heyy...uhh...if someone else is reading these other than Rudd, I assume I am probably offending people by these, and I'm sorry if I am.
First of all, one can watch American Idol, and be entertained by it, and the good and bad performances of it without totally approving of the whole "being a star overnight" thing. I admit, I think it is pretty entertaining sometimes.
As far as the Christian version of the mook goes, I don't think anything is wrong with listening to Christian music, I LOVE some myself. If you just really like a certain Christian band's music, that's awesome, but if you like them because it is just what most Christians like, this is where I have the problem. Kinda the same deal with Christian apparel, although I do think some is kind of offensive.
Hope all is cleared up if anyone in my group or the universe was reading these.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
What's Changed since "Merchants of Cool"?
What has changed as the ideal mook or midriff in popular culture since the "Merchants of Cool" was aired? I think it is still pretty accurate but here are some updates.
wrestling doesn't seem to be THAT popular anymore, especially after all the scandals with steroids that have gone on.
American Idol seems to be a huge inspiration to many mooks and middriffs, which is somewhat of a step up from Brittany Spears. But the majority of the winners of the show, though incredible vocalists, sing songs written specifically for them, and get paid incredible amounts of money to tour and sing, which to me, seems like they are cheating the system a little bit. The media has made these people into stars overnight, where back in reality, millions of artists play at bars and other local places for hardly any cash for years and years, slowly building making a career. It seems a lot of its viewers now think that having a good voice is all that you need to get you famous. Of course, in the case of Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion, maybe that is the case, but for most people, there is much more than singing involved in becoming a star. This includes writing songs, and melodies, and lyrics, which most artists have to do in order to really go anywhere.
Other celebrities like paris hilton, and brittany spears seem to be so desparate for press that they want negative press rather than no press at all, which they weren't doing when the film was being made.
One of the greatest things that has happened to pop culture recently is Family Guy, which I hope will make some people realize how ridiculous some pop culture is in the first place since it makes fun of so much pop culture. Hopefully family guy will make a more literate America. What a strange sounding sentence. Well I have to post this because it is 12:00.
wrestling doesn't seem to be THAT popular anymore, especially after all the scandals with steroids that have gone on.
American Idol seems to be a huge inspiration to many mooks and middriffs, which is somewhat of a step up from Brittany Spears. But the majority of the winners of the show, though incredible vocalists, sing songs written specifically for them, and get paid incredible amounts of money to tour and sing, which to me, seems like they are cheating the system a little bit. The media has made these people into stars overnight, where back in reality, millions of artists play at bars and other local places for hardly any cash for years and years, slowly building making a career. It seems a lot of its viewers now think that having a good voice is all that you need to get you famous. Of course, in the case of Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion, maybe that is the case, but for most people, there is much more than singing involved in becoming a star. This includes writing songs, and melodies, and lyrics, which most artists have to do in order to really go anywhere.
Other celebrities like paris hilton, and brittany spears seem to be so desparate for press that they want negative press rather than no press at all, which they weren't doing when the film was being made.
One of the greatest things that has happened to pop culture recently is Family Guy, which I hope will make some people realize how ridiculous some pop culture is in the first place since it makes fun of so much pop culture. Hopefully family guy will make a more literate America. What a strange sounding sentence. Well I have to post this because it is 12:00.
The Mook-Malone's Version?
Going to Malone, there seems to me, to be somewhat a reversal of what the film, "Merchants of Cool" says the mook is. The party frat boys seem to be in the minority. As a christian college, that isn't too overpowering on rules, and regulations, many Christian guys at Malone have a sense of their intrinsic worth in Christ, and realize that they don't need to do anything that any form of media dictates as "cool". There appears to be ample room to think at Malone, and I think most students have taken advantage of that room. However, I think that the idea that the Christian community has of what it means to be a Christian guy (though much less of an issue than what it means to be an MTV-ified mook)seems to dictate to some students what they should listen to, wear, and watch. It seems some male students think that Christianity is about listening to Christian music, and wearing shirts that have a witty Christian saying on them. "Christian" media, more than anything else, appears to cut off unbelievers than bring anyone in. Christian marketing, just like secular in some respects, seems to be creating what they think the ideal male should look like, and some males buy into it. A shirt that says "God Doesn't Believe in Atheists" wouldn't start up any dialogue between a believer and non-believer, but just frustration. Neither would a Christian rock song that is going for a cross-over hit mean anything to a non-believer if the song contains nothing more than a few references to Jesus in it among lyrics of no substance, and/or uninspired, run of the mill music.
