Here's a neat website on Musical Acoustics, which I found from the Scientific American 2005 Web Awards. I'll add this site from the University of South Wales to my list of Music Sites on the left. I had a student do a paper on the acoustics of didjeridus two years ago, he would have loved this resource.
Speaking of unusual aerophones, I will finally get to dust off the shofar this year, even if a week later than I had hoped. I usually play for the campus services of Rosh Hoshana and Yom Kippur, but communication lines fizzled for the first Holy Day. In any event, I look forward to seeing how awesome I can make the Tekiah Gedolah that ends the Day of Atonement.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Monday, October 10, 2005
Monday madness
A crazy Carnival of Music has popped up over at HurdAudio. I don't think I had broken down over the odd link, but I admit to the table-jumping. Speaking of odd links, the administrator of the RaptureWatch discussion board left a comment below. Unfortunately, she has her nose buried in Revelations so much that she missed my request to use New Comments rather than the old system.
But it must be one interesting Bible she has, that specifies that she will be sucked from Earth to Heaven, come back after 7 years of death and destruction, take part in the 1,000 yearReich Reign of the rapturites and their main man, and then have life everlasting. (There must be some interesting genetic manipulation for eternal life that takes a millenium to work out.) My Bibles* don't have that stuff, only the allegory of the Roman Church having fallen into sin like a whore of Babylon.
And speaking of the church, I got to rub shoulders with the Episcopal elite of Indianapolis last night, celebrating the retirement of Dean Robert Gianninininini. (He made fun of my name last night, so it's payback time!) But the wife and I learned an important lesson: Episcopal functions have cash bars, not open bars. To be fair, there was wine served with dinner, but we found ourselves at happy hour being unhappy, sober, and cash poor.
*Yes, Mary and I have many Bibles. We've got a King James, a Standard Revised, the Oxford Annotated, the Precious Moments Bible, a Good News, and some evangelical-feeling one that I can't remember the name of. Don't tell PZ.
But it must be one interesting Bible she has, that specifies that she will be sucked from Earth to Heaven, come back after 7 years of death and destruction, take part in the 1,000 year
And speaking of the church, I got to rub shoulders with the Episcopal elite of Indianapolis last night, celebrating the retirement of Dean Robert Gianninininini. (He made fun of my name last night, so it's payback time!) But the wife and I learned an important lesson: Episcopal functions have cash bars, not open bars. To be fair, there was wine served with dinner, but we found ourselves at happy hour being unhappy, sober, and cash poor.
*Yes, Mary and I have many Bibles. We've got a King James, a Standard Revised, the Oxford Annotated, the Precious Moments Bible, a Good News, and some evangelical-feeling one that I can't remember the name of. Don't tell PZ.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Vignettes
I. I'm pleased that both of my senators voted for the McCain Amendment to ban torture of military prisoners. I am horrified that any senator could vote for torture.
II. You may have noticed that my comments tag looks different, in that there are two choices of links to comments. I found out that Haloscan does not keep old comments, when I think there are some great comments that make my posts much better. So I have turned the Blogger comments back on, while still keeping the haloscan active for now. I encourage everyone to use the Blogger link (the one on the left), and I will eventually get rid of the haloscan links.
III. Check out my students' class blog, Harmonious Puddles Make You Lose Control. They have been experiencing Indian music, the realities of music as a career, and now music technology.
IV. Yesterday, I was very excited to listen to the NPR story on the newly-found recording of Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane. The sound is absolutely great, and the archivist (Appelbaum) does a good job describing the unusual but wonderful interaction of Monk's sparse style with Coltrane's lyricism.
V. I was a little freaked out to discover this discussion board among my referrals. I'm not used to people being so excited about the end of the world. I wonder if any of them are parents. I look forward to seeing my children grow. I thrill at seeing them discovering the universe, their worldviews expanding at prodigious rates. I would be quite sad if the world ended next Tuesday, stopping that growth forever.
II. You may have noticed that my comments tag looks different, in that there are two choices of links to comments. I found out that Haloscan does not keep old comments, when I think there are some great comments that make my posts much better. So I have turned the Blogger comments back on, while still keeping the haloscan active for now. I encourage everyone to use the Blogger link (the one on the left), and I will eventually get rid of the haloscan links.
III. Check out my students' class blog, Harmonious Puddles Make You Lose Control. They have been experiencing Indian music, the realities of music as a career, and now music technology.
IV. Yesterday, I was very excited to listen to the NPR story on the newly-found recording of Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane. The sound is absolutely great, and the archivist (Appelbaum) does a good job describing the unusual but wonderful interaction of Monk's sparse style with Coltrane's lyricism.
V. I was a little freaked out to discover this discussion board among my referrals. I'm not used to people being so excited about the end of the world. I wonder if any of them are parents. I look forward to seeing my children grow. I thrill at seeing them discovering the universe, their worldviews expanding at prodigious rates. I would be quite sad if the world ended next Tuesday, stopping that growth forever.
