This trippy, labile, shimmering walkabout on the waves of synthetic sound is my latest gift to an unsuspecting world. It hatched from my brain and tickled my neurons to the extent that I just had to share it with the world. I hope that it scratches that aural itch and gives you the feels when you listen to it.
Listen to the Radio Edit here:
Check Your Dreams by Miss Rachel Rose.
Released: 8 March 2025
Genre: Deep House, Minimal House, Trippy, Electronic
Produced and composed by Miss Rachel Rose
Distribution by Distrokid
ISWC: T3311337841
Stream “Check Your Dreams” on all major streaming services
I use Distrokid, and have finally become a member of SGAE. So, if you want to stream Check Your Dreams and risk the tech platforms having to pay me out 12 cents 😉, then go ahead and listen on Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube.
About The Track
Genre
Check Your Dreams keywords: deep house, trippy electronica, minimal house. The kick cuts through quite heftily and gives the track a bit more pump. The BPM is a chirpy 124, my favorite BPM to mix, so it is a mid-energy track.
Where does it fit in the mix?
In a mix, I ease this tune in at one of two points: It would fit at the tail end of a warm up section of a longer mix – just when the fluff turns to puff. Otherwise, it could roll gently in the wee hours of a chillout afters, when things are all sparkly and you are in love with your life, and your friends. 💚💙🩵🫂
Just like Groove Machine, my first release of the year, this new track’s overall genre is deep house.
Production Babble
I composed, arranged, and produced Check Your Dreams using Ableton Live 12. I used various plugins to craft a unique sound design, but I didn’t use hardware synths. I have a few, and I really long to use them. But right now, time is very tight, and I have to streamline my production.
Voice Sample
This song came to me in the middle of the night. I recorded the voice sample, and went back to sleep.
When I went to produce a few days later, I thought about re-recording the voice. But I decided to keep it.
I like the breathiness of the voice. I also like that it is just a little bit off- kilter. I keeps it organic, as I did it without a click track. I AirDropped the sample from my phone to my iMac, imported it as a .wav into Ableton with warping OFF, checked its key with Spectrum, and EQ’d it. For some parts, I chopped the voice sample up to get interesting rhythmic elements and ear candy. I tidied it some basic reverb and de-essing, but left everything else to the mix engineer.
Mixing and Mastering
I am lucky to have a collaborator who mixes and masters my tracks for me. I trust his ear completely. Plus, he brushes up the arrangements for me. Usually it’s just the intro and outro, which are important only to DJ’s. But, for anyone who mixes, you KNOW that the intros and outros are super important. So, thanks you-know-who.
Time saving production tip: use a template
My default template when I open Live has four tracks. The template key is set to D minor.
Track 1 is MIDI and loads with Kick2 . I leave the default kick on, but have a bunch of User presets that are all tuned in the key of D. Deep house tracks usually have a warm, bouncy kick sound, so I tend to go for that vibe.
There are another two midi tracks for my hats and bongos, and an audio track. The drum racks are made of samples tuned to D and A.
I put a limiter and Spectrum on the Master track, so when I need to tune samples or instruments, I can just solo the track that I am working with, and watch Spectrum on the master.
What’s Next?
I have another tune that is nearly finished. If you sign up to my mailing list, you can get a free MP3 copy the week before it gets released. Here is the sign-up form:
Biography: Miss Rachel Rose
Miss Rachel Rose is a DJ and producer based near Benidorm, Spain. She is a self-taught singer-songwriter with a long-standing passion for music and the music business. Rachel holds a Masters in Neuromusic, and is currently studying solfège, music theory, and composition.
I am super excited to report that I have just released my new deep house track “Groove Machine”! I used DistroKid, so it’s on all your favourite streaming platforms. Here is the YouTube music clip:
DAW – Ableton Live
I used Ableton Live for all the production. I used onboard and plug-in sounds.
I always use Sonic Academy Kick 2 because it offers so many options to choose, tune, and fine-tune the all-important kick sound.
I don’t tend to over-elaborate my tracks. I have a hi-hat drum rack that I usually use. The hats are all tuned to D- and A-, and it loads in my default template. This is just to save time, and keep me motivated when I open up the workstation. I also have a bongo rack that is tuned to D- and A- and loads in the default template.
Groove Machine does not have bongo sounds – but a sampled clap. yes. I use spectrum to analyse the frequencies of any samples that I may use, and am careful to keep everything in tune. Last night, thinking about production, I decided to put spectrum on the Master track of the template, and then solo the tracks to analyse them. Every little RAM saving helps!
