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forensic musicology

Exploring “Mine” and “7 Rings” Through Public Forensic Musicology

Does Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” copy Princess Nokia’s “Mine” ? I’m a proponent of music programs inviting students to engage in public forensic musicology or as “musical detectives” as a form of musical engagement and learning. Here’s a recent example of an artist accusing another artist of copying their music. In this case, Princess Nokia is accusing Ariana Grande of copying Nokia’s Mine with Grande’s 7 Rings. Some people are also suggesting that 7 Rings also mimics aspects of flow… Read More »Exploring “Mine” and “7 Rings” Through Public Forensic Musicology

Forensic Musicologists in the News Again!

The recent New York Times article The Man Musicians Call When Two Tunes Sound Alike by Alex Marshall provides some well-deserved attention to forensic musicologists and has some great potential for related project work in music programs. Marshall explains how many people “stumble into the profession,” but if we include forensic musicology as a way of engaging musically in K-12 programs, perhaps some young people might see it as a viable career pathway. We sometimes assume that students in music… Read More »Forensic Musicologists in the News Again!

Blurred lines, forensic musicology, and music

[updated 3/17/15] Musicologists, and more specifically forensic musicology, are receiving some attention in the mainstream press lately over the lawsuit regarding whether Robin Thicke and Pharell Williams violated copyright law by essentially creating music substantially similar to Marvin Gaye’s music without permission or providing royalties to Gaye’s estate. (To make a long story short, jurors found Thicke and Williams guilty.) You might be interested in musicologist Joe Bennett’s analysis and commentary on the issue. I’m more interested here in the… Read More »Blurred lines, forensic musicology, and music

Dead Prez & Jean-Pierre Rampal – A serendipitous sample discovery

While listening to the following recording this morning I immediately thought to myself “I know that melody” . . . Jean-Pierre Rampal & Lily Laskine performing Kojo no Tsuki Now check out Dead Prez performing Behind Enemy Lines I looked at the liner notes of Dead Prez’s album let’s get free and couldn’t find any mention of the sample or its source. So, I am not sure of the actual sample source or whether it was manipulated during production, but… Read More »Dead Prez & Jean-Pierre Rampal – A serendipitous sample discovery