Raffles Institution
Research Education 2012
Project Report
Title
(Title of project in the form of a research question)
Team Leader
Team Members
: Tu Xianan (2C)
: Bryan Tan Zhi Yang (2J)
Wang Hua Chen (2J)
Teacher-Mentor: Ms. Charmaine Chiang
Raffles Institution Research Education
RI RESEARCH EDUCATION PROGRAMME
ETHICS DECLARATION FORM
1. We hereby declare that our research report is our original work and is free
from any form of plagiarism.
2 We acknowledge that plagiarism is a serious offence that violates the
academic integrity of any research paper and are fully aware that we will be
heavily penalised, if found guilty of plagiarism.
Title of research project:
________________________________________________________________
___
Name
Signature
Name of Teacher-mentor: ________________________
Signature
: ________________________
Date
:________________________
Date
Abstract
Acknowledgement
We feel that throughout this project, from the conception of the idea of redesigning
the Year 2 batch song to the completion of the survey results has not been without
help. Without external support, motivation and suggestions for improvement, we
would not have had a clear sense of direction and our project would not have been
able to achieve its aim, both punctually and accurately. While many parties and
individuals have been involved in the success of our project, we would like to thank
them in their order of prominence in aiding us:
Firstly, we would like to acknowledge the help of our Music RE teacher, Ms.
Charmaine Chiang, for having generally been guiding us and supportive of our
project, from start to finish. Our initial idea of measuring which kinds of music has the
most calming and soothing effect on Year 2 batchmates was both immeasurable and
pointless. However, Ms. Chiang explained a past project where the Institution
Anthem of RI was taken and redesigned into a more modern and hopefully more
catchy version to the school’s students. Thus we improvised and came to our
present research topic. Even during musical styles and voices testing, research and
recording, Ms. Chiang showed us how to use the Yahama Clavinova for these
purposes. Thus for these and other examples of her continuous support for the
advancement of our project, we would like to thank her.
Also, we would like to thank our batchmates who took their time to listen to our
sample modified song Voices That Care then completed a survey online. Their
sincere feedback and ideas on how our batch spirit can be improved through both
the original and the modified batch song is an integral part of improvising our music
and accomplishing our goal.
Lastly, our gratitude extends to His Excellency Mr Tony Tan, our principal Mrs Lim
Lai Cheng, senior deputy headmaster Mr Magendiran, Year Head Mr Leon Lai,
teaching and non-teaching staff of Raffles Institution, estate personnel, other
students from Year 1 to 4, fellow members of Raffles Junior College, and parents
and guests to Raffles Institution.
Also, thanks to the U.S. General Secretary and the White House members, Mr
President Mr Barack Obama, the Chinese Premier Mr Hu Jintao, and USSR exCommunist leader Josef Stalin and his fellow members of the USSR. Without their
supporting of world peace and end of world hunger in Ethiopia and China and their
fighting the Middle East nations’ nuclear development programs, we wouldn’t have
been able to complete our project in Raffles Institution and at home without nuclear
warheads disrupting normal, non-radioactive life in Singapore.
Of course, we cannot forget the mercy that asteroids, meteors and extraterrestrial
forces have been extending to us, for sparing our planet Earth from destruction and
total annihilation and/or the abduction of the human race, including individuals like
us.
Finally, we would like to thank Yamaha, Microsoft, Wikispaces and HP for providing
the necessary hardware and software to proceed with our project, respectively:
Yahama Clavinova, Microsoft 2010, Wikispaces domain and social sharing websites,
and the HP L1506 monitor and HP keyboard.
Table of contents
Title Page
Abstract
Acknowledgements
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ii
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Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Figures
Chapter
1
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………
1
1.1 Statement of objective/problem
1.2 Purpose of the study
1.3 Research Questions and Hypotheses
1.4 Limitations of Study
1.5 Definitions and Terms
Chapter
2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE…………………………………………….
Chapter
3
METHOD…………………………………………………………………..
2
3
3.1 Brief Introduction to Project Methodology
3.2 Choice of Topic
3.3 Initial Research on Styles and Voices
3.4 Initial Voice and Style Testing and Selection
3.5 Final Selection, Recording and Survey
BACKGROUND RESEARCH……………………………………………
3.5
Chapter
5
RESULTS / DATA
REPORTING ………………………………………………………………
4
Chapter
6
DISCUSSION………………………………………………………………
5
Chapter
4
CCccc
6.1 Review of Findings
Interpretation of results and their implications
6.2 Other Findings
Alternative explanations for any findings that do not fit your
original hypothesis
6.3 Limitations
Weaknesses and limitations of your project
Justify limitations of the project
Propose solutions to weaknesses or limitations you have identified
6.4 Implications of findings
Examine the wider implications or significance of your findings to
your target population and to the community
6.5 Future Research
Offer suggestions for future research
6.6 Summary and conclusion
References …………………………………………………………………….
6
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Statement of objective/problem
As most people know, the bath songs of their respective batches are not well
liked and do not really encourage batch bonding and batch spirit as they were
meant to. Although we do sing them on some occasions, it is still seldom that
we see students from the same batch come together and sing it.
1.2 Purpose of the study
In this meaningful Research Education project, we aim to redesign the current
year two batch song to make it better. We will find out how the current year
two batch likes the song and redesign it so that it meets their demands. The
batch song that we redesign aims to please more year two students and
increase batch spirit.
1.3 Research Questions and Hypotheses
We want to find out how our batch likes the song, which parts of the song
they like, and which parts they do not like so that we can redesign it to make it
a more acceptable song to increase batch spirit and bonding. We also need
to find out the effects of different sounds, voices, and tempo so that we will
know how exactly to redesign the song so that it increases batch spirit. Our
hypothesis is that the current year two batch will like something with a faster
tempo, and a rock style, as we are all boys and boys usually like rock music.
1.4 Limitations of Study
There are many limitations in this project as we might not have the right
equipment to redesign and record the song. Also, the little time given will also
not give us enough time to do two surveys to ask what the year two students
would prefer and ask how they like the redesigned song. We have decided to
do research and redesign the batch song according to our research and only
survey the students after we have redesigned the song.
1.5 Definitions and Terms
There are some terms that need to be defined in order to make it easier to
understand our objective. Redesigning can be defined as changing the genre
and tempo of the batch song but keeping the notes and the lyrics. Genre
identifies pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of
convention. Tempo can be defined as the speed of the song, in beats per
minute.
SECTION 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE
According to the article, “Motivating the troops” by Rauncie Kinnaird, owner of
Kinnaird Bagpipes states that, music has being used to motivate the army in
many wars for 3000 years and is still used even now. Sometimes, music can
even entirely change negative situation, when one is seen as to be definitely
losing, it can motivate them to fight till they die and in the end, even leading to
victory.
As seen in another article, “High School band set the tone for school spirit”, it
is again stated that music is involved in war. In the article, the school band is a
very important body which is present in many events and competition where
other clubs participate in to cheer for and motivate them; the members were
all enthusiastic about supporting their schoolmates in different events and
aims to lead the band to make it better for the sake of both the band itself and
also the school.
The article titled “Music Maker” shows the large amount of music making
applications that are available at affordable price on the internet, also, they are
highly accessible, such that music making and editing is made possible on
phones. These music making softwares enable people to arrange and
compose their own songs without having to play any instrument, which is quite
hard for a single person to master all the instruments required for a single
song . Hence this is very beneficial for music project like ours, where the
Yamaha Clavinova is able to make the sound of different instruments.
In conclusion, it can be seen that music is very important for fostering spirit
among a group of people, with the power to motivate and control emotions.
The production of the music itself is very important nowadays, hence, the
creation of newer, better, music making devices other than using instruments
is very crucial.
SECTION 3: METHODOLOGY
3.1. Brief Introduction to Project Methodology
As part of our Research Education module in the Year 2 Programme, we
formed a group and joined the Music Research Education as it seemed