The Christian version of the mook is much less harmful to society than the secular version of the mook, but the Christian version is still quite harmful nonetheless. He makes Christianity look like a large marketing gimmick, rather than a way of life that should be evident solely through one's actions, demeanor, and outlook on life (that doesn't need to be written on a shirt). A Christian doesn't need to listen solely to music that speaks about God, because "secular" music also contains many truths, untruths, and ideas that Christians need to understand, and chew on in order to be "in the world". If we live solely through the world of Christan marketing, it would be nearly impossible to relate at all to most of the amoral issues that concern an educated unbeliever.
The Christian version of the mook is much less harmful to society than the secular version of the mook, but the Christian version is still quite harmful nonetheless. He makes Christianity look like a large marketing gimmick, rather than a way of life that should be evident solely through one's actions, demeanor, and outlook on life (that doesn't need to be written on a shirt). A Christian doesn't need to listen solely to music that speaks about God, because "secular" music also contains many truths, untruths, and ideas that Christians need to understand, and chew on in order to be "in the world". If we live solely through the world of Christan marketing, it would be nearly impossible to relate at all to most of the amoral issues that concern an educated unbeliever.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
4 categories that are hard to fit myths into
The six myths that have been covered in class are so embedded into our culture, and even other cultures that it appears nearly impossible to find a media text that does not have any remnant whatsoever of any of these myths. What are the possibilities?
1. Blues music
2. Baroque Music
3. Instrumental Music
4. Commercials
1. What do Stevie Ray, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, and John Mayer have to say about these myths? There doesn't seem to be any direct connection between these myths and blues, but if one were to look deeper, there are hints of them. Blues lyrics are usually about trying to get a girl that has been lost, or not being able to reach the woman you love. The closest one could get to applying the myths to this media text would be to say that the blues lyricist is trying to recover a type of feeling that used to be present between the lyricist and the girl. The lyricist could also be waiting for their personal female messiah to save them from their misery.
2. Some classical music was definitely based on stories. Both Mozart, and Beethoven made operas. And romantic music surely had themes based around many of these myths, which can be drawn from the titles of various pieces, but some Baroque music might be free from all these myths. Handel's Messiah surely isn't free of the myth of the Eternal Return, or The Coming of the Messiah, but Bach's Toccata's, Fugues, and Suites seem to be without any mythical elements. His book, The Well Tempered Clavier, was more or less a book of incredibly gorgeous exercises, but exercises none the less.
3. Instrumental Music- Does Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, or other guitarists that make instrumental music incorporate any of the myths that have been talked about into their work? On Joe Satriani's album, Strange Beautiful Music, there are 3 songs in a row with titles that might suggest such a myth. The first one is called "The Journey", the second "The Traveler", and the third "You Saved My Life". Now one would have to be stretching it to say that they know that Satch was thinking of the various myths we have covered when he wrote these songs, but it is surely a possibility. Many titles on instrumental albums have mythic ideas built into them because they not only give the listener somewhat of a story to imagine while their listening to a song, but they also give the artist inspiration while they write the song.
4. I think most commercials that come from a less creative standpoint don’t really have many myths attached to them, but a lot of commercials are fairily creative. We’ve all heard something like this before…”You’ve waited, and waited and waited for a vacuum that could pick up dirt, get rid of stains, and massage your back all at once…it’s finally here!” Though a bit ridiculous for a commercial the idea is very common, and is the myth of the coming of the messiah. The old Japanese guy on the “Yellow Book” commercials is also a good example of the Wisdom of the Rustic.
It is a bit of stretch to include these myths in some of the categories, but most of the time, some type of myth does fit into a category in one form or another. The music of Bach is probably the category where it hardest to apply myths to.
