Manufacturing the Music

Auto-Tune has been a major part of the music industry for over two decades. A countless number of artists from all genres use it, as it allows them to record songs with fewer flaws and, therefore, fewer renditions are required before a successful recording can be made in the studio. It was originally created by Andy Hildebrand for use in prospecting oil underground by correcting and interpreting sound waves, but was later introduced into the music industry after Hildebrand founded a new company, Antares (Hadhazy, 2010). Although the first artist recognized to use Auto-Tune was Cher in 1998 with "Believe", T-Pain remains one of its most recognized innovators of its use and his entire musical style is defined from it.  T-Pain - Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin') ft. Yung Joc As we learned before , the sound that a note makes is dependent on its frequency. Therefore, altering a note's frequency can alter a note to be perfect or change it to a completely different n

Electric Guitars and Pickups Journey of Guitar Solo - CollectiveCadenza In acoustic guitars, vibrating strings send waves into the body and these waves resonate and amplify as they bounce around the guitar before leaving and entering our ears. Electric guitars on the other hand do not have these openings - they are generally made of solid wood. Instead, the vibrations are converted into electrical current, are processed, and convert back to sound waves inside of an amplifier. The pickups are where all the magic begins and are probably the most important part of an electric guitar. The electric guitar I use in my dorm room has a total of three pickups: one double-coil near the body-end of the strings, a single-coil at the top of the body, and another single coil in the middle of the other two.  The pickups in an electric guitar are a transducer, capable of converting a mechanical vibration into electricity (Duncan). They consist of one magnet per string on the guita

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have been one of my favorite bands ever since I was young enough to pick out a favorite band. Having sold over 80 million records worldwide and being awarded 6 Grammy Awards with 16 nominations, it is certainly difficult to question their success. I was even lucky enough to see them live last month at the Scottrade Center and ever since, I have been unable to stop listening to them and learning their songs. I also began listening to John Frusciante, former guitarist of the Chili Peppers, who began his solo career in 2009. One of his songs, Murderers, is among the songs I have been hooked on for the last few weeks. The main riff has a simple note progression, capable of being played on only the E and B string, between frets 9 and 12. In understanding many of the advances in music technology and creation, it is important to begin with the basics of music and what makes sound sound different . Murderers - (John Frusciante) Primarily, guitars consist o

Music is enjoyed universally, in a wide variety of forms. It promotes creativity, offers a sense of achievement, and enables people to communicate in different ways. Despite its enriching effects, it is often neglected in school systems. The arts promote skills such as "project management, team building, and effective time administration" yet these programs are labeled as "secondary to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), which "robs not only students, but also parents and communities of one of the most honest public measures of student achievement and success" (Williams). As a senior at Saint Louis University, studying biomedical engineering, mathematics, hoping to attend medical school, and working two jobs, I oftentimes forget about how much music helps me - relaxing me during periods of stress, motivating me at the gym, or keeping me attentive while studying. Beginning last Fall, I picked up one of my dusty guitars, a Takamine Jasmine