Sound design
The lead synth sound in Groove Machine is all mine. I am proud that I did my own sound design for this song. It is tempting – and perfectly fine – to use samples and loops in production. But, since I am a singer-songwriter and from the DIY era, I love to do it myself.
In this case, I listened carefully to the reference track lead sound, then I messed around with a Wavetable preset, and then finally added a guitar amp plug-in, which I tweaked until I got the sound that I used on the track.
Vocal
The voice on the track is mine. I did a bunch of takes, using different microphone techniques (distance, angle). I equalised and de-essed the samples, and left the rest to the mixing and mastering engineer.
Reference Track
This is the first time I have ever produced a song using a reference track. I enjoyed the experience, and it gave me a new tool for my kit. For example: when I was trying to get a similar hi-hat sound, I worked out that you have to use some reverb on the hi-hats. I now apply this knowledge to every production.
Here is the reference track:
Mixing and Mastering
I outsourced the mixing and mastering of Groove Machine to a friend with whom I collaborate frequently. It is not the first time that I have used mixing and mastering services. But, it is the first time that I exported stems and sent them for treatment. I am really happy with how it turned out. It goes to show that two pairs of ears are better than one!
Graphic Design – Adobe Express
I use Adobe Express for almost everything, including the cover art for Groove Machine.
This is the first time that I used a template of theirs, and I am really happy with the ease and speed of creation, as well as the finished product.
Groove Machine: 1st release of 2025! 9
What’s Next?
I have another tune already in the can – finished, mixed and mastered. If you sign up to my mailing list, you can get a free MP3 copy the week before it gets released. Here is the sign-up form:
Sound Design for Electric Cars: 5 Powerful Pitches to Electrify Your Drive 14
Sound Design for Electric Cars
What does your car sound like?
Electric and hybrid car sales are on the rise. More drivers are using cleaner technologies in their vehicles to help meet climate change goals and reduce pollution in cities. There are major differences between the old and the new cars. An important one that could be overlooked is how they sound.
Continuing from my previous post on sonic branding, I decided to explore the sound design of electric vehicles (EV). I have discovered that it’s not only about audio branding, which helps connect a brand to its users’ feelings. The noise of electric vehicles is important for safety. It affects both the drivers of these vehicles and the pedestrians they encounter.
There is a sonic familiarity with driving cars with internal combustion engines (ICE). The rumble of tires on the road, the whoosh of air beyond the windows, and the vibration of the engine. It is almost comforting, such is its intimacy and involvement in our everyday lives. I can still recall the sound and feel of my father’s Oldsmobile as it crushed ice and sand on the frozen streets of Canada.
Electric models have none of the roar and reverb of ICE cars. The earliest electric cars were found to be hazardous to pedestrians precisely because of their silence. As a result, car manufacturers have turned to sound designers to help them solve this problem.
Nissan prototyped EV way back in 1947! They have been making different models ever since.
Nissan was a pioneer in creating electric cars for modern living. From our first EV in 1947 to the new Nissan Ariya, from ice cream vans to robot co-pilots, our electric-powered lineup has changed with the times and drivers’ needs.
Jean Michel Jarre created the sound design behind Renault’s electric vehicles. Here is a video that gives us a glimpse behind the scenes.
Renault is the European EV market leader. In 2021, their electric vehicles were the most popular in Europe, accounting for almost 15% of all electric vehicles sold. With this being the case, the way those vehicles sound is vitally important! (https://www.renaultgroup.com/en/innovation-2/electric-vehicle/)
According to some bloggers, Toyota is lagging in the EV game. The Prius was an early hybrid EV, with the first models hitting the Japanese market way back in 1997. They are, however, working on fuel-cell cars instead of battery-electric vehicles. All Toyota’s EV have sound design.
Lexus makes three types of luxury EV. They have been building EVs since 2015. Given their expertise in the luxury automotive industry, it comes as no surprise that their sound design follows suit, embodying the same level of refinement and excellence.
Lexus sound design was done by Man Made Music, as was Nissan’s. Lexus engineers created in-cabin sounds to convey the exhilaration of driving. Engineers matched sound frequencies to the vehicle’s speed and sound levels during dynamic actions such as acceleration. The underfloor battery reduces noise and the hood opening is sealed to prevent turbulent airflow noise.
The Lexus sonic logo, affectionately named The Open Door, brings together these two elements (Takumi Craft and Omotenashi) to express the highest level of luxury and hospitality through unique,organic instrumentation & breath
Driving requires a great presence of mind and continual evaluation of everything going on around you. My driving instructor used to say “busy, busy eyes”. I think it could just as well be “busy, busy ears”!
