our playlist

 music & us: our playlist

intro: I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring different cultures and their music throughout the course of this class! For our last blog entry, I have done some exploring on my own and it was pretty fun. I have two more modern selections from different cultures, and I have two more traditional style pieces from different cultures. I hope you enjoy reading this entry as much as I have enjoyed creating it! :)

song #1: Let's start off really strong with something I had to dig in the very back of my brain for. Let me preface this by saying I had unrestricted internet access in my early childhood, and therefore basically lived on YouTube. Though, this song and its video is one of the tamer things I came across as a chronically online child. I used to watch this YouTube channel where kids would react to different things, like videos or music, they haven't seen or heard of before. One of their videos were children that were my age at the time reacting to a Japanese song by an artist named Yasutaka Nakata called Pon Pon Pon. I am not quite sure what that means, or what any of the lyrics mean, but I remember being so amused by this music video because it was so different compared to any American pop music video I had ever seen at the time. It is very different than the music I would typically listen to, but as a child I was drawn to the bright colors and weird visuals. This came out about 14 years ago and is one of the two modern piece selections I would like to mention in my blog.

song #2: For the second more modern pieces I would like to share, I looked back at some older Spotify playlists I had created in my late middle school - early high school days. This artist I think some of my classmates MAY be a little more familiar with? Hopefully? Depends what side of TikTok or Instagram you were on during quarantine days. This music artist goes by Cuco. He is a Mexican-American singer and song writer. Most of his songs combine both English and Spanish languages, with an indie - bedroom pop - dreamy instrumental mix behind the lyrics. His most popular songs are Lover Is a Day, Lo Que Siento, and Amor de Siempre. Though I am not fluent in Spanish, I payed enough attention in my high school Spanish classes to understand some of what he is saying in his songs. I am going to link 2 of his songs instead of 1 just because I cannot choose. Lo Que Siento has mostly English lyrics and some Spanish lines, while Amor de Siempre is entirely sung in Spanish. (Side note: another great artist that includes both Spanish and English lyrics are The Marias, who I also discovered during the quarantine era of my life.)

song #3: Now onto more traditional pieces! I had to actually do some research on these, rather than just pulling them from the archives of my brain. A culture I wanted to explore was the Norwegian culture. It has always been on my bucket list to go to Norway before I die. I've always wanted to see the Northern Lights there, and I also have a friend I met online (also during Quarantine coincidentally) that lives in Norway. It looks absolutely beautiful from what she has shown me. After doing some research, I've concluded that traditional Norwegian music involves both vocals and instruments. It is a part of everyday life as they tell stories of love, nature. and life through song. Some of the instruments they use are the Hardanger fiddle and the langeleik. Linked below is a song I found when I looked up traditional Norwegian songs. I hope you enjoy! There is a little bit of talking before the actual playing of the instrument begins, so feel free to skip that if you would prefer to.

song #4: Another culture I was interested in exploring was Italian. From my understanding, traditional Italian music (also known as musica tradizionale italiana) has developed with influence from a wide variety of OTHER cultures. Some of those being Arabic, Slavik, Greek, and Celtic. Music from Northern Italy differs from Southern Italy which differs from Central Italy. This is due to "Italy's historical fragmentation into various states and principalities before it's unification in 1861". Some instruments that are vital to the traditional music of Italy include the mandolin, the accordion, and the zampogna. You may be familiar with the first two instruments listed, but personally I was unfamiliar with the third. The zampogna is like a traditional Italian bagpipe. After listening to a few traditional Italian selections, here is one I hope you enjoy. It is an Italian folk song, a common genre within the tradition.

conclusion: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed, as much as I have enjoyed exploring different musical cultures with y'all this semester! I look forward to reading everyone's blog entries as well.