My Dances With Wolves Blog for I forget which #BLOG, sorry!
Well how about Dances With Wolves?
The story would be about Lt. John Dunbar who is dropped off at Fort Sedgewick to find it a deserted post. After a while, he encounters a local Sioux tribe. He eventually falls in love with their way of life, as well as with a white woman that has lived with the tribe since she was very young. He is soon assimilated into their way of life, and even gets his own name (which is Dances With Wolves). All is good and well until a group of of Soldiers finds him and highly disapproves of his switch to "Injun". He is violently mistreated but eventually escapes. At the end of the film, we are left to think that he is going to start a new life somewhere else with the Sioux.
There are surely myths involved with this story, but many of them are turned around quite a bit. Most westerns up to this pointed painted Indians very much in a caricatured way. There was no doubt that the cowboys were the heroes, the messiahs, the saviors of society, while the Indians were just an evil and detrimental stumbling block put in our path. Here, the Savior should be Dunbar, but instead, it is the Indians. They open his eyes to a new way of life...something that was fresh, challenging, and exciting. They saved Dunbar from his life of seclusion, and probably from an eventual spiral into insanity.
One of the themes from other stories that does seem common in other stories as well is the sacrifice of one's culture because of a romantic interest with a person involved in a different culture. Granted, Dunbar did enjoy the Sioux culture, but Stands With a Fist (his romantic interest)played a large role in his assimilation into the culture. Themes of this nature are present in Romeo and Juliet, Aladdin, West Side Story (which is, of course a modernization of Romeo and Juliet), and countless other stories and films.
The story appeals to me because of how beautifully the Sioux culture is portrayed. The film's cinematography, is, of course, brilliant, and the buffalo hunt in the film is one of the most entertaining, rousing, and masterfully shot sequences ever to grace the screen. Kevin Costner, who directed the film, made the culture look so appealing that the audience deeply understood and even cheered on his assimilation into their culture.
The story would be about Lt. John Dunbar who is dropped off at Fort Sedgewick to find it a deserted post. After a while, he encounters a local Sioux tribe. He eventually falls in love with their way of life, as well as with a white woman that has lived with the tribe since she was very young. He is soon assimilated into their way of life, and even gets his own name (which is Dances With Wolves). All is good and well until a group of of Soldiers finds him and highly disapproves of his switch to "Injun". He is violently mistreated but eventually escapes. At the end of the film, we are left to think that he is going to start a new life somewhere else with the Sioux.
There are surely myths involved with this story, but many of them are turned around quite a bit. Most westerns up to this pointed painted Indians very much in a caricatured way. There was no doubt that the cowboys were the heroes, the messiahs, the saviors of society, while the Indians were just an evil and detrimental stumbling block put in our path. Here, the Savior should be Dunbar, but instead, it is the Indians. They open his eyes to a new way of life...something that was fresh, challenging, and exciting. They saved Dunbar from his life of seclusion, and probably from an eventual spiral into insanity.
One of the themes from other stories that does seem common in other stories as well is the sacrifice of one's culture because of a romantic interest with a person involved in a different culture. Granted, Dunbar did enjoy the Sioux culture, but Stands With a Fist (his romantic interest)played a large role in his assimilation into the culture. Themes of this nature are present in Romeo and Juliet, Aladdin, West Side Story (which is, of course a modernization of Romeo and Juliet), and countless other stories and films.