interesting and different from the usual Innovative Programme (IvP), yet it did
not seem as challenging as Science RE or Math RE, which would require a
substantial amount of investigation and research. Also, we did not have much
interest in other options, so we decided to join Music RE as both Bryan and
Hua Chen had a music background. We chose Xianan as our group leader as
he seemed capable of orchestrating and moving the group effort forward.
Our topic which we finally decided to work on was the redesigning of the Year
2 batch song Voices That Care, having learnt about a past project of
redesigning the Institution Anthem, yet we were hoping to accomplish a goal
or aim which was on a smaller scale. In this case it was targeting the building
of a better batch spirit through the batch song, rather than the previous project
of what would seem the entire Raffles Institution body. After various testing
and researching schedules we devised a final version of our remake of the
original pop-styled Voices That Care song, combining a number of musical
styles and instruments in the making. We then surveyed a group of Year 2s on
their view of our creation through an online survey accompanied by a link to
our audio file.
3.2. Choice of Topic
While still deciding which Preliminary Idea to use for our Group Project
Proposal, we almost decided on using Bryan’s idea of finding the tempo for
classical-style music that has the most de-stressing and relaxing effects on
Year 2 RI students. However we felt that it was hard to define ‘de-stressed’
and ‘relaxed’. It would also have been hard to measure any physical
parameters that might have been related, for example heart rate of the
student.
However this Preliminary Idea turned our attention to the Year 2 batch and
what we could research on that would have positive impact on them. Thus
after learning of a past Music RE project in which the Institution Anthem was
redesigned, we combined both ideas together and decided to redesign the
Year 2 Batch Song, Voices That Care. However our project and subsequent
research had to have an aim, or hope to achieve something – for this we
researched more and found that music can set the tone for an improved
school spirit. Thus our aim was that our redesigned batch song would have a
greater impact of building up the batch spirit of the Year 2s compared to the
previous version.
3.3. Initial Research on Styles and Voices
For the redesigning of the batch song and the recording of the new version,
we decided to use one of the school’s Yahama Clavinova, which contains over
200 different musical styles classified into 10 genres; it also has over 100
different voices (or instruments) which we could use. On top of that, it has
many functions which would be of much aid to our recording of the song, such
as auto accompaniment, set introductions and endings (all of which vary
according to the chosen style).
At the start, we researched on the different musical styles listed on the
Yahama Clavinova, which were classified into different genres such as Funk
and Jazz, Pop and Rock, Country and Latin, and so on. However as certain
styles listed were either a creation of the Yahama company themselves or
were too minor to have any information about it online, we could not give
proper research on it, but rather we grouped it with the most similar style
which had background information on it.
Proper research on many instruments on the Clavinova was also conducted,
every instrument also listed in respective instrument family (i.e. String,
Woodwind, Percussion). Inappropriate instruments (e.g. drums do not have
different pitches) were ignored as we cannot play a song with such
instruments.
3.4. Initial Voice and Style Testing and Selection
After doing research on a genre of styles, we proceeded to try playing our
Year 2 batch song Voices That Care with those styles (each with its
suggested tempo) on the Yahama Clavinova. Being Year 2 batchmates
ourselves, we sifted through more than 200 different styles, only choosing
those we thought most suitable to our objective of redesigning a batch song
that would more effectively build up batch spirit. However, several styles with
a different time signature than the given 4/4 (e.g. several Latin dance styles
had a 3/4 time signature) had to be ignored as the time signature could not be
changed.
We came up with a list of recommended musical styles, most of them having
been agreed upon by both piano players/testers, Bryan and Hua Chen.
Amongst these lists of recommendations, each classified according to genre,
we chose about two or three styles which we felt were the most appropriate.
We tested them by recording the entire song Voices that Care using the style
and its given tempo, amounting to a total of about 5 recordings from various
genres.
As for the researched instruments, we chose a few instruments in the group
we felt not only had the most suitable tone range, but also would best suit our
purpose of building batch spirit of the Year 2s. We felt that different
instruments evoked varying moods when used to play the Voices That Care
score; for example, the accordion and saxophone both created a nostalgic
atmosphere while the electric guitar and electric suited a more upbeat and
ecstatic feel of the music.
3.5. Final Selection, Recording and Survey
Finally, we decided on two instruments, the Alto Saxophone and an electronic
SFX keyboard, to be played with the corresponding musical styles ‘8beat’ and
‘HardRock’, at the verse section and the chorus section of the batch song
respectively. We also inserted an introduction and ending from the respective
styles.
Using this final version of our testing, researching and recording, we
conducted an online survey on Surveymonkey.com accompanied by a
YouTube link to our audio sample. Coming up to a total of ten compulsory
questions, they covered most aspects about the song, including the length,
the tempo, the pitch, and [the surveyee’s view of] the effectiveness of our
song in achieving a better batch spirit and sense of belonging. Our surveyees
were, commonsensically, the Year 2 students in our school who would have
heard of the original version of Voices That Care together with the batch. All
responses were anonymous and their name was not required. Thus
confidentiality was kept as their answers, though revealed, do not show whose
answer it was.
SECTION 4: Background Research
Styles
Pop and Rock – Styles
Modern (Contemporary) Rock
A rock format commonly found on commercial radio, the format consists primarily of the
alternative rock genre. Generally beginning with late 1970s punk but referring especially to
rock music since the 1980s, the phrase "modern rock" is used to differentiate the music from
classic rock, which focuses on music recorded in the 1960s through the early 1980s.
Alternative Rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged from the independent music
underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s. Alternative can describe
music that challenges the status quo and that is "fiercely iconoclastic, anticommercial, and
antimainstream". The name "alternative rock" essentially serves as an umbrella term for
underground music that has emerged in the wake of punk rock since the mid-1980s. Sounds
range from the gloomy soundscapes of gothic rock to the jangling guitars of indie pop to the
dirty guitars of grunge to the '60s/'70s revivalism of Britpop.
Funk Rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States,
the United Kingdom, and Australia. Typical punk rock instrumentation includes one or two
electric guitars, an electric bass, and a drum kit, along with vocals. Complicated guitar solos
are considered self-indulgent and unnecessary, although basic guitar breaks are common.
Guitar parts tend to include highly distorted power chords or barre chords. Some take a surf
rock approach with a lighter, twangier guitar tone.
Latin Styles:
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Since its birth, the bossa nova movement
contributed its style and a number of songs to the standard jazz repertoire. Bossa
nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians
and college students. Bossa nova was developed in Brazil in the mid 1950s. The
genre would withstand substantial "watering down" by popular artists throughout the
next four decades.
Danzón is the official dance of Cuba. It is also an active musical form in Mexico and
is still beloved in Puerto Rico where Verdeluz, a modern danzón by Puerto Rican
composer Antonio Cabán Vale ("El Topo") is considered the unofficial national
anthem. The danzón evolved from the Cuban contradanza (known outside of Cuba
as the habanera). Originally, the contradanza was of English origin and was most
likely introduced to Cuba in the late-1700s by English visitors, Spanish colonists, and
French colonists (who were fleeing the Haitian Revolution in the 1790s). In Cuba,
these dances were influenced by African rhythmic and dance styles and so became
a genuine fusion of European and African influences.
Guajira is a musical form which evokes a rural ambience in its texts, instrumentation
and style. In the years around 1900 a style of guajira emerged in association with
Cuban music theater, especially as composed by Jorge Anckermann. This genre
had some similarity to the criolla and, to a lesser extent, the punto. It contains bucolic
countryside lyrics, rhyming, similar to décima poetry. The music is a mixture of 3/4
and 6/8 rhythms. According to Sánchez de Fuentes, its first section is in a minor key,
its second section in a major key.
Bachata is a genre of music that originated in the Dominican Republic in the early
parts of the 20th Century and spread to other parts of Latin America and
Mediterranean Europe. It became popular in the countryside and the rural
neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic. Its subjects are often romantic; especially
prevalent are tales of heartbreak and sadness. In fact, the original term used to
name the genre was bitterness, or bitter music, until the rather ambiguous term
bachata became popular. The form of dance, Bachata, also developed with the
music.
Beguine is a dance and music form, similar to a slow rumba, that was popular in the
1930s, coming from the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, where in local Creole
Beke or Begue means a White person, and Beguine is the female form. It is a
combination of Latin folk dance and French ballroom dance, and is a spirited but
slow, close dance with a roll of the hips.
Latin pop generally refers to pop music that has what may be perceived a Latin
American influence. Geographically, it could refer to pop music from Latin America or
sung by Latin Americans, generally regarded as Hispanics in the United States.
Occasionally, the definition extends to Latin Europe, primarily Spain and Portugal,
though Italy is often included. Latin pop music is usually sung in Spanish or other
Romance languages, although English and other languages are not uncommon. In
addition, many international artists from France and Italy often sing in Spanish for
Spanish language audiences.
Flamenco rumba (also called rumba flamenca, rumba gitana, gypsy rumba or
Spanish rumba) is a style of flamenco music from Spain. It is known as one of the
return songs, music which diverged in the new world, then returned to Spain in a
new form. In Cuba (before returning to Spain in the 1850s), the music was performed
with percussion instruments. The dance that it accompanied was improvised with
prominent hip and shoulder movements, more overtly sexual than other styles of
flamenco dances.
Retro Pop
It was referred to a new genre of music; especially dance in the U.S. in the
1990s many of the songs and albums termed retro at the time came about during
great advancement in the development of generating music electronically which
refers to generating music using software rather than instruments
House
It is a genre of the electronic dance music that originated in the American City
of Chicago, Illinos in the early 1980s in the 1990s, house music has been
infused in mainstream pop and dance music worldwide. Early house music was
generally dance-based music characterized by repetitive 4/4 beats and rhythms
centered around percussion instruments such as drum machines, off-beat hi-hat
cymbals etc. Though it shares similarities with disco music, club house was
thought to be more electronic.
Classic hip hop/hiphop groove
Hip hop as music and culture formed during the 1970s when block parties
became increasingly popular in New York City, particularly among African
American and Latino youth residing in the Bronx. (Wikipedia,2012)
Ballads
Power Ballad
Power ballad is identified as the emotional singing of the artist; this style is then
adapted to produce slow tempo songs often building to a loud and emotive
chorus backed by drums, electric guitars and sometimes choirs.
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B (also known as simply R&B) is a music genre that
combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk, the mixing of both fast and
slow genres has made it into one that has a light and youthful tempo. Common
instruments used are: Synthesizers, Keyboard ,Drum machine and Vocal.
Love Song
Love song has a slow tempo and is used in weddings as it mainly expresses
love. The main instrument used is piano. (Insufficient Info, Need help)
Ballads
Power Ballad
Power ballad is identified as the emotional singing of the artist; this style is then
adapted to produce slow tempo songs often building to a loud and emotive
chorus backed by drums, electric guitars and sometimes choirs.
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B (also known as simply R&B) is a music genre that
combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk, the mixing of both fast and
slow genres has made it into one that has a light and youthful tempo. Common
instruments used are: Synthesizers, Keyboard ,Drum machine and Vocal.
Love Song
Love song has a slow tempo and is used in weddings as it mainly expresses
love. The main instrument used is piano. (Insufficient Info, Need help)
Ballroom Styles
Foxtrot
The foxtrot is a smooth progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing
movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music,
and the feeling is one of elegance and sophistication. The dance is similar in its look
to waltz, although the rhythm is 4/4 instead of 3/4 time. Developed in the 1920's, the
foxtrot reached its height of popularity in the 1930's, and remains practiced today.
Rumba
Rumba is a dance term with two quite different meanings.
In some contexts, "rumba" is used as shorthand for Afro-Cuban rumba, a group of
dances related to the rumba genre of Afro-Cuban music. The most common AfroCuban rumba is the guaguancó. The other Afro-Cuban rumbas are Yambu and
Columbia.
In other contexts, "rumba" refers to ballroom-rumba, one of the ballroom dances
which occur in social dance and in international competitions. In this sense, rumba is
the slowest of the five competitive International Latin dances: the paso doble, the
samba, the cha-cha-cha and the jive being the others. This ballroom rumba was
derived from a Cuban rhythm and dance called the bolero-son; the international style
was derived from studies of dance in Cuba in the pre-revolutionary period
Ballroom dance
Ballroom dance refers to a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially
and competitively around the world. Because of its performance and entertainment
aspects, ballroom dance is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television.
Ballroom dance may refer, at its widest, to almost any type of social dancing as
recreation. However, with the emergence of dance sport in modern times, the term
has become narrower in scope. It usually refers to the International Standard and
International Latin style dances (see dance categories below). These styles were
developed in England, and are now regulated by the World Dance Council (WDC). In
the United States, two additional variations are popular: American Smooth and
American Rhythm.
Viennese Waltz
Viennese Waltz is the genre of a ballroom dance. At least three different meanings
are recognized. In the historically first sense, the name may refer to several versions
of the waltz, including the earliest waltzes done in ballroom dancing, danced to the
music of Viennese Waltz.
What is now called the Viennese waltz is the original form of the waltz. It was the first
ballroom dance performed in the closed hold or "waltz" position. The dance that is
popularly known as the waltz is actually the English or slow waltz, danced at
approximately 90 beats per minute with 3 beats to the bar (the international standard
of 30 measures per minute), while the Viennese Waltz is danced at about 180 beats
(58-60 measures) a minute. To this day however, in Germany, Austria, Scandinavia,
and France, the words Walzer (German for "waltz"), vals (Danish, Norwegian, and
Swedish for "waltz"), and valse (French for "waltz") still implicitly refer to the original
dance and not the slow waltz.
The Viennese Waltz is a rotary dance where the dancers are constantly turning
either toward the leader's right (natural) or toward the leader's left (reverse),
interspersed with non-rotating change steps to switch between the direction of
rotation. A true Viennese waltz consists only of turns and change steps. Other
moves such as the fleckerls, American-style figures and side sway or underarm turns
are modern inventions and are not normally danced at the annual balls in Vienna.
Furthermore, in a properly danced Viennese Waltz, couples do not pass, but turn
continuously left and right while travelling counterclockwise around the floor following
each other.
As the Waltz evolved, some of the versions that were done at about the original fast
tempo came to be called specifically "Viennese Waltz" to distinguish them from the
slower waltzes. In the modern ballroom dance, two versions of Viennese Waltz are
recognized: International Style and American Style.
Today the Viennese Waltz is a ballroom and partner dance that is part of the
International Standard division of contemporary ballroom dance.
Most people associate Viennese Waltz with "The Blue Danube".
Waltz
Waltz is one of the five dances in the Standard category of the International Style
ballroom dances. It was previously referred to as Slow Waltz or English Waltz.
It is a Waltz dance and danced to slow, preferably 84-90 beats per minute waltz
music. Preferably, the 1st beat of a measure to be accented. Waltz music is in 3/4
time.
Most of the basic figures have 1 step per 1 beat, i.e. 3 steps per measure. Advanced
figures may have 4-6 steps per measure, and this, coupled with various turns, makes
the dance very dynamic despite the relatively slow tempo. At the same time,
advanced dancers often use slow steps and elegant poses to create contrast
(sometimes referred to as "light and shade").
Waltz is usually the first dance in the Dance sport competitions in the "Standard"
category.
The dance is danced exclusively in the closed position, unlike its American Style
counterpart.
Like all dances of Standard category, it is a progressive dance.
Waltz is characterized by the pendulum swing body action. Other general elements
of ballroom technique important for Waltz are foot parallelism, rise and fall, contra
body movement and sway.
Timing: 3/4; Beat: 28-30 measures per minute; Count: "1 - 2 - 3" (with an accent on
"1"); Danced competitively since: 1923-1924.
It originated from the dances of several different peoples in Europe but its main