Discoursing on art
People experience various forms of art (music, theater, painting, sculpture, dance, gourmet cooking) for one or more of the following purposes:
1) to be seen looking cultural
2) to entertain themselves
3) to exercise their emotions
4) to exercise their cognitive abilities
5) to explore the limits of their perceptions
Any discourse on art should address one or more of these purposes. If the claim is made that a particular artwork is great, which of these purposes is it great at fulfilling? The first purpose is too cynical to be involved in most discussions of art, though it can provide insight into how peer pressure and patronage have shaped the arts. The second purpose is not satisfying by itself, because it naturally leads to the question, "why is it entertaining?" Why do we find it preferable to stare at a painting instead of a blank wall, or to listen to our iPods instead of silence? Entertainment has to be caused by one of the other purposes, whether it is the stimulation of emotions or the time kill of a good intellectual challenge.
So a good discourse on art should be about the emotional effect, the perceptual effect, or the cognitive effect. Arguments could and should be made that some of these effects directly influence each other. A cognitive awareness of the structure of a symphony can engender an emotional response. The visual illusions in a painting can affect the cognitive interpretations.
My argument does not specify whether the focus should be on universal effects or individual effects. Both approaches have their benefits and problems. Universal effects allow the discourse to approach the artwork as a tangible object with indisputable attributes. Individual effects are more ephemeral, but more accurate when it comes to emotion. I challenge my fellow members of the bløgösphère to address the purpose of the artwork in your discourses.
1) to be seen looking cultural
2) to entertain themselves
3) to exercise their emotions
4) to exercise their cognitive abilities
5) to explore the limits of their perceptions
Any discourse on art should address one or more of these purposes. If the claim is made that a particular artwork is great, which of these purposes is it great at fulfilling? The first purpose is too cynical to be involved in most discussions of art, though it can provide insight into how peer pressure and patronage have shaped the arts. The second purpose is not satisfying by itself, because it naturally leads to the question, "why is it entertaining?" Why do we find it preferable to stare at a painting instead of a blank wall, or to listen to our iPods instead of silence? Entertainment has to be caused by one of the other purposes, whether it is the stimulation of emotions or the time kill of a good intellectual challenge.
So a good discourse on art should be about the emotional effect, the perceptual effect, or the cognitive effect. Arguments could and should be made that some of these effects directly influence each other. A cognitive awareness of the structure of a symphony can engender an emotional response. The visual illusions in a painting can affect the cognitive interpretations.
My argument does not specify whether the focus should be on universal effects or individual effects. Both approaches have their benefits and problems. Universal effects allow the discourse to approach the artwork as a tangible object with indisputable attributes. Individual effects are more ephemeral, but more accurate when it comes to emotion. I challenge my fellow members of the bløgösphère to address the purpose of the artwork in your discourses.
Monday, September 26, 2005
Carnival of Music's sweet 16
After a brief intermission, the Carnival of Music is back. No Harry Potter this time, instead I'm going for some poetry.
Play to the children, they love to dance
or listen carefully as you sing about cats.
Listen to Billings, his choral music filled with gusto
or Malcolm Arnold's last symphony before he went nutso.
Do Faerie write music like Tolkein?
Search Live365.com and you may learn.
But beware that downloading may leave you listless.
Instead, visit LaMonte and the other minimalists.
What is a salon? Not a metaphore of composers as food.
Perhaps where pre-job musicians wait, when they don't stop performing for good.
Reviews are always nice, whether of Leatherface or Mozart's Hoffner.
Likewise observed differences between "Ben Bag Bag" and "Oz V'hadar."
Ballet should not use recorded music as is,
herding notes in Lubbock can irk Jeremy Denk,
Courses on chamber music are quite different from English,
and judges piss you off when they say "phone my agent."
Thanks to John for letting me host, and to Don, Tim, and Fred for submitting entries. Apologies for horrible meter, and a plea for more carnival hosts. It is a fun way to learn about new blogs, and a good way of boosting your hits. I got a big bump from my last Carnival, and a valuable link from John.
Play to the children, they love to dance
or listen carefully as you sing about cats.
Listen to Billings, his choral music filled with gusto
or Malcolm Arnold's last symphony before he went nutso.
Do Faerie write music like Tolkein?
Search Live365.com and you may learn.
But beware that downloading may leave you listless.
Instead, visit LaMonte and the other minimalists.
What is a salon? Not a metaphore of composers as food.
Perhaps where pre-job musicians wait, when they don't stop performing for good.
Reviews are always nice, whether of Leatherface or Mozart's Hoffner.
Likewise observed differences between "Ben Bag Bag" and "Oz V'hadar."
Ballet should not use recorded music as is,
herding notes in Lubbock can irk Jeremy Denk,
Courses on chamber music are quite different from English,
and judges piss you off when they say "phone my agent."
Thanks to John for letting me host, and to Don, Tim, and Fred for submitting entries. Apologies for horrible meter, and a plea for more carnival hosts. It is a fun way to learn about new blogs, and a good way of boosting your hits. I got a big bump from my last Carnival, and a valuable link from John.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Academic Blog Survey, or is it another damn meme?