The End

music & family

 music & family

As mentioned in previous entries, I have grown up around music and been influenced by music pretty much since I was born. I mean my dad literally used to play guitar at me before I could walk or think (as pictured below). So, I figured what better person to interview about music than the person I learned everything I know musically from! I will have this blog entry divided into four sections (not including this one). The first paragraph is just a little background on my dad, the second gets into the first section of questions, starting off with questions about music in his childhood & teen years, the next set of questions just general music questions, and the last set being just fun questions I was curious to know his answer to.

MEET MY DAD: My father is named Phillip Cooper. He is 50 years old, born July 11th of 1974. He grew up in multiple states in the southern region of the US, including where we are now in South Carolina. He currently works at Advantage Hearing, programing hearing aids for people who struggles with hearing difficulties. Which is perfect, because he can barely hear himself, as he's been around loud music performances his whole life (some being his own).

QUESTION SECTION ONE - MUSIC GROWING UP: I started off by asking my dad what the first musical experience was that he vividly remembered and what was so memorable about it. He replied with, "In 1983, I was at a church in Ft. Payne, Alabama, speaking to an adult who played drums, asking him how he learned and how I could learn. He simply handed me the sticks and said 'hit 'em'. Most memorable thing about it was he didn't seem to mind." The next question I asked my dad was, "what was music's role in your household?". He had this to say: "Music has an enormous role. Everyone either played an instrument, sang, or both. Mom and Dad started it all as far back as the early 60s." The third thing I asked my dad was, "Who was it that introduced you to the music you like?", and he said that, "Our next-door neighbor in 1986 started letting me play his records". The following question was, "How has your cultural background or personal experiences influenced your music taste?", and he told me that, "I grew up in areas where acoustic music was more the focus". The fifth and final question I asked him in this section was, "What were your favorite bands growing up?" and he said that his favorites were "Petra and Degarmo & Key". 

QUESTION SECTION TWO - GENERAL MUSIC IN LIFE: Starting off in this section, I asked him a question I already knew the answer to. I asked, "Who was your biggest musical influencer? Why?", and my dad said, Keith Green- his music was a reflection of his life and feelings towards God and humanity". I remember hearing Keith Green's music as my dad played it for me and reflected on his inspirations, and I can definitely see similarities between the way my dad produces music and the way Keith Green produced music. My second question was, "What songs did you play at an important time in your life?", which I guess could be interpreted like, play yourself or play on a device used for listening. He interpreted play yourself, and replied with, "I learned to play story songs at the age of 12 and they shaped the way I approach song writing and how I use dynamics on vocals". Next, I wanted to know "How has your music taste changed over the course of your life?". He said, "Honestly, my tastes haven't changed at all since the age of 13. I am more tolerable to different styles." I can relate to that, 13-year-old me was onto something with (some of) the music she listened to. I then asked him, "Did you and mom have a special song?", and he told me that it is and still was "'You're Not Alone' by Twisted Sister". Lastly in this section, I asked him, "How many instruments can you play?", to which he told me, "Two- guitar and drums. I began mandolin, but my fingertips are too large". He is not exaggerating you should SEE the size of this guy's hands.

song links

this one is the song he said was his and my mom's special song...

 

QUESTION SECTION THREE - MISCELLANEOUS: I wanted to end my father's interrogation with some questions that are more fun for the both of us. I started off by asking, "How is today's music different than the music you listened to growing up? What's your opinion on it?". He gives his opinion on the music I play in his car quite a lot, but he answered with, "It's less dynamic and lyrics seem less important. We've stepped backwards as far as quality of song but forwards in terms of visual production". I agree and disagree with him. My music taste is generally 90's rock, but I do like the lyrics of SOME modern-day music. The following question I asked of him was, "What's the weirdest music you've heard?", and he introduced me to something called, "Mongolian Throat Music". Similarly, I wanted to know what his LEAST favorite genre of music was, and he informed me that it was, "POLKA". He was very passionate on his answer but did not elaborate further ha-ha! Next question I was excited to hear his answer to, so I asked him, "What song reminds you of me?", and he told me either "Smells Like Teen Spirit or Pound of Flesh". At first, I had no clue what he meant by the second song, but then I realized that he meant "Celebrity Skin" by Hole. He thought it was called Pound of Flesh because those are the only three words he remembers from the entire song. Then I wanted to hear what he had to say about MY music taste, and he said, "It's vastly different to what I grew up listening to." I think he would've been more judgmental on it if there wasn't a possibility of other students reading this, don't let his sugarcoating fool you!

song links

these were the songs he said reminded him of me...

