I’ve spent this weekend away from home, out of my routine. I didn’t mean to take two weeks off my regular schedule of reading, writing, exercising, and making awesome things, but I did. Having and maintaining a routine is crucial to avoiding my excellent skills of procrastination and laziness. But, getting out of my routine is great for relaxing and stretching ye olde brain. Net win.

All this is a long way of saying, I’m a little disconnected from the internet and don’t have links for you, this weekend. But! I have homework for you. I bet you weren’t expecting a quiz, were you?

Your homework

Suppose you come across a person, or alien life form, who knows nothing about your favorite form of music. They don’t know rock ’n roll, country, rap, or jazz; they know nothing of our Western musical forms here on Earth.

Your homework is to chose the song that most fully embodies your favorite musical form. Your answer looks like this:

“Mary Had a Little Lamb” is the best example of a children’s song. It’s easy to sing and has a simple story.

Here are some example answers of my own:

“So Whatcha Want”, by the Beastie Boys, is the song I’d play for someone who doesn’t know rap. It’s got a strong sample (“When the Levee Breaks”), wordplay, ensemble rapping, and a great hook. It makes me a little excited when the song comes on. It’s great hip-hop.

Symphony Number 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven is the piece I’d play, or have performed, for an alien who knows nothing of classical music. It’s a crucial piece in music history, by a leviathan of a composer. The instrumentation and orchestration have examples of forms that came before it and what came after the piece was premiered. The composition isn’t too modern, but not too antique. It evokes emotions, it evolves throughout the piece. It’s fantastic music.

“Highway to Hell” is what I’d use to teach someone about how to make a rock and roll song. It’s got a nice, rebellious lyric. The chorus is easy to sing along with. The song isn’t too complicated, but it feels like it has mass; it’s not filler material. It has the simplest rock and roll structure possible: verse/chorus/verse/chorus/guitar solo/chorus. This is your starting point for making rock music.

Email your longer responses, or tweet your short responses at me. I’m really looking forward to finding out what you’re thinking.

~akk