My First Music Blog

     Today I will be analyzing some music from the Inupiaq culture. Last semester I took an Alaska Native Studies class with UAF. I found the class to be pretty interesting because I did not know a lot about Alaska Native culture before. When I took the class we didn't really go into the traditional music of certain cultures so this sparked my interest.       Drumming is very important to the Inupiaq Culture. It is how they tell stories, folktales, and honor whales that they hunt. The Inupiat use a specific drum called the qilaun that is made from the lining of whale or walrus stomach and driftwood. Since the Inupiat believe that the drum is alive and has spirit they uphold an utmost respect for it and feed it water to keep it alive. The mumiq is the stick that it is played with. The qilaun symbolizes the connection between the people, animals, and environment. Most dances usually have 5 to 20  male drummers and are accompanied by singing. Inupiat...

     As a big country music fan I love listening to the guitar in my favorite songs. I have also always wanted to play guitar and because of that I decided to do a little research on how the electric guitar has evolved from the regular acoustic guitar.      The first guitar ever created is the acoustic guitar. This guitar is one that you will commonly see around a campfire when you are having a good time with your friends. The first electric guitar was created by  Adolph Rickenbacker and George Beauchamp in the 1930s. The guitar was called the "Frying Pan" because it's shape resembled a frying pan. It was created for Hawaiian music because it was super popular at the time but also because the popularity of music bands was growing which meant there was a need for larger concert venues and louder guitars. To the left is a picture of the guitar. This is a link to a Hawaiian song played by this guitar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Luqy-W0M5eE  ...

     Today I will be doing a musical analysis of the Top Gun Anthem and if you have ever watched Top Gun or heard the song you probably know why. Before I give you an analysis of some of its elements, I want to provide a little bit of history on the song. The first thing I learned when I was doing research on the song is it wasn't originally composed for the movie Top Gun. The song was originally composed for the movie Fletch that was released in 1985. The story is that one day while Harold Faltermeyer and Steve Stevens were working on the song, Billy Idol heard the music and said that it should be used as the Anthem for Top Gun. The song was published in 1986 when Top Gun came out, composed by Harold Faltermeyer and Steve Stevens. Here is a link to a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeQUxNf3G6k Introduction/Accompaniment      The Anthem starts out with unique synth and bell sound that slowly prepares us for the electric guitar melody...

     Today I will be doing an analysis of three elements of music in  Pachelbel's Canon in D . This song was composed by Johann Pachelbel between 1680-90. Since Pachelbel was a German composer the song was released in Germany in the 20th century.  Link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptk_1Dc2iPY      For me and most people I know we enjoy the song for the chords and the melody that the chords put together. The song is so beautiful that when I hear it I am always awe struck. Hearing other people play the song makes me want to play it because I enjoy it so much. The song makes me happy and helps to calm me when I am stressed or having a busy day. Melody and Chords:      This song has a melody unlike any other song. The organization of the notes and the continued repeat of chords makes this song flow. The chords bring a unique structure to the song and are the glue that holds everything together. They are slow in the begin...

Hello, My name is Benjamin Bouton and this is my first blog post for my music class. I am currently a junior at Lumen Christi High School in Anchorage, Alaska. I have nine chickens, three cats, a dog, and two siblings. I have lived in Alaska ever since I was a few months old and I have loved every bit of it. In my free time I love to play basketball and hang out with my younger siblings.  I have been playing piano probably since I was ten. I am not a piano whizz like some of the people I know but I do enjoy playing. I have always wanted to play guitar because of my strong love for country music but that might be something that happens later in life. I listen to country music a lot and it always puts me in a good mood. I haven't been to any big concerts with big time musicians yet but I have been to a couple of concerts at the Performing Arts Center in Anchorage that are put on by the Anchorage Concert Chorus. I also play in small piano recitals put on by my piano teacher twice a ye...