25 December 2007
Written by
Erik (
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Published on December 25th, 2007 @ 10:22:58 am, using 165 words, 87 views
To keep things clear ( [!] represents the latest post):
• General
o Introduction
• Music
o My Musical Taste
o My Personal Stuff
o How I Practice Composition
o Loudness
• Music Philosophy
o The Definition Of Music
o Song: Human Nature (Edgen)
o Music and Emotions (1)
o Music and Emotions (2)
• Personal
o Christmas
o Good Intentions for 2008
o Fiction Plane
o Mood-changing Power
o Enya
o Onwards and Upwards
• Philosophy
o The Key to a "Good" Life
o Make It Happen
o Religion
o Religion Part II
o The Impact of Dreams [!]
My blog is written in ascending order, the oldest posts first. This will make sure it can be read as a "book", instead as a reversed diary.
On the right side, in the upper parts of the side-bar, below my site's description, you'll find a hyperlink saying "next". This will take you to the next 10 items.
New posts will be added to the index, so it shouldn't be too hard to find them.
Have fun!
Erik
Written by
Erik (
)
Published on December 25th, 2007 @ 11:50:45 am, using 269 words, 307 views
Heej!
Welcome to my blog. First, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Erik van Schaik, an 18-year-old from the Netherlands. There are lots of things I can tell about myself, but that isn't very interesting. A few things are worth mentioning though. First of all, my English grammar sucks. If you have problems with lousy grammar, I advise you to stop reading right now (unless you're really interested =) ). Second, I've certain hobby's worth mentioning, most specifically music. Music is going to play a big role in this blog, and the music I'm aiming at is Film Music (think: Lord of the Rings, etc.).
What is the deal with this blog, why should I read this instead of others?
Hmm, simple question, simple answer. You should read this blog if you're:
A: Interested in music, especially film music, and you would like to know the thoughts of others considering this subject.
B: Interested in the philosophical aspect of music, and would like to discuss that with me.
C: Interested in my personal life (stalker!).
D: Having so much spare time that you read every other blog on the Internet already.
E: Having just a scarce interest in music, some part will be fun for you to read.
Ok, now the guidelines of this blog:
- You MUST post comments ;). If you've read some parts of my blog, I would love to hear you're thoughts and such. Just leave a comment, or drop a mail to erikvschaik -at- gmail -dot- com.
- That's about it, I haven't got the slightest idea when new posts will be written.
Have fun!
Erik
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Written by
Erik (
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Published on December 25th, 2007 @ 12:27:28 pm, using 543 words, 177 views
Ok, let's get it rolling than.
My musical taste
Well, I like "good" music. Which is a pretty obvious answer, since no one likes music that isn't good or beautiful to their ears. But what is "good" music in my case? I guess the easiest way to give you an idea is to sum up some of my favorite artists.
- Edgen (a.k.a Justin R. Durban, www.edgen.com)
- Martin O'Donnell (Halo soundtrack)
- Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings)
- Jeremy Soule (Oblivion etc.)
- Hans Zimmer (Gladiator etc.)
That are some of the artist that make "the same" music as I do (well, it's better to state that they make the music I want to make ;) ).
Here are some other artist that earned a place on my mp3.
- Linkin Park
- The Police/Sting
- Dire Straits
- Steely Dan
- Coldplay
- Enigma
These are just the main artists I listen to, loads of other great songs exist on this world (and don't forget, this is MY taste of music, not a general description of what is good and what is bad music).
So you can state my musical taste is a combination of Film Music, Classic Rock, and Nu-Metal.
But what is it really that attracts me in music?
I am a big, huge, gigantic fan of emotion in music, or a message. Film music has great emotive value, since it's main goal is to give the audience a certain feeling, to support the film, guide the film. Almost every emotion is present in film music, from love and hate, to pure sadness and euphoric moods. And the Halo soundtracks just rock =).
The message music can bring is another thing that attracts me. Sure, emotion is a message, but add a voice and you can translate the emotive message into words. The lyrics in Linkin Park and Coldplay songs are just awesome.
Now, you might think, why doesn't he like Bob Marley? He has a great message in his music.
To be honest, I absolutely love Bob Marley, and tons of other musician's, I just haven't mentioned them yet. There isn't much music that I hate, but I don't like listening to most hiphop (the "I am better than you", and "girls are bitches" stuff), but some hiphop (early Eminem, Fort Minor, Common) has earned a place in my heart. Other than that, Hardstyle and most dance music just lacks that emotive value and message, since the main goal is, that it is fit to dance to. For that, I don't like it, but that is, once again, personal.
