Musical Geometry

Terminology

Musical Geometry- In its form, rhythm and metre, the pitches of its notes (intervals) and the tempo of its pulse music can be related to the mathematical measurement of time and frequency, offering ready analogies in geometry.

Project

I chose the song Art Deco by Lana Del Rey for my musical geometry project. The lyrics are shown below.

Club queen on the downtown scene Prowling around at night You're not mean, you just want to be seen Want to be wild A little party never hurt no one, that's why it's alright You want in but you just can't win So you hang in the likes

You're so Art Deco, out on the floor Shining like gun metal, cold and unsure Baby, you're so ghetto You're looking to score When they all say hello You try to ignore them 'Cause you want more (why?) You want more (why?) You want more (why?) 'Cause you want more

Young thing on the downtown scene Rolling around at night Got things, let it hit to be seen Like you're rapper's delight A little party never hurt no one, that's why it's alright You want in, but you just can't win So you stay in the lights

You're so Art Deco, out on the floor Shining like gun metal, cold and unsure Baby, you're so ghetto You're looking to score When they all say hello You try to ignore them 'Cause you want more(why?) You want more (why?) You want more (why?) 'Cause you want more

A little party never hurt no one So we stay out late A little party never hurt no one That's what your friends say You put your life out on the line You're crazy all the time Put your life out on the line You're crazy all the time

You're so Art Deco, out on the floor Shining like gun metal, cold and unsure Baby, you're so ghetto You're looking to score When they all say hello You try to ignore them 'Cause you want more (why?) You want more (why?) You want more (why?) 'Cause you want more

A little party never hurt no one Not you and me A little party never hurt no one We were born to be free

You can watch the music video below!

I chose the phrase "A little party never hurt no one".

Since the song is from Lana Del Rey’s Honeymoon album, I photographed the album cover and took it into Photoshop to begin editing. First, I cropped out the boarder and used grid lines to section the artist’s face. I decided to use the notes from the bass clef since they are more diverse and spread apart. Since there are six notes on the bass clef, I made five vertical lines to result in six section. This allows for each note in the phrase to have its own column. Since there are five lines on the bass clef and two additional lines underneath, I created six horizontal lines resulting in seven sections to represent each line in the bass clef.

I then plotted each not on the grid as it appeared in the sheet music. Some of the notes fell on spaces and some fell on lines, so I had to adjust accordingly.

I created a design based on where the notes fell. I used the sepia filter to create a contrast on the original photograph. In addition to that, the sepia filter also relates back to the music video which also has a vintage feel to it.

Once I removed the grid lines, I realized that the lines of sepia actually highlights the picture very well. The musician’s tattoo is accentuated along with her eyes, nose, and mouth.