Overview:
The following survey is for bloggers who are actual or aspiring academics (thus including students). It takes the form of a go-meme to provide bloggers a strong incentive to join in: the 'Link List' means that you will receive links from all those who pick up the survey 'downstream' from you. The aim is to create open-source data about academic blogs that is publicly available for further analysis. Analysts can find the data by searching for the tracking identifier-code: "acb109m3m3". Further details, and eventual updates with results, can be found on the original posting:
http://pixnaps.blogspot.com/2005/09/academic-blog-survey.html
Instructions:
Simply copy and paste this post to your own blog, replacing my survey answers with your own, as appropriate, and adding your blog to the Link List.
Important (1) Your post must include the four sections: Overview, Instructions, Link List, and Survey. (2) Remember to link to every blog in the Link List. (3) For tracking purposes, your post must include the following code: acb109m3m3
Link List (or 'extended hat-tip'):
1. Philosophy, et cetera
2. Pharyngula
3. Musical Perceptions
4. Your blog here.
Survey:
Demographics
Age - 35
Gender - Male
Location - Avon, Indiana, USA
Religion - Deist, attend Episcopal church regularly
Began blogging - May 2004
Academic field - Music Theory
Academic position [tenured?] - Assistant Professor [no]
Approximate blog stats
Rate of posting - once a day
Average no. hits - about 70/day
Average no. comments - 1/day
Blog content - Music, academics, politics, psychology.
Other Questions
1) Do you blog under your real name? Why / why not?
- Yes. I am not ashamed of my blog posts, and refrain from injecting academic politics into the blog. The latter subject is the only thing I regard as being detrimental to my career.
2) Do colleagues or others in your department know that you blog? If so, has anyone reacted positively or negatively?
- Yes. Positively, though they don't regard it as significant professional development.
3) Are you on the job market?
- Not actively.
4) Do you mention your blog on your CV or other job application material?
- Yes.
5) Has your blog been mentioned at all in interviews, tenure reviews, etc.? If so, provide details.
- I included my blog in my materials provided for my interim review last year.
6) Why do you blog?
- To advance conversations about music.
To yell into the silence my thoughts about politics.
To work on my writing skills.
To maintain my nerd status.
As a means of working out ideas that are rattling about in my head, and to get feedback from the interested public.
The following survey is for bloggers who are actual or aspiring academics (thus including students). It takes the form of a go-meme to provide bloggers a strong incentive to join in: the 'Link List' means that you will receive links from all those who pick up the survey 'downstream' from you. The aim is to create open-source data about academic blogs that is publicly available for further analysis. Analysts can find the data by searching for the tracking identifier-code: "acb109m3m3". Further details, and eventual updates with results, can be found on the original posting:
http://pixnaps.blogspot.com/2005/09/academic-blog-survey.html
Instructions:
Simply copy and paste this post to your own blog, replacing my survey answers with your own, as appropriate, and adding your blog to the Link List.
Important (1) Your post must include the four sections: Overview, Instructions, Link List, and Survey. (2) Remember to link to every blog in the Link List. (3) For tracking purposes, your post must include the following code: acb109m3m3
Link List (or 'extended hat-tip'):
1. Philosophy, et cetera
2. Pharyngula
3. Musical Perceptions
4. Your blog here.
Survey:
Demographics
Age - 35
Gender - Male
Location - Avon, Indiana, USA
Religion - Deist, attend Episcopal church regularly
Began blogging - May 2004
Academic field - Music Theory
Academic position [tenured?] - Assistant Professor [no]
Approximate blog stats
Rate of posting - once a day
Average no. hits - about 70/day
Average no. comments - 1/day
Blog content - Music, academics, politics, psychology.
Other Questions
1) Do you blog under your real name? Why / why not?
- Yes. I am not ashamed of my blog posts, and refrain from injecting academic politics into the blog. The latter subject is the only thing I regard as being detrimental to my career.
2) Do colleagues or others in your department know that you blog? If so, has anyone reacted positively or negatively?
- Yes. Positively, though they don't regard it as significant professional development.
3) Are you on the job market?
- Not actively.
4) Do you mention your blog on your CV or other job application material?
- Yes.
5) Has your blog been mentioned at all in interviews, tenure reviews, etc.? If so, provide details.
- I included my blog in my materials provided for my interim review last year.
6) Why do you blog?
- To advance conversations about music.
To yell into the silence my thoughts about politics.
To work on my writing skills.
To maintain my nerd status.
As a means of working out ideas that are rattling about in my head, and to get feedback from the interested public.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Lurkers, Unite!
I have been informed by Sean and PZ that today is Lurker Day, when any readers who never comment are welcomed to ... um ... comment. I think this is some kind of amnesty thing, that the lurkers are assured of retaining their lurker status despite the unlurking activity of commenting.
I encourage anyone who hasn't left comments at my blog to say whatever they want here. Heck, since I don't have any real regular commenters, anyone can leave a comment. It can be corrections, requests, rants, poetry, advice, or observations. Have at ye! (I missed talk like a pirate day on Monday, so I'm combining them.)
I encourage anyone who hasn't left comments at my blog to say whatever they want here. Heck, since I don't have any real regular commenters, anyone can leave a comment. It can be corrections, requests, rants, poetry, advice, or observations. Have at ye! (I missed talk like a pirate day on Monday, so I'm combining them.)
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