Driving the Beat

                I had a really interesting discussion with my band students the other day about driving the beat.  In school we are programed to get the right answer.  On homework, classwork and test we are constantly asked to provide the correct answer.  There is not as much of an emphasis on timing.  Some exams are timed, but we are usually encouraged to take our time and get it right.

                This often crosses over into our musical performance.  We prioritize the importance of the musical elements we are performing without even realizing what we are doing.  We strive to perform the correct pitches even if that means sacrificing the rhythm and timing.  We don’t even realize that we are playing the wrong timing because we are locked into that classroom mentality of taking our time and getting the right answer (pitch). 

                Which musical element is most important?  In theory, every musical element is equally important.  Pitch, rhythm, dynamics, articulation and other forms of expression all come together to create the sound that we are trying to capture in our performance.  A compromise in any of these things results in a performance that is less than perfect.

However, the audience may not be acquainted with every detail of the performance to the same degree that we are.  A slight embellishment in pitch may be perceived as an intentional adlib or even go unnoticed in some styles of music.  Rhythmic mistakes are not as forgiving, though.  Even non-musicians in the audience can feel when a song gets thrown off rhythm and loses its drive.  Suddenly, it feels as if the performer is being pulled through the song.  Energy is lost and the connection between the performer and the audience is compromised. 

Great performers need to learn how to feel the pocket of the beat and do everything possible to maintain it.  If a pitch needs to be altered or compromised in order to stay on target rhythmically, so be it.  The feel and emotional experience of the performance are more important than the accuracy of each detail.  Rhythm tends to be a musical element that has a greater impact on the overall feel of the song, especially on faster songs. 

I will never forget the musicianship my drummers displayed several years ago at an elementary school concert.  This concert took place on a warm spring day in the school gymnasium with no air conditioning.  The large number of people in attendance only added to the overall temperature of the room.  There were powerful fans mounted on the walls, but we left them off for the beginning of the concert.  The orchestra was playing first, and we were afraid that the sound of the fans would drown out the playing.  The principal decided that it was getting too hot, plus the band tends to play louder anyway.  Just as we hit the downbeat of the beginning of the first song, she turned the fans on.  The music for the entire percussion row blew off their music stands.  Each player continued to keep the beat with one hand while squatting down and picking up the music with their other hand.  The music never stopped, and by the fifth measure we were all back to business as usual with the music on the stands.  Some of the audience members did not even realize that anything happened.  Now that’s what I call driving the beat!          

Music Piracy (and The Digital World)

                I read a very interesting Forbes article on music piracy.  My intent was to find out if music piracy is actually hurting or helping the music industry in terms of sales.  Some of you may wonder how music piracy could help sales.  It all depends on the motive behind the piracy.  If people are listening to pirated versions on songs in order to get a better feel for the music (see if they like it), then having access to the full song may convince them to purchase it (the music will sell itself).  However, if people are listening to a pirated version of the song because they don’t feel like paying for it (supporting the artist is not important to them), then piracy will hurt sales. 

                This Forbes article sited two studies that had contrasting results.  In the end, the true answer wasn’t revealed.  So, why did I still like the article?  There was an interesting twist at the end where the author started to discuss the impact of the digital world on the music industry.  Instead of writing my own blog about all of this (and restating everything in the article), I thought it would be a good idea to just reference a link to the article.  Check it out.

Music Piracy: Major Studies Conflicted Over Recording Industry Impact

Pitch Correction

                Pitch correction software has come a long way over the years.  Auto-Tune used to be the only decent option out there, and it could only do so much.  Now Melodyne has joined (really changed) the game followed by many other names.  Every aspect of a note (pitch, rhythm, amplitude, vibrato depth, etc.) can be corrected or even totally changed.  Harmony parts that were never sung can be created by altering duplications of the melody.  Pitch correction can even be applied to live performances.

                There is a debate over whether or not this new technology is a good thing.  How far is too far?  Some people elect not to use it.  They feel that pitch correction takes away from the natural feel and vibe of the performance.  Others use it on everything.  Where to you stand?  I’d love to hear your comments on this.

