My Last Blog Post... For Now

So as the assignment for this blog comes to an end, my hope is that anyone who has read any of my posts has gotten something useful out of it such as being exposed to a new artist, has a new found inspiration to pick up a new instrument, re-learn an old instrument, or finding a desire to keep up with new music. If you want to keep reading a serious music blog, here is one. If you wish to find a new instrument, go here, or here. The gift of music is great for the holidays and I personally always love receiving itunes gift cards. If you are interested in the some of the music that I most fancy, some of my favorite artists are Incubus, Thrice, Chanticleer, Ingrid Michaelson, Reel Big Fish, William Fitzsimmons, Building Rome in a Day, B.B. King, Jaco Pastorius, Emarosa, Dance Gavin Dance, Tupac, Half Past Two, The Devil Wears Prada, Ballyhoo, Iration, A Static Lullaby, and Phinehas. Music is an art and everyone has their opinion. Start listening to music that you would not on a normal basis. Start making opinions on it and treat it like the beauty that it is. I am not sure whether or not I will be blogging anymore in the future, but it was fun. For the last time for now...
Happy Listening
-Emilio

What to look for in an electric guitar part 2

Because most of a guitar is its body, most of the time made of wood, this is what affects the sound most. The density, thickness, and other factors play a role in how the wood will sound. Some major woods used on guitars are mahogany, maple, rosewood, alder, basswood, ebony, and many others. To give a few examples, basswood will have a sound that is smooth on the top end, but a little soft on the low end. In an alder body, the highs and lows are somewhat more pronounced, so the mid range is a little pulled back in the sound. Mahogany has very pronounced high and lows and has a thicker sound. For the fretboard, rosewood is most common and has a full sound. For more on guitar woods, go here. Lastly, the bridge of a guitar will affect it greatly. A fixed bridge will resonate with the body of a guitar more, where as a guitar with a tremolo will not. Basically, the more contact that the strings have with the guitar, the more the sound will resonate. Now that you know what some of the differences are, compare some of the higher end guitars with the guitars in your price range. Pick one that sounds as close as possible to you, is comfortable to play, and that you think looks good. Have fun with it and enjoy your new instrument!

 Happy Listening/ Playing
-Emilio

What to look for in an electric guitar part 1

So when I bought my first electric guitar, I didn't really know what to look for so here are some tips to help someone who is looking. If you are looking for a guitar that is less expensive than all of the guitars that cost thousands of dollars, first start trying out all of the expensive guitars. Now I understand that you probably do not know how to play guitar very well, but it is good to at least learn a few chords or how to play a few songs before you buy a guitar so you are able to test them. Now once you start picking up the very expensive guitars, always plug into the same amp so the guitars are the only variable. Notice how heavy the guitar is, the workmanship in the quality of the neck, the fretboard, the finish, what it has to offer in terms of electronics, etc. Some main components that are going to have an effect on the sound are the pickups, the bridge, and the woods that make up the guitar.  If you are not familiar with some of these terms, click here to get a better idea. Single coil pickups have a thinner sound and tend to give out a little bit of "buzz". Humbuckers cancel the buzz and have a thicker sound. P-90 pickups buzz a little and have a unique sound. These are the three main types of pickups but there are many out there. A popular guitar with singe coils is the Fender Stratocaster. A popular guitar with humbuckers is the Gibson Les Paul. These two guitars sound very different and besides the pickups, this is caused by the different bridge and woods. These components though, will have to wait until next time. To be continued...

Happy Listening

-Emilio

Music all Around You

There is music happening all around us. Just at Cal State Long Beach, there is a ton of music going on all the time. There are concerts of popular music to look for near the University Student Unions on some days. I have found that these concerts are mostly on Wednesdays and the bands are usually pretty good. In the music department, there are concerts going on almost every weekend. The Carpenter Center has events every weekend and include other forms of art other than music as well. There are student events on most weekends too; especially with that it is now recital season. This means that a lot of music majors are required to put on recitals. They are free so this is a great chance to get to know some fellow students and support your peers. This Saturday, there is a fusion concert that includes both the dance and music department which should be interesting. Lastly, this Saturday night is the vocal jazz concert which features Pacific Standard Time and Jazz n' Tonic. Both these groups are really great this year and this is not a concert to miss. Most events can be found on the bulletin boards in the music department. Along with the opera scenes, the art shows, and the dance concerts, there is so much art being showcased at your school and it's a waste to miss it. Go check some out and explore a little more of what your college has to offer. 