The story appeals to me because of how beautifully the Sioux culture is portrayed. The film's cinematography, is, of course, brilliant, and the buffalo hunt in the film is one of the most entertaining, rousing, and masterfully shot sequences ever to grace the screen. Kevin Costner, who directed the film, made the culture look so appealing that the audience deeply understood and even cheered on his assimilation into their culture.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
A very long blog about what media has affected me! (BLOG 1)
Two main forms of media have drastically shaped my life. In fact, they have probably shaped more than they should have. Those forms would be film, and music
When I was in the sixth grade, I made some friends that watched a lot of movies. Some of them were excellent films, some of them were pretty awful, but they were nonetheless, films. In that year, a film came along called Gladiator. I loved it, and watched it more than a couple times. Then, for Christmas, I got the special edition DVD of Gladiator. When I got it, I didn't really think that much of it. It looked pretty cool, with some special features that might be kind of interesting. At one point,when I was in the audio options, I saw something called Commentary by Director Ridley Scott. So I hit it, and let it play. WOW!! From the moment that the commentary started, I sat absolutely immersed in everything the director, Ridley Scott, was saying. I never thought about all that went into making a film. The script, the cinematography, the acting, and direction... I listened to that commentary probably about five or six times. Gladiator was my gateway film. It catapulted me into an obsession with film up until my freshman year when music kind of took film's place. Every weekend, I would go see a film in the theater with some friends, but then I would also rent two films from blockbuster. I discovered the website Rottentomatoes.com, and lurked in the forums reading everything I could about classic films, and modern masterpieces. I searched for everything I could find that Ridley Scott directed, and fell in love with his visual style...it fascinated me how every shot in his films seemed to be filled with steam, or fog, or interesting lighting. I then moved onto Scorsese, and fell in love with practically everything the man directed (except Taxi driver surprisingly), and found that Goodfellas was probably my favorite film. I still have a lot of interest in film, and am currently trying to come up with a best-of list for 2006. Once I see a couple more films, and decide whether David Lynch's Inland Empire was brilliant, or a piece of crap, I should have a complete list.
My love of music started in my freshman year at Lake I believe. I remember coming back from a school trip, and sitting with my friend who was a film buff like me, but also a huge music connoisseur. I didn't really listen to any music at all. I tried. I tried to get into the Christian music that everyone at my old school, Lake Center Christian was into, and said I should listen to but nothing was clicking. Then my friend on that bus trip, let me listen to some of The Beatles #1 album. I always liked what I heard by them, but I never realized how consistently melodic, and catchy their songs were. Then he let me listen to some of Led Zeppelin IV, with Stairway to Heaven, Black Dog, and Rock and Roll on it. He explained to me a little bit the significance of Stairway to Heaven, and it was like my eyes were being opened to a whole new world that I never realized was there, just like my experience with Gladiator (now I find it hard to believe that that was my first time to hear Stairway, but I never listened to any classic rock radio station before). I kept borrowing albums from my friend, and finding stuff on my own also. One day, I ran across a band called YES, and thought I'd heard the best musicians in my life. From there on, I really got into bands like Genesis, Yes, and Rush. Rush, especially the drummer, Neil Peart gave me a real desire to practice drum set. I had always "played", but never really listened to much music, so I never knew what I was supposed to sound like. Neil Peart started me actually practicing drum set. When I learned the song Tom Sawyer, and made it all the way through, the feeling was indescribable, and a thousand times more fulfilling than beating an intense video game (at least in my experience). It is interesting now that I hardly ever listen to Rush, because I don't find the rest of the music other than the drumming THAT intriguing, although I still have a lot of respect for them, and enjoy them from time to time.
Then came Dream Theater. I remember being sick and home from school one day, and stumbling onto them. I just remember thinking, "Wow, that song was really long and complex". I liked it, but it was a little much for me at the moment. A couple months later, I came back to them, and was really impressed by how melodic yet complex the music was. As time went on, I really looked into their back-catalogue, and traced their evolution as a band. I was stunned by each musician in the band, and said to myself "These are like all the best musicians ever all in one band". After a while, I realized that was the general consensus of their fans also. One day, I sat down at my drum set, and tried to play through one of their songs. Of course, it was impossible, so this lead to about 3 hour practice sessions every day in the summer after my Sophomore year on drum-set, which made me into a decent drummer for my band. Over time, I've only come to appreciate Dream Theater more. When I first listened to them, I didn't appreciate how emotional their guitarist, John Petrucci could be at times, but now listening to his slow, emotionally drenched solos in The Spirit Carries On, Hollow Years, and Lines in the Sand, it's very hard to keep from getting goosebumps.
