Introduction
In "How Music Works," David Byrne, the renowned musician and former frontman of Talking Heads, takes readers on a fascinating journey through the world of music. This book is not just another rock star memoir; instead, it's a deep dive into the mechanics, history, and cultural impact of music. Byrne explores everything from the creation of songs to the production of records, spanning from prehistoric times to the present day.
Byrne's unique perspective as both a successful musician and a curious observer allows him to provide insights that are both personal and universal. He challenges common assumptions about music creation and consumption, offering a fresh look at how our surroundings, technology, and social structures influence the music we make and enjoy.
Whether you're a musician, a music lover, or simply someone interested in understanding the role of music in our lives, this book offers a wealth of knowledge and thought-provoking ideas. Let's explore the key concepts Byrne presents in "How Music Works."
The Context of Music Creation
One of the most intriguing ideas Byrne presents is that our surroundings play a crucial role in shaping the music we create. This challenges the popular notion that music primarily emerges from an artist's inner emotions or technical skills.
The Influence of Physical Spaces
Byrne argues that the physical spaces where music is performed have a significant impact on its composition. He uses the example of medieval music in Gothic cathedrals to illustrate this point. The stone walls of these cathedrals created long echoes, which made slowly progressing melodies and long notes more suitable for the space. Rapid changes in harmony would have resulted in a muddy, dissonant sound as notes overlapped and clashed.
This concept extends beyond human music-making. Byrne points out that animals also adapt their vocalizations to their environment. For instance, birds in San Francisco have gradually increased the pitch of their songs to be heard above the increased traffic noise. Similarly, whales have modified their calls to be audible over the noise of increased shipping.
The Impact of Technology
Technological advancements have also played a significant role in shaping music. The invention of the microphone, for example, revolutionized singing techniques. Singers no longer needed powerful lungs to project their voices, leading to new vocal styles pioneered by artists like Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.
This idea challenges the assumption that medieval music was harmonically "simple" because composers lacked the ability to create more complex harmonies. Instead, Byrne suggests that the music was adapted to fit the acoustic properties of the spaces where it was performed.
The Revolution of Recording Technology
The advent of recording technology in the late 19th century marked a significant turning point in the history of music. Byrne explores how this innovation has transformed both the creation and consumption of music.
Changes in Performance Techniques
Recording technology necessitated changes in how musicians played and sang. For instance, bands had to learn to play with more precise timing, as unsteady tempos became more noticeable without the visual element of a live performance. This led to musicians developing an internal metronome to maintain steady rhythms.
Another interesting development was the increased use of vibrato, especially in singing and string playing. Originally considered a form of "cheating" in singing, vibrato became useful for masking slight pitch discrepancies that became more noticeable in recordings. Today, we're so accustomed to vibrato that classical string playing or opera without it might sound strange to our ears.
Shifts in Listening Experience
Recording technology also changed how we experience music. Byrne references American composer John Philip Sousa, who feared that recorded music would replace live performances and reduce music to a mathematical system of "revolving things" like megaphones, wheels, and discs.
While Sousa's fears weren't entirely realized, there has been a shift in how we conceptualize music. When we think of a piece of music now, we often think of a particular recording rather than a live performance. Live performances are often seen as interpretations of the recorded version, rather than the other way around.
Byrne also mentions philosopher Theodor Adorno's more optimistic view that removing the visual element of performance allows for a more objective appreciation of music. This idea suggests that recording technology has changed not just how we hear music, but how we think about and analyze it.
The Digital Revolution in Music
The invention of digital technology, an unexpected outcome of telephone research by Bell Labs in 1962, has had a profound impact on both the sonic quality of music and its composition.
Changes in Sound Quality
Digital recording divides sound waves into discrete "slices" that are translated into ones and zeros. While our brains perceive these slices as a continuous audio spectrum, there is a fundamental difference between digital and analog recordings. Analog media reproduce sound with an infinite number of gradations, while digital recordings are made up of distinct steps.