Happy Listening

-Emilio

Music of Today

A lot of contemporary music is a lot different than it used to be. A few hundred years ago, there were no electronic recording devices and not really any recording devices like what we have today. There were the performers and instruments, which were all acoustic. Now, there are electronics involved like electric guitars, electric basses, large speakers, and computers. It just goes to show how times have changed. Now, performers don't necessarily have to spend years perfecting a certain instrument, but can be good with a computer and recreate sounds of all sorts of instruments. I don't hate how music has changed, because there are more jobs in the music industry now, such as recording engineers, sound technicians, and producers. Recording engineers take care of jobs like setting up microphones and mixing and mastering music to sound its best on a recording. Sound technicians work more with live performances and set up microphones and monitors to represent the best sound of what is coming out of the performers. Lastly, producers help artists to make songs flow more smoothly, and help artists with their creative difficulties. The new jobs and new technology of music today compared to the past make me wonder how music will be different in the future. My one hope is that the integrity of performers isn't lost. By this I mean that I hope that those artists who put in thousands of hours into practicing and dedicating so much time to their art isn't lost.
Happy Listening
-Emilio

Funk

Maybe it is no longer the middle to late twentieth century, but that does not mean people can't be groovy. I'm not just talking about the groovy clothes or style, but the music. I mean funk and disco. Today, though, I will be focusing on funk. To me, the best part of funk is that it includes a ton of syncopated rhythms with a bunch of instruments to combine into one groove. A lot of funk is about the feel of the music, like jazz and blues, but is also aimed to allow people to move and dance. Jazz and blues, along with genres like soul and r&b somewhat made funk. Unlike those genres though, various instruments don't lay the foundation in funk. Like I said, funk focuses on the groove. This means that the drums and bass play a major role in the music. A lot of funk bands have a horn section, which might consist of instruments like trumpet, trombone, and saxophone. There are tons of funk groups out there, but some of my favorites include James Brown and Tower of Power. My dad, who lived through the funk age was the person who introduced me to funk music and it has affected how I hear music. He has taken me to various funk concerts and I always had a great time. It is a shame to let that music style die as it has taken the backseat in the music scene so have a listen and get your groove on.

Happy Listening

-Emilio

Sound Effects

The effects of sound and music are quite interesting. It is obvious that sound travels through air, liquid and even solid substances. People do not often think, though, about how sound travel through bodies as well. Music has the power to effect how we feel, our attitudes and so much more. Some sounds can put people to sleep. Some help with meditation. Others helps to jolt the nerves and alert people. It is also obvious that music can affect peoples' emotions. There are even careers that aid people by means of music. According to musictherapy.org, "Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program." It's a fun experiment to try to pay attention to what you are listening to and how it affects you. I've found that some of the hard core and metal music that I listen to gets me easily angry or in an on edge mood, and that some of the soft acoustic music can help settle me down. A fire siren puts my body on alert and birds chirping is calming to wake up to. There have even been studies done as to how the tempo and key affect certain parts of one's body. It just amazes me that there is so much depth to sound and that it can have such an effect on people.
Happy Listening
-Emilio

I've got the blues!

Actually, I really don't, but the blues is where a lot of my early inspiration came from. When I started seriously learning guitar, I started off with blues lessons and had a ton of fun with them. I learned some basic chords, a few scales, and I was on my way. Most blues songs are written in the one, four, five chord progression so it's not that hard, technically speaking, of a style to play, but it's more about the feeling. Historically, blues came from a combination of styles including jazz, country, spirituals, etc. and was mostly played by African Americans releasing their emotions, telling stories, or just for entertainment in the early 20th century. The feeling put into it before still holds true today. The first concert that I ever went to was a blues festival with the main act being, B.B. King. He is a blues legend and my favorite blues artist. Blues music also started another style of music called rock n' roll which has transformed into so many styles today. I would suggest listening to blues when you're feeling down or just need some music to relax to. It's not too complicated and it is very likely to convey its feeling to you. I will always play blues music and have it to fall back on in both hard and good times.
Happy Listening
-Emilio

Versatility

One part of musical groups that I really admire is their versatility. From my last blog, it should be known that that is one of the main reasons that I admire Chanticleer so much. There are also more popular bands that I admire for that reason as well though. Two main groups that are versatile are Incubus and Thrice. Now many people really dislike when bands write an album that is different from their last. They either love their old work and can't get used to their new music, or like their new music and think their old music is junk. I try to be open to both. I think it's great when bands mature as individuals and as musicians and create new sounds. Incubus started out as somewhat of a funk metal band and now they are considered alternative. Thrice started out as a post hardcore group and now they are somewhat experimental. One of the great things about Incubus is that they have written all styles of music in between their first songs to now. Some of their songs include jazz, funk, rock, hip hop, and experimental styles. One of the music works that I praise Thrice for most is called The Alchemy Index. It is a large album that includes 6 songs that represent each element: earth, air, fire, and water. This album was well written and well put together and it is easily apparent which songs represent which element. It is versatility like that this that inspire me to push myself and not put limits on what I strive for musically. If you like an artist, do a little research and see how they started out or find some of their earliest songs. You may be surprised as to what you find.
Happy Listening
-Emilio

My favorite example!