Ok, enough for now, this is a brief explanation of my musical taste. If you find yourself interested, and want to know exactly what music I like, you can listen to the following songs:
Lost - Edgen (http://edgen.hostpaw.com/edgen_lost.mp3)
Human Nature - Edgen (http://edgen.hostpaw.com/edgen_human_nature.mp3)
Concerning Hobbits - Howard Shore
The Uruk-Hai - Howard Shore
Talk - Coldplay
Square One - Coldplay
The Hybrid Theory album from Linkin Park
Lose Yourself - Eminem
The Halo Soundtrack
Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits
That's it!
Have a Merry Christmas, and all the best for 2008!
Erik
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Written by
Erik (
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Published on December 25th, 2007 @ 04:33:28 pm, using 427 words, 155 views
As you might know, I compose music myself. I compose music for myself, not for anyone else (which might sound egocentric, but isn't). People say I'm good at loads of things, for example maths, science, philosophy, and well, stuff considering school, as well as sports. I personally don't think I'm gifted in anyway.
The fact that I'm good at school can be explained by the fact that I have a curious nature, I want to know stuff (I mean, I've read an entire encyclopedia at the age of 10, how many kids you know have done that ;) ). Another thing which helps me with school is the way I think. I rarely say to myself, "I can't do that". I, most of the time, prefer thinking "why shouldn't I be able to do that?" (this explains nWn, which is short for, "Nou, Waarom Niet?", which means "Well, Why Not?" in English). So, unless I find a good reason not to be able to do something, I think I can do it. For maths, if I don't understand something, I never think, "aw well, this is to hard for me". Instead, I figure others can do it, so I should be able to do it too.
This also reflects in sports. I do athletics, and unless I find a solid reason, there should be no one faster than me. If someone is faster, I'm not trying hard enough (which I don't do anyway ;) ). And, well, I can't stand losing =).
But what has this to do with my own music?
I know lots of things I am, but I'm not good at creative arts. I never had interests in arts (visual and audible), until some 4 years ago. The music I have made so far is uninspiring and easy, but I am confident that someday I will compose a song worthy, a song which I can play, listen to, and think "Eej, you made that!". That, to compose a song which makes me feel proud, is one of my goals in life.
Ok, enough talk for now, let's give you some examples of my songs:
- Acquire
- Background Choir
- Trombone Thingie
- Ice Worlds (one of my current projects)
What you obviously stated is, that besides the simplicity, all the songs are so short! This is one of the most frustrating things in music at this moment, I just can't finish them. But the deeper thoughts of that are for later, as we will dive into the madness of my mind.
It's still the 25th, so Merry Christmas!
Erik
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Written by
Erik (
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Published on December 25th, 2007 @ 05:12:17 pm, using 433 words, 122 views
If you're curious about composing, how to learn it, how I am learning it, or my method of learning, this article is for you. It will be a short guide of my approach to composing music (and remember, I am NOT a pro composer, and my methods will NOT be scientifically proved or anything, it just works for me).
First of all, you need to know what music is, and what elements it contains. I could write that down for you, but my friend Jeremy Sawruk has made this wonderful description of it, which you should read prior to this article. It's located here:
http://www.noteheadz.com/blog/?p=10
Ok, by now you should have a basic understanding of the changeable parameters in music: Sound, Form, Rhythm, Melody, and Harmony. Mastering these parameters will be hard work, but once achieved, you can compose any music you want.
I used to turn on the computer, open up my music software, and start playing notes on my keyboard. When I had inspiration, something worth saving would be the result, otherwise a waste of time. This method is outdated (for a week now ;) ).
My new learning method is way better I think. There are a few things that I'm doing now.
First of all, when inspiration strikes (which is rare), I start to compose whatever it feels like.
But than again, inspiration doesn't come easily, and for the 95% of the time I have no inspiration, I do exercises. My wonderful friend Jeremy thought me the musical parameters, and now I use them to analyze songs and scores of artists I like. For instance, last night I made a big study of a song called "The Great Eye", composed by Howard Shore. I will scan some of that in the future, so you can see what it looks like. This will give you information of every aspect, from the melody, to what sounds combined create what moods etc.
I also do exercises Jeremy is giving me, which range from "compose a melody for a violin", to "write down the ii - V - I chord progressions of A, G, Bb and C.
This will give you a solid understanding of music, and that is important. Great musician's exists, who have just a basic knowledge, or none at all, of the theory, but knowing what you're doing will help you remember what combinations give what sounds/moods. And that knowledge can be put into practice later on.
More detailed information will follow when the time is there.
Have fun!, and yet again, a Merry Christmas
Erik
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Written by
Erik (
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Published on December 25th, 2007 @ 07:51:06 pm, using 351 words, 107 views
I never read any philosophy's considering music, so if you have, I might repeat already known thoughts. The one's mentioned here are, however, my own.
