in the army to fight in the war. This article of propaganda was extremely successful because it appealed to the patriotic side of every U.S. citizen. The use of Uncle Sam and his expressed interest in recruiting "you" completely downplays the dangers and consequences of war, and gives enlistment a heightened standing as an action of patriotic duty and necessity. Now, I am not saying that the decision to enlist in the army is not a brave and patriotic one, but rather that the government played a large role in glorifying conflict in order to raise the number of soldiers in the American ranks through works of propaganda such as this one. 

An image from President Obama's Hope campaign

      I have already made the connection that propaganda is to the government as advertisement is to corporations and businesses; it is a method of telegraphing your character, business model, prized product, qualifications, or goals to the people. In this sense, Obama's Hope campaign is a modern example of government (in this case, the Democratic Party) propaganda. The appeal here is focused on the colors of the propaganda: the dense and starkly contrasting colors of red, white, and blue appeal to the spirit of patriotism in many Americans. The values of liberty and diligence that are symbolized by these very colors is transplanted onto the face of Obama; he inadvertently associates himself with these appealing and favorable qualities of the United States.

    However, I also have a problem analyzing government propaganda, a tool used to mentally influence and maintain a specific perspective in the minds of the masses, as an "instrument". After using this lens of instrumentation in a variety of ways over the course of months through this blog, I have come to see the lens itself in a completely different way entirely. At first, I was okay with the notion of the instrument being a tool used to achieve a specific result, whether that result was making a crowd dance or entertaining an engaged reader, but now I believe that instrumentation has a more complex connotation. Synonyms have very similar meanings, but with their own specific flair. The instrument's flair is that it is a tool of creativity, a tool meant to develop thoughts, both musical and not. Propaganda does not contain this essential characteristic of the instrument, so I am skeptical to call it one. 

The Instrument: The Funk

      It is clear that instrumentation is a very versatile tool that can accomplish a wide variety of musical goals. I often like to compare musical instrumentation to crafted writing and literature, as I believe music to be an entire language of its own. The metaphor of music as a language is incredibly fitting; the parallelism between the creative opportunity and intricacy of both forms of art are immaculate. Just as writing can be channeled into specific, intricate shapes in the forms of different genres, instrumentation can be manipulated to different generic forms as well. What do I mean by this? Well, take the drums as an example. The sounds of the drum, played in any musical setting, sounds the same. Every time you snap the snares and crash the cymbals, as long as you hit them with the same strength and speed, they will sound the same. However, it is the specific instrumentation and mastery of the drums that allows for distinct drumming styles that are specific to certain genres of music. In other words, instrumentation dictates and defines musical genre. So, I would love to take the time to analyze how instrumentation shapes one of my favorite music genres of all time: the world of funk.

James Brown, a founding father of the funk genre.

     I love funk music. There is no other genre of music that can make me drop whatever I'm doing instantly and groove and dance to the beat. Funk music originated in the late 1960's when African American musicians created the rhythmic genre by taking heavy influences from other genres such as soul, jazz and R&B. Funk caught fire, as artists such as James Brown, The Temptations, and Earth, Wind & Fire began to shape the American musical landscape of the next decade. 

     So what makes funk music so unique? What makes it tick? Well, funk music was almost revolutionary in a way because it de-emphasized the melodic aspects of music, and focused heavily on the rhythm. In fact, funk music brings the cooperating rhythm of the electric bass and the drums to the spotlight. The entirety of the funk song revolves around this tight groove established by the rhythm section. Being a bass guitarist myself, this is probably why I enjoy the genre so much. The emphasis of the bass allows for more creative freedom in the rhythm section, as it is the centerpiece of the song. 

Papa Was A Rolling Stone, The Temptations

      Here is a song the exemplifies the spirit of funk music. Although the song is 12 minutes long, you can understand the essence of the song in the opening bass line. The instrumental setup demonstrated in this Temptations song and in other works of funk function for a variety of reasons. First of all, funk music is not extremely complex; it is very easy to listen to. This is because funk grooves utilize relatively simple chord progressions. Usually, funk songs stick to one chord, using variances of the notes and riffs that are a part of that chord. In addition to the short, staccato blasts of the sounds of the horns and melodic accompaniment, funk music can be described as short, sweet, and to the point. 

