Introduction
As a kind of art, music has the power to touch us in a variety of ways. Rhythm, pitch, texture, timbre, and dynamics make up the heart of music (Gemuhay et al., 2019). It’s impossible to fully comprehend the impact of music since it’s utilized in so many different ways and so many different contexts. From the perspective of the performer, there are four main principles (Gorbunova, 2018). As a first step, the piece will be practised to create a master plan that can be referenced later on during the final phases of performance preparation. Second, a performer’s focus should be on perfecting his or her craft throughout the whole show. For the third time, a decent performance v/s an exceptional performance is determined by how well the artist communicates via the music and creates a connection with the music. Finally, when performing, keep in mind the comparisons that will be made between your performance and those of the other comparable works (Li et al., 2019).In this essay, existing research will be evaluated about the area of performance and different conclusions might be drawn from them. Also, the comparative analysis of 2 live concerts (Brain May-Love of My Life and Jimmy Page- Prelude) and performance would be elaborated, and further, the impact that improvisation and playing from memory would be discussed that can affect an audience.
Concepts Techniques Used by Professional Performers
Even while a performer’s list maybe a little shorter than that of an audience member, there are still several fundamental thinking processes that connect the two. Western Art Music and the performing style that has dominated this genre for centuries are frequently the subjects of research. Vision is more significant than previously assumed for music perception, according to Rezaei et al. (2018), and it assists sound perception rather than distracts from it as was often believed in past years.On the other hand, Woodcock and Johnson (2019), observed that performance might be perceived differently depending on the movement’s amplitude, bolstering his opinion that the visual and aural aspects are equally essential. As far as it is known that this area has only seen minimal investigation apart from works byKim et al. (2020). The more laid-back quality of performing in various genres would undoubtedly have a profound effect on the perception of performance.
Music is a kind of art that is difficult, without the proper training and tools. A person’s thoughts and emotions are influenced greatly by the music they listen to. People would be affected by a wide variety of musical styles and genres (Kim et al., 2020). They can understand what the music is trying to say, and they may even be able to feel a connection to it. Because diverse music appliances may have a significant impact on music composition, individuals seek as many high-quality devices as feasible. In addition, some artists share their valuable knowledge of the music-making process to newcomers (Gemuhay et al., 2019). Thus, music theory or technique is easily learned. People who are interested in music would want to master this music theory or skills so that they may produce high-quality music. People may believe that if their musical skill is good enough, they would be able to produce excellent work. Techniques are necessary, but they aren’t sufficient for learning music. A piece of music that is considered to be of high quality should have a high level of skill and a high level of artistic expression. A piece of music that is technically perfect but suffers from a lack of artistic inspiration cannot be deemed a work of art.
Techniques for making music vary from generation to generation. It is possible to make a musical composition without any special training. The lack of a piano and the lack of knowledge about how to play the piano are two examples of how things have changed. However,other musical instruments may be used to generate music (Gorbunova, 2018). The piano, nonetheless, gives musicians even another tool with which to hone their craft.Technology in music is used to improve the music’s ability to express itself, which is the primary goal of technology in music. Music methods may be found in a wide variety of music genres in today’s music. Exams like the piano level exam, which aims to measure piano technique, are instances of this. Aesthetics and technique are intertwined, and the development of both is essential. The evaluation of a piece of music and the teaching of music are both challenging (Li et al., 2019). People choose to believe that passing piano 10 levels is an incredible accomplishment for a youngster. When a musician masters difficult musical skills, it may be a sign of success. As a result, it is simple to see why there is a large number of music training facilities. An artist may learn the most beautiful methods, yet his work would be meaningless in such a setting.
