The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 - 5A
Delving deep into
musical technique
Thinking beyond It's the same in film. Compa-
nies can perfect a limited port-
typical top-40 folio of plot setups and twists
to fit the popular genres. While
conventions they might not win an Oscar
with their newest superhero
By SHAMIK GANGULY action movie or straight-couple
Daily Arts Writer romantic comedy, it doesn't take
an Oscar to make a killing in the
Art is about building pat- box office.
terns and then breaking them. These cookie-cutter tactics
It's about setting and defying define art for the public and set up
expectations. It's a fight to do expectations. If you spend most
something that's never been of your time listening to popular
done before and a coinciding radio, you might think of music as
struggle to understand what has a fat beat behind some verses and
been done so you have a foothold a good hook.
from which to move up. However, there are plenty
Connoisseurs will say that it of people who aren't tied to the
is impossible to fully understand norm. If you have a little bit more
art without a deep understand- of a musical background, you
ing of the context in which it might think of music as a time sig-
was created. An old painting nature and a key, or maybe a few
will mean nothing to the layman of each. The more abstract musi-
but will be overwhelming to cal thinkers will define it as a feel-
someone who understands how ing or a story expressed by some
it was revolutionary for its time. manipulation of the 12 notes.
There's no denying the purely Jazz is a popular form that
subjective side of art, though - has succeeded in meeting the
a young child with a mind like expectations of the public while
a clean slate can be awed by a exploring both the cerebral and
simple combination of colors, expressive sides of music. How-
and any person can get down to ever, beyond jazz lies the forgot-
a good rhythm. ten genre of "art music." It's kind
This collision of intellect and of like music's version of modern
feeling in the patron forces the art. An art musician discards all
artist to strike a delicate bal- expectations and starts her piece
ance. He must make a calculated as a blank page. Sure, it's pretty
effort and make every choice foolproof to start with a beat in
with reason and deliberation, common time and throw some
but at the same time, he must snare on the backbeat, but she
define his work through free, won't do that unless it serves the
pure, personal expression. purpose of the piece - you don't
In the world of popular music, write a poem with a uniform
those scales are heavily tipped sentence structure just because
toward calculated effort. For- it makes the poem easier to read.
mulaic music can be recreated, When you listen to art music,
and you can't sell a product if you might not tap your foot or
you can't continue to make it. A bob your head. You might not
nationwide industry can tell the sing along. In fact, you'll prob-
public what they like through ably just sit there and listen,
advertising, then they can sell which is why making art music
the same music over and over is not usually a mainstream
until another musical force practice. One area where art
comes along that threatens the music surfaces in the main-
profit or presents opportunity stream is in film music. Film
for a bigger one. Genres will music doesn't always aim to be
form, and the industry will make catchy or groovy - it aims to
new formulas to fill the demand. stir emotion and strengthen the
power of the scene. Its purpose
is often to capture a feeling,
which makes it fall directly in
line with art music.
Sure, plenty of music makes
unique, unprecedented use of
the 12 notes, but that's not the
last level of abstraction. In many
musical traditions around the
world, especially in the East, the
12 notes aren't the foundation
of the music. There are quarter
tones in Middle Eastern music,
which turn the 12-note scale into
a 24-note scale. In Indian music,
there's a 22-note scale - now
that's tough to handle. There
are six-, 19- and 31-note systems
used in some European music,
and in Indonesia there are five-
and seven-note systems. These
note divisions are so different
from our standard Western tra-
dition that sometimes our ears
can't even process the music.
Music is supposed to be a uni-
versal language, but sometimes
musical barriers are ingrained.
Top-40 radio is one kind of musi-
cal conformity, but the 12-note
scale is a wall that many people
in the West have never seen
beyond. This kind of conformity
is brain-deep: The World Sci-
ence Festival did a presentation
called "Notes & Neurons" that
delved into both the scientific
and artistic reality of this devel-
opmental phenomenon.
These explorations reveal an
even more confusing world for
the musician. Hooks, beats and
other relatable musical formu-
lae are essential to connecting
with the listener, but at the same
time there is a vastness of musi-
cal potential that can only be
reached by escaping the famil-
iar rhythms and the predefined
melodic systems. An artist can
spend a lifetime delving through
history to form a solid foun-
dation of context, and he can
spend another reaching out into
oblivion trying to find his most
personal sounds to achieve pure
expression, but the crucial effort
lies in finding the best way to do
both.
It's raining Gerard.
Surprises all around in
Olympus Has Fallen'
By MAYANK MATHUR
For the Daily
As a film, "Olympus Has
Fallen" is never stronger than
when tested: It excels in areas it
isn't expected
to, and falls
flat when it's
meant to fly Olympus
high. Directed Has Fallen
by Antoine
Fuqua ("Train- At Quality 16
ing Day"), the and Rave
film presents HmDistrict
itself as a cross Im
between "Die
Hard" and "Air Force One" in
an attempt to combine political
intrigue with kick-ass action
sequences. However, for a film
produced by Millennium Films
("Rambo," "The Expendables"),
the final product is a poorly exe-
cuted action flick that surprises
you in its quietest moments and
forces you to yawn when you
should be at the edge of your
seat.