Thank you for reading my entry, and I hope you enjoyed learning about my dad's history with music as much as I did!!

music & traditions

Music & Traditions

 Music has always been a very important aspect of my life. If you read my last blog entry, you know why, so I will refrain from going on yet another tangent about it. My music taste changes as much as I change my clothes, so I do not really have many set songs for set traditions. However, there are a few worth mentioning. 

Let me preface this next paragraph by saying I have never seen a single Twilight movie, and nor have I read any of the books. Sorry to whomever that may devastate, I will get to them eventually (maybe...). On August 31st of this year, my brother got married to his girlfriend of 8 years, Brenna. Both Chandler (my brother) and Brenna are extremely special people in my life. Chandler has always been the best big brother, and Brenna stepped up to be the best big sister that my blood sister failed to be. I wasn't in the actual wedding, but I got to be in charge of the music. I felt special because what is a wedding without music. The song everyone walked out to was a song from Twilight, called Turning Page. I have no idea what happens when Turning Page plays in the actual movies (I assume a wedding?), but now every single time I hear it while scrolling on TikTok or whatever else, I start to tear up. It was genuinely the most beautiful, but small, and special wedding I have ever been to. I have linked the song below, as well as a few pictures from the wedding simply because I love Chandler and Brenna so much and want to show them off haha. 

On a sillier and less sappy note, there is one song I like to annoy my family, specifically my mother, with every single Christmas. Well not exactly on Christmas, more so when I help her decorate the tree. As some backstory, in fifth grade I discovered rock music. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. So much so, that when I would be moody and sassy (as bratty 10-year-olds do), my mom would literally ground me from listening to a particular band I used to love, My Chemical Romance. She thought all this "angry music" was what was causing me to be a brat and looking back at it I don't think that was the reason, I think that was just who I was at the time LOL. That is also such a silly thing to be grounded from, I really wonder if that is an original experience for me. But anyways, My Chemical Romance has a cover of the beloved Christmas tune, "All I Want for Christmas is You". At one point during the Christmas season of fifth grade, I remember purposefully playing it while decorating the tree and acting clueless as to what band it was. She in fact did NOT enjoy my song choice. She kept going on and on about how awful it was, and I found her annoyance amusing. Now I play it every single year while decorating. Honestly, I think she is warming up to it. I don't know why she wouldn't, she listened to way "angrier" sounding stuff when she was a teenager, such as Pantera and Skid Row. I linked the cover down below. Though this is slightly embarrassing for me to listen to now (depending on who I am around), little 10-year-old me thought I had discovered the most amazing thing ever. I also included a picture of my mama and I last Christmas, just because.

Thank you for reading my blog! I cannot wait to hear of any feedback you may have, and to read your musical traditions as well. 

<3

music & me

Intro: Hey guys! I am Abby Cooper, and I am a freshman at Converse who wishes to major in psychology and eventually pursue a career as a therapist. I am from a smaller town in South Carolina about 40 minutes away from here called Pelzer. I recently graduated high school at Palmetto High located in Williamston, South Carolina.  