predecessors were the "Matenick" and a variation called the "Furiant" that were
performed during rural festivals in the Czech Republic. The French dance, the
"Walt", and the Austrian "Lindler" are the most similar to the waltz among its
predecessors.
The king of dances acquired different national traits in different countries. Thus there
appeared the English Waltz, the Hungarian Waltz, and the Waltz-Mazurka.
The "Waltz" is derived from the old German word "walzen" meaning "to roll, turn", or
"to glide". Nowadays the dance has three main forms:
Swing and Jazz
Swing is a form of jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and became a distinctive
style by 1935. Swing uses a strong rhythm section of double bass and drums as the anchor, a
lead section of brass and sometimes stringed instruments, medium to fast tempos, and a
"lilting" swing time rhythm. The overall effect was a more sophisticated sound, but with an
exciting feel of its own.
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and
1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It was usually
written in 2/4 or 4/4 time with a predominant left hand pattern of bass notes on odd-numbered
beats and chords on even-numbered beats accompanying a syncopated melody in the right
hand.
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically
consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to
twenty-five musicians.
Jazz waltz is a waltz in jazz style. Frequently a feeling of swing is created in the
accompaniment by anticipating the second beat or third beat by a quaver. In most jazz
waltzes, it usually contains a steady rhythm containing a pulse note, or the first note in the
measure, followed by 2 following chords, usually the same and usually a chord inversion of
the tonic note (pulse note or eighth note).
R&B Styles
R&B, or Rhythm and Blues, is a genre of popular African-American music that
originated in the 1940s. The term originally referred to urbane, rocking, jazz
based music with a heavy, insistent beat.
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the United States in
the 1950s and early 1960s, combining elements of African American gospel
music and rhythm and blues. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps and
extemporaneous body moves, are an important feature of soul music. Other
characteristics are a call and response between the soloist and the chorus,
and an especially tense vocal sound.
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that
originated in African-American communities. Blues shuffles or walking bass
reinforce the trance-like rhythm and call-and-response, and they form a
repetitive effect called a groove.
Boogie-woogie music is a style of blues piano playing characterized by an
up-tempo rhythm, a repeated melodic pattern in the bass, and a series of
improvised variations in the treble.
Instruments
Brass
Defination: A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is
produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy
with the vibration of the player's lips. (Wikipedia,2012)
Examples of Brasses: Trumpet,trombone,Euphoniums,etc.
Brass instruments are generally categorized into 2 families:
The Valve brass family e.g., trumpet, French horn, euphonium and tuba
The Slide brass family e.g. The trombones
Brass instruments are made of a lacquered or plated metal. Traditionally the
instruments are normally made of brass, polished and then lacquered to prevent
corrosion. Some higher quality and higher cost instruments use gold or silver
plating to prevent corrosion. A few specialty instruments are made from wood.
Trombones
Trombones have a telescoping slide mechanism by which the length of the
instrument can be varied to change the pitch. There is a special type of valve
trombones where valves where used instead of a slide.
Parts of a trombone consist of: tuning slide,counterweight,mouthpiece,slide lock
ring,bell,knob/bumper,water key/spit valve,main slide,second slide
brace/stay,first slide brace/stay and a bell lock nut
The instrument was used extensively across Europe from its appearance in the
15th century to a fading out in most places across the mid-late 17th century. It
was used in outdoor events, in concert and in liturgical settings.
Euphoniums
The euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. The
euphonium is a valved instrument; nearly all current models are piston valved.
The euphonium is pitched in concert B♭. Its pitch ranges to different level based
on the skill of the player, a normal player can play from E2 to about D5 while a
professional player can play from B0 to as high as B♭5. The lowest notes
obtainable depend on the valve set-up of the instrument. Normal Euphoniums
are chromatic down to E2, but 4-valved euphoniums extend that down to at least
C2.
Since its invention in 1843, the euphonium has always had an important role in
ensembles, but solo literature was slow to appear, consisting of only a handful
of lighter solos until the 1960s. Since then, however, the breadth and depth of
the solo euphonium repertoire has increased dramatically.
Horn
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about 12–13 feet (3.7–4.0 m) of
tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. Horns’ valves are operated with
the left hand, to route the air into extra tubing to change the pitch. Most horns
have lever-operated rotary valves.
The double horn also combines two instruments into a single frame: the original
horn in F and a second, higher horn keyed in B♭. By using a fourth valve, the
horn player can quickly switch from the deep, warm tones of the F horn to the
higher, brighter tones of the B♭ horn. The two sets of tones are commonly called
"sides" of the horn. Using the fourth valve not only changes the basic length of
the instrument, it also causes the three main valves to use proportionate slide
lengths.
Early horns were less complex than modern horns, consisting of brass tubes
with a slightly flared bell wound around a few times. In the mid-18th century,
horn players began to insert the right hand into the bell to change the length of
the instrument; adjusting the tuning up to the distance between two adjacent
harmonics depending on how much of the opening was covered. This technique,
known as hand-stopping, is generally credited to Anton Joseph Hampel around
1750, and was refined and carried to much of Europe by the influential
Giovanni Punto. This offered more possibilities for playing notes not on the
harmonic series. By the early classical period, the horn had become an
instrument capable of much melodic playing. Around 1815 the use of pistons
(later rotary valves) was introduced, initially to overcome problems associated
with changing crooks during a performance. Valves' unreliability, musical taste,
and players' distrust, among other reasons, slowed their adoption into
mainstream. Many traditional conservatories and players refused to use them at
first, claiming that the valveless horn, was a better instrument.
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced
by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece.
Tubas are made with either piston or rotary valves. Tubas generally have from
three to six valves, though some rare exceptions exist. Three-valve tubas are
generally the least expensive and are almost exclusively used by beginners and
amateurs, advanced players often prefers four and five valve tubas, with sixvalve tubas being relatively rare except among F tubas, which have mostly five
or six valves.
Prussian Patent No. 19 was granted to Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht and Johann
Gottfried Moritz (1777–1840) on September 12, 1835 for a "basstuba" in F1.
The original Wieprecht and Moritz instrument used five valves of the
Berlinerpumpen type that were the forerunners of the modern piston valve. The
first tenor tuba was invented in 1838 by Carl Wilhelm Mortiz (1810–1855), son
of Johann Moritz.
String Instruments
Electric Guitar
 Recognized as primary instrument in genres such as blues, bluegrass,
country, flamenco, jazz, jota, mariachi, metal, reggae, rock, soul, and
many forms of pop.
Electric bass
 largely replaced the double bass in popular music as the bass instrument
in the rhythm section.
 fulfills a similar role in most types of music: anchoring the harmonic
framework and laying down the beat
 used in many styles of music including rock, metal, pop, punk rock,
country, reggae, blues, and jazz.
 used as a soloing instrument in jazz, fusion, Latin, funk, and in some
rock and metal styles.
Violin String Family
Although all share a place in classical music, they are also used to a lesser
degree in jazz, electronic music, rock, and other types of popular music, where
they are often amplified, or simply created to be used as electric instruments.
Violin
 played by musicians in a wide variety of musical genres, including
Baroque music, classical, jazz, folk music, and rock and roll.
 tone of the violin stands out above other instruments, making it
appropriate for playing a melody line
 used in many jazz performances as a solo instrument
Viola
 middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello
 increases the variety and richness of the ensemble for chamber and pre20th century music
 the viola has been sought after because of its lower overtone partials
that are more easily heard than on the violin
Cello
 cello is used as a solo instrument in chamber music
 increasing use in pop and jazz music as a staple source of music for its
rich sound
Double bass
 eventually evolved to fit the needs of orchestras that required lower
notes and a louder sound
 not used as widely in modern music as the other members of the violin
string family i.e. violin
Ukelele
 member of guitar family of instruments
 originated from Hawaii
 more widely used for solo, theatre and television performances
 Clarinet


