Beholder1995
2010-04-14, 07:33 PM
Something kind of silly I thought I'd share.
As those who frequent silly message board games may know, I'm something of a classical music nerd. The other day, I was wondering what the Giantitp forums would "sound" like as a piece of music. Then I realized that the piece I was envisioning sounded suspiciously like Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien. Thusly, I have taken the opportunity to assume that the Capriccio Italien is, in fact, analagous to my experience with Giantitp, and perhaps the experience of others.
It's a great piece, but YouTube only carries a fairly old version of the entire 15 minutes. Regardless, this is Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien, Parts One (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HRjigDjrKc) and [/URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9agaM7MCBE&feature=related"]Two[/URL]. If you have a fast computer, I would recommend searching for this piece on Grooveshark.com or some other similar music database.
One thing I enjoy about this piece is how throughout almost the entire thing, it maintains an air of silliness and good-naturedness, which I think translates very well into what the Playground means for me. I've broken the (considerably long) piece into distinct segments, which I have attributed certain aspects of my daily routine with the Boards, the general experience of anyone (as far as I know), or simply an individual forum or subforum. Any generalizations about playgrounders are entirely assumptive, and I understand that this piece may not relate very well to anyone besides myself. In any event, here it is:
Beginning to 3:10 of Part 1 - "Logging On" or "First steps into the Boards" or "Board/Site Issues"
The Capriccio begins with a cavalry call. This, of course, represents, for me, the actual act of logging on to Giantitp. And yes, logging on is that epic, every time. :smalltongue: The slow, more solemn music that follows is analogous to the fairly droll length of time during which I simply sift through the boards looking for new posts, not yet fully engaged with the exciting Giantitp community. This "engagement" is heralded by the return of the cavalry call at around 2:52.
At the same time, for a new member, the cavalry call represents the excitement of first entering playgrounderhood, while the solemnish music represents that period where, as new members, the forums are still fairly foreign and slightly intimidating. This part of the piece also relates to the Board/Site Issues forum, which is undoubtedly the most serious part of the entire Board. To make further connections, when we first enter the playground, the relative seriousness of the playground rules are fresh in our minds, and this carries over into the quality of the Capriccio.
3:10 to 4:06 of Part 1
This fairly brief portion is more or less a repeat of the "Board/Site Issues" melody, but its chief purpose is to symbolize a new member's tentative steps before fully embracing Giantitp, or, in my own case, the wait between my posting and responses. Ultimately, though, this part merely leads up to:
4:06 to 6:58 of Part 1 - "The Splendor of Silliness" or "Silly Message Board Games" and/or "Friendly Banter"
It is here where the first true nature of the piece becomes clear, and with it, the nature (I think) of the Playground. The music implies a silly, carnival atmosphere, which (again, my interpretation) is a wonderful representation of the lighthearted nature of Giantitp, particularly Silly Message Board Games and Random Banter. I, of course, spend a lot of time in SMBG, so the fact that this is the most prominent melody in the entire 15 minutes probably reflects that, too.
6:59 to 9:18 of Part 1 - "Arts & Crafts" and/or "Gaming" and/or "Free Form Roleplaying"
Here, as we approach the middle of the piece, the pace picks up. This is analogous to a member's sincere involvement in the playground, or the part of my presence on the forums where things are particularly busy or exciting. I think we all know the thrill of seeing new replies, and this part of the song is a good representative of that feeling for me. At the same time, this part is a bit less silly, per se, than the last segment. While still undeniably fun, this part is more matured, and therefore my chosen anthem of the forums that the more deeply involved Playgrounders (my observations, at least) tend to frequent; Arts & Crafts, Gaming, and Freeform Roleplaying. This part represents the full glory of the playground; that which we all contribute. Around 7:33 in particular, which I think is the most