Free Essay

My Musical Functions

In: Film and Music

Submitted By otluke2
Words 748
Pages 3
According to Johnny Depp, a famous hollywood actor, “Music touches us emotionally where words alone can’t” Personally I cannot imagine what life would be like without music. Through music I am able to express myself emotionally. The songs satisfies my soul and they bring joy and happiness into my life. To help understand the importance of music in my social life, I would discuss three of Alan Merriam’s musical functions namely; Emotional Expression, Aesthetic Enjoyment and Entertainment .
How music functions in my social life.
Emotional Expression: I like to listen to music that I find romantic for emotional expression when I am in a romantic mood. I listen to slow R & b songs or slow jazz music. One of my favourites is Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s get it on” .
Aesthetic Enjoyment I also listen to music for aesthetic enjoyment. I listen to such music like jazz, blues and reggae songs that I find beautiful whether, I am exercising in the gym, driving in my car, working or even when I am at home. One of my favourites is Pharell Williams’s “Happy” and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes’s “Wake up everybody” . This songs gets me going, they are truly beautiful songs.
Entertainment: I listen to Rap and R & B songs when I want to entertain my friends and family. These songs help me get away from unnecessary distractions in life. One of favourite’s is Drake’s “0 to 100” and Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow” .
Music is food to my soul. When I hear a good song, I sing along if I know the lyrics, I clap or sometimes I even dance. I love new songs and the old songs too. The old songs bring back memories of the “good old days”. Depending on my moods or state of mind,. I have songs I listen to, I even have songs I listen to at specific time of the day such as in the morning, afternoon or evening. I have no doubt that my social life is greatly enriched by music.
How does the Mbira music tradition compares to music in my social life?
Mbira music tradition is the music of the Shona people in Zimbabwe. The music is played in the performance of the bira ritual on an instrument known as the mbira. The instrument is a popular recreational instrument and it holds spiritual significance amongst the Shona people. They use it to call on their ancestors when they perform the bira ritual . Constant variations in the mbira performance helps the participants to go into a trance when attempting to communicate with their ancestors. The mbira music combines with electric guitars in popular genres like the chimurenga.
Compared to the kind of music I listen to, the mbira music has a short ostinato melody. To me, it sounds more like an instrumental music, a form of jazz music. It would be appropriate when I am in a sentimental mood. I could use this music for aesthetic enjoyment. I could also use Mbira music for entertainment, just to add variety but I don’t think I can use the mbira songs to express myself emotionally. The reason is that, I would not be able to connect with the sound of the mbira music the way I normally connect with my own kind of music. I definitely would not use it for any spiritual or religious purpose. I am a Christian, I listen to gospel music.
Also, I listen to my music on different devices such as my phone, mp3 players, sound systems in the car and at home. I am not sure if the Mbira music has ever been digitally recorded and it is readily available to be copied to mp3 players. Although, with the aid of some softwares, it can be downloaded from YouTube and transferred to mp3 player.

Bibliography
Alves, William. Music of the Peoples of the World (3rd edition). Boston; Schirmer/Cengage, 2013.

Merriam, Alan. The Anthropology of Music. Northwestern University Press, 1964.

Music and Its Functions In Our Daily Life https://blogs.longwood.edu/christinanicole/2013/02/08/music-and-its-functions-in-our-daily-life/
Gaye, Marvin. Lets get it on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6QZn9xiuOE

Williams, Pharrell. Happy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. Wake Up Everybody https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HhV3Slqtvw
Drake. 0 to 100. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_73l3ZdRobk
Khalifa, Wiz. Black and Yellow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UePtoxDhJSw

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