Auditory Spatial Perception
The ears can locate sounds in three dimensions. Our ears provide information about the distance, direction, and movement of a sound source. This is called Auditory Spatial Perception. This takes place in the middle part of the encephalic trunk, or brain stem, the pons.
When we are driving, we are constantly listening to our surroundings. I am continuously aware of changes in the road surface, the wind direction and strength, and, of course, approaching vehicles. At the same time, ICE vehicles make characteristic sounds when accelerating, changing gears and braking. Creating a sound bank for EVs mimics familiar sounds for drivers and keeps them aware of the car’s operation.
Exhilaration
As the Lexus case study points out, there is an emotion associated with driving: exhilaration. Car manufacturers aim to focus on positive emotions such as joy and excitement, although negative emotions like fear and anxiety may also be present. The excitement of a road trip, the feeling of freedom, the happiness of driving…all these emotions are combined in the sound of the car. EVs will have to work with drivers’ historical emotional baggage to be fully accepted.
Sound and the perception of “work”
One of my pet theories is:
We perceive work via the noise it makes. We unconsciously associate silence with a lack of productivity.
Rachel Rose
Sound Design for Electric Cars: 5 Powerful Pitches to Electrify Your Drive 15
Industrial Noise
I developed this theory in the mid-1990s while working as a Quality Control Inspector at an industrial bakery. We produced 10,000 loaves an hour. When those loaves left the ovens, they were at about 450º. The loaves would travel around the upper levels of the factory on rolling metal conveyor racks to cool them before slicing and bagging. Every wheel and every chain clanked and clattered.
The noise in that place was deafening. I wore ear protection, but most of the older workers were completely deaf. There was a silo for the flour. To keep it from caking to the inner edge of the silo, a huge metal hammer would hit the silo once every 45 seconds. I was offered well-paid work after that stint, but I refused. The noise made me crazy.
Office Noise
Later, when I was working in tech. I noticed that digital devices that were too silent were often assumed to be non-functioning. The buzzing sound of a cooling fan is interesting. Although it can be annoying in a crowded office where everyone is using computers, it also indicates that work is being done. If you have ever visited a server farm, you will have been stunned by the racket. Not only the servers but the Air Conditioning!
Take, also, the sound of typing. Hark back and remember what old keyboards sounded like. Travel even farther back in time, to the sound of typewriters and carriage returns. Those mechanical noises were an essential and fundamental part of office culture. That has all changed now. I am writing this post on a MacBook Pro. It is a stupendously quiet machine. The only sound I hear is my fingers typing, and I could probably adjust my typing style to make it quieter.
The “work ethic” and noise
The Industrial Revolution made machines a part of our lives. My family is from Yorkshire where steam engines installed in cotton and woolen mills generated huge prosperity. Before the steam loom was invented, weaving was done by hand in cottages. The pieces were then sold to the mills one by one. To house the huge coal-fired steam looms, great glowering red-brick mills were built, and weavers began to work in centralized factories. Can you imagine the noise??
Goodbye industrial noise!
Too quiet cars confound our perception of work. We need our EVs to make noise. But, we need noises that serve a purpose – like protecting pedestrians and confirming that a trunk is closed. What we don’t need is more machine noise! It is a blessedly creative stroke of luck that this noise can be created, calibrated, and filtered. What a joy that industrial noise is finally being eliminated!
As cars become self-driving, passengers stuck in traffic could make music. “In terms of health and well-being, making music is documented to trigger more areas of our brain than any other known stimulus, because it requires coordination but also excites our reward centres,” Santambroglio says. “Such an approach would be revolutionary for traffic, a typical source of stress.”
She partnered with Delhi musicians to create library of local music samples from Indian instruments like the tabla and the shehani, a type of flute. She envisions adding these samples to each vehicle on the road, creating the possibility for on-street jamming.
Continuing my studies in Neuromusic constantly ignites my curiosity to explore every corner and crevice of the vast realm of music and sound. What do you think about sound design for EV? Do you have an EV, and if so, do you like how it sounds?
Music Tourism: Trip to the tune of a cool 11 billion annually 20
What is Music Tourism?
Music tourism involves travelling to a place to experience a live music event. A person, or group, may go solely for the event, or the music event may fit alongside other activities.
The importance of quantifying the value of music tourism cannot be overstated. Many people perceive music as an expense. If one stops and thinks about the cost of promoting cultural events, it sure can seem like a lot of money to spend. But, when one then calculates the ROI, what appeared to be an expense suddenly shows itself to be an investment.
Live music is a “scarce” event. Supply and demand is the basis of capitalist economic theory. When there is scarcity, prices increase.. In real life, this means that people are willing to spend time and money on “once in a lifetime trips” to see and hear their favourite musicians play live.