                When I am working on projects for clients I allow them to make this decision.  I may offer suggestions, but the ultimate decision rests on them.  When I am working on my own music, I use Melodyne tastefully and sparingly.  I do not like to create harmonies or make drastic pitch changes with Melodyne.  On my voice, it just sounds too artificial.  The natural tone and vibrato of my voice does not lend itself to drastic edits in Melodyne.  In addition, I tend to use bends and inflections that don’t translate well on pitch correction. 

                I don’t agree with creating a performance that did not exist in the recording session.  When we use pitch correction to totally change the pitch or rhythm of the notes, the recording engineer is filling the role of the artists.  The artist should be the one creating the notes not the engineer.  It is a huge let-down to hear a person live in concert and realize that he/she is not the artist you thought he was. 

                However, there are times when we record a magical moment in the studio.  I feel that the most important aspect of recording is capturing an emotional and expressive performance.   What do we do when the expression and emotion was just right on a take, but there were one or two notes that were a little out of tune?  It may take a long time to recreate that type of magical performance on another take with perfect intonation.  In this type of situation, I may decide to use a slight bit of pitch correction to just fix up the rough spots of a valuable take. 

                Sometimes, we get tired or distracted while working through a recording session.  This is especially true when a person is filling the role of both the artist and recording engineer (most home studio singer/songwriters).  We may listen back to a take and think it is great during the recording session.  Then we start up the session the next day and realize there are a few pitch or timing issues with the take that we thought was perfect yesterday.  We can either set everything up again and start over, or try to fix those minor issues with pitch correction software.  

                Nobody sings perfectly all of the time, but we want our recordings to sound perfect.  If you know that you can sing it correctly, but you need to save time; pitch correction software may be a great solution.  However, if you can't sing or play in tune at all and you use pitch correction to create a performance that you cannot do on your own, then you should spend more time practicing and developing your craft.  Going to a live show and hearing a performance that sound much worse than the album is a real downer for the fans.  I know that today's pop music industry is more about image, and pitch correction is used heavily by many artists who look great and sing terribly, but I am an old fashioned kind of guy.  I think that music should be about the music.  Let's come back to an art where we appreciate well written songs and skillful musical performances.  The tasteful use of pitch correction is one step in the right direction.        

Communication

                Verbal communication is one of the most difficult aspects of human interaction.  There are so many ways to interpret words based on tone, visual expression, context and other variables.  Some people tend to focus more on visual stimulus while others focus more on sound.  Vocabulary and comprehension levels vary between individuals.  In addition, every person possesses a unique perspective shaped by the individual experiences they have encountered.  All of these factors can contribute to a situation in which two people end up perceiving the details of a conversation in two totally different ways.  It is a wonder that we manage to communicate at all.

                Music is a medium that aids us in communication.  The skilled combination of pitch, rhythm and inflection can convey emotion in a way that transcends words.  We all have vivid memories stored in our minds of moments when we have experienced deep emotions.  The right musical performance, even if it is only instrumental (no words) can trigger those memories and cause us to feel those emotions all over again.  When the music is combined with the proper words, the affect can be even more powerful. 

                This is one of the aspects of musical performance that audiences crave.  We all want to feel.  We have a desire to be understood.  When an emotional connection is made between the audience and the performer, the highest level of communication is taking place.  In that moment, music is acting like a universal translator that transcends vocabulary, comprehension level and the differences of past experience.  Both parties in the conversation are on the same page, and the connection is beautiful. 

                As musicians we constantly strive for musical accuracy in our practice time.   We use scales, technical exercises, drills and other practice techniques to raise our technical ability.  As performers, however, it is also important to practice performing.  We need to know how to express emotion in our performance.  We need to study the emotion that is trapped within the music and connect it to a past experience that we can relate to.  Then we have to combine our knowledge of this emotion with our musical technique in a way that releases the expression of the music. 

Having this type of command over our emotions is difficult.  Before a performance, many things can happen to throw our body and emotions off balance.  Carrying and setting up gear throws our muscles out of whack and makes our bodies tense.  Last minute scheduling changes, conflicts, technical issues and other problems can send our emotions on a roller-coaster.  This is all in addition to the regular anxiety that is felt due to nerves.  Somehow, we have to push past all of this and remember the emotion we felt when we were alone in the practice room connecting to the music.  We need to find a way to access that and express it through our performance.  Without genuine communication, music is just pleasant noise.