As a continuation of my last blog, I will now give my favorite example of an ensemble who demonstrates correct singing very well. They are called Chanticleer. They are an all male professional ensemble and one of the only full time professional classical vocal ensembles in the United States. Now I may be biased when it comes to saying that they are the best, because they were one of the first ensembles I heard about when I started singing. That being said, they are the best! They sing the full range, meaning bass to soprano, with some of their singers being countertenors, or men who sing in the female range. Some of my favorite works by them include Ave Maria, Agnus Dei, and Summertime. I think to me, what makes them so great is their ability to make such a unified sound and their versatility. They are known for their renaissance music, but can just as easily perform contemporary, jazz music, or anything style possible. There are so many talented singers in the performing world, but their keen ability to listen and adapt to one another is superb. My high school choir had the privilege of performing with them last year at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco and I have watched them at Walt Disney Concert Hall. It is my biggest goals to be part of the ensemble at some point. I plan to audition for the group in ten years. If anyone is looking for a solid vocal ensemble, this is the group I would recommend.

Happy Listening

-Emilio

Sing!

Being that I am a vocal performance major, I think it is time that I write a blog or two about singing. In this blog, I will explain a little of the basics involved in singing and give some examples of artists that I look up to in my field. So, to start off, there are four main vocal classifications. These are bass and tenor for men, and alto and soprano for women. These four classifications can be broken down further into categories like baritone, bass 1 or 2, tenor 1 or 2, mezzo-soprano, coloratura soprano, counter tenor, and many more. These ranges give people an idea of how high or low that singer can sing comfortably and what notes sound best for them. I am a tenor, but voices can changes so I may be a different classification in a few years. For someone to produce sound, air moves through their vocal cords, which lie in the larynx at the top of the trachea and vibrate with air. The air then bounces off parts such as the skull and nasal bones to become amplified. This air comes from inhalation into the lungs. Breathing is a very important part of singing and has to be constantly worked on to train muscles such as the intercostal muscles which lie between the ribs. These muscles help to allow the diaphram to give the right amount of air needed for what is being sung. Putting all of this together with the relaxation of most of the rest of the body is what allows one to sing. In the next blog, I will give examples of performers who do all of this well. To be continued...
-Emilio

Learn a New Instrument

One of the most fun acts that I can think of is learning a new instrument. I grew up around instruments because my father is a musician, but I think I would have been drawn to music regardless. Whether someone is young or old, he/she can always learn an instrument. At first it is usually difficult to do much of anything on a new instrument such as playing a full chord on guitar or playing a consistent pitch on trumpet, but slowly, that changes. One part of it that I have found very important is reading music. I have always heard that it is good to do, but there are many ways of getting around it such reading tabs for guitar. The good thing about reading music though is that it is a universal language. You have to keep up with it to maintain it, but it is the same around the world. I see reading music on each instrument as a different dialect of that language. Learning a new instrument is also good for you. This link discusses many of the benefits of learning an instrument, but some include keeping the mind alert, stress relief, and improving memory. So if you've ever had an itch to try out guitar, piano, saxophone, cello, or any other instrument, turn the television off and give it a shot. It's fun and good for you!
-Emilio

More New Music!

Ok so my last few posts have all been about discovering new music and this one will follow suit. I know that many people like certain styles of music but I've found that it's mostly because they do not open up to new music. I'm not asking you to like all music, but I'm just hoping you give it a shot. Some of these artists, you may already know, but for the one's you don't, give them a listen. I used to be in a Ska band and it was tons of fun. It's not the most sophisticated music, but will get your mood up and will keep the good times rolling. Imagine fast reggae mixed with punk. Some popular ska bands include Reel Big Fish, Streetlight Manifesto, and The Supervillians. Some new school reggae includes Rebelution, Iration, and Tomorrow's Bad Seeds. This new school reggae is a little more pop and rock than the older stuff, but it will still get you chilling and makes for some good beach music. Lastly, I will give out some bands that are what I like to call pop-folk. A lot of it is sad, but sometimes that's just was I need. It's pretty bare music being that it usually relies mostly on acoustic guitar, piano, and vocals. Some artists include my girlfriend's personal favorite, Ingrid Michaelson, Willaim Fitzsimmons, and City and Colour. Well I hope this gives you something new to listen to.
Happy Listening
-Emilio