This difference has led to debates about sound quality. Some listeners perceive digital recordings as having a "digital cleanliness" that can feel soulless, leading them to prefer analog formats like vinyl records or cassette tapes.
Impact on Composition
Digital technology has also changed how music is composed. For example, the use of quantization in pop music production makes rhythms extremely tight and facilitates easy editing on computer screens. While this can be helpful, Byrne suggests it can sometimes make music sound too uniform.
The use of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) has also influenced composition. MIDI encodes musical notes as digital information rather than actual sounds. Because MIDI works best with certain types of instruments (mainly keyboards and percussion pads), it can subtly influence the types of instruments composers choose to use, thereby affecting the overall composition.
The Art of Recording
Byrne delves into the various approaches to recording music, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
The Divide-and-Isolate Approach
In the late 1970s, the prevalent recording method was to isolate each instrument to get the cleanest possible sound. This approach gives producers and recording engineers significant control over the final product. They can take apart the music and reassemble it, maintaining control throughout the process.
However, this method can result in the loss of organic interplay between musicians, which can significantly impact the feel of the recording.
Recording Together
Many musicians prefer to be recorded together without sonic isolation. While this approach risks a muddier or less polished sound, it often results in more natural and inspired performances. Musicians are used to playing together, and being able to hear the whole band can lead to a more accurate representation of their music.
Modern Flexibility
Today, there's no strict adherence to any single recording method. Many recordings use a combination of approaches, each affecting the music differently. This flexibility allows for a balance between technical precision and organic performance.
The Power of Collaboration
Collaboration has always been a crucial aspect of music creation, and Byrne explores how it continues to evolve in the digital age.
Long-Distance Collaboration
Modern technology allows for collaboration between musicians who aren't even in the same country. Byrne shares his experience of working with producer Brian Eno on their album "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today." They collaborated by emailing musical sketches back and forth, gradually building the album.
While this method risks miscommunication, it also offers advantages, such as having more time to consider ideas before responding.
Creative Benefits of Teamwork
Byrne highlights several benefits of collaborative work:
Weak ideas have a better chance of being improved. He uses the example of "Psycho Killer," which started as a ballad but evolved into a more energetic song when other band members contributed.
Collective improvisations can lead to unexpected creative directions. Talking Heads often wrote music based on group improvisations, where one person's input could shift the entire piece in a new direction.
Shared decision-making allows individuals to focus on their specific responsibilities. While collaboration limits individual control, this can actually be beneficial by allowing each person to concentrate on their strengths.
The Changing Landscape of the Music Business
Byrne examines how declining record sales have transformed the music industry, presenting both challenges and opportunities for artists.
The Decline of Record Sales
Since 1999, record sales have dramatically decreased due to changes in music distribution. In 2009, only 2.1 percent of all albums released sold over 5,000 copies. This decline has led to the closure of many retail music chains and has made it difficult for most artists to make a living from record sales alone.
New Business Models
The traditional royalty deal, where record companies finance recordings and artists receive a percentage of sales, no longer works for most mid-level artists. Records now often function as loss leaders, generating sales for more profitable items like concert tickets and merchandise.
Increased Flexibility
Despite these challenges, the changing landscape has made the music business more flexible. Many musicians now choose to work independently of traditional label relationships. For example, Radiohead left their label to release their 2007 album "In Rainbows" online, and Madonna left Warner Bros. to sign with concert promoter Live Nation.
The ease of home recording and digital distribution has also made the DIY route appealing to many artists, allowing them to self-write, self-produce, and self-market their music.
The Importance of Venues in Music Scenes
Byrne emphasizes the crucial role that venues play in fostering vibrant music scenes. He uses the example of New York's CBGB, which transformed from a biker bar into the epicenter of an emerging music scene in 1974.
Factors for a Successful Venue
Fair payment for performers: CBGB's scene took off when bands were allowed to "play for the door," meaning they received the admission fees.
