How Music Works

David Byrne stumbled into a career in the music industry when the Talking Heads took off.  In How Music Works, he attempts to take a long view of music. How did humanity start to use music? There is some analysis of rhythm and vocalization going back to prehistory. 

There are some interesting insights into how music has evolved based on how and where it is performed. Percussion dominated in early days as music was performed over vast areas outdoors. When performance was made in acoustically challenged indoor areas, long notes that could handle the echo and reverb came into place. In modern times, we have music optimized for the vast caverns of arenas, noisey dance floors, and intimate personal listening. The music for each location is optimized for the location where it is listened. Music has undergone great changes recently as it is often listened to via recordings rather than via performance. Different techniques, such as vibrato have become common as listening environments have changed. 

Byrne brings in a lot of his personal experience in discussing modern music. He criticises the separation of music into "high art" and "popular". Much of the classical music and opera of today was once the popular music of times past. Jazz was dark room popular music that has become "respectable" over span of recent generations. As music becomes more "classical" it often becomes more sterile and less innovative.

His discussion of the music business, music scenes and performance opportunities gets down into the closely autobiographical. He brings out a detailed analysis of the CBGB music scene in New York. This gave birth to a number of influential bands. The economy of the situation helped allow for creativity to flourish. 

The performance of music has been changing over time. Up until a century ago, music was almost enjoyed via performance. People would make music themselves or perhaps hear music from itinerant performers. The recording industry has greatly changed things and enabled a few performers to have wide-reaching popularity. Gatekeepers helped control who was popular. Large venues became a way for these acts to perform in front of large audiences. The more intimate performance still lives on in smaller clubs and dance halls. With the internet access to recorded music has become more democratized. Streaming has also led to significant changes in how music is purchased. In a full circle, ubiquity has now made performance more important than ever.

How Music Works

David Byrne rides his bike around Manhattan and plays guitar and sings in a rock band. What a life, eh?

This book contains a few different sections exploring "how music works". Part of it explores the origins of music and the impact on society and individuals. Even though music is different in various societies, it frequently plays a major role. While it once required a very individual experience, through recording and amplification it can now be mass-produced. Societies all seem to have their "popular music".

Another section provides a biography of the author's experience in music. He describes how he started playing instruments, how he formed a band, and how the creation process worked. He later spends some time describing the economics of the music industry itself. Detailed examples are given of how band can help their music to get out there. Now the barriers to entry are supposedly much lower. However, getting people to find music remains a difficult task.

The final section deals with music's role in modern culture and the place of music in education. Music is deemed to be important due to its creative impact. Byrne criticises focus on certain types of "received" music. Instead, people should be encouraged to make music themselves. Playing an instrument is more useful than "appreciating" a type of music that you don't care for. You may eventually decide to explore Beethoven or African drum music. The music that impacts and individual person will be different. Even classical music was closely tied to its place, with the music evolving to fit its appropriate venues. Even commercial pop can have its place.

Recording and electronics have changed how people can play or listen to music. (Vibrato on string instruments was mentioned as a response to music recording.) Things are still evolving. The personal way in which you experience music can be just as important as the music itself.

The book is more a series of independent long essays than a unified work. The last essay on arts education and society was a little dry, but all the others were well written. After reading, I googled my old high school band director. I found that he was promoted to "fine arts director" at the high school, only to have the position eliminated 2 years later. (The positions seems to have been created a few decades earlier for another retiring band director. And it was filled by his replacement afterwards. Poor timing with the whole no-child left behind thing.)

Bicycle Diaries

What do you make of a book title Bicycle Diaries written by an artist best known for lead for leading the Talking Heads? David Byrne has a created a "diary" that really isn't a diary; A "bicycle advocacy" book that really isn't a bicycle advocacy book - and even a "social criticism" book.

And in the end, it is a pretty good book.

Byrne is not a "cyclist" but a person that likes to get around on a bike. He finds it as a great vehicle for exploring world cities, not an excuse to dress up in spandex and race. As such his "advocacy" tends much more to the practical side. Cities should make themselves friendly for "normal" people to do "normal" things on bikes. However, he is not going to wait for that to happen. He has been willing to bring his bike around the world and use it to get around. He ha acknowledged the degrees that different cities around the world either encourage, accept or disregard cycling.

He is also an artist that travels extensively. His stories are those of an artist and his encounters with the city. The "diary" portion reflects his interest in art galleries, music and the associated people (both contemporary and historical.) He documents the artistic "vibe" of cities around the world that he visits.

Finally as a social critic, he finds a way to open-mindedly analyze and criticize many different aspects of modern society. (He even managed to bring in the plight of Zimbabwe farmers in to the mix.) He comes across as the type of person that could find the positive side of just about any negative argument (and the negative of any positive.) About the only absolutes he seems to have are that cities suffer from car-dependence and the US suffers from Bush's wars.

The book is organized in to chapters covering major cities. They all tend to be built around a visit to the city and a bike ride through some part of the city. From there each chapter goes in its own direction. Sometimes he observes musical tastes (Argentines don't know much about Latin music, while Philipinos are really in to Karaoke). Other times he analyzes the way a city was built, what art really is, or different types of nightlife.

The book finally winds down to biking and cities. The suburban experiment was a flop. Urban areas do need to be reclaimed from the car. Some of his suggestions would probably make bike advocacy groups cringe, while others would strike fear in to the hearts of politicians. However, his goals are practical and viable. He mentions diversity of development and the presence of children on the streets as a sign of healthy cities. If only we could find more of those places these days.