The Instrument: The Five People You Meet in Heaven

     The best books utilize literary instrumentation. There are a variety of literary instruments at the writer's disposal, and if used correctly, lead to a beautifully crafted novel. Now, I want to analyze a book that I consider incredibly special with the lens of instrumentation. This book is the single most influential novel that I have ever read; it influenced my personal outlook on life and philosophy.

      I read this book when I was in middle school and had no real grasp of what made a great book tick. That was back when I just read to be entertained, and had no real literary education to effectively analyze the book. Nevertheless, The Five People You Meet in Heaven was total in its impact on my understanding of human purpose and relationships, almost like the encompassing influence of gravity. So, I want to dig deeper into the core of this novel, as to understand why I found the book so compelling.

     First of all, this novel is interesting in substance. The title would lead the reader into assuming that the book was grounded to religion, but this is not the case. In fact, the novel follows the story of an old, crippled maintenance man after his death and during his ascension throughout the numerous levels of heaven. On each of these levels is a person who was extremely influential, whether he knew it or not, in Eddie the maintenance man's life. Through conversations with these five individuals, Eddie comes to value each of the relationships he had fostered, as well as understanding that all beings are connected in some intricate, spiritual way.

     So, where does Mitch Albom's literary instrumentation come into the fray? This book is mainly driven by discovery. The author takes the reader on this journey through a spiritual realm, and the discoveries made by Eddie as a result of his conversations with his five influential people are paralleled by the reader. These discoveries are real and riveting, and since the reader is unaware of the totality of the experiences that Eddie has lived through until his untimely death, these discoveries on the human condition are that much more powerful in Eddie's life context. Mitch Albom crafted one powerful story through literary instrumentation. The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a book I recommend to everybody. It approaches the topic of spirituality in a very beautiful way by not exemplifying the faith and customs associated with heaven and instead by focusing on the importance of human connection.

The Instrument: Zaramela

      The idea of instrumentation is clearly dynamic. There are so many factors associated with instrumentation that are integral to a musicians knowledge and skill. However, this vital concept is often hard to grasp to those that do not practice music and are not exposed to instrument experimentation. So, I want to personalize this concept by showing the intricacies of instruments through a story of a local band.

Inho Park, Jameson Brenner, Malcolm Engel, Kris Hansen, Mike Jang, Aaron Gamalinda, Josh Schwartz-Dodek

      This is Zaramela. This band was fully formed around three years ago when my brother Inho (yes, I guess you can consider this blog post a shameless plug for my brother's band) joined Zaramela. He had known a few guys in the band from Maple middle school, but they had gone separate ways, funneled into the separate sister high schools Glenbrook North and Glenbrook South. They all ended up being incredibly musically inclined, formed a band, and when Zaramela needed a full time bassist, they asked my brother to join even though he had no prior experience with the instrument. Although my brother has long surpassed my level of skill due to his incredible musical aptitude, as a bassist myself I can claim that I was the first person to teach my brother the ways of the bass guitar.

     My personal affiliation to the band aside, why is Zaramela a big deal? Why does this band embody the importance of instrumentation? Well, because of the instruments, of course. Count the number of people in the band. Seven members is much more than your standard four or five man crew, where someone plays the drums, rhythm and lead guitars, the bass, and vocals. That's because Zaramela has what your average band does not: a horn section. In fact, most of the musicians of Zaramela met each other through the Glenbrook South's high school band program, so the importance of the brass was known amongst the band. Therefore, the between all members of the band, they are able to utilize the trumpet, the alto saxophone, the baritone saxophone, the keyboard, the bass guitar, the drums, and the electric guitar in their musical performances. That's a whole lot of variety. This instrumental depth enables Zaramela to foray into a variety of musical genres, so the band considers themselves to be jazz/hip-hop/rap/funk fusion. Just take a listen. I implore you to watch the whole thing.