Music has always played an extremely important role in my life. My father would literally play the guitar at me as I was rocking in my crib as a baby. I took up an interest in singing at a very early age and found happiness in belting Ke$ha's greatest hits in the back of my dad's minivan in 2010. I also played a little piano growing up, so if you ever need to hear "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on piano, I am your girl. As I got to the end of elementary school, I picked up an interest in the ukulele. I still play it to this day, but I must say I am far better now than I was at age 11. When middle school started, I joined our school's band. My instrument of choice was the trombone (mainly because it had a slide and I was amused by it) and I have fell in love with playing it ever since. A little while later, I followed in my dad's footsteps and began to play the guitar. Though I still struggle with playing barre cords because I was cursed with short fingers, it is my favorite instrument to play. My senior year of high school I decided to join the pep drum line, and I learned a little bit of bass drum. As of today, I still enjoy belting Ke$ha (and others) privately on my own time, because I am too scared to sing in front of people even though it is something I really enjoy. Oh, and I am also really passionate about music in the aspect of collecting vinyl records, CDs, and cassette tapes. 

What I'm listening to lately: To be honest, my music taste is a little all over the place. But one of the top songs on the "On Repeat" playlist Spotify made for me is called "Petals" by the band Hole. Hole is one of my guilty pleasure bands because the lead singer, Courtney Love, has been a controversial person since the 90's due to the conspiracy that she had her husband at the time, Kurt Cobain, killed. I just cannot get over how much I love Hole's music, so lately I have had the mindset of separating the art from the artist. I have also been listening to a lot of music by a band called Cocteau Twins. Their music is really neat to me because they are known for having unintelligible lyrics. Their music sounds very whimsical to me, and because the lyrics are not interpretable, the emotion to their songs takes a spotlight rather than a literal meaning. The links to "Petals" and one of my favorite Cocteau Twins songs should be accessible below. 

"Petals" - Hole

Frou Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires - Cocteau Twins

Music that resonates deeply with me: Music has been a form of grounding for me since I can remember. There is one specific song that brings me immense comfort every time I listen to it. I often get panic attacks, and any time I am struck with one I put this song on repeat, and it helps calm me down. It has been one of my comfort songs for the last 5 years. The song is called Rises the Moon by Liana Flores. It is soft and serene, and the lyrics are something I like to keep in the back of my mind whenever things get rough. It almost sounds like a lullaby of sorts. Side note, I am lowkey thinking of getting a tattoo that has something to do with this song.  Some of the lyrics that resonate with me go, "Days seem sometimes as if they'll never end / Sun digs its heels to taunt you / But after sunlit days, one thing stays the same / Rises the moon" and "Days pull you down just like a sinking ship / Floating is getting harder / But tread the water, child, and know that meanwhile / Rises the moon". 

I have one more song I could not go without mentioning. I apologize for the lengths of these paragraphs, but I absolutely adore yapping about music I enjoy. The next one is called "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac. It heavily reminds me of my mother and my grandmother, even myself at times. It also reminds me of my nieces and nephew in a way. I dedicate this song to my family wholeheartedly. The chorus goes "Well, I've been 'fraid of changin' / 'cause I've built my life around you / But time makes you bolder / Even children get older / And I'm gettin' older too". I remember hearing my mom singing this when she thought nobody was listening the day before I moved to college and I cried silently because of how beautiful it was. Every time I play this while in the car with my parents, we all sing along and silently associate it with each other. Down below I have pictured some of the beautiful people in my life I think of when I hear this song as well as the links to both of the songs I have mentioned. 

 

rises the moon - liana flores

Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

Music I don't really enjoy: A lot of my family is really, REALLY passionate about country music and always look at me with such confusion when I have zero clue about the artists they are talking about. I respect it as a genre, and even I get excited when "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood comes on at karaoke nights, but I genuinely cannot get into it. To my ears, most of it sounds the same. I will admit, I do enjoy some of Taylor Swift's old country music, but merely for nostalgia reasons. But overall, even though I was born and raised in the south, I genuinely cannot get into country music no matter how much my family tries to convince me to. I don't wanna be too negative because that is not the kind of person I am SO here is the iconic "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood linked below. 

Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood

If you ended up reading this from start to finish, thank you! I have a lot to say about music and am excited to continue to share my musical opinions through these blogs.