The clarinet is a type of woodwind instrument. The first clarinets had a strident tone
similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and
uses a single reed.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches. The clarinet
family is the largest such woodwind family, with more than a dozen types, ranging
from the BBB♭ octo-contrabass to the A♭ soprano. Of these, many are rare or
obsolete, and music written for them is usually played on the common types. The
unmodified word clarinet usually refers to the B♭ soprano clarinet, by far the most

common clarinet.
Johann Christoph Denner invented the clarinet in Germany around the turn of the
18th century by adding a register key to the earlier chalumeau. Over time, additional
keywork and airtight pads were added to improve tone and playability. Today, the
clarinet is used in jazz and classical ensembles, in chamber groups, and as a solo
instrument.
 Piccolo Clarinet

The piccolo clarinets are members of the clarinet family, smaller and higher
pitched than the more familiar high soprano clarinets in E♭ and D. None are
common, but the most often used piccolo clarinet is the A♭ clarinet, sounding
a minor seventh higher than the B♭ clarinet. Shackleton also lists obsolete
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instruments in C, B♭, and A♮. Some writers call these sopranino clarinets or
octave clarinets. The boundary between the piccolo and soprano clarinets is
not well-defined, and the rare instruments in G and F might be considered as
either. Shackleton along with many early twentieth-century composers uses
the term "piccolo clarinet" to refer to the E♭ and D clarinets as well (piccolo
merely meaning "small" in Italian). This designation is now less common
today; with the E♭ and D instruments are more usually designated soprano
clarinets.
The A♭ clarinet is pitched a minor seventh higher than the B♭ soprano
clarinet. Its lowest note, E ,sounds as concert middle-C, the same as many
concert flutes.
Clarinets pitched in A-flat appeared frequently in European wind bands,
particularly in Spain and Italy, at least through the middle of the 20th century,
and are called for in the stage-band parts for several operas by Verdi.
Cecil Forsyth associated the high instruments with Austria saying, "Clarinets
in (high) F, and even in (high) A♭ are occasionally used abroad. The latter
instrument is regularly employed in the Austrian military bands.” A famous
example of extensive use of a high clarinet in a Viennese small ensemble was
the Schrammel quartet, consisting of two violins (the brothers Johann and
Josef Schrammel), a bass guitar, and G clarinet, played by Georg Dänzer,
during the 1880s.
 Bass Clarinet