The good musicianship in Dream Theater has lead me to look for less complex modern music to balance with their complex music and I've found some great stuff like Norah Jones, Sarah McLachlan, John Mayer (mostly the new bluesy John Mayer), and some of Jason Mraz's stuff, along with some Country music like Allison Krauss and Union Station, and Brad Paisley, and Jazz like Dianna Krall, and Chick Corea.
The two bands that have had the biggest influence on me and are definitely my favorites are The Beatles, and Dream Theater. The Beatles for their innovation, melodies, and the sheer joy you can feel with their music, and Dream Theater for their ability to balance melody, and complexity so well.
When I was in the sixth grade, I made some friends that watched a lot of movies. Some of them were excellent films, some of them were pretty awful, but they were nonetheless, films. In that year, a film came along called Gladiator. I loved it, and watched it more than a couple times. Then, for Christmas, I got the special edition DVD of Gladiator. When I got it, I didn't really think that much of it. It looked pretty cool, with some special features that might be kind of interesting. At one point,when I was in the audio options, I saw something called Commentary by Director Ridley Scott. So I hit it, and let it play. WOW!! From the moment that the commentary started, I sat absolutely immersed in everything the director, Ridley Scott, was saying. I never thought about all that went into making a film. The script, the cinematography, the acting, and direction... I listened to that commentary probably about five or six times. Gladiator was my gateway film. It catapulted me into an obsession with film up until my freshman year when music kind of took film's place. Every weekend, I would go see a film in the theater with some friends, but then I would also rent two films from blockbuster. I discovered the website Rottentomatoes.com, and lurked in the forums reading everything I could about classic films, and modern masterpieces. I searched for everything I could find that Ridley Scott directed, and fell in love with his visual style...it fascinated me how every shot in his films seemed to be filled with steam, or fog, or interesting lighting. I then moved onto Scorsese, and fell in love with practically everything the man directed (except Taxi driver surprisingly), and found that Goodfellas was probably my favorite film. I still have a lot of interest in film, and am currently trying to come up with a best-of list for 2006. Once I see a couple more films, and decide whether David Lynch's Inland Empire was brilliant, or a piece of crap, I should have a complete list.
My love of music started in my freshman year at Lake I believe. I remember coming back from a school trip, and sitting with my friend who was a film buff like me, but also a huge music connoisseur. I didn't really listen to any music at all. I tried. I tried to get into the Christian music that everyone at my old school, Lake Center Christian was into, and said I should listen to but nothing was clicking. Then my friend on that bus trip, let me listen to some of The Beatles #1 album. I always liked what I heard by them, but I never realized how consistently melodic, and catchy their songs were. Then he let me listen to some of Led Zeppelin IV, with Stairway to Heaven, Black Dog, and Rock and Roll on it. He explained to me a little bit the significance of Stairway to Heaven, and it was like my eyes were being opened to a whole new world that I never realized was there, just like my experience with Gladiator (now I find it hard to believe that that was my first time to hear Stairway, but I never listened to any classic rock radio station before). I kept borrowing albums from my friend, and finding stuff on my own also. One day, I ran across a band called YES, and thought I'd heard the best musicians in my life. From there on, I really got into bands like Genesis, Yes, and Rush. Rush, especially the drummer, Neil Peart gave me a real desire to practice drum set. I had always "played", but never really listened to much music, so I never knew what I was supposed to sound like. Neil Peart started me actually practicing drum set. When I learned the song Tom Sawyer, and made it all the way through, the feeling was indescribable, and a thousand times more fulfilling than beating an intense video game (at least in my experience). It is interesting now that I hardly ever listen to Rush, because I don't find the rest of the music other than the drumming THAT intriguing, although I still have a lot of respect for them, and enjoy them from time to time.
Then came Dream Theater. I remember being sick and home from school one day, and stumbling onto them. I just remember thinking, "Wow, that song was really long and complex". I liked it, but it was a little much for me at the moment. A couple months later, I came back to them, and was really impressed by how melodic yet complex the music was. As time went on, I really looked into their back-catalogue, and traced their evolution as a band. I was stunned by each musician in the band, and said to myself "These are like all the best musicians ever all in one band". After a while, I realized that was the general consensus of their fans also. One day, I sat down at my drum set, and tried to play through one of their songs. Of course, it was impossible, so this lead to about 3 hour practice sessions every day in the summer after my Sophomore year on drum-set, which made me into a decent drummer for my band. Over time, I've only come to appreciate Dream Theater more. When I first listened to them, I didn't appreciate how emotional their guitarist, John Petrucci could be at times, but now listening to his slow, emotionally drenched solos in The Spirit Carries On, Hollow Years, and Lines in the Sand, it's very hard to keep from getting goosebumps.