Free entry for performing musicians on their nights off: This ensures a consistent audience and increases the chances of the venue becoming a popular hangout.
Appropriate physical design: CBGB's size, shape, and location were conducive to intimate performances and good sound quality. The lack of a backstage area forced performers to mingle with the crowd, fostering support.
Byrne argues that creating a scene is vital for local musicians and artists to have an outlet for their talents. All that's needed is a venue that follows these simple principles.
The Social and Cultural Benefits of Amateur Music-Making
Byrne advocates for encouraging amateur music-making, arguing that it can have widespread social and cultural benefits.
Shift in Music Education
For a long time, arts education focused on teaching students how to understand music rather than create it, with an emphasis on certain "superior" kinds of music. This cultural hierarchy encourages consumption over creation and can discourage amateurs from composing their own music.
The Value of Amateur Music-Making
Byrne argues that amateur music-making has significant value:
- It provides an empowering feeling of creation.
- It fosters socialization through playing in bands.
- As an organized system, music can fight crime and poverty.
Real-World Examples
Byrne cites two powerful examples of music's positive social impact:
Carlinhos Brown's music and culture centers in Brazil, which helped reduce crime rates in dangerous neighborhoods by encouraging local kids to create music.
El Sistema, a music education program in Venezuela that has fought poverty by giving disadvantaged children opportunities to improve their situations through music.
These examples show how music can become a moral force when it becomes part of an entire community.
The Fundamental Role of Music in Human Life
Byrne explores the idea that music is not just entertainment but an essential part of what makes us human.
The Origins of Music
While theories about music's origins vary, they all agree that music emerged alongside human development. The earliest evidence of human music-making dates back about 45,000 years, showing that Neanderthals were playing flutes based on the same basic notes as modern pianos.
Specialized Musical Skills
Humans have evolved specialized skills related to music-making:
- Infants can distinguish different musical scales and prefer consonant harmonies.
- Infants can recognize relational pitches, meaning they can identify a familiar song regardless of what note it starts on.
Music and Well-being
Music has a profound effect on our psychological well-being. Studies show that music triggers activity in numerous parts of the brain. Some people with brain damage can only navigate their daily routines with the help of music, leading to the development of therapeutic techniques like Melodic Intonation Therapy.
Final Thoughts
In "How Music Works," David Byrne presents a comprehensive exploration of music's role in human life and society. He challenges common assumptions about music creation and consumption, offering fresh perspectives on how our surroundings, technology, and social structures influence the music we make and enjoy.
Key takeaways from the book include:
Music is deeply dependent on its context, from the specific venue where it's played to the technology used to create and record it.
Recording technology has revolutionized both the creation and consumption of music, changing performance techniques and listening experiences.
Digital technology has further transformed music, affecting both its sonic quality and composition methods.
Collaboration remains a crucial aspect of music creation, with new forms of long-distance collaboration emerging in the digital age.
The music business has become more flexible in response to declining record sales, offering new opportunities for independent artists.
Venues play a crucial role in fostering vibrant music scenes, with certain factors contributing to their success.
Amateur music-making has significant social and cultural benefits, from personal empowerment to community improvement.
Music is a fundamental part of human life, with origins as old as humanity itself and a profound impact on our well-being.
Byrne's work reminds us that music is not just an art form or entertainment, but a complex system intertwined with our technology, society, and very nature as human beings. As we continue to create and consume music in an ever-changing world, understanding these connections can enrich our appreciation and engagement with this universal language.
In conclusion, "How Music Works" offers a unique and insightful perspective on the world of music. It encourages readers to think more deeply about the music they create, perform, and listen to, and to consider the broader context in which music exists. Whether you're a musician, a music enthusiast, or simply curious about the role of music in our lives, this book provides a wealth of knowledge and food for thought. It reminds us of the power of music to bring us together, to express our humanity, and to shape our world in profound and unexpected ways.