Comparison of Musicians
The comparative analysis is between the two most popular singers of all time, namely Jimmy Page and Brian May. The comparison has been made focusing on the songs and genres played by the singers, so the analysis would be helpful to assess the music played at two different levels by focusing on the essential parameters, which will be discussed in depth. These parameters include the impact on unsuccessful performances, responses from audiences, space, genre-related choices, branding, performance skills, and stylish choices. The two of the selected music provided by the singers are discussed with relevant information obtained from the reports and the useful sites (Kruger & Saayman, 2015)
Brian May – Love Of My Life
Brian May has been found as one of the world’s renowned and successful guitarists from his immense performances, which have driven the attention of the people having a strong influence on the music. The choices in terms of instruments of Brian May were tremendous and were unique as the choices opted were found to produce the most pleasant music, which engaged the people towards listening to his songs day and night. There was a sense of magic in the tones and music produced from the equipment, which were lived by every person (Soble, 2021). Moreover, focused on the reports and contextual studies, it has been found that the major choice in style was the utilization of a sixpence as a guitar pick which eventually made the performance quite successful.
Individual and Ensemble Performance Skills
In spite of his magnificent skills as a guitarist, Brian May still saw himself as inferior to his colleagues, such as Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, who were very popular during that era as well.The reason why Brian was so exceptional at playing the piano during his performances was Freddie Mercury’s tutoring. May’s fellow band member was one of the main pianists of Queen.On several performances, May used his piano for delivering the most famous music albums, which were “Flash” and “Save Me”, which became popular hits (Popoff, 2004).
Marketing and Branding
The branding and marketing of the music were done by himself, and in his early days, May was not offered any sort of special treatment in terms of marketing the album and songs, but his family was the only people who trusted in him and generated the required expenses for providing May’s career with a positive start. Brian May did not spend money on branding in the early days (Klein, et al., 2017).
Genre-Related Choices
Genre-related choices distinguish between the type of music which is played for attracting the different types of people. Some genres include pop music, and some might include fast-track music. The reason why Brian’s main focus was on pop or rock was due to the audience’s positive reaction, which they expressed through dancing and cheering the musician. However, he was also known for experimenting with classical music as well. Such performances guaranteed satisfaction from the people watching recordings at home and the ones who attended the band’s concerts (Tervaniemi, et al., 2016).
Performance Space
According to various news articles, the guitarist was known to play in various locations on the stages. His live performances were known as the main cause of the success of the band’s works, for the majority of the audience went to his concerts because they found his style of performance very comforting. The most popular concert, which has been the best performance pace of all time for him, included the title track from the album “Back To The Light”(Bentley, 2015).
Connection with Audience
The guitarist of Queen is known for his affection towards the audience, coming closer to them during his performances, and expressing a peaceful attitude in general.He has also been observed surprising most of the audiences on various occasions, such as he once surprised Queen’s musical audience in Portsmouth. The guest appearances are often done by Brian May, as the most famous guest appearance was during the Bohemian Rhapsody finale in Theatres at Portsmouth (McKay, 2018).
Impact of Unsuccessful Live Performance on Career
Although the live performances were reportedly loved performances by the audiences, the unsuccessful performance can cause severe impacts on the career of a guitarist and musician as it will eventually lead the musicians to lose the potential customers and will make the musicians less popular as compared to other popular musicians in the competition. However Brian May’s songs have been found more popular as compared to Jimmy Page’s songs due to the ratings generated by the performance of each singer, and still, the ratings of Brian May are higher as compared to other singers except for the pandemic which has caused postponing of most of the live concerts (Pitts, 2017)
Jimmy Page – Prelude, London 1983
Jimmy Page has also been known as a famous guitarist and has performed well equally as compared to the music produced by Brian May. However there are some famous guitar tricks which can be highlighted as the separating elements from these both considered singers of all time. The major tricks involved by Jimmy page involve Chuck Berry-type repeated phrase, timing, pitching, and phrasing falling between cracks of standardized notion (Zeppelin, et al., 1971). Further, as compared to Brian May, he was only perfect at guitar playing but Jimmy has been found to carry out a few other things, which included producing, songwriting, composing, and being perfect at playing multiple instruments.