The good musicianship in Dream Theater has lead me to look for less complex modern music to balance with their complex music and I've found some great stuff like Norah Jones, Sarah McLachlan, John Mayer (mostly the new bluesy John Mayer), and some of Jason Mraz's stuff, along with some Country music like Allison Krauss and Union Station, and Brad Paisley, and Jazz like Dianna Krall, and Chick Corea.
The two bands that have had the biggest influence on me and are definitely my favorites are The Beatles, and Dream Theater. The Beatles for their innovation, melodies, and the sheer joy you can feel with their music, and Dream Theater for their ability to balance melody, and complexity so well.
Affinity Groups I am and am not a part of inside the Semiotic domain of musicians!
I would consider myself in the semiotic domain of musicians. I fit into some affinity groups in this semiotic domain, while I do not fit into others.
I think I fit into this particular semiotic domain because I play drum set, and a little guitar.
I know most of the lingo or what is technically labeled as design grammar associated with being a drummer like flams, ruffs, pataflaflas, and swiss triplets for snare, and different grooves like the nanigo, samba, merenge, mambo, cha-cha and others for drum set, along with understanding different time signatures like 9/8, 19/16, 7/8 and so on. So I could say I am part of the affinity group of snare drummers that know something about and can play rudiments, which include ruffs, and flams and so on. I could also say I am a part of another drummer's affinity group that know some afro-cuban grooves, and how to play them. I could also say I am part of the jazz drummers affinity group because I can play jazz a little bit also, and could speak with some knowledge about it. First and foremost, I would consider myself part of the progressive metal drummers affinity group, because I know and can perform most of the drumming ideas within this affinity group and talk about different aspects of the affinity group proficiently, and it is the style, other than pop, that I am most comfortable playing, and know the most about. With the previous affinity groups mentioned, I am somewhat of a newcomer, but still inside the affinity group because I know some of the design grammer, and I have experimented with the styles, and established norms of what I believe constitutes mastery of the styles. I've also discussed these norms with other drummers in these affinity groups. A drummer's affinity group that I don't fit in at the moment would be brush players, because I really don't know how to play with brushes, and I don't know what constitutes mastery of such a style, nor do I know any of the design grammar associated with playing with brushes.
For guitar, I am only part of one affinity group, but still not a very assimilated member into that affinity group. That group would be guitar players that know how to play chords and only chords. I fit in this affinity group with other guys like Damien Rice, Bob Dylan, the guys from Dashboard Confessional, and possibly Simon and Garfunklel, and the Everly Brothers. I could have a fairly animated conversation with these guys about chords, but when they start talking about how put the chords into a killer chord progression, and sing catchy melodies over the chords, I could barely join in. An affinity group that I have been trying to enter recently would be that of pentatonic lead players. I am not in the affinity group though because I can't play pentatonic leads...I can just try and not succeed. So if Stevie Ray Vaughn, John Mayer, B.B. King, or Buddy Guy tried to jam with me, and talk with me about playing the blues (i.e. pentatonic lead playing), and discuss how it took them years of experimenting before finding their tone, and being able to play emotionally, I would definitely be a fish out of water. An affinity group that I have no part of whatsoever, and haven't even tried to enter yet would be that of the what I would call 50 Trick Pony (as opposed to 1 trick pony) affinity group. Guys like Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Phil Keaggy, Steve Morse, Neil Zaza, Richie Kotzen, Andy Timmons, Paul Gilbert, and others would be in this affinity group. They would be in this affinity group because they are proficient in just about every type of playing there is. If you were to ask them to play a blues jam like Stevie Ray, they could do it with ease, or write a great song in the vein of Bob Dylan, or Don Henley, they could. However they would also succeed at playing a Chopin etude on guitar with about 20 notes per second. If they were to sit down with me and talk about what constitutes mastery of sweep picking, and what notes involve a Bmaj7 arpeggio, I could politely nod, but that is about it. I don't know how I should even go about starting to play a Bmaj7 arpeggio on guitar...I've never experimented with it, so therefore, I haven't established any experiential knowledge of what constitutes mastery of such a crazy technique, or any of the other techniques that those guys can perform so well.
