Monthly Archives: February 2008

Eerie Upbeat: Musical Irony and “Fly Me To The Moon” – Frank Sinatra – Speed Irony, Mental Chronometry and Music Determinism

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“Fly Me to the Moon” is a pop standard song written in 1954 by Bart Howard. When introduced by Felicia Sanders on the cabaret circuit, it was originally titled “In Other Words”. The song became popularly called “Fly Me to the Moon” from its first line, but it took a few years for the publishers to change the title officially.It was first recorded in 1954 by Kaye Ballard (of the television show The Mothers-in-Law).

Frank Sinatra recorded the song in 1964 on his It Might as Well Be Swingcollaboration with Count Basie, and this became the rendition that many people identified the song with.”

As the Meanspeed summary below indicates, the speed of the song come in the meanspeed music theory category, “mean emotion,” of FOREBODING. When we think of the song today, sure, we here the old time, feel-good swing. The Good ‘Ol Days were here – though at the time we did not realize how relatively sweet the Cold War years would be compared to ours. You think about it, the title, Frank Sinatra, and you say, “How can this be a song that emotes Foreboding?” Listen closely. Something a little different there, am I wrong? As Frank’s Witchcraft: the love song with that ripple of uncertain unease waving through it – pardon the metaphor, please. This element – the mix of happier elements elements of the song with its inherently dark speed leads to what meanspeed theory calls speed irony. Musical irony of this type is defined by the manner in which the tempo sounds “upbeat” – what people generally associate with happy, when lowered by 3 percent – becomes an “eerie upbeat.” This is what I talk about when I use terms like musical determinism – a idea that is based in neurological determinism: despite the sweet Frank delivery, the beatific orchestral playing, the smooth as silk swing rhythm, the mean speed pf 117.5 beats per minute simple determines that which is emoted. That is not to say it dictates that which is emoted – speed is one of many elements of music communication. That said, of the elements of music that are not well understood, none has been more of a mystery than the effects of the change of only a small fraction of tempo or speed in a song. Thanks to quartz and digital technology in recording and calibrating, and people as myself who love to wake up at 3:37 A.M. to research new ideas in this area of music psychology. This area, now known as the “emotions of mental chronometry” – a concept many would not believe to be testable much less one worthy of debate. After all, how can a sound sequence itself expose emotions? I hear you out there. Take a look at the lists as ‘114-118 – Foreboding’ provided on these pages. A “think again” will not be necessary! Don’t get hooked, even on a theory though Speed is addictive. Look at me on Saturday at 4 AM- better yet, like my wife, enjoy the fact that I’m not laying there with ya!Meanspeed Summarysong=”Fly Me To The Moon”performer=Frank Sinatrabeats measured=2,176beats per trial=272time elapsed=1,389.16 secondsmean time per trial=138.92 secondsmean speed=117.49 beats per minuteaverage beat=511 millisecondsmean emotion according to Meanspeed Music Theory=foreboding Ian SchneiderFebruary 24, 2008charts by James Manning, Ian Schneider. © 2007 Meanspeed Music.

A song of sincerity with tear-jerking mixed emotions: Neil Diamond as the JAZZ SINGER – “Hello Again” – bpm, charts, screen shots, calibrations

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“Hello Again” is a song by Dave Matthews.  The title, however, was first used in the film the JAZZ SINGER by the composer of “Sweet Caroline”, the inimitable Neil Diamond. Neil recently admitted that Sweet Caroline was written for Caroline Kennedy.  Neil proves that there is boldness in candor!

 This post is dedicated to my dad who was cool enough to let me play the piano in the house at ANY time. The 4 AM times, the 3 AM jams were vital to my musical knowledge.  Most dads would have imposed a sound curfew .  Instead, Dad introduced me to music that I never would have discovered on my own: Stephen Sondheim, Debussy, Bach and on and on.  The reason that patterns were exposed in meanspeed music theory was the subtle, sometimes invisible, encouragement of my dad.  ”Hello Again” by Neil Diamond is a song that I played one night at 4 or 5 AM – and coming upstairs I expected to be met by a “Do you really have to play at the crack of dawn?”  Instead, a subtle “good chords, it was beautiful.  I couldn’t hear any melody.  Also,  you are not playing in time – but it was beautiful otherwise.”  It took another 3 people to tell me:  ”Dude, practice with a metronome”.  One night playing in a piano bar where things just didn’t feel right – the notes were right, but I was not connecting with the crowd.   Drummer and friend Bruce Buckley was there with me.  He said, “The rhythm is in time to *you* – but if you start playing with time you lose your listener.  You gotta understand, Ian, you have your head under the grand piano cover and you are hearing these great overtones and harmonies that don’t fill the bar.”   I argued with him, I felt like a loser, I was convinced he was wrong.  Skip ahead 4 months.  I was asked to play on a studio recording.  To my shock, I was fired during the session because instead of playing along with the metronome/click-track, I insisted that my timing was better.   It was not. It took the drummer from Little Feet on a cable television show to convert me.  He said, “Man, there used to be 200 working studio drummers in New York City, and now it is down to 6 – really two”.  And his secret?  His dad said, “Okay – under a rule,  50% of your practice must be nothing but you and a METRONOME.”  The Little Feat drummer, along with the cable host went on to lament that they started practicing with a metronome late in their careers, and said, “I WISH  I PRACTICED LIKE STEVE FROM THE START”.  That got me going!  I had always thought – if a metronome is clicking at a relentless tempo, the song will sound canned and fake.  I was never more wrong.  Once I made friends with tempo, my playing improved at least 100% – making friends with the feel of speed gave me more silences, more “ghost notes” – yet I went from sounding like a wannabe amateur to a quality amateur who plays an occasional professional gig.  Lesson:  Father knows best! 

Meanspeed Music Summary

mean speed=60.8 beats per minute

average beat length=0.987seconds

emotive category according to meanspeed music theory=sincerity . 


Happy Birthday Hojo! Ian Schneider with Sarah Jane Bristol,  James C.C. Manning, Sophia St. John Newman and Hunter Newmanmeanspeed music companyFebruary 24, 2008