Individual and Ensemble Performance Skills
The major skill of performance exhibited by Jimmy Page was the sounding ability to reinvent, develop, and expand the already existing iconic solos, which were always a major highlight of any Zep shows. The performance exhibited by Jimmy has provided the audience with the most promising songs, which were also highlighted as the most listed songs by the audience, and these included Most High, Pride and Joy, Yallah, and The Solo Years (Bonner, 2015). This is a striking contrast to May’s modesty, who believed that he was better at playing the piano and was inferior to some of his colleagues.
Branding and Marketing
Being a charity-based concert, the branding and marketing of ARM’s Charity Concert were held on different platforms. Jimmy Page made extensive use of his relationships and acquaintances to carry out marketing and branding of the concert. All the amount collected was funded for the research on Multiple Sclerosis (Holman, 2021). It is hard to say if Page’s marketing methods were easier, but it is clearly the opposite of Brian’s.
Genre-Related Choices
Page’s first performances were with blues bands and musicians, such as Blues Incorporated, All Stars, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton. These participations have brought immense success to the guitarist, for Mike Leander of Decca Records offered regular studio work, and Jimmy’s first single topped the charts (Schulps, 1977). His first participation with a rock band, prior to Led Zeppelin, was with The Yardbirds, although it did take him a very long time to join the band (Rosen, 2011). After the split of the band, Jimmy’s new project, Led Zeppelin went on to become one of the leading figures in hard rock and heavy metal. Unlike him, Brian May relied more on the audience’s reaction to the genres Queen played.
Connection with Audience
During the charity concert, the lead singers connected with the audience. A large crowd of the audience gathered to contribute towards a good cause. Therefore, the audience joined fully supported the cause of the concert and the concert itself by extensive participation and contribution towards Research on Multiple Sclerosis. In contrast to him, while Brian May was calm with the crowd, he loved making surprise appearances.
Performance Space
Jimmy Page’s onstage performances are the embodiment of experimentation and expanding his horizons as a musician. Due to the broad set of tricks that he implemented, the audience would always have the opportunity to see his music from different perspectives. Jimmy’s most famous performances took place during the Page and Plant 1998 tour, a symbol of his comeback. While Brian May did perform in various locations of the stage, he captivated the audience with his pleasant style of performance.
Impact: The ARMS charity show concert was a huge success as the show made the lead singers to took into America within a little period. The new band Firm was launched, which released two new albums during the mid-eighties across the globe.
Performance Comparison
Through his entire performance, Jimmy is more focused on the tune of the song. He actively moves around, while staying in the same location. It is unclear if he is looking at the crowd or not, for the shadow conceals his face. By the end of his performance, he bows in front of the audience and turns away. Brian May, on the other hand, is calmly sitting, playing the guitar and singing. The man looks directly at the audience, as though he addressing the meaning of the song to the crowd. His direct stare at them and almost still position is the opposite of Jimmy’s active movements and lack of visual contact.
Conclusion
Performing styles in popular music and jazz are well-known to be somewhat distinct from those used by artists in Western art music. The more laid-back quality of performing in various genres would undoubtedly have a profound effect on the perception of performance. Despite the seeming contradiction in the outcomes, the two live performances examined in this article provide fresh insights into the potential evolution of performing techniques, including the usage of music stands and the degree of mobility permitted by a performer throughout an artist’s performance. Small sample numbers, restrictions on the use of just stringed instruments, and the use of only one kind of music mean that significant improvements in the area will take a great deal more investigation. Musical psychology has benefited greatly from these experiments because they have given both listeners and performers of music a new understanding of what was once a secret art and have shown how even the tiniest changes in performance technique can have a profound effect on an audience member’s interpretation and perception of a piece. Unsuccessful performances can be very damaging for a musician’s career, for they deprive them of their potential audience and their popularity. To further analyze the aforementioned factors, the performances of Brian May and Jimmy Page were reviewed in this essay. While Brian May has been widely known as a very influential and successful guitarist, he does not experiment as frequently as Jimmy Page does. It is important to note that although May was supported only by his family, his achievements have provided him with higher ratings for his performances. This, in turn, explains why Brian is much more popular than Jimmy, in spite of both of them belonging to famous rock bands.
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