The film focuses on former
U.S. Army Ranger Mike Ban-
ning (Gerard Butler, "Coriola-
nus") as he navigates his way
through a White House invaded
by North Korean terrorists in an
attempt to save President Ben-
jamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart,
"The Dark Knight"). Morgan
Freeman ("The Dark Knight
Rises") plays Alan Trumbull,
the Speaker of the House, who
is thrust into the role of acting,
president as a result of the hos-
tage situation. The well paced
film runs two parallel stories,
as one focuses on Trumbull's
negotiation attempts with the
terror
Banni
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ists and the other follows Gerard Butler picking off the
ng as he tries to reach terrorists. It is here, in the dark
resident in time before of a deserted and nearly annihi-
rldwide nuclear war is lated White House, that Fuqua's
ed. directorial skills come to light.
wever, not all attention As Banning navigates his way
ected toward meaning- to the president, Fuqua manag-
ad well shot cinema. As es to create an almost palpable
orean terrorists take con- sense of thrill and intrigue with
the White House - one swift hand-to-hand combat
ion after another it's scenes peppered throughout to
o hard to focus on how keep interest alive.
ously simple and conve- The cast keeps the tense
ach development is. You'd atmosphere intact by deliver-
ne that taking down "the ing decent performances. But-
teavily protected building ler convinces as the tough guy
world" would take some Banning, carrying off the com-
nt of elaborate planning bat scenes with the appropriate
'ell executed action, but show of grit and determination
ling to Fuqua, none of while managing to elicit a few
necessary. Hell, all you laughs from the crowd with the
s one huge fighter plane right mix of badass-ness and
le of destroying literally sarcastic humor. Eckhart makes
ing that the U.S. army has for a fine president, holding his
er), a handful of Korean own against his tormentors
t-terrorizers, some really and Freeman is, well ... Morgan
ss White House defenders Freeman. Fuqua doesn't shy
am - you've got yourself away from usage of expletives
hite House. After 13 min- and manages to instill a sense
f that, you can't help but of grit and masculinity in every
r ... is it really that easy? character, which makes the
hostage scenes entertaining.
However, as the film nears
rt 'DieIlard' the climax, Fuqua makes the
t blonder of not trusting the
part 'Air audience, and an attempt at a
mind-boggling twist comes off
Force One.' as unnecessary and ltimately
stupid. This is where the movie
reaches its low point and, unfor-
tunately, it's way past its point
n after that begins a of redemption. Thus, watch-
y modified version of ing "Olympus Has Fallen" is a
lip.com's hit game, "Bush strange experience as it takes
Out." Instead of a wimpy the audience on an undulating
e Bush running through journey of highs and lows, sta-
rridors, you have a macho bilizing at mediocre.
Basement Arts to explore
the humor of a'Gap Yah'
By GRACE PROSNIEWSKI
Daily Arts Writer
At some point during their
college career, every student
dreams of taking a year off, trav-
eling the world
and doing a lit- Gap Yah
tle soul-search-
ing. Basement Thursday,
Arts's "Gap Friday and
Yah," whose Saturday
title mimics at7 p.m.
the British- Walgreen
accented "gap
year," explores
and examines Free
the gap year
experiences of one group of
friends.
Not to be confused with the
popular viral video of the same
name, "Gap Yah" is an original
work written by Declan Sheah-
an, a School of Music, Theatre
& Dance junior and one-year
transfer student from the Uni-
versity of Warwick. "Gap Yah"
was one of a few plays chosen by
Basement Arts to perform dur-
ing their winter season.
Sheahan serves as co-director
along with MT&D junior Nicole
Gellman.
Loosely based on Sheahan's
own gap year experiences,
"Gap Yah" focuses on four Brit-
ish seniors as they take a year
off from school to travel. In the
process, they learn about them-
selves
their
larger;
"Sor
comin
said,
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as individuals and about is Jane, whose over-eagerness
relationships within the in social interactions is a source
group. of annoyance for the group.
meone described it as a Amid the animosity, romance
g-of-age play," Sheahan blooms between Quentin and
"which I thought was a Jane.
good description for that "There's a love tension
se it deals with a group of between Jane and Quentin,"
who are trying to find Gellman said. "He treats her
dentity and sort of grow at first as his arch-enemy. And
group of people." then this whole time it's like,
old, the protagonist, 'Well, I love you.'"
bed by Sheahan as "Quentin, as the leader of the
-e of himself and into tid- group," Sheahan said, "articu-
nks," decides to escape lates a lot of the issues that the
es in his relationship with group has with Jane at points
tunningly hot" Courtney. in the trip, and that love-hate
nsion arises between the circle sort of crashes over at the
ecause of Harold's oblivi- end."
s to his luck in finding Even though many of the
ne who treats him so well, characters work through emo-
tional baggage, "Gap Yah" is
first and foremost a comedy.
"The show centers around
the conflicts that arise between
ff of school this group of people as they go
traveling, as they battle with
Ids hilarious troubles they're having at home,
but it's also a comedy," Sheahan
.dventures. said. "As a humorous piece, it
doesn't delve too deeply into
that. It's sort of lighthearted
and a funny take on British
two male friends, Wil- humor."
nd Quentin, join Harold And what's the one thing that
gap year adventures. Wil- the co-directors of "Gap Yah"
s, as Sheahan said, "not want their audience to get from
arpest tool in the shed," the play? As Gellman put it,
Quentin acts as the leader "Honestly, if they're just laugh-
pack. Also accompanying ing the entire time, I'm good."
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