Pandora

[prog]

I finally got into Pandora Radio because of its free iPhone version. The application isn't flawless - unexpected events make it have a temporary seizure that makes even the phone's hardware controls unresponsive until it times out - but its normal mode is very impressive. You can start listening to music via WiFi, and then wander off into 3G territory, and it doesn't skip a beat. (Literally.) This is the first implementation of portable internet radio I've seen, something I've wanted since using my first iPod for the first time.

(That said, pulling in continuous data via 3G drains the battery like nothing else. But that's just the price of admission, right now.)

And, yes, Pandora itself is rather excellent. I love the idea of musical-classification "genes". Who knew that I was into extensive vamping? I'm using my jmac@jmac.org email address there, if people wish to connect. (Why, of course it has social-network features.)

Comments

[rikchik.livejournal.com]

What is an example of excessive vamping?

[prog.livejournal.com]

Oops, I meant "extensive vamping". (Corrected.)

Anyway, it's a feature of both the Orgy cover of Blue Monday and Ceasars' Jerk it Out. I have no further information.

[cnoocy]

You know, like in Sting's "Moon Over Bourbon Street" or Concrete Blonde's "Bloodletting" or Blondie's "No Exit".
Or I may be deliberately misunderstanding the term.

[mrmorse.livejournal.com]

From the Pandora faq:

Q: What is "vamping"?
Vamping is a term that refers to extended improvisation over a repeated chord change. One of the quintessential examples of vamping is the last section, or 'outro', to "Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, featuring a 5-minute epic guitar solo over some repeated chords.

[rikchik.livejournal.com]

Thanks - their "musical terms" faq is fascinating.

[mrmorse.livejournal.com]

As I've been thinking about it, I've realized that I usually see vamping used in a way that implies waiting. The musical bit that repeats a few times while waiting for the singer to start the next verse is a vamp. (It can also be used as a noun.) I wouldn't normally use it to describe the music under an extended guitar solo. But my sense of the term may be more restrictive than general useage.