The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more
common soprano B♭ clarinet, it is usually pitched in B♭, but it plays notes an octave
below the soprano B♭ clarinet. Bass clarinets in other keys, notably C and A, also
exist, but are very rare (in contrast to the regular A clarinet, which is quite common in
classical music). Bass clarinets regularly perform in symphony orchestras, wind
ensembles, occasionally in marching bands, and play an occasional solo role in
contemporary music and jazz in particular.


Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English,
prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" (French compound word made of
haut ("high, loud") and bois ("wood, woodwind"), "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The
spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca. 1770 from the Italian oboè, a
transliteration in that language's orthography of the 17th-century pronunciation of the
French name. A musician who plays the oboe is called an oboist.
 Bassoon

The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays
music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in
its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral,
concert band and chamber music literature. The bassoon is a non-transposing
instrument known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, variety of character and
agility. Listeners often compare its warm, dark, reedy timbre to that of a male
baritone voice.
 Contrabassoon

The contrabassoon, also known as the bass bassoon or double bassoon, is a larger
version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its
smaller cousin, with a few notable differences.
 English Horn

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

The cor anglais or English horn, is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the
oboe family.
The cor anglais is a transposing instrument pitched in F, a perfect fifth lower
than the oboe (a C instrument), and is consequently approximately one and a
half times the length of the oboe. The fingering and playing technique used for
the cor anglais are essentially the same as those of the oboe. Music for the
cor anglais is thus written a perfect fifth higher than the instrument actually
sounds. Because the cor anglais normally lacks the lowest B-flat of the oboe,
its sounding range stretches from the E (written B natural) below middle C to
the C two octaves above middle C.
Saxophone
The saxophone (also referred to as the sax) is a conical-bore transposing
musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are
usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to
that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument
maker Adolphe Sax in 1846. He wanted to create an instrument that would
both be the most powerful and vocal of the woodwinds and the most adaptive
of the brass, which would fill the vacant middle ground between the two
sections. He patented the sax on June 28, 1846 in two groups of seven
instruments each. Each series consisted of instruments of various sizes in
alternating transposition. The series pitched in B♭ and E♭, designed for
military bands, has proved extremely popular and most saxophones
encountered today are from this series. Instruments from the so-called
"orchestral" series pitched in C and F never gained a foothold.
While proving very popular in military band music, the saxophone is most
commonly associated with jazz and classical music. There is substantial
repertoire of concert music in the classical idiom for the members of the
saxophone family.
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind
instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument
that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening. According to
the instrument classification of Hornbostel-Sachs, flutes are categorized as
edge-blown aerophones.
A musician who plays the flute can be referred to as a flute player, a flautist, a
flutist, or less commonly a fluter.

Aside from the voice, flutes are the earliest known musical instruments. A
number of flutes dating to about 40,000 to 35,000 years ago have been found
in the Swabian Alb region of Germany. These flutes demonstrate that a
developed musical tradition existed from the earliest period of modern human
presence in Europe.
 Piccolo




The piccolo (Italian for small) is a half-size flute, and a member of the
woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo mostly has the same
fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it
produces is an octave higher than written. This gave rise to the name
"ottavino," the name by which the instrument is referred to in the scores of
Italian composers.
Piccolos are now only manufactured in the key of C; however, they were once
also available in D♭. It was for this D♭ piccolo that John Philip Sousa wrote the
famous solo in the final repeat of the closing section (trio) of his march "The
Stars and Stripes Forever".
In the orchestral setting, the piccolo player is often designated as
Piccolo/Flute III or even Assistant Principal. The larger orchestras have
designated this position as a Solo position due to the demands of the
literature. Piccolos are often orchestrated to double (i.e., to play together with)
the violins or the flutes, adding sparkle and brilliance to the overall sound
because of the aforementioned one-octave transposition upwards.
Concertos have been composed for piccolo, including those by Lowell
Liebermann, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Todd Goodman, Martin Amlin, Will
Gay Bottje, Bruce Broughton, Valentino Bucchi, Avner Dorman, Jean Doué,
Michael Easton, Egil Hovland, Guus Janssen, Tilo Medek, Dexter Morrill,
Raymond Niverd, Daniel Pinkham, Thomas Schudel, and Allan Stephenson.
Graham Waterhouse composed a Quintet for Piccolo and String Quartet.
 Aerophone




An aerophone is any musical instrument which produces sound primarily by causing
a body of air to vibrate, without the use of strings or membranes, and without the
vibration of the instrument itself adding considerably to the sound. It is one of the four
main classes of instruments in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical
instrument classification.
Hornbostel-Sachs divides aerophones by whether vibrating air is contained in the
instrument itself or not.
The first class includes instruments where the vibrating air is not contained by the
instrument itself, such as the bullroarer. Such instruments are called free
aerophones. This class includes free reed instruments, such as the harmonica, but
also many instruments unlikely to be called wind instruments at all by most people,
such as sirens and whips.
The second class includes instruments where the vibrating air is contained by the
instrument. This class includes almost all the instruments generally called wind
instruments - including the didgeridoo, brass instruments in the west, such as the




trumpet, the french horn, and the trombone, and woodwind instruments such as the
sheng, the oboe, and the clarinet.
Additionally, very loud sounds can be made by explosions directed into, or being
detonated inside of resonant cavities. Instruments such as the calliope (and steam
whistle), as well as the pyrophone might thus be considered as class 42 instruments,
despite the fact that the "wind" or "air" may be steam or an air-fuel mixture.
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ,
is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk
music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or
drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers) or
multiple holes. The pressure caused by blowing or drawing air into the reed
chambers causes a reed or multiple reeds to vibrate creating sound. Each
chamber has multiple, variable-tuned brass or bronze reeds, which are
secured at one end only, leaving the other free to vibrate.
Reeds are pre-tuned to individual tones, and each tone is determined
according to the size of reed. Longer reeds make deep, low sounds and short
reeds make higher-pitched sounds. On certain types of harmonica the pretuned reed can be changed (bending a note) to another note by redirecting air
flow into the chamber. There are many types of harmonicas, including
diatonic, chromatic, tremolo, orchestral, and bass versions.
 Bagpipes


Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed
reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the
Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest
international visibility, bagpipes have been for centuries played throughout
large parts of Europe, the Caucasus, around the Persian Gulf and in Northern
Africa. The term "bagpipe" is equally correct in the singular or plural, although
in the English language, pipers most commonly talk of "the pipes", "a set of
pipes" or "a stand of pipes".
Bagpipe making was once a craft that produced instruments in many
distinctive local traditional styles. Today, the world's biggest producer of the
instrument is Pakistan, where the industry was worth $6.8 million in 2010.

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
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven freereed aerophone family, sometimes colloquially referred to as a squeezebox. A
person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist.
The instrument is played by compressing or expanding the bellows whilst
pressing buttons or keys, causing valves, called pallets, to open, which allow
air to flow across strips of brass or steel, called reeds, that vibrate to produce
sound inside the body.