I think I fit into this particular semiotic domain because I play drum set, and a little guitar.
I know most of the lingo or what is technically labeled as design grammar associated with being a drummer like flams, ruffs, pataflaflas, and swiss triplets for snare, and different grooves like the nanigo, samba, merenge, mambo, cha-cha and others for drum set, along with understanding different time signatures like 9/8, 19/16, 7/8 and so on. So I could say I am part of the affinity group of snare drummers that know something about and can play rudiments, which include ruffs, and flams and so on. I could also say I am a part of another drummer's affinity group that know some afro-cuban grooves, and how to play them. I could also say I am part of the jazz drummers affinity group because I can play jazz a little bit also, and could speak with some knowledge about it. First and foremost, I would consider myself part of the progressive metal drummers affinity group, because I know and can perform most of the drumming ideas within this affinity group and talk about different aspects of the affinity group proficiently, and it is the style, other than pop, that I am most comfortable playing, and know the most about. With the previous affinity groups mentioned, I am somewhat of a newcomer, but still inside the affinity group because I know some of the design grammer, and I have experimented with the styles, and established norms of what I believe constitutes mastery of the styles. I've also discussed these norms with other drummers in these affinity groups. A drummer's affinity group that I don't fit in at the moment would be brush players, because I really don't know how to play with brushes, and I don't know what constitutes mastery of such a style, nor do I know any of the design grammar associated with playing with brushes.
For guitar, I am only part of one affinity group, but still not a very assimilated member into that affinity group. That group would be guitar players that know how to play chords and only chords. I fit in this affinity group with other guys like Damien Rice, Bob Dylan, the guys from Dashboard Confessional, and possibly Simon and Garfunklel, and the Everly Brothers. I could have a fairly animated conversation with these guys about chords, but when they start talking about how put the chords into a killer chord progression, and sing catchy melodies over the chords, I could barely join in. An affinity group that I have been trying to enter recently would be that of pentatonic lead players. I am not in the affinity group though because I can't play pentatonic leads...I can just try and not succeed. So if Stevie Ray Vaughn, John Mayer, B.B. King, or Buddy Guy tried to jam with me, and talk with me about playing the blues (i.e. pentatonic lead playing), and discuss how it took them years of experimenting before finding their tone, and being able to play emotionally, I would definitely be a fish out of water. An affinity group that I have no part of whatsoever, and haven't even tried to enter yet would be that of the what I would call 50 Trick Pony (as opposed to 1 trick pony) affinity group. Guys like Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Phil Keaggy, Steve Morse, Neil Zaza, Richie Kotzen, Andy Timmons, Paul Gilbert, and others would be in this affinity group. They would be in this affinity group because they are proficient in just about every type of playing there is. If you were to ask them to play a blues jam like Stevie Ray, they could do it with ease, or write a great song in the vein of Bob Dylan, or Don Henley, they could. However they would also succeed at playing a Chopin etude on guitar with about 20 notes per second. If they were to sit down with me and talk about what constitutes mastery of sweep picking, and what notes involve a Bmaj7 arpeggio, I could politely nod, but that is about it. I don't know how I should even go about starting to play a Bmaj7 arpeggio on guitar...I've never experimented with it, so therefore, I haven't established any experiential knowledge of what constitutes mastery of such a crazy technique, or any of the other techniques that those guys can perform so well.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Blog 4
Hello. Well...being someone that likes to pick things that are less mainstream, I tried as best as I could to avoid using Star Wars as a media text, but I couldn't resist.
