Types of Ambient Music - Essay Example

Ambient Music Order No: 192394 No: of pages: 8 Premium – 6530 “If music be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it, so that surfeiting all, I may sicken and so die”. William Shakespeare William Shakespeare’s words echo and re-echo in each and every music lover’s heart each time one listens to some really soul – stirring music. Music lovers from all around the world describe music to be the food of the soul – such is the power of music. Therefore, what better way to listen to music than having a wonderful ambience to go with it? This is what Ambient Music is all about. Ambient music is referred to as a kind of music that encircles or engulfs a listener without drawing any particular attention to itself. Brian Eno explains that “Ambient music must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention, without enforcing one in particular; it must be as ignorable as it is interesting”. (Brian Eno, Music for Airport’s Liner notes, September 1978) It is simply not right to give a single definition to ambient music because it encompasses a wide spectrum that is incorporated into it, making it one of the most important ways to listen to music. Ambient Music doesn’t fit into the mainstream classification of Pop, Rock, Folk, Classical, Dance or Jazz. It has its own unique style and form and is essentially instrumental. The human voice is rarely used drawing more from its timbrel quality than from the use of lyrics. The word “Ambient” was first conceptualized and coined by Brian Eno, the famous English musician and sound designer. He described this kind of music as “designed to use calm and space to think”. (Brian Eno, Music for Airports, 1978) Ambient music has many other names like World Music, Contemporary, New Age, Chill out, Space Rock, Mood music, Trance, Ambient Techno and such. According to Brian’s concept, ambient music could be listened to actively (foreground) or passively as in the background. Types of Ambient Music: Ambient music is so diverse because it has borrowed extensively from many different cultures. Music is described as "the science or art of incorporating pleasing, expressive or intelligible combinations of vocal and instrumental tones into a composition having definite structure and continuity," or it is otherwise said to be "Vocal or instrumental sounds having rhythm, melody or harmony." (Webster’s dictionary, 3rd New International Dictionary of the English Language) Therefore Ambient Music is a conglomeration of a wide range of rhythm and sounds which have been incorporated to make it richer and more diverse. Webster’s definition of “Ambient” is "to go around, surround, encompass. An encompassing environment or atmosphere" (Webster’s Dictionary) Ambient music uses other fractal sounds such as the rush of wind, the fall of waves or a waterfall, the rustling of leaves, the sound of birds, the hissing of a snake, the sound of an airplane, or the sound of rain. Therefore it cannot be categorized in a clear cut manner because of its diversity. Different kinds of ambience need different kinds of sounds and music in order to cater effectively or suit the atmosphere where it is played. 1. Classic ambient: This type of ambient uses the synthesizer a lot creating a kind of dreamlike or ethereal drifting feeling which is very soothing and lends a peaceful mood to the person who is listening. An off shoot of the Classic Ambient is the “dark ambient” which is filled with spooky and creepy sounds which is mostly nightmarish in nature which incorporates any kind of blatant and disturbing sound. It is the opposite of Classic ambient and is not recommended for the faint hearted. 2. Techno Ambient: The techno- ambient uses a lot of rhythm in its compositions. The rhythm can be created using live drums or other percussion which is synthesized. Though this kind of music is loud and fast with a lot of energy, it is still considered to be ambient music because it creates a kind of trance like mood in the atmosphere. Techno music is quite popular mostly with the younger generation. 3. Tribal Ambient: The tribal Ambient is more rhythmic making use of live drums and other percussion instruments associated with Aborigines or other native or tribal people. A lot of native chanting or chanting sounds are used by the composer to give it a very tribal feel. Composers, who are deep into the Classical or Western type of music, find it very unsettling or disturbing when tribal sounds and percussion are mixed with it. 4. Avant-garde, Minimalism, Drone, and "glitch": The following are the very extreme types of ambient music. The Avant-garde kind of music is somewhat fragmented or disjointed. Sometimes it is toneless and at other times it is filled with a fast rambling flow of sound. It also uses the environment besides the use of instruments. It cannot be made sense of neither can it be interpreted. It is purely the personal expression of the composer. Minimalism: Minimalism Ambient music utilizes the minimum amount of sound. It uses either one single long note, or chord for a great length of time. It also makes use of environmental sounds or any effect for a long period. It doesn’t make use of a lot of sounds together. This music is not for listening pleasure but just to be kept in the background to enhance other activities that may be going on. It is described as a sort of “audible incense” (Hannah Michael Gale Shapero, Electron Blue, 2004) and could be quite pleasing. Drone: The drone is just like minimalist kind of music, but is not so pleasant as it is made up of a monotonous exceedingly long drawn out single or multiple notes. It has absolutely no melody and changes only when there is a new effect. This music is also used in the background serving other activities in the foreground. Glitch: The Glitch does away with both melody as well as notes altogether and uses static sounds such as in scratchy vinyl records, scratching sounds, malfunctioning electronic