Williamson, Vicky. "The Science Of Music - Why Do Songs In A Minor Key Sound Sad?" NME.COM. 13 Feb. 2013. IPC Media. 12 Jan. 2014 <http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/the-science-of-music-why-do-songs-in-a-minor-key-sound-sad>.
In this article on NME.com, music psychologist Dr. Vicky Williamson covers how the mood of music is often associated with the key it is in (minor for sad, major for happy). She explains that although this is a traditional model for songs, there are currently more songs that have minor keys that seem to promote happiness due to shifts in cultural influence and experience among groups of people. While giving an example such as R.E.M's song Losing My Religion in a major scale helps provide context for the connection between mood and key, the article seems to come up short. It creates a good starting point for an interesting discussion, but it could stand do provide more depth. Still worth a read however! In terms of my research, it isn't very helpful, but it makes me think about how something like key can go into how the clarity in which a message in story can be conveyed through song. My research question wasn't answered or supported in any way, but this could be a possible point I could explore to solidify my thesis.
"Old Man In Nursing Home Reacts To Hearing Music From His Era." YouTube. 07 Apr. 2012. YouTube. 12 Feb. 2014 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKDXuCE7LeQ>.
This youtube video featuring famous author and neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks shows a sweet old man named Henry listening to the great sounds and words of Cab Calloway and having it restore him to a vibrant and emotional state; an improvement from his previous quiet and gloomy one. Henry is able to describe vividly how the music makes him feel, and he is even able to recall the lyrics to his favorite Cab Calloway song. The video doesn't provide as much research and information as I would like it to; That being said, it gives a great example on how songs and the lyrics in them can have a pivotal role in a persons psyche (in this case Henry's because he was able to access his true personality through these lyrics), so it supports my thesis in a sort of indirect way. It's actually an incredible video, and it will definitely put a smile on your face!
"Making music videos 'helps young cancer patients cope'" BBC News. 26 Jan. 2014. BBC. 2 Feb. 2014 <http://www.bbc.com/news/health-25878958>.
This is an article written by BBC news describing an experiment where young cancer patients were instructed to write songs, write lyrics for those songs and then produce a music video. By the end of the experiment, it was reported by Sherri Robb, a music therapist involved with the experiment, that these patients felt better about themselves, and they're newfound connection they had made with each other through music made it easier to cope with having such a devastating illness. She said, "songs that are familiar to them are meaningful and make them feel connected." Despite the articles length, it creates a foundation for many questions that could support my thesis. Plus, it's a cool story that is inspiring, and gives hope about the benefits of music. This idea of being connected through songs that share a story is a critical idea, and will really carry my thinking in my research!
"Andrew Bird's one-man orchestra of the imagination." YouTube. 05 Nov. 2010. YouTube. 15 Feb. 2014 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrwaDlrXB6w>.
I find that most TED Talks that are musical performance based are pleasing to listen to for the sound, but usually lack some kind of message or reasoning behind an artists tone or style. However, Andrew Bird does quite the opposite in this talk, and his segments where he talks to the audience are very thought-provoking. Andrew Bird is a well known musician and composer who plays many instruments (specializing in the violin) and is known for his incredibly unique looping techniques that create a symphony of abstract sounds. This is done through a technique conveniently called looping, where a track is recorded and then repeated in order to be played over by another track. Andrew brings up a storytelling technique that is not a standard in music today; non-lyrical storytelling. He discusses in depth how he wants to "bridge this gap between this idea, and a melody" in order to share a story and thoughts that are easier to share through music than through lyrics. I think the video is powerful, and it is very easy to understand Andrew's view of non-lyrical storytelling once you listen to his piece. There is something incredibly stimulating about listening to a song and piecing together the sounds in your mind to build the story that you believe the artist is trying to tell. That being said, this video absolutely supports and adds depth to my research question and thesis in that storytelling without words adds a whole new layer into the big jambalaya that is my argument. This video is beautiful, and I absolutely recommend it to everyone!
"TEDxMidAtlantic - Tyler Cowen - 11/5/09." YouTube. 08 Nov. 2009. YouTube. 14 Feb. 2014 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoEEDKwzNBw>.
In this TED talk, economist Tyler Cowen breaks down how stories are a structural part of our lives, but what stories we decide to anchor ourselves to guide how we live our life; a concept which I find very intriguing. Cowen explores how people categorize their life by a different genre of storytelling, and how, interestingly enough, people who categorize their life as a mess or as chaos seem to be more content with themselves. According to Cowen, this chaos is beneficial because it doesn't allow the individual to latch on to a story and live their life by it, but instead it allows one to look at life as an eclectic pool of stories in which they can follow any story they please. Honestly, the talk starts out pretty badly because Cowen appears to seem very hypocritical. He is telling different stories about why stories are bad. Despite this, he is able to wrap up his thinking in a nutshell by the end of the presentation, so I definitely recommend watching the video the whole way through. This is an interesting source because it seems to serve both as support for my project as well as a counter-argument for my thesis. While he explains why relating to stories can have negative affects (somewhat the opposite of my thesis), he concludes that stories are a fundamental part of the psyche, and while we can not escape them, we can manipulate them to benefit our own lives. This idea will definitely play into how I convey my thesis.
"Chord Progression Part 2." Titanium 1033. 24 Nov. 2012. 17 Mar. 2014 <http://titanium1033.wordpress.com/2012/11/24/chord-progression-part-2-psychological-effects-of-chord-progression/>.
This article is from a blog about the neurological affects of unconventional chord progression in music. It explains how these non traditional chords grouped together can promote feelings that more traditional chords are not able to for a listener, and that they literally produce a reaction in the brain called an event related potential (ERP). This stimulation of the brain can even be based on the final chord of a chord progression, meaning that just changing the last chord in a song could entirely change the emotions that someone feels while listening to it. If you haven't read the other part of the blog, I recommend doing so because it can be a little confusing, but besides that the post contains some very professional information. The article doesn't quite support my project, but I can see how observing the emotional part of creating chord progressions could effect songwriting. Maybe being able to manipulate how a person feels through the music in a song could help them better understand the story behind lyrics in a song.