Ok, I assume you have read my entire blog already ;), so I won't waste much time repeating myself. The first thing I would like to talk about, is the definition of music, by Jeremy Sawruk. He stated that "music is organized sound". Now, for a moment, think of that yourself. Open up your mind, and think of the possibility's that will fit that definition.
If music truly is organized sound, human speech, for instance, is music. You organize the sound to form words, and you will organize these words to form sentences. But, is human speech music? We can grab another definition of music, this time I'll use the Van Dale definition (Van Dale is a Dutch dictionary). It states: "Music is sound, produced by human voice or instruments, for the sake of the expression of emotions or beauty of that sound". If you take this definition as guideline, human speech can be music (think of singers, rappers), but a chat with your neighbor isn't (well, in fact, it can be, but only if you're expressing your emotions, and a simple 'bout the weather chat won't cut it).
So different people have different definitions, which makes this a personal subject. The important question here is, when will you describe a sound as music? Or maybe silence is music too, so a sound isn't needed anymore. For me, music is a sound, with or without silence's within it, which follows a certain rhythm. The next obvious question is, of course, what is rhythm? But that's a different parameter, and I'll try to tackle that in one of my next items.
Thinking of music, and everything related to that, beyond the obvious can open up new worlds for you. This isn't just limited to music, there are countless other situations where personal ideas are involved, and thinking of them in a broader picture can help you define your own ideas better.
Have a merry little christmas,
Erik
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26 December 2007
Written by
Erik (
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Published on December 26th, 2007 @ 12:07:29 pm, using 223 words, 121 views
Christmas, hmm, I think of food, trees, turkey, and, well, world peace. Christmas brings loads of good stuff, and only a few bad things (the cut-down of trees, the excesses of food consumed, and the complaining of those who think they're to fat). Christmas is a good thing, a thing to keep, even when religion fails.
Two days ago, I watched the news on television. Surprise caught me, when I heard that Muslims in Jordan wished all the Christians a merry Christmas. I am, however, not religious, so I felt excluded.
Joke :), I found myself filled with joy, that there are people, and leaders, willing to put a large amount of effort in preventing the West/Muslim war from escalating. Yet another point to keep Christmas.
Maybe we could improve Christmas even more. Instead of cutting down trees, we could plant them, and instead of consuming large amounts of food, we could donate some of that money to organizations that'll prepare a Christmas meal for the poor all around the world. This will improve the "Christmas Feeling", and consuming less food will result in fewer fat people complaining being fat (I know, I'm a genius =) )
Whatever...
*Ding-Dong*
Family's here, so I guess I have to go upstairs with the little ones, to help them with the Wii.
Merry Christmas to you!
Erik
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27 December 2007
Written by
Erik (
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Published on December 27th, 2007 @ 08:30:13 pm, using 636 words, 99 views
Once in a while I will grab a song I like, and tell you exactly what I like in it. This way it's not only becoming clear to you what I like, but it will also help me unveil the good.
For the first song, I chose Human Nature, from Edgen. I made this decision based on the fact that it is freely downloadable, so you should be able to listen to it as well (and that I am a huge fan of Justin ;) ). It's located here:
http://edgen.hostpaw.com/edgen_human_nature.mp3
As I mentioned earlier, songs ought to have a message within them. Justin (Edgen) gave a detailed description with his song, which I copied for you:
genre: Mood/Cello/Piano
It's in our nature to kill ourselves. It's in our nature to fall over the troubled hardships of life and it seems as though everyone has had a turn for the worst. It's in our nature to help those who are in time of need and it's in our nature to just as easily ignore them. It's in our nature to completely think only of ourselves.
All I can ask at the moment is.. "When? When will we start giving a ...."
This a sad tune for a sad and yet another depressing Friday.
Credits: justin r. durban
Cello Sample by Claire Fitch
As you obviously stated, the description is really depressing, and glows with despair. Play the song (if you haven't done that already), and you will probably feel a similar depression as mentioned in the description. I will try to delve a bit deeper in the song now, and tell you what exactly gave me that sad and hopeless feeling.
The first thing that you'll notice when listening to Human Nature, is the simple piano melody, which plays throughout the piece. Somehow, this melody alone has a great deal of sadness within it, while maintaining amazingly simple (see the figure).
This melody, combined with the harmonies Justin created, provides a really depressing sensation. Though, sometimes he hits the "F" note with his left hand, and this gives a spark of hope, before being tossed back in the abyss.
