KatFin Does Music

  Released on September 18, 2015 in their album "Country Evolution", Home Free's "Good Ol' Country Harmony" is an earworm that gives a nod to some of country music's greatest groups known for their vocals and/or harmonies. Home Free is based in Minnesota, but regularly travels all over the country on tour, so it's difficult to say exactly where this song was written. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W9ue85L9PA Timbre The first thing that jumps out at you about most of Home Free's music is that they are a cappella. They have a high tenor, tenor, baritone, bass, and vocal percussionist. They sing like no a cappella group I've heard before, blending in beautiful harmony and playing around with all sorts of soaring vocals, impressively low bass, and fun beats. Each singer has his own style and they work so well together. The Daily Country quotes the Star Tribune in saying that their "blend is 'spot on perfect'". Beat/Rhythm As...

In this blog, I will be discussing the elements of the 3rd movement of Haydn's sonata in F major, Hob. XVI/23 , link below. Recording:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds79nmCS3-Q Written in 1773 in Austria, this is the final of three movements in Haydn's sonata in F major, and the funniest one. This sonata starts out light hearted, moving to somewhat somber, and ends in a bit of a joke. In this movement, one can make out two voices throughout the piece going back and forth as if they are having a conversation. I have found it is somewhat common for composers to write their music to be a conversation, and this piece really brings it out. This piece is unique in that the whole conversation is basically the two voices going back and forth telling jokes! It is something I haven't heard yet in another piece, and Haydn used a variety of musical elements to bring out to make it a really funny piece. The Melody One highlight in the melody is that he shifts between major, minor, an...

Hi all!  My name is Kathryn Finley and I'm excited to be making my first blog post! For those who don't know me, I'm a quiet, adventurous gal from Alaska and one of my favorite pastimes is going on road trips and hiking. Right now, I'm preparing to graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in music. I'm still not sure what will come after college, but, Lord willing, at some point I hope to give piano lessons. I'd say my relationship with music is on the moderate side. I play and listen, but I don't compose or really improvise at all when I play. In high school, I began to become invested in learning my instrument and start listening to music (rather than just playing it). Since then, the whole world of music began to open up for me as different genres and styles resonated. I learned country makes you feel at home, sea shanties and orchestral epic are terrific for pumping you up for that hike or next wilderness adventure, and baroque is jus...