Episode 1 Summary:

• Amanda and Garrett introduce the podcast!
• Amanda and Garrett introduce themselves!
• Definition of melody
• Listening recommendations

Reach Out and Follow Us on Social Media!

• Instagram: @uptoyourearspodcast
• Twitter: @uptoyourears
• Gmail: [email protected]

0:00 - Introducing Up To Your Ears!

• Simplifying musical definitions so that everyone can speak easily about music

2:20 - Introductions to Hosts

• Amanda has her masters in percussion performance, teaches part time at the local university, and performs a lot locally (especially in pit orchestras)
• Garrett has a build a bear degree, a minor in music, and many hobbies.

4:25 - Additional Purposes of the Podcast

• Fight pretension
• Provide a resource to Amanda's students
• Educate listeners so that they feel welcome to try new musical genres

8:25 - Outline of Podcast Segments

• Define a term
• Make some listening recommendations
• Answer a question

9:00 - Defining Melody

• A series of single notes, one right after another
• The headliner, what you remember about the piece
• The part that you whistle/hum
• Rules about what makes a good one, what makes a difficult one to sing
• Melodies can be sung or played
• The part that has lyrics, if there are lyrics
• Melody usually sticks out more

11:35 - Melody Addiction

• Lots of styles are all about melody, but there's more to music than melody
• Hip hop is an example
• Spaceship controls example
• Pizza example

14:05 - Leonard Bernstein Classifications

• Pronouncing Bernstein's name
  • Article I Referenced
• Who is he??
• Concerts for Young People - What is a melody?
• Classifications: Tunes, Themes, Motives

17:10 - Tunes

• Longer, closed, made up of a few small phrases. What most people think of when they think of melody. They easily lend themselves to lyrics.
  • YMCA
  • I'm A Little Teapot
  • Mary Had a Little Lamb
  • Tunes are not necessarily always simple.

20:10 - Themes

• the next longest type and sound open-ended.
• John Williams examples
• Themes are medium long.
• Themes can be extended into tunes.
• Often around 6-10 notes… but that's not a rule
• They don't have a beginning, middle, end necessarily
• Darth Vader example
• Theme from Titanic example
• Indiana Jones example (around 24 minutes in)
• Unlike tunes, themes don't always lend themselves as easily to lyrics.

27:10 - Motives

• the smallest type of melodic material and very, very open to thematic development
• Dark Knight example (two note motive)
• Beethoven's 5th symphony (short-short-short long)

28:50 - If you find Classical music boring...

• We used to think so, too!
• You're not alone
• Something that will help is to expect to hear more themes and motives + development rather than tunes

31:40 - Melody recap

• Quick summary
• Lines that are melodic without being the melody of songs
• Billie Jean bass line example
• The shape of a melody is its contour
• The range of a melody is how high or how low it goes
• Close ranges are easier for everyday people to sing
• Examples: Mary Had A Little Lamb, Thrift Shop, I Will Always Love You, The Star-Spangled Banner, Danny Boy

36:45 - Conjunct vs Disjunct melodies

• A conjunct melody is more stepwise, so it's easier to sing.
• Disjunct hops around more and is more difficult to sing.
• Not every melody is meant to be easy to sing

38:40 - Listening Recommendations: Spotify Playlist for Episode 1

• Garrett's first pick: Aaron Copland's Fanfare For the Common Man (38:55)
• Amanda's first pick: Dvorak's 8th Symphony, first movement (41:40)
• Garrett's second pick: Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" (43:35)
• Amanda's second pick: the chorale section of "Jupiter" from Gustav Holst's suite, The Planets (45:40)
• Garrett's third pick: "Concerning Hobbits" from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack by Howard Shore (47:05)
• Amanda's third pick: Venus de Milo from "Birth of the Cool," performed by Miles Davis (tune written by Gerry Mulligan) (48:10)
• Garrett's honorable mention: What he thought was a selection from John Williams's score of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is actually "Leaving Hogwarts" from "Sorcerer's Stone" (50:25) Oops!
• Amanda's honorable mention: "Love of My Life" by Freddie Mercury of Queen (53:20)