Oct 30, 2011

What makes a song 'catchy'?

Music psychologists at Goldsmiths University of London & University of York have worked out what makes a tune 'catchy' by asking thousands of volunteers to sing along with various songs. The researchers then identified the scientific properties that give certain melodies the 'sing-along' factor.

- Longer and detailed musical phrases. The breath a vocalist takes as they sing a line is crucial to creating a sing-along-able tune. The longer a vocal in one breath, the more likely we are to sing along.
- A greater number of pitches in the chorus hook. The more sounds there are, the more infectious a song becomes. Combining longer musical phrases and a hook over three different pitches was found to be key to sing-along success.
- Male vocalists. Singing along to a song may be a subconscious war cry, tapping into an inherent tribal part of our consciousness. Psychologically we look to men to lead us into battle, so it could be in our intuitive nature to follow male-fronted songs.
- Higher male voices with noticeable vocal effort. This indicates high energy and purpose, particularly when combined with a smaller vocal range.

Queen classic 'We are the Champions' topped the list followed by party anthem 'YMCA' by the Village People.
Here is the rest of the list in numbered sequences:

Oct 25, 2011

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life



"M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations. And, finally, here are some completely gratuitous pictures of penises to annoy the censors and to hopefully spark some sort of controversy, which, it seems, is the only way, these days, to get the jaded, video-sated public off their fucking arses and back in the sodding cinema."


Oct 19, 2011

Me, myself and my cat

Hi, My name is Jose. I'm 17 years old. I live in Cartagena (Murcia) and I love cinema especially comedy films and silent movies . Well, some more than others but all are interesting. My favorite movies are Hermanos Marx's films but Chaplin's, Billy Wilder's, Woody Allen's and Tarantino's too.

I've got a sister who is twenty or twenty-one years old, I don't remember. She's a little silly. She also loves cinema but prefers the romantic and horror films. I eat cereals while watching a movie or popcorn too.

On the other hand, I like reading books. My favorite genre is thriller but I like also historical novel. My favorite music is the pop-rock of 70's and 80's and singers like Frank Sinatra, Freddy Mercury and Bob Dylan, I love singing Like a rolling stone.

In conclusion, I'm a normal guy, I do normal things and, sometimes, I say normal things. I've also a cat white with black patches but this I will tell you in another essay.