Different Types of Musical Works 1

To me, what really makes or breaks a movie is the music. I have seen a lot of movies that are complete junk, but there is a great score and the movie is labeled as "good". I have also seen many good movies with horrible scores, and the movie is never praised for the work that it is. So many times, I find that people get too into one type of music or one type of album. It's a shame because there is so much out there. In terms of albums, there are first of all different kinds of albums. Movie soundtracks may be compilations of songs from different albums used in a certain movie or could be an album written for that specific movie. These are a good way to get a good playlist and to hear new artists. There are also the soundtracks from musical theater productions. For other types of movies, there are  musical scores. One famous composer for many popular movies is named John Williams. If you go to the link, you will find many movies that you have watched and realize that you have heard a lot of his work without even realizing it. You may find that you love or hate his work, but either way, at least you have opened up to something new.
-Emilio Tello

How to find new music! 2

Alright, so now that I've gotten all the old fashion ways of finding music out of the way, it's time to discuss some ways more suited to today's age. There is so much music on the internet, from signed bands with professionally produced albums to people making beats on their computers at home. Some ways to find new artists or find a certain song that you are looking for are myspace, purevolume, music.com, yahoo, and my favorite: PANDORA. If you don't already know about pandora or how to use it, I would highly recommend it. It's a website that let's you create your own radio station. You choose a song, artist, or album that you like and pandora builds a station with similar songs. It is a little more advanced than a normal radio with features such as being able to give songs a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" so it can better customize the station to what you like, and being able to pause and skip to the next song. It is far better than most other radios, as there is no limit to what style of music you hear. From there, you can search for the music you like on Limewire, or for a way safer for your computer and a way that gives artists credit for their work, I prefer itunes. Even just on itunes, you are able to see lists of music such as the most downloaded songs or albums of the day. Well I hope this helps people find some of the great work being done out there.

Happy Listening!

-Emilio

How to find new music!

So one part about music that I love so much is that there is so much of it. There are concerts going on all the time, either at small coffee shops in the area or at big venues around the world. To me, it is a great experience going out to see one of my favorite artists to find a new artist that I really enjoy, as one of their opening acts. Check local coffee shops, music stores, creperies, etc. to see if they host live music on weekend nights. Ticketmaster and Live Nation are great places to start for bigger venues and bigger artists. Also, signing up with sights like Goldstar sends you emails that give codes to extremely discounted tickets for upcoming shows. There are also many other ways of finding new music. One which used to be more popular was music stores. Back when cassettes and compact discs used to be the norm, you could go into a store to buy a new album and find many cd players demoing other new music. I would always spend a lot more than I planned to whenever I went to places such as tower records. One great music store that I still love to go to is Amoeba Music. If you have never been, I would definitely recommend checking one out because the one in Los Angeles has the biggest physical music library I know, and I'm sure the others would not disappoint. Now I know I have not even begun to touch on the main ways of instantly obtaining new tunes, but that will have to wait until next time. To be continued...
-Emilio

What is Music?

Music is something different to each person. It is something universal as well as individual. Sometimes I stop and think about pursuing a career in music and ask myself, "What are you doing?"There is not much concrete product to what I am doing and rarely does it ever make someone rich. Music for me is something else. It gives me a feeling inside that I cannot deny. Enjoying live music, creating music with others, or learning something in my music studies gives me such joy. It is there with me through anything that I am going through. This past week, the director of the vocal department at Long Beach was talking about this and said that as a choir, we give "meaningless sounds meaning." If my music gives someone the feeling that I get when I listen to others' music, then I am satisfied. For me, this is what it's all about. It's about making the world a more enjoyable place through sound. I don't know what my future holds, but something tells me I'm headed in the right direction. I may not succeed, but I will not live regretting the fact that I never tried. If anyone else feels this way about music or anything that they do, I encourage them to pursue it. In light of all this, I am giving a link to someone who I think exemplifies what I wrote about: Bob Marley- Jammin' (Live)
-Emilio

Music Intro

Hey everyone, my name is Emilio and this blog will be about all things music. For this particular one, I will give an overview of my musical background and then get into topics I would like to discuss in later blogs. I have always listened to music in one way or another. My father was a musician before I was born so there were always instruments around the house growing up. When I was eight years old, I tried playing guitar, but thought it was too complicated. During the summer, when I was nine, I began learning flute and had fun with it but stopped once school started again. I also had music class in fifth through eighth grade, but never paid much attention. When I was twelve though, I took up guitar again and fell in love with it. Since then, I have learned bass and started singing. My senior year of high school, I decided to join a chamber choir and take music appreciation class because music, in some way, is what I want to do with my future. I found a new passion in choral music and am now attending the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at Cal State Long Beach as a vocal performance major. Aside from the more classical style music, I have been in a few bands over the past years as well. I was in an alternative band for about eight months, a ska/raggae band for about eighteen months, and an indie band for a few months as well. Music for me is a way to express myself and is one of my gift. I listen to all kinds of music and within my blogging will discuss different genres, bands, artists, instruments, and anything else I find interesting about music. Feel free to argue, agree with, or comment on what I blog.

-Emilio