Video producer and YouTuber Andrew Huang has made an amusing music theory video arguing - with plenty or arguments! - that there's AAA-LOT of D tone in pop music right now. Why is it a supersonic right now? - it just goes well with the others.
The Oasis pop star Noel Gallagher announced his suspicion of masks last week proclaiming - “There’s no need for it… They’re pointless”. Former Stone Roses singer Ian Brown declared: “NO LOCKDOWN NO TESTS NO TRACKS NO MASKS NO VAX”. Tommy Scott of Space, did not disappoint. “I do not believe in any germs. If they are real, and there’s loads, why don’t they have a smell?”. Guardian tries to explain the "reasoning" behind - "it is asking a lot of the Britpop stars of yesteryear to believe in laws. Dominic Cumming’s [chief adviser to UK prime minister] lockdown drive to Barnard Castle, undertaken to 'test his eyesight', eroded the rules". Plus, it's not really their field of specialties...
Another great video by Adam Neely about white supremacy and music theory. A great topic to talk about (whether you agree with the thesis or not), starting with a comparison of Lady Gaga and Tchaikovsky.
English scientists created a miniature version of the Stonehenge monument to test its acoustic properties, and discovered it amplified voices and improved the sound of any music being played for people standing within the massive circle of stones. The stones were arranged in a way that would also have prevented sound from leaking outside the circle.
Scientists from Leipzig have held three pop concerts last Saturday to investigate the risks posed by mass indoor events during the pandemic, CNN reports. About 1,500 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 50 - only a third of the expected number - took part, but the head of the study from Halle University said he was "very satisfied" with how the event unfolded. The first of Saturday's three concerts aimed to simulate an event before the pandemic, with no safety measures in place. The second involved greater hygiene and some social distancing, while the third involved half the numbers and each person standing 1.5m apart. Singer-songwriter Tim Bendzko performed at all three successive gigs.
A new U.K. study has found there was not a substantial difference in the spread of aerosols (tiny particles that are exhaled from the body and then float in the air) between talking and singing when done at a similar noise level, which is good news, of course. What did make a difference, though, was the volume of the voice, where singing or shouting at the loudest level possible could generate 30 times more aerosol, which is bad news for metal bands. BBC reports on the study.
Playing a musical instrument positively impacts mental health for 89% of adults, particularly by increasing feelings of relaxation and happiness, a new scientific study commissioned by Spotify revealed. Out of 400 adults included in the survey, 56% felt relaxed, 48% felt satisfaction and 43% felt peaceful, and over said that playing music gave them “a sense of purpose in life”.
Elon Musk‘s startup Neuralink is working on a brain-computer interface that will allow wearers to stream music directly to their brain, Tech Spot reports. Responding to computer scientist Austin Howard, Musk confirmed on his Twitter that Neuralink’s technology would allow people to “listen to music directly from our chips”.
German scientists are seeking 4,000 music fans to attend a concert by singer-songwriter Tim Bendzko at Leipzig’s Concert Hall on August 22, the Guardian reports. Volunteers are going to be equipped with bottles of fluorescent disinfectant and tracking devices to get a clear idea of how the spread of coronavirus can be prevented at large indoor concerts.
The average tempo of 2020's top 20 best-selling songs is 122 beats per minute, the highest it's been since 2009, BBC reports. The lyrics follow suit - this year they celebrate joy and sensuality and thrill. For the last few years, pop has been getting slower, as artists like Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish incorporate the leisurely cadences and rhythms of southern hip-hop and trap music into their songs. This year the songs are faster and happier, just like in the times of the last crisis.