If you live in one of the 20 locales Swift, 33, performed at in the last five months, your city has likely seen a boost in revenue from the hundreds of thousands of attendees who traveled from near and far.
Another case in point is Madonna’s “Celebration” tour, her latest jaunt around the globe, which Billboard estimates may generate upwards of 100 million USD. Pop stars of this caliber draw people from a huge radius. These fans fork out not only for tickets, but for food, accommodation, transportation, and souvenirs.
Classical music is also an enormous attraction. In countries like Italy or Germany, aficionados will spend significant sums for a seat. La Scala in Milan is known for its atmosphere and the exceptional quality of its performances. It is a must-visit destination for classical music tourists. But, to enjoy an opera at La Scala, fans must spend €165-210 for a single ticket.
Who’s Who in Music Tourism?
There are increasing numbers of projects dedicated to promoting destinations to music fans. Here is a small selection.
Music and Tourism: On The Road Again
Published in 2005 by Chris Gibson (Australia), this scholarly book is considered to be the first one about music and tourism. Describing music tourism as a “niche”, which it is, the authors look at the phenomenon from various viewpoints. Historical and contemporary analyses, financial and cultural, plus the politics of copying and identity. This looks like one that I ought to get my hands on.
Sound Diplomacy
This consultancy works with the economics of culture, music, leisure, hospitality, policy, planning, and placemaking.
Music Cities Events is a platform that aims to educate on the value of music. They organize events all around the globe. These conferences showcase music tourism, music policy and, of course, music cities.
TIIM – Turismo Amplificado
The Valencian government has created an initiative to promote music tourism. I will be in attendance at the Jornadas TIIM on 13 & 14 December 2023, in Valencia. Will you be there? Let’s connect!
Estaré en la Jornadas TIIM en Valencia el próximo 13 y 14 de diciembre. ¡Me encantaría conectar contigo!
Music “pilgrimages” to specific cities.
Places like New Orleans, Nashville, Seville, or Berlin are magnets for music lovers. Trips to these emblematic places are akin to pilgrimages; such is the passion that music arouses.
Each city has its allure for music enthusiasts, whether it resonates with the smooth sounds of jazz, the vibrant energy of rock and roll, the passionate rhythms of flamenco, or the pulsating beats of techno.
Carnival!
Famous street parties are found worldwide and most are raucous celebrations of music, dance, and color. Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, has its famous samba parades. The Notting Hill Gate Carnival in London features soca and reggae music. The Cádiz “Carnavales”, in Southern Spain, features flamenco singing and dancing.
Music Festivals
These exemplify a form of music tourism. Music festivals abound in the summer months in both the northern and the southern hemispheres. Festivals can last from one day to over a week. Longer festivals require, logically, a bigger investment of both time and money. Whether festival goers are camping on-site or staying off-site, they will need to pay for travel, accommodation, food, and tickets. In Spain, the average person spends 300€ per festival, according to TIIM.
Music Tourism: Trip to the tune of a cool 11 billion annually 21
Holiday Entertainment
We have all been there: on holiday, in an unfamiliar place, and hungry or thirsty. How do we choose where to sit down? Google Maps or TripAdvisor can help, but even with these aids, we will use our specific criteria to choose. The music filtering (or blaring, depending on your taste) will determine to a large degree whether you sit down or walk on by.
Some people may save all year for their holiday, and they want to savor every moment of their much-deserved break. Investing in some form of musical entertainment is crucial for bar and restaurant owners as it greatly enhances the overall guest experience.
As I study Neuromusic more, I become increasingly fascinated by the connection between music and our daily lives. Music tourism matters – it moves people and it moves money.
After my visit to TIIM, I will give you an update. Watch this space. Meanwhile, keep on moving, don’t stop, no.
Sonic Branding - powerful 360º trademark soundscape 26
What is it?
An all-round sound strategy
As my studies in Neuromusic continue, I find myself curious about an ever-widening array of music and sound-based disciplines. One that caught my eye is sonic branding.
This is a powerful, 360º strategy for a business! You could almost call it “surround sound!” 😉. By integrating unique and unforgettable auditory elements into their visual branding, companies have the power to significantly amplify their impact and create a lasting imprint on their audience’s minds.
Music awakens emotions in a deep and powerful way. Audio branding helps connect a brand to its users’ feelings. Think about it: A home decoration business will clearly have a different sound strategy than a techno nightclub. The former may wish to transmit security, safety, and comfort, whilst the latter would send out edgy, ecstatic vibes.