Star Wars is basically a combination of a bunch of different myths and stories from different time periods all put together. It has been a while since I have seen the films, but Luke Skywalker, the main character at least for the first film (or 4th episode) grew up on a desert planet called Tatooine unaware of his importance in the big scheme of things. He eventually meets Ben Kenobi, which takes him to an academy. He eventually ends up destroying the Death Star, which was the evil Empire's planet sized base.
The myths I will be applying:
1. Wisdom of the Rustic-An older uneducated man, looked down on by society helps the hero overcome his or her biggest obstacle.
2. Coming of Messiah- A society hopes for the return of its messiah.
3. Eternal Return-A return to the way a community was before. A return to a community's prime.
The Wisdom of the Rustic fits into Star Wars wonderfully. In Episode 4, Ben Kenobi is the guy that no one trusts, and writes off as a loony. Luke is warned by his uncle about ever getting involved with Ben Kenobi. Kenobi is in fact called a hermit. But he ends up being the man that propels Luke into his role as a hero. Luke discovered the force through Kenobi, which helped Luke through almost every obstacle that he faced in the rest of the trilogy.
Luke Skywalker is looked upon as the Messiah in Star Wars. There are even prophecies that many characters in the film thought Luke fulfilled. Someone was supposed to rise up and bring balance to the force, and Luke was seen as this individual.
The members of the rebellion that are against the evil empire all hoped for an eternal return to the way things were before in the galaxy...before the rebellion, and before Annikan Skywalker became Darth Vader. They were hoping that someone like Luke could help restore what was lost years ago, and bring peace to the galaxy by getting rid of the members of the Empire and all that submit to Emperor Palpipatine.
Star Wars, is, of course, set in a Galaxy far far away, so the general idea of all these myths is changed somewhat from how they are usually perceived. But in another way, each myth mentioned is magnified. Ben Kenobi isn't from a hut out in the desert, he's from a hut-type home in a desert planet! Luke isn't supposed to save just a community, but the entire galaxy! And of course, the eternal return isn't supposed to make one small society or community turn back to its old ways, but lots and lots of planets return to their old ways!
Star Wars is basically a combination of a bunch of different myths and stories from different time periods all put together. It has been a while since I have seen the films, but Luke Skywalker, the main character at least for the first film (or 4th episode) grew up on a desert planet called Tatooine unaware of his importance in the big scheme of things. He eventually meets Ben Kenobi, which takes him to an academy. He eventually ends up destroying the Death Star, which was the evil Empire's planet sized base.
The myths I will be applying:
1. Wisdom of the Rustic-An older uneducated man, looked down on by society helps the hero overcome his or her biggest obstacle.
2. Coming of Messiah- A society hopes for the return of its messiah.
3. Eternal Return-A return to the way a community was before. A return to a community's prime.
The Wisdom of the Rustic fits into Star Wars wonderfully. In Episode 4, Ben Kenobi is the guy that no one trusts, and writes off as a loony. Luke is warned by his uncle about ever getting involved with Ben Kenobi. Kenobi is in fact called a hermit. But he ends up being the man that propels Luke into his role as a hero. Luke discovered the force through Kenobi, which helped Luke through almost every obstacle that he faced in the rest of the trilogy.
Luke Skywalker is looked upon as the Messiah in Star Wars. There are even prophecies that many characters in the film thought Luke fulfilled. Someone was supposed to rise up and bring balance to the force, and Luke was seen as this individual.
The members of the rebellion that are against the evil empire all hoped for an eternal return to the way things were before in the galaxy...before the rebellion, and before Annikan Skywalker became Darth Vader. They were hoping that someone like Luke could help restore what was lost years ago, and bring peace to the galaxy by getting rid of the members of the Empire and all that submit to Emperor Palpipatine.
Star Wars, is, of course, set in a Galaxy far far away, so the general idea of all these myths is changed somewhat from how they are usually perceived. But in another way, each myth mentioned is magnified. Ben Kenobi isn't from a hut out in the desert, he's from a hut-type home in a desert planet! Luke isn't supposed to save just a community, but the entire galaxy! And of course, the eternal return isn't supposed to make one small society or community turn back to its old ways, but lots and lots of planets return to their old ways!
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