Victor Wooten-Music as a Language

How is music like a language?
It is like learning a language. We learn to speak it and are fluent in it and enjoy it, before we learn the basis. We learn it perfectly before we learn the fundamentals. Music is something we should become fluent in before we start thinking so incredibly technically.

What do you think about Wooten's idea that music...
I like this idea. So many kids start playing instruments and end up hating it or wanting to quit. With language a child eventually has a sincere desire to be able to communicate and say what they want or express how they feel. If one uses this with music, the desire for playing will be much more about communication instead of the technique of it. I think it would work well, because it gives the person more of a want and a love for the instrument and almost an absolute need to learn it to be able to communicate rather than just learning it for the sake of knowing and instrument.

What could he mean by saying, "there are no wrong notes?"
I think he is talking about how people personally play music is their own voice. With language again, there are so many ways to pronounce things and none of them are wrong, it just matters how you learned. There are no wring notes because everything that is played is you getting better and learning what your own sound is.

Picture with Garage band song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u9ZxLFgNec

My picture is in Cape Coast, Ghana Africa. The first thing I think of when I think of Africa is drums. The fast beats and the hollow sounding drum instrument. When I went to Africa I was awoken every few nights in the early morning by the priest at the diocese playing his drums. I added the beach noises for obvious reasons. The waves are a constant purr throughout the day and you can hear them everywhere. The jazz/blues chords I added in represent me there in a sort of way. I came to Africa so unfamiliar with everything. When I got there, I was still me, but I learned to jive more in my own way with the people.

White Riot-The Clash

OBJECTIVE OBSERVATIONS - 

• What is the tempo?

It is 4/4 time. 

• What instruments do you hear? Or does it sound synthesizer/computer-generated?

The electric guitar and drums are most prominent, along with the vocals. 

• Is there a refrain/chorus or a repeating motif or melodic or rhythmic gesture?

It is very repetitive during the chorus, there seems to be almost no verses. 

• Does it sound composed or improvised?

It is definitely composed, because of the repetitiveness and how the instruments play together.  

SUBJECTIVE OBSERVATIONS -

• What is the song’s purpose?

The song's purpose is for fun and dancing. It is about giving people something to dance to that they can enjoy. 

• Does it remind me of anything or evoke any memories?

For some reason it reminds me of doing "the pony" over and over again. It has that back and forth sort of beat. 

• If you had to classify the genre or style, what would it be?

The genre is punk. The guitar sounding the way it does is very "punk" sounding. 

• Describe the tone of the singer(s) or main instrument(s)

The tone of the singer is loud and he does not move his range very much throughout the song. The instruments keep with the same rhythm basically the whole song. 

CONCLUSION -

• Do I like it? (yes/no/so-so/not sure…)

Yes! I like the song! I like how it is upbeat and just makes you want to dance. I would definitely listen to it in the car or sometime when I am getting excited about something or am happy. The repetitiveness does get a bit annoying, but it keeps the song catchy and easy to dance to because you definitely know what is coming next.

Who Is It?-Bjork

Objective Observations
1: Does it sound composed or improvised?
It sounds composed because of the specific beats compared to the singer.
2: If there are lyrics, what are they about?
She seems to be singing about letting herself go, especially from the things that have been holding her back, she seems angry.
3: What is the time signature?
I think it it is 4/4
4: What instruments do you hear?
A good amount of computer generated sounds that I don't know the names of.

Subjective Observations
1: What is the mood of the song? How does it make me feel?
It is very harsh and a bit dark. It makes me feel like there is something that needs to be done and nothing will get in the way.
2: Describe the tone of the singer?
She is very heavy and deep sounding. She sings with a very raw sound, she just lets out whatever she feels inside as she sings.
3: Does the song take you on a journey?
The song starts and ends with only instrumentals and I think it made almost a thought period before and after where the singer was thinking about what she was going to sing and what she had just sung. The song feels like thoughts of a person.
4: If you had to classify the genre or style?
I think it is more Indy pop because of the raw sounding voice of the singer, and the computerized sounds.

Conclusion 
Do I like it? Why or why not?
I can appreciate it, but I have never loved Bjork. I love the sound of her voice, but not the computerized instruments. The whole song feels so heavy and it doesn't leave me in a mood or emotion I enjoy.