More than just a jingle
The use of sound in branding goes far beyond jingles. It includes UI/UX elements like in-app sounds when you press a button, accomplish a task, or open a new element.
I studied UX last year. I found it fascinating, and it has strongly informed my design work ever since. Good UX makes a brand stand out; excellent UX makes a brand succeed. Incorporating audio into UX is next-level marketing. A sound “sound strategy” could have a resounding impact on a business. (ba-da-boom)
Sonic Branding Hashtags
If you are interested in this field, here are some of the hashtags in use:
SAM began working with branding and sound in 1993. They have worked with some of the biggest brands in the world. Specifically focusing on the link between sound and emotions, they use “the science of sound” to build brand recognition.
Good sonic branding stimulates an emotional response, but great sonic branding does more–it becomes rooted in the belief system.
Stephen Arnold Music
Audiant Labs (London, UK)
Working in the field of sonic branding since 1980, meet Audiant Labs. Its CEO and founder, Ruth Simmons, is called “The Godmother of Sync“. Her “soundlounge” project is a world leader in sync and sonic branding.
While sync is not exactly the same as sonic branding, there is some overlap between the two. Sound and music used in commercial settings (like TV shows, video games, or live events) become identified with the brand.
Think of the theme song from Friends. You probably don’t know the artists who recorded it, The Rembrandts. But if you lived through the 1990s, you’ll instantly think of the TV show when you hear the song. This is a sound strategy that paid off, both in terms of brand recognition, but also for the artists who wrote and played the song.
DLMDD (London, UK)
DLMDD won the Kyoto Global Design Award (2022) for their audio branding work with Singapore Airlines. The flowers of the SA Batik Motif were the starting point. Dominic Murcott created an instrument using the frequencies of the flowers’ colours. The symphony was created by Rohan de Livera. It is really quite amazing and inspiring to learn about this project!
If the sounds you produce are not better than silence, it’s noise, sound pollution.
Cédric Engels
UnMute Creative Sound Agency (Denmark)
This Copenhagen production studio offers one of the clearest sonic branding examples I’ve found so far. On their Instagram page, they share the sound palette they created for the charging network, clever.dk.
The new sonic identity embodies both innovation and sustainability and is mixing electronic elements with acoustic instruments and sounds from nature.
unMute Creative Sound Agency
Coda
The field of sound design and its connection to emotions captivates me. Having been a therapist (body worker and yoga teacher) for over twenty years, I know the emotional-vibrational anatomy well. As a self-taught musician, I connected with music via feelings and perception rather than learned theory. As a student of Neuromusic, I am knitting this all together.
If you find the field of sonic branding as bewitching as I do, please get in touch with me via my socials. I would love to connect.
Audio editing from your browser: Wavacity #1 super app 31
Audio editing has never been easier! Wavacity Audio Editor is a browser-based version of the open source tool Audacity.
As you know, I use Ableton Live as my DAW. But long before I invested in my recoding studio, I used a very early version of Audacity.
Free, open source, cross-platform audio software
Audacity is an easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. Audacity is free, open source software.
The site only provides information about the app. Therefore, you need some knowledge of audio editing to fully utilize it.
Audio Editing 101
it takes a little time to master, but it’s worth it. With so many tools available these days, a good pair of headphones and this app should be enough to get you started.
Step-by-step
Let’s say you recorded a video for your socials, and you wanted to clean up the sound.
First, you would have to export the audio to AIFF, WAV, or even MP3.
Then, navigate to wavacity.com. Click file -> open and import your audio file.
You will see a “waveform” in the main window. Or maybe, two. That’s because the sound is in stereo, so each “side” of the stereo sound has its wave form.
You can trigger your file to play by clicking the green play button, or by using the space bar on your keyboard.
Now, listening carefully, use tools in the “Effect” menu. You might use a filter, or a compressor, or a reverb. As long as you save your work, you can just play around until it sounds good to you.
Complete the process by downloading your masterpiece. Sync it up to your video. Voila!
Audio editing from your browser: Wavacity #1 super app 32
Many people, maybe even you, suffer from an excess of nervous tension. You may be wondering what to do. Listening to your favourite song is enjoyable, but music you enjoy can also help manage those intrusive, anxious thoughts. If you have ever asked yourself “how does music help with stress“?, then read on. I will do my best to explain.
Types of Stress
Let’s start by understanding what stress is. We usually think of stress as something negative. “Distress“. However, stress can also be positive. “Eustress“. The right amount of pressure can motivate us to complete tasks and achieve goals. This lovely video by Anne-Laure Le Cunff will help you to understand the difference between distress and eustress. The takeaway: not all stress is bad. But, an excess of stress can have negative consequences.