This instrument is sometimes considered a one-man-band, as it needs no
accompanying instrument. The performer normally plays the melody on
buttons or keys on the right-hand manual, and the accompaniment, consisting
of bass and pre-set chord buttons, on the left-hand manual.
The accordion is often used in folk music in Europe, North America and South
America. It is commonly associated with busking. Some popular music acts
also make use of the instrument. Additionally, the accordion is sometimes
used in both solo and orchestra performances of classical music.
The oldest name for this group of instruments is actually harmonika, from the
Greek harmonikos, meaning harmonic, musical. Today, native versions of the
name accordion are more common. These names are a reference to the type
of accordion patented by Cyrill Demian, which concerned "automatically
coupled chords on the bass side".
We first put our song onto the internet and ask our batch mates to listen to it, after
which we asked them about their opinion of the modified song. Referring to Figure
1.1, half the respondents felt the song was generally okay. Another 29% felt that the
song was nice, although approximately one-fifth of the respondents (21%) felt the
song was not good.
1. Please listen to our RE group's version of Voices of Care (the first link).
How did you find the new song in general?
Figure 1.1. Response to question 1
How did you find the new song in general?
Nice
Okay
Not Good
We went on to find out about why the students like/dislike the song. Based on the
opinion of our batchmates (Figure 1.2), 79% think that it is just right, 14% think it is
too long, 7% think it is just right. This length would have indicated whether it could be
sung as a batch without being too ‘draggy’ or ‘abrupt’– including repetitions in verse
and chorus.
2. How did you find the length of the song?
Figure 1.2. Response to question 2
How did you find the length of the song?
Too long (draggy)
Just nice (appropriate)
Too short (abrupt)
Another important factor we felt that should be commented on was the
speed of our new song (Figure 1.3). 71%, or about 7 in 10 respondents
think that our song has a acceptable tempo, 14% think it is to slow and
the other 14% felt that it was too fast – adding up to less than 30% of
the respondents thinking the speed of the song is not right.
3. How did you find the tempo (speed) of the song?
Figure 1.3. Response to question 3
How did you find the tempo (speed) of the
song?
Too quick
Just nice
Too slow
Out of those surveyed, 64% think that it is suitable for the students to
sing this song while 29% thought that the pitch is too high and 7% think
it is too low.
4. With reference to the Year 2 batch, how did you find the pitch of the
song?
Figure 1.4. Response to question 4
With reference to the Year 2 batch, how did
you find the pitch of the song?
Too high
Appropriate for Year 2s to sing
Too low
We went on to ask whether there is a need for our project to be carried
out, there was an equal amount of both positive and negative
response, with 50% agreeing and 50% disagreeing.
5. Do you think it is necessary for our Year 2 batch song to be modified?
Figure 1.5. Response to question 5
Do you think it is necessary for our Year 2
batch song to be modified?
Yes
No
References (Final Report)
Kinnaird, R. Motivating the troops. Retrieved on 13 July, 2012 from
http://www.scribd.com/doc/19860509/Motivating-the-TroopsBagpipes-in-War
Farnham, T. High school bands set the tone for school spirit. Retrieved on 13
July, 2012 from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE%7
CA169289183&v=2.1&u=sgrjc&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&authCount=1
Lim, C. Music Maker. Retrieved on 20 July, 2012 from
http://newslink.asiaone.com/user/OrderArticleRequest.action?order=&_source
Page=%2FWEB-INF%2Fjsp%2Fuser%2Fsearch_type_result.jsp&month=07&
year=2010&date=23&docLanguage=en&documentId=nica_BT_2010_168063
17
Appendix I
Byline: Tracy Farnham
Sep. 29--MORGANTON -- Music can relax a weary soul or bring cheering fans to their feet
while evoking school spirit and leading the team to a victory.
In the Revolutionary War, musicians took to the front lines leading troops into battle.
High school marching bands have a similar spirit, diligently working to encourage their team
and provide entertainment to fans.
These dedicated students start learning music a year before they ever perform at halftime.
They show up in the dog days of their humid summer vacation to painstakingly learn
formations that are more than fancy footwork. With beads of sweat streaming down their
faces, they stand at attention and master the steps that will create amazing displays on the
field during the upcoming football season.
East Burke Band Major Arialle Crabtree said they've been at it since the week after summer
vacation started. The senior and former saxophone marcher decided she wanted a leadership
position.
"With the time put into the program and the heat, it takes a lot to get used to. I wanted the
opportunity to learn leadership abilities," she said. She now directs the 177-member band.
The work starts in the summer when the upperclassmen receive music for next year's
marching season.
Courtney Merrill plays the clarinet and is a second-year marcher. She said the second year is
easier. The most difficult part of it all is counting
"You are thinking about so many things at one time," she said.
While marking time with their feet, they carry instruments that can weigh more than 30
pounds while trying to stay in step with the beat of the music. Their dedication and
perseverance is awarded as applause crescendos the last note.
These students make up a small but important part of the student body at area high schools,
and many go on to pursue educational and vocational opportunities in the field. Regardless of
the later, the skills acquired throughout their experience with the band program, as well as
their continued love of music, help them endure challenges throughout life.
Borrowing from the well-known lyrics, Burke County's hills are alive with the sound of
music thanks in part to the high school bands.
To see more of The News Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.morganton.com.
Copyright (c) 2007, The News Herald, Morganton, N.C.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550,
send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave.,
Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
By Tracy Farnham
Source Citation
"High school bands set the tone for school spirit." News Herald [Morganton, NC] 29 Sept.
2007. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 20 July 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA169289183&v=2.1&u=sgrjc&it=r&p=GPS
&sw=w
Appendix II
Motivating the Troops
Pipers were present in clan battles nearly 3000 years ago and continue to be presenting war
today. There were pipers in both World Wars, the Gulf War, Desert Storm, the Boer War and more. The
pipes were used as an incentive to battle, motivation for the troops, and intimidation of the
enemy. They celebrated victories and mourned the fallen. Drums were used as a motivation,
and for communication. They signaled orders, tactical maneuvers, and firing of weapons.
Pipers were not only soldiers, but morale boosters. Thousands of pipers died while playing
their men into battle, as they could not carry a weapon and their pipes at the same time. This
was a great act of bravery. Below is one such example of this bravery. James Richardson, or
Jimmy as he was known, was born in Scotland and moved to Chilliwack, BC with his family
at a young age. He had won 3 gold medals in piping competitions in BC. He was noted for
