Krish Patel - Week 11 - The Balance of Power in Music
Previously, I had talked about the importance of power in tennis and now I wanted to discuss another passion I have which is music. Music requires a balance of the melody and supporting sounds in a band setting. The melody, often played by the flutes or clarinets, carries the backbone of the music and is the most important part of the piece that needs to be heard. However, sometimes inexperienced players will play the melody too quietly or play the supporting instruments too loudly. This power shift results in an imbalance in the music and often leads to unpleasant sounds or a different feel from the music.
For example imagine the iconic Jingle Bells theme drowned out by crashing cymbals or that one obnoxious player who thinks he or she is the main character of the music. The music will obviously not sound correct, and it will lead to disaster. For an example take a look at this Jingle Bells performance (start at 2:11 for the performance). Obviously you can tell it is Jingle Bells; however, that one trumpet player is doing way too much and is getting in the way of the woodwind melody.
Now, you must be wondering how this relates to real life. The concept of power imbalances is extremely relevant in modern society as well as history. Empires have collapsed and governments have failed due to the power shifts or because one person or group holds too much power. It is the reason why the Founding Fathers created a checks and balances system, involving three independent branches of government. Using the analogy of music, we can see that power imbalances lead to chaos and the ultimate demise of society.
We as humans should learn from history and from modern tyrannical governments and work towards a society where the power is evenly distributed among the government and people and not held by a group of people. When the power is held by a group of people, things like the Holocaust and other tragic events occur which we should not tolerate and work to fix.
Balance Pyramid, https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Balance-Pyramid-8242615, Accessed 9 February, 2025
Hi Krish,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your article about how you can interestingly connect your passions for tennis and your love for music. It is quite a fascinating analogy because most people would not normally consider these to be intersecting patterns of thought. I would also consider myself quite a music lover, because I find that it can often connect with me in interesting ways, similar to what you describe. However, I can definitely also relate to your idea of how imbalances within instrumental music can in a sense “destroy” the melody and ruin a performance. On the other hand, I think while it’s important to acknowledge this perspective, I believe that music can still be enjoyable even if it has these imperfections. That’s why people still appreciate music that is created by humans because it imparts a positive influence, even if it is imperfect. Furthermore, that’s why music isn’t just made by robots. It’s an expression of creativity, and even if it’s slightly “unbalanced” it is still amazing in its own regard. Interestingly enough, this blog post reminded me of the importance of balance in other aspects of the world, like government, and life in general.
-Ritwik
Hi Krish!
ReplyDeleteLast time I responded to your blog about the importance of power in tennis, and now it’s time for me to react to your blog about the power of music! I agree with everything you say in this blog and how it relates to real life. Governments and leaders have fallen or become the strongest due to how they were able to manipulate their power. However, for this week, I really enjoyed watching that Jingle Bells performance. It was pretty funny when it first started and surprised me at how uncoordinated the band was. Even for the audience, there was a girl who was covering her ears because of the unbalance in the music. However, at around 3:35 or so, it sounded pretty balanced and I even saw a person nod in satisfaction. I believe that how you manipulate power around you and what you choose to do with it can affect your success, but also can cause people to look down on you or feel intimidated. For this instance, the people in the audience were laughing at the kids playing. Anyways, I enjoyed reading your blog this week and look forward to the sequel of your “The Balance of Power in ___” series!
- Colin