As the piece build, elements are added. A cello, some violins, a flute, bass etc. Especially the flute part adds a great deal of emotion to the song, at least in my ears. The first time the flute occurs is at 2:18.
The song continues with extra notes being played on the piano, and a more prominent string section. Eventually, at 4:40, an extra flute kicks in. These instruments will continue to play until 5:35, when everything fades out.
So far for the description of the song. Now on with the madness, as I will try to write down the exact feelings that occur when listening. It's worth mentioning (again) that my feeling can differ from yours, will differ from yours. This is a good thing though, and if you ever feel the need to write down your feelings, there is a comment button below this item, so use it.
As weird as it might sound, Human Nature doesn't make me depressed at all. The whole song itself is full of it, but somehow listening to this song makes me feel in peace with myself, in peace with who I am, and what I am not. The only part that doesn't support that is the flute part at 2:18, that just is depressing.
Ok, this item isn't quite finished yet, but it will be in the future. I still have loads of stuff to learn, and eventually use to help me describe everything in a clearer way.
One last thing, if you liked Human Nature, make sure to check out more of Justin's stuff (www.edgen.com/music), particularly "En Terra", "Humanity", and "Lost".
Erik
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28 December 2007
Written by
Erik (
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Published on December 28th, 2007 @ 12:09:36 pm, using 558 words, 124 views
Yesterday, I somehow thought of the "I just want to be normal!" kids, if you know what I mean. Kids that want to be normal instead of being special (and normal is: looking like Beyonce or Tom Cruise). The key to a good life is probably one of the simplest to describe, and one of the hardest to achieve: "Be in peace with yourself", that's all.
But why is being in peace with yourself the answer? First of all, you are the only one to feel your emotions, no one has the same feelings as you. For you, you are the most important person on this planet. Everything you do will eventually be done for you, and for no one else. People that do lots of stuff for others do this for there own sake, it makes them feel better. Helping others is a good thing though, and fits well within evolution. Helping others will let the other members of the "tribe" now that you can be really useful for them, and thus, they will help you when you're in trouble. So the ones that like to help others have an evolutionary advantage to the ones that don't, and will survive and reproduce easier.
That said, helping others wouldn't be done if it didn't gave you a good feeling. So in the end, you're helping others for your own sake, and not for them. This isn't a bad thing, but accepting this "egoism" can make it easier for you to live a "good" life.
To go back to the answer "Be in peace with yourself". Self-acceptance is the key, since you're the only one to feel your emotions. If you life your whole pretending to be someone else, or complaining about the things you don't have, you will die in conflict with yourself. If you, however, accept who you are, and know your strengths and weaknesses, you will feel more comfortable with yourself. And that is what matters. You can live life doing nothing, helping no one, stay at home, etc., and still die happily. As long as you accept yourself and the things you do, and be in peace with what you are, you won't die in conflict with yourself.
For me, there are several things I want to achieve before I die. When I'm an old man, and I think of the things I have done in my life, I want to have the feeling that I haven't wasted it. I already have achieved several things to be proud of, but there's more to be done.
One way to achieve self-acceptance, is the following (which works for me). (Almost) every decision I make is thought over. For instance, I love making music these days, but I haven't started playing piano until 5 months ago. I could be thinking "Awww, why didn't you started earlier, that would have made you way better now", but that isn't the right thing to think. I made a decision years ago, when my parents asked me if I would like to play an instruments. "No", was the answer. At that time, I didn't want to play, and instead of complaining, I accept that decision.
I have lunch now, so I stop here. My explanation might not be clear, but in the end, it all comes down to Self-Acceptance. Remember that.
Erik
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30 December 2007
Written by
Erik (
)
Published on December 30th, 2007 @ 12:07:12 pm, using 239 words, 141 views
New year is closing in upon us, so it's time for a round of good intentions. It's hard for me to think of things to achieve in 2008, since I'm happy the way I am today. Maybe I can set one of my life goals for 2008: making a song to be proud of. But again, this will happen when the time is there, so no need to attach a death line to that.
Actually, I can sum up some things that I don't want to change, and when it does seem to happen , prevent it. I don't want to be fat, I don't want to smoke, and I don't want to drink no beer. Simple intentions indeed.
Half-way this year I'll probably move to another city, for study. I'll have to put in effort to get a good apartment, and my experience teaches me, I ain't good at that. So that's another thing to add to the list.
Hmm, that's about it, I can't think of anything else. Maybe helping people with stuff, like school, or, whatever. But that ain't a good intentions, since I don't need help, but others. I will help them if I feel comfortable helping them (I know enough to help them, they want me to help them etc.).
Actually, the only thing that makes new year different from a normal day, is the night, the fireworks, and the happy and peaceful people.
Cool.
Erik
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