     That was Zaramela's live perfomance at the Metro in April of this year, playing an incredible rendition of Louis Armstrong's "St. James Infirmary". Zaramela's sound is distinct yet fluid, unique yet familiar. As you can see, this is accomplished through the bands incredible instrumentation. Not only are the musicians of Zaramela independently talented, they realize the importance of cooperative instrumentation as well. Especially in a band setting, musicians are at their best when they play off cohesively with their bandmates. From the raw, blaring trombone to the phenomenal voice of Kris Hansen, the sounds of the band complement one another in a very balanced way. The instruments are coordinated extremely well, as the band weaves in and out of different tempos and time signatures as one cohesive unit. Ultimately, Zaramela's music is interesting, and entertaining to listen to.

     The style and foundation of Zaramela is just one face of instrumentation. It is just one way that instrumentation works, and I hope that this story inspires you to be more curious about music and instrumentation. After all, music is a never-ending learning process. 

The Instrument: The Qanun

      If you walked around the streets of Chicago and asked anyone what they thought or knew about the Middle East, you would probably hear the following answers: violence, terrorism, and political instability. Now, you cannot blame the ordinary citizen for associating the Middle East with these ideas, as the Middle East is arguably the most tumultuous region in the world as of recent years. Alongside a very one-sided media coverage of the events unfolding in the Middle East, it is only natural for people to associate the region with violence and unrest.

     I have a feeling that people would perceive the Middle East very differently if they knew about the true intricacies of Islamic culture. Islam and the Middle East does not derive its importance from perpetual political unrest. In fact, Islamic society is considered to be one of the most important civilizations to have ever graced planet Earth, making incredible headway in the arts and sciences during a relatively chaotic and bellicose period in human history. This era of cultural revelations was known as the Islamic Golden Age, and it was defined as such due to the emphasis of amassing knowledge by various Islamic leaders. During this golden age, the numerous caliphates of the Islamic Empire sent scholars throughout the known world in order to collect all books and to translate them into Arabic. As a result of this efforts, intellectuals of the Islamic realm made leaps and bounds in mathematics, physics, medicine, architecture, and other schools of thought. Islam was undoubtedly the cultural center of the world during this time period, and with any cultural center, there was a bounty of music.

     Now, I consider myself to be relatively unknowledgeable in the realm of Islamic music simply because I had not been exposed to much of it before. However, after some research, it was clear to me that Islamic music was defined by a variety of unique instruments and theories that could not be found anywhere else in the world. There are many instruments that play an important role in traditional Islamic music, and I would not be doing Islam justice if I neglected to talk about all of these instruments, but for the sake of brevity I must focus on one specific one. This instrument is the qanun, a peculiar string instrument of the Middle East.

Drawing of the qanun in action

     The qanun belongs to the family of zither instruments, with a trapezoidal soundboard with parallel strings running at different lengths in order to produce different notes. This instrument is played with both hands, as all fingers are used to pluck at the numerous strings that line the soundboard. The best way to truly understand an instrument is the hear it in action, so here is a short video of a qanun solo.

     As you can see, the qanun produces a flurry of notes and tones as a result of a rapid plucking action by the musician. Undeniably, the qanun has a very unique and foreign sound. However, this intriguing sound is not only the result of the instrument itself. Remember that the instrument is only the tool. The musicality and theory that goes into playing every instrument distinguishes the almost infinite number of styles that the listener can recognize.

     The tune that the musician in the video is playing sounds very, well, Islamic, is because the musician is implementing the maqamat mode in his playing. To a person that is unfamiliar with music and modes, that probably made no sense whatsoever. However, modes are not a hard concept to grasp. Essentially, modes are alterations to basic scales that we all know and love, such as the basic major scale of do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do. These alterations take of the form of flat and sharp notes in specific parts of the scale depending on the mode. Each mode has unique melodic aspects due to these changes, and numerous historical cultures have implemented a specific mode in their traditional music. For example, everyone can imagine the tune of the traditional "Asian-sounding" song. All of these songs use the pentatonic or asian-pentatonic mode, and the prevalence of this mode in the traditional music of certain Asian cultures has created this association between the specific sounds of the mode and the culture. The maqamat mode is no different; it is most often found in the traditional Islamic musical context.

      The qanun played in the maqamat mode is just one aspect of the immense realm of Islamic music. Even after much research, I have only barely scratched the surface of the musicality of the Middle East. I hope that this depth of Islamic culture is recognized by more people, and I hope that people think about the beautiful sounds of the qanun when they think about the complex region that is the Middle East.