I went with the 'Don’t hate it, but don’t seek it out" answer. I enjoy listening to it on the radio at work when we’re in the truck.
For some reason, three of our better radio stations got shit-canned for christian rock stations. So we’re limited to what we have to choose from, and classical is very soothing.
‘Like it every once in a while’
A bit on NPR every once in a while is always welcome. Changes the mindset.
I only listen to it in the car, though. Tends to fend off road rage, perhaps…
HA!!! About 10 years ago I watched Der Ring des Nibelungen on PBS. It was 4 hours a night for 4 nights. 16 hours of music for one good tune that only lasted 5 minutes. That made Coventry seem like Big Cypress… Anyway, if I can stick with Wagner, I can sit through any '94 or '95 Dead or Phish on a crappy night.
^I bought a copy of Das Rheingold on vinyl some years ago, listened to it once following the liner notes, but never did it again. Just played the orchestral sections that interested me.
What’s most interesting to me about Reekard Vahgner is his concept of the lietmotif. He developed the groundwork for so much of the movie and theater music that followed. John Williams Star Wars music is a perfect example of the use of Wagner’s concepts.
^I agree completely. I feel like his use of those lietmotif concepts ultimately helped shaped what we recognize as film score music. In his operas, he would often attribute a certain theme to an event, place, or character. This theme would then repeat itself with variation based on the mood of that character or the weather at that location. It added life to the opera and placed melody on important aspects of the story.
see? i knew my taste was impeccable.
::adjusts monocle, straigtens asgot, sips warmed schlitz from a martini glass, cues “Opening Title” from the John Williams masterpeice: E.T.::
i enjoy me some good classical from time to time
normally i will just find some tab’s and play the song on the guitar, that has always been a great way for me to relax when I’m all wound up
And now class, can you name at least two Phish songs that provide prime examples of contrapuntal texture? (5 points).
I take a stab…
Asse Festival/Guelah
Landlady
Reba
?
You know, I was thinking about vocals when I asked this question, but you may be right about Guelah, I’ll have to listen to it again. Landlady not, and I’m not sure but I don’t think in Reba. I’ll need to listen to it again because it goes so many places, it just might.
of wha…?
Reba demonstrates contrapuntal texture in some of the music between the last Bag it, tag it and the outro jam before the whistling. Page and Trey are playing contra melodies throughout that section.
Easiest example of this technique is probably in the outtro to Silent in The Morning where Page is singing one melody,
“Silent in the morning
You found your voice that brings me to my knees”
while Trey responds at the same time singing another
“I will not dismiss you, shelter you, speak with you
Smile at you, trust in me, hed like to brush you off, and Id agree”
In BATR, there is actually a 3 part contrapuntal going on vocally, but this is probably more closely described as a “round”, even though the melodies are slightly different, the differential timing makes it more of a round.
The three parts are:
The crystal haze, And hear them bouncing round the room, The never ending coral maze - Page
Then before and now once more I
oh yeah, i get it now.
the way they do that is one of my favorite elements of Phish. dosen’t it happen in Limb by Limb as well?
Mike, Fish and Page all doing singing some variation of “limb by limb by limb by…”
Trey narrating on top of that “lingering slowly and melting away…”
i don’t know exatctly what “that” is called (contrapuntal texture or whatever). i always refered to it like a “waterfall”. that’s what it “feels” like to me. it keeps cycling and circling over itself.
any other examples? don’t they kind of do something like this in Meat as well?
Fikus is another example (i think). Mike and Trey singing two completely separate things, woven together to form the whole.
as well as Steep. as well as It’s Ice. Mound?
they do it alot.
yeah, that’s why i thought the original question so easy. just a matter of terminology. actually i like the word ‘waterfalling’ better.