his bravery at a young age when he tried to save a drowning boy. Enlisting in the army in 1914,
Jimmy was assigned to the 16th Infantry Battalion Expeditionary Force. He served in Belgium and
France as a soldier, piper, and cook. On one occasion, Jimmy advanced alone beyond Canadian
lines into a thick dark forest. He stumbled upon a farmhouse and realized that he was
surrounded by German soldiers. Although he tried to hide in the grass, a German officer
signaled the others in his direction. Bravely, Jimmy quickly shot the officer and ran as fast as
he could back to his own camp. He informed the others and the artillery quickly took care of
them. The Battle of Somme in 1916 was one of the bloodiest battles in WWI. Jimmy was at
the Regina Trench. On October 9th, he was granted permission to go in with planned assault.
In the early morning, the Canadians, including Jimmy, left the safety of the trenches and
advanced upon the Germans. They came upon heavy barbed wire stretching 400 yards. It
hadn't been cut by artillery as they had planned. Heavy gunfire came from the German lines
and the Canadians scattered for cover. The outlook was grim. Jimmy asked the Sergeant
Major if he should play his pipes and was confirmed. According to the official citation, Piper
Richardson piped up and down outside the wire, playing his pipes with "the greatest
coolness". Inspired, the Canadian soldiers rushed the wire with fury, overcame the obstacle,
and captured the position. Later, Jimmy was sent to take a wounded soldier and prisoners
back to camp. After about200 yards, Jimmy realized that he'd left his pipes behind and
insisted on recovering them. He never returned. Jimmy was buried at Adanac Military
Cemetery, France. He was 20 years old. Jimmy was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest
honor. He is the only Canadian piper to receive this award. In 2000, a project at a private
school in Scotland sent out an email to identify the tartan on a set of old, mud and blood
covered pipes with a bullet hole that had been kept in the school for over 75 years. The pipes
had been found after the Battle of the Somme and were kept as a souvenir. It was discovered
that the tartan belonged to the 16th Canadian Expeditionary Force. A collective effort of
research led to conclusive evidence that these were the pipes that Piper Richardson had gone
back for and never returned. The pipes were returned to British Columbia in 2006 and are on
permanent display in the British Columbia Legislature.
Rauncie Kinnaird
Kinnaird Bagpipes
Appendix III
Music maker
Section:
Gadgets
By:
CHRISTOPHER LIM
Publication:
The Business Times 21/05/2011
Page:
L14
No. of words: 115
Apple's iPad 2 has a lot of competition, but when it comes to music-making on the
go, nothing can touch it because of the accessories and apps made specifically for it.
The new iPad 2 gives you even more power to make the most of these tools. By
Christopher Lim
iPAD MUSIC HARDWARE ACCESSORIES
IK Multimedia iRig (Usual price $85; $68 from Ebenex in May)
No company has IK Multimedia's broad selection of both iPad apps and music
hardware. The iRig is an all-in-one solution for electric guitarists because it
comprises the iRig adapter for connecting guitars to iPads, as well as the full version
of the AmpliTube app, which comes with numerous guitar amp and effects models,
and has even more you can purchase such as the Fender package and VocaLive
vocal effects. Best of all, you can upgrade the single-track recorder into a full-blown
eight-track recording studio, fully integrated into the app.
IK Multimedia iRig Mic ($105)
Vocalists feeling iRig envy can get the iRig Mic, which is a condenser microphone
you can plug into an iPad. It comes with the free version of the VocaLive app. The
US$19.99 VocaLive upgrade gives you fantastic effects that can transform voices,
but you can also purchase the VocaLive upgrade within AmpliTube and use the
microphone with that app as well as others.
IK Multimedia iKlip ($85)
iPads are sometimes only useful as musical tools if you don't have to hold them.
The iKlip is an iPad stand that attaches to standard microphone stands so that your
tablet is always within arm's reach, but never in the way. iPad 2 compatibility will
come next month with the inclusion of adapters. It's a perfect match for an iRig or an
iRig Mic. The iRig, iRig Mic and iKlip are available now from IK Multimedia dealers
like Ebenex, or direct from IK Multimedia online.
Apogee Jam ($180)
Guitarists who want a digital connection to their instruments instead of conventional
analogue ones should check out the Apogee Jam, which costs a lot for a simple
adapter, but claims the best sound quality. Exclusive local agent Sinamex doesn't
have any in stock but you can pre-order one now.
iPAD MUSIC APPS
AmpKit+ (US$19.99)
iPad guitarists are blessed by the number of guitar-friendly options available for the
gadget. AmpKit+ was developed in partnership with Peavey and features a
smorgasbord of Peavey amps. There's no built-in recording studio, but there are
plenty of amp and effects included, and even more that you can buy. AmpKit+ is
designed to work with Peavey's AmpKit LiNK guitar adapter but should work fine with
the iRig and Apogee Jam.
Garageband (US$4.99)
An obvious starting point for making music on any iPad is Apple's Garageband app.
Like its namesake sibling that comes free with every Mac computer, Garageband is
an all-in-one digital audio workstation for playing, recording and arranging
instruments. There are four virtual instruments, as well as four Smart Instruments
that let you play music without any musical knowledge. Guitar players can plug into
virtual amplifiers and stompbox effects. An eight-track sequencer lets you arrange
recordings that you can then e-mail, or export to Garageband on a Mac. It's great for
beginners.
StudioMini XL Recording Studio (US$9.99)
If you want more flexibility than Garageband, but don't want to be tied to the built-in
recording studios in the AmpliTube apps, StudioMini XL Recording Studio is a great
eight-track studio. Gorillaz used it to record the band's latest album, The Fall, which
was created entirely on an iPad using StudioMini XL and a bunch of iPad apps. That
alone gives it rock solid credibility.
Korg iELECTRIBE Gorillaz Edition (US$9.99)
Gorillaz has become so closely associated with the iPad that the band has its own
version of Korg's iELECTRIBE programmable drum and synthesiser sequencer.
Gorillaz used the regular version of iELECTRIBE to create its latest album, The Fall,
and this Gorillaz version lets you use sounds from The Fall to make songs. The
colourful user interface alone should inspire you.
Crystal XT (US$4.99)
Some of the best iPad music-making apps have a history that far precedes Apple's
tablet. Crystal XT has been popular for years as a synthesiser software plug-in for
PC and Mac recording studios, and the iPad app continues that lineage. Plug a Midi
music keyboard into an iPad via Apple's Camera Connection Kit and you can use
Crystal XT to play some wonderfully dreamy synthesiser sounds.
djay for iPad (US$19.99)
djay for iPad is the undisputed king of iPad DJ apps, with the ability to seamlessly
load songs on the left and right channels and blend them into dancefloor nirvana.
You can scratch records using the touchscreen. For iPad 2 owners only, the app lets
you change song speed without changing pitch, analyse sound clips with minute
accuracy, and automatically match song clips with different tempos.
forScore (US$4.99)
The iPad's 9.7-inch touchscreen makes it a perfect music score reader, and
forScore lets you carry thousands of scores around with you, with musician-friendly
features like automatically turning pages and helping you keep time with a built-in
metronome.