sounds and other unpleasant noises. A Literature Review Ambient music does not have a specialized or clear cut pathway. It has gradually evolved and taken root after drawing from nature as well as from varied cultures. It is not stagnant but keeps on evolving according to the changing times. Contrasting between music and the way we lead our lives, Peckham says, “Art rehearses one for enduring uncertainty”. He explains that we live in a world where we always attempt to classify and predict things even before they can happen. He says that art is a safe environment where one can drop ones defenses and just listen for the sheer love of music. Speaking of ambient music in films, Chris says, “This use of music creates a mood without obscuring the focus of the movie, and shouldnt be something that you are conscious of much of the time, yet strongly affects your state of being….” (Chris Melchior, Ambient Music – Beginnings and Implications) Brian Eno is one of the most successful and influential composers of Ambient music. Eno wanted to create some music which would give on space to think. He recorded 4 of his works titled – “Music for Airports”, the “Plateaux of Mirror”, “Day of Radiance” and “On Land”, (NAMM, 2006 Show News) which became popular long after its release. It took a long time for people to accept it because this was the first time they were exposed to music such as this. In his book, “The Ambient Century”, Mark the author quotes Brian Eno saying "Until recently music was inseparable from the space in which it was performed - including the social space." (Mark Prendergast, The Ambient Century, 2003) He goes on to explain that music has always found its place in social spaces. He gives us many examples by telling us that during the Middle Ages music was played or performed at public fairs and at other religious institutions. During the period of Renaissance, music found its way into churches and cathedrals. The Baroque period attracted music into theatre and its affluent castles. The Classical Era saw music gain widespread popularity across the globe and finally the present twentieth century helps us enjoy music throughout the day if we so wish. As the great critic Mark says, “It is the 20th century that saw the creation of ambient music, and its gradual development into one of the leading forms of creative composition”. (Critic Mark Prendergast, The Ambient Century, 2003) Though many composers have dabbled with using sounds from the environment, it was only in the 20th century that Ambient music was considered as a genre by itself and given its rightful position. The closest that Prendergast can get to Ambient music is when he defines it by saying "atmospheric sound, its timbre and personality", (when speaking about this kind of music. (Critic Mark Prendergast, The Ambient Century, 2003) In a research undertaken where music was played in the background of an Internet Café, it was found that when less favorable music or music that is not so appealing is played, then the attitude of the surfers is less favorable to the website. On the other hand if the music is enjoyed then the surfers take a pleasure in exploring the website for information and also feel more satisfied. Thus it was concluded that the music that was aired and the surfer’s taste of music had a direct impact on their attitude and behavior. In another research undertaken, it was found that Ambient music or music played in the background helped extensively because of its therapeutic effects on patients in hospitals as it helped them to feel better and thus get better faster because of the soothing effect on their minds by helping them to take their mind off pain and anxiety and made them feel much more comfortable. Summary: The twentieth century saw Ambient music at its pinnacle with its rich characteristics after borrowing the best from all cultures around the world. Brian Eno who ushered in a new genre of music is a name to reckon with at least where Ambient music is concerned. The present day generation has placed Ambient music on a pedestal as it quite popular among most people and especially the young at heart. Though played mostly in the background it serves to enhance and energize the atmosphere around it, thus making it the most sought after music in these modern times. Ambient music though not for listening pleasure, yet serves the primary purpose of enlivening the atmosphere around it. Ambient music is used in Café’s and Coffee houses, for Meditation, Yoga or just laid back as background music. As Ambient musician AldoManutio Abruzzo puts it, “Musicians on the whole aren’t just anyone that can stream their audio and becomes musicians overnight”. He advises his friends saying, “open your heart and ears to the people who are serious about what they are doing….it might change what your perception of what music is all about”, (AldoManutio Abruzzo, April 2007) Popular as it is today Ambient music has its own following, though many others may not even know what it is all about. Though it is not possible to describe or define, yet its popularity speaks for itself and leaves the rest to imagination. References: Epsilon: Ambient Music - Beginnings and Implications by Chris Melchior www.music.hyperreal.org/epsilon/info/melchior.html Ambient Music Guide www.ambientmusicguide.com Book: The Ambient Century (510 pages) Author: Mark Prendergast Publisher: Bloomsbury, USA Year of Publishing: 2003 Epsilon: Notes on Ambient Music by Lloyd Barde www.music.hyperreal.org/epsilon/info/barde_notes.html Electron Blue www.pyracantha.com/cgi-bin/blosxom.cgi/2004/02/19 Ambient Music www.hg11.com/genres_en/electronic_music/ambient_music.html Ambient Musician – AldoManutio Abruzzo www.secondseeker.com/?p=470 M@rsouin.org/ Literature Review/ Research 4 www.marsouin.org/article.php3?id_article=171 Review: The Effects of Patient Well- being on music listening www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1046/j.1365-2702.2000.00392.x Read More