In this post, I will focus on distress, or negative stress. My next post will look at the relationship between music and positive stress. So that you won’t miss a thing, why not bookmark my blog page?
How does music help with stress?
Music has long been known to have a positive impact on our emotions and overall well-being. It has the power to uplift our spirits, evoke memories, and even help us relax. Music can be a powerful tool to help us cope with the pressures of everyday life.
According to websites, a research paper from Stanford University suggests that a frequency of 60 BPM is ideal for relaxation and stress relief. I have not been able to find the source of that oft-repeated claim. I found a research paper from India that tried to answer the question “how does music help with stress” by comparing the effects of low and high BPM music on heart rate and blood pressure. The relationship between stress and music could be influenced by the connection between heart rate and blood pressure in the carotid artery.
There was a decrease in the mean of both the systolic and diastolic blood pressures of the subjects on listening to slow music, which was found to be statistically significant. This may be due to modulation of the cardiac autonomic nervous system by stimulation in the form of auditory input
Physiological stress is associated with the release of various neurotransmitters. People with chronic stress suffer from negative emotions like worry, rancor, ire, or fear. Frequently, stressed out folks feel little or no joy and derive little pleasure from life.
A recent study found that listening to music can help to reduce how strongly we feel pain.
Music also serves as a distraction from our stressors. Focusing on the melody, rhythm, and lyrics helps us forget about stress and find comfort in the music. Moreover, music can activate the body’s relaxation response, which helps counteract the physiological effects of stress. Also, attending live music events is inherently social, and we know that nurturing healthy social relationships is vital to our health.
Playing an instrument, singing, or dancing can also help reduce stress. Engaging in these activities can help channel our emotions and provide a creative outlet for self-expression.
Learning to play a musical instrument provides a peaceful retreat from the pressures of daily life. Therapeutic outcomes of playing music include better communication skills, improved emotional release, and decreased anxiety and agitation.1 Musical training promotes cognitive function, mental health, and a connection to others.
Overall, incorporating music into our daily routine can play a significant role in managing stress. Music has the power to calm our minds and provide relief from life’s pressures. You can enjoy it in many ways, like making playlists, going to live concerts, or just taking a moment to listen to calming music.
The Most Relaxing Song?
Weightless by Marconi Union is meant to be the world’s most relaxing song. Have a listen and decide for yourself.
“British ambient band Marconi Union has drummed up the world’s most relaxing song: Weightless is 8 mins 10 sec. of aural bliss” – Time Magazine, Best Inventions of the Year.
Brain Massage with 8-D music
Get your headphones ready and listen to this clip. For me, it’s one of the most luxurious feelings ever, to have that sound moving around my head and stimulating my brain. Let me know if it does anything for you.
A folklorist learns and plays a tune. The ethnomusicologist takes note of the melody, compiles details about its background, past, and surroundings, and subsequently includes it in a curated assortment of comparable or distinct tunes to be examined more extensively.
3 Difference between ethnomusicology and folklore
The three critical distinctions are:
Ethnomusicology uses recording equipment to preserve, catalog and later analyze songs. It is an anthropological approach to music.
Ethnomusicology studies non-Western music, or music originally composed without transcription. Folklore can include music from all cultures and countries, including Western folk songs.
Folklore comprises music, dance, poetry, and other art forms. Ethnomusicology focuses only on music.
Definitions
What is ethnomusicology?
In an earlier post, I shared the Merriam-Webster definition:
1.The study of music that is outside the European art tradition 2: The study of music in a sociocultural context
However, I now understand that it is specifically the academic study of music in an anthropological context. Béla Bartók is seen as the founder of the discipline, although the term did not exist when he was alive.
Starting in 1905, Bartók and his friend Zoltán Kodály collected more than 10,000 folk songs. They also analyzed the songs’ form and structure. Check out the title of Zodály’s 1907 thesis paper: “Strophic Construction in Hungarian Folksong“. Here is a further quote from Bartók that proves his study of ethno-music was academic in nature, not merely compilation:
“Thus, it became proven that the old scales that are no longer used in our art music have not lost their vitality. Their renewed application made possible a new kind of harmonic combination. The employment of the diatonic scale in this manner led to a liberation from the petrified major and minor systems with the end result that today every step of the chromatic 12-tone system can be freely utilized on its own.”
Recording devices marked the beginning of musicology, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. The recording of music allows for its preservation and analysis, enhancing the study of music in an academic context.
The audio recorder enabled travelers to collect sounds in distant locations and bring them to specialists who analyzed and preserved them in museum-like settings using specialized equipment in ways that resembled the data and artifact collections of anthropologists.
