Music & Language Studies

Need to add some analyses of Laurie Berkner (“the only thing…”) from “I really love to dance”, and Louis Armstrong’s rendition of “Hello Dolly” as illustrations of melodic and rhythmic ambiguity in music. Possibly add others to this roster. Use screenshots and sound clips to illustrate these concepts.

For Berkner analysis, also compare to a few speech examples of the word “only”. Review and describe the literature on pitch change as a result of physiology, as in closing to the nasal “n”. Discuss the issues for a transcriber (or perceiver) in determining the relevance and salience of such transient pitch change. Should we notate every detail?

Discuss issues of level of detail, broad versus narrow transcription. Use metaphor of vision: examination with the naked eye, magnifying glass, microscope.