What is Music?
You hear it in the car, on the subway to work, at concerts, and in the buzzing of that annoying pest that just found its way indoors. Music is all around us. But what exactly is it?
​
The scientific definition of music is that it's a collection of vibrations that could vary in wavelength to produce different pitches.
​
But if only it were that easy...
​
Music to many is an idea, a wonder, or possibly even a way of life. From the sound of a rock thrown into a pond to a vibrant music festival, music manifests itself in many different ways.
​
Here at Musicmakery, our goal is to empower those around us to hear music and apply it to their own lives—whether it be detecting minor keys in popular music or developing the incredible ability to sight-sing.
Who can learn music?
Anyone can! That's the beauty of it. We have worked with talented students as young as 5 years old. There's no age limit to learning music, and this applies to the upper end of the age spectrum as well. There's no age to begin learning, and frankly, there's no age to end learning either. Music is a craft that can only be developed.
What kinds of music are out there?
Music comes in many different shapes and forms. Let's begin by discussing the various eras and genres of music that you are most likely to encounter.
Some of the Main Musical Eras
Renaissance: The word "renaissance" quite literally means "rebirth" in French. As you may be able to assume, the renaissance was a time period of artistic revival after the Dark Ages. During this time period, choral music started to gain more popularity. String instruments also began coming into fashion. The predecessor of the piano, the harpsichord, was also invented during this time period.
Baroque: Most of our modern musical terminology including words like "orchestra" and "symphony" can be traced back to this period. Following the renaissance and the invention of the harpsichord, a change between musical notation began occurring. While musicians had formerly used "modes" to base their pieces off of, now, they started using scales. (Stay tuned for more information on modes and scales!)
Classical: You might have heard of this musical era before. Many of the musical eras also correspond with the eras that are happening in other art forms such as visual arts and poetry. The classical era of music is centered around the idea of form. Remember the last pop song you heard? Did it have a chorus that repeated itself three times? Did it have two verses and a bridge connecting two choruses? Much of our modern idea of form comes from the classical time period. (ABABCB form). Some popular classical composers include Mozart and Vivaldi.
Romantic: Before you ask, no, this era is not referring to love songs. The music from this time period can be described as very dramatic. It kind of strays away from the structure that we see in the classical era and begins to develop a new form of its own. The piano begins to evolve in this time period as well. Some famous Romantic music composers include Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.
There are many more different music eras, especially those that take place closer to today's time. Stay tuned for more information on music history!