According to Merriam-Webster, folklore refers to traditional customs, tales, sayings, dances, or art forms preserved among a people.
Folklorists may collect, anthologize, perform, and record the material that they collect. But the nature of folklore is not academic. Collecting or compiling material can serve various purposes, such as preserving, appreciating, disseminating, or reiterating the material. But its nature is not to analyze and compare.
After grasping the three fundamental distinctions between ethnomusicology and folklore, an inevitable question arises: Is one superior to the other?
I am not expert enough to answer that. In my opinion, they are different enough to occupy separate spaces in the cultural context. While one may be more systematic and rigorous, the other is more organic and freewheeling. I think that this is like music itself. We admire symphony composers, but we also find joy in self-taught electronic musicians.
Ethnomusicology is an absolutely intriguing realm of study, one that captivates me. Nevertheless, it is crucial that in this journey of exploration, we keep sight of the sheer delight that accompanies the process of discovering, exchanging, and deciphering melodies.
If you like what you’ve just read, please consider sharing it. Thanks for your visit!
Ethnomusicologists: of the 20th Century: Badass Béla Bartók & beyond. 44
Ethnomusicologists – what do they study, and why?
Ethnomusicologists study the anthropology of music. They study how music develops and evolves in non-Western cultures in order to better understand the culture of the people.
I talked about the general aspects of the discipline in my previous post on the anthropology of music, titled “Ethnomusicology: the mysterious evolution of language, music, and the human brain.”
The term “Ethnomusicology”
In 1950, Dutch musicologist Jaap Kunst coined the term “ethnomusicology,” combining two disciplines: musicology (the study of music) and ethnology (the comparative study of different cultures).
Whoever came first, prior to 1950, ethnomusicology was known as “comparative musicology”. Comparative musicology originated from early musicology studies. Guido Adler, of Austria, presented an essay in 1885 which laid out a basis for musicology.
Where is ethnomusicology studied?
Ethnomusicology is by nature a field study. This means that the researcher(s) must travel to the place whose music they are studying, in order to see it performed in situ.
However, there are a number of distinguished centers of higher learning where the scholarly study of ethnomusicology takes place. For the sake of simplicity, I will just leave a few links here. A more exhaustive list of centers of ethnomusicology can be found on the SEM website.
Ethnomusicologists: of the 20th Century: Badass Béla Bartók & beyond. 45
Béla Bartók is considered by many to be the father of ethnomusicology. Béla Bartók was born in Hungary, and grew up during the final years of the Ottoman Empire (1299-1922). He was not only a skilled classical pianist, but also a passionate explorer of his homeland, embarking on challenging journeys to gather and preserve the rich tapestry of Hungarian folk songs.
As far as I am concerned, traipsing around Bohemia, Transylvania, and the Carpathian Mountains collecting folk songs is pretty badass. Go Béla!
Béla Bartók birthed the field of ethnomusicology as an academic discipline through his tireless pursuits of folk music, his exposition of the sound of the rural people, and his incorporation of folk-style into his own personal compositions. His work revealed to the world that folk music exists, is important, and stands as an independent academic discipline.
David Taylor Nelson :”Béla Bartók, the Father of Ethnomusicology” https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/musicalofferings/vol3/iss2/2
Jaap Kunst
Kunst has a typically interesting “ethnomusicologist” biography. He studied the violin as a youngster. After finishing Law School in the Netherlands, he grabbed his instrument and joined a string trio and set off for Java. As you do, when you’re a badass. He stayed there for about fifteen years. Upon his return to the Netherlands, he was recognized as an expert in his field. In 1950, he coined the term “ethnomusicology”.
Alan Merriam
Alan Merriam was an American ethnomusicologist. His 1964 book, “The Anthropology of Music”, is credited with uniting the academic study of anthropology with that of music.
Women are almost always often erased from history. Alan Merriam was accompanied by his wife, Barbara, on his travels in Africa. I have spent some time searching the Internet for any biographical information on Barbara, or even a photo. So far, I have not had any luck, but I am sure that she was one badass researcher. Watch this space.
Before I leave you, I shall share with you an interesting documentary, “The Language With No Word For Music”. I found it on Reddit.
Summing up
The more I read and research Ethnomusicology and ethnomusicologists, the more my ind boggles. It is truly an expansive and enormous field. I will keep on writing. If you like what you read, please let me know. A little encouragement goes a long way!
Can we use the study of ethnomusicology to better understand the development of the human brain?
When did language and/or music evolve in human beings?
Did music or language develop first?
Language has a clear evolutionary purpose. Does music?
How does ethnomusicology relate to music?
