Miles Davis and John Coltrane

Miles Davis and John Coltrane are both very influential jazz musicians. They have many similarities which includes that they both played trumpet and developed an original sound for jazz music. However, I’ve noticed that they have unique differences. In the tracks I’ve listened to, Mile Davis seems to play much faster and a lot more unpredictably. Examples would be songs like “Lady Bird” and “Out of the Blue”. He seems very improvisational with his melodies of songs. The drums and piano are also very emphasized in his songs focusing much on unique rhythms. There was one song that I liked called “Blue Room” which was slower and different from some of his other songs. He expresses a great amount of emotion in the song.

On the other hand, John Coltrane’s music seemed to focus on all instruments rather than just the trumpet in order to carry on the melody. The trumpet is definitely emphasized the most in his songs though. Also I’ve noticed that most of his music is more relaxing and not as improvisational than Miles Davis’, such as in the songs “Love Supreme” and “My Favorite Things”. I feel like Coltrane’s music focused more on the melody than the rhythm.The rhythm between the drum, bass, and piano is also much simpler. I enjoyed listening to the song “Giant Steps” as it had a very nice trumpet melody that carried the song. It reminded me a lot of how Miles Davis plays, but it seemed more controlled than the way Miles Davis plays the trumpet. Despite their difference in musical style, Miles Davis and John Coltrane are both inspiring and unique musicians in jazz. 

Beethoven Assignment

 5 Moments That Stood Out To Me 

1. Allegro con brio- 4:38-15:15

The melody contains just a single instrument playing softly. It conveys a sad feeling at first but then the main melody comes in with multiple violins. The violins increase intensity with a rise and fall feel that I really like the sound of.

2. Andante con moto- 3:52-4:33

I really enjoy the violins playing the melody together in this part, especially with the pizzicato bass playing along in the background. The piece contains a very quiet and soothing sound in which stood out to me.

3. Allegro III- 4:37 to Allegro IV :02

It begins with picked violin sounds. I really like the sound of the picked strings. Then the violins become quieter and play one long note while another violin plays a melody over top. The melody has a really nice build and leads straight into IV Allegro. I thought it was a great transition.

4. Allegro IV 2:55- 3:20

The notes are played in a fast and intense pace. I think it has a great complex effect as many instruments are playing different notes of the melody all at once. Also, I noticed that at the end near 3:20, it has a very concluding sound that actually made me think that the song was ending at that point.

5. Allegro IV 6:50- 7:20

This part starts with a nice melody of different instruments combining together and almost playing notes back to each other. I like how the violin plays a part and then the high-pitched instrument will play the same notes back. It almost as if the melody is being toss around to different instruments in order to find a place to continue towards.

Interesting part of Beethoven's Life

I find Ludwig van Beethoven's childhood to be very interesting to me, especially regarding his relationship with his father. I would really like to know why his father was so brutal and forceful with him about playing music. Another thing that I found interesting is if his musical skills developed as a result of his father's rigorous teachings, or if he already had the skills to be the prodigy he was without his father's training. I think that his father definitely had a great impact on Beethoven's musical knowledge, but Beethoven must have already had a natural musical mindset in order to compose the pieces he did as a child. He also wouldn't be leaving school to learn music with other teachers if he didn't like music in the first place.