It’s hard to cover this broad and complex field in a one-hour class or in a single post. I’m using class topics to delve into the subject more, but I’m somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of information and the different paths to explore. For the time being, this is the result. I am sure that there will be more. Read on – I hope that you’ll like it.
Music, Language, & the Human Brain
Music and language share much of the brain’s neural circuitry. Both engage many different areas of the brain and numerous neural circuits. The temporal lobe, near the ear, is strongly activated. The limbic system, which deals with emotion and arousal, is also engaged. Motor neurons are called upon to activate the movements of the mouth, hands, and lungs, amongst other things.
There is no agreement on which one developed first and if their development influenced each other. By studying the development of music in different world cultures, we may glean valuable information about how the human brain manages the vast store of information that it compiles over a lifetime. Both music and language are tools of communication. Language is more descriptive and functional, while music is more emotional and amorphous.
Given the obvious similarities between music and language, it is not surprising that there has been a running debate for more than two hundred years as to whether they evolved in tandem or independently – and, if the latter, which came first.
1.The study of music that is outside the European art tradition 2: The study of music in a sociocultural context
Can the study of Ethnomusicology help us to understand our evolution?
Probably, yes. Music and language are fundamental to all human societies, even if their origins are still not fully understood. Exploring the anthropology of music provides valuable insights into the fundamental aspects of our existence.
We humans wonder about the reasons for our existence, our purpose here on Earth. We wonder why life is so hard, and painful, and death so ever-present. We create all sorts of stories about creation, souls, and Gods, but the hard truth is that nobody really knows. Even faced with the nihilism of not knowing, we skirt around it using humor and art.
By knowing our history, we can know where we are going. Studying ethno-music may help us to chart the uncertain waters of the future.
When did language and/or music evolve in human beings?
The first archaeological evidence of music making using instruments dates from about 50,000 years ago. Before people started using femoral bones to make flutes, they most likely used stones, sticks, and seeds as percussion instruments.
Did music or language develop first?
The human voice is certainly the most primitive instrument of all: singing probably pre-dates spoken language. Evidence from the Upper Paleolithic Era suggests that both language and musical instruments evolved around 50,000 years ago.
…fully human speech anatomy first appears in the fossil record in the Upper Paleolithic (about 50,000 years ago) and is absent in both Neanderthals and earlier humans.
Philip Lieberman “the Evolution of Human Speech https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/509092
The ‘syntax’ of music is simpler, less highly evolved than that of language, suggesting an earlier origin.
Larry S. Sherman and Dennis Plies “Every Brain Needs Music”, page 18, quoting Ian McGilchrist “The Master and His Emissary”
Language has a clear evolutionary purpose. Does music?
Human beings possess a unique ability on this planet: the power to articulate ideas using words that symbolize objects, concepts, timelines, and emotions. I believe there is intelligent life in the Universe and that advanced societies might use telepathic communication. Still, even with telepathy, there would have to be some lexicon, some words, to communicate telepathically. (But, I digress.)
Language is a fundamental tool for functioning in communal societies. Humans are social animals, but our conviviality means that we must be able to communicate. Not only do we communicate for necessity, we also communicate for fun. Think of jokes, poems, songs and riddles.
Both language and music bind us together in groups, families, and societies. Both are absolutely necessary for our survival, but in different ways.
“In ancient languages, the sound of a word contained the energy and essence of the thing signified by that word. The earliest forms of communication were probably grunts, groans, screams and laughter – sounds that transparently expressed how one felt in the moment. Andcient languages evolved out of those sounds. Gradually, words were formed to capture the essence of other things that helpd form the matrix of life: the presence of trees, rocks, animals, and birds. In this sense, all ancient languages were originally mantric because their words embodied the essence of what they signified.”
Russill Paul “The Yoga of Sound” page 68
Language development
Humans are unique because we can talk, sing, play instruments, and use tools to make instruments.
The human throat differs from that of other animals. The larynx sits lower in the throat. There is more space in the mouth cavity, so we can make different sounds.
Our large brain has powerful cognitive abilities that many other mammals simply do not possess. IMHO, that does not make us better than other animals. They possess highly refined sensory organs that make them amazing creatures. But, they don’t have language, or music. We do. By understanding how we acquired them, we understand ourselves a little more.
Links
I will leave you with two interesting links.
The Larynx
First, a NPR report on how humans acquired the ability to speak. This 6-minute clip is called “From Grunting to Gabbing: Why Humans Can Talk“. It explains the structure of the larynx, also known as the “voice box”, and discusses how the human throat may have evolved. Thanks for reading and stay tuned.
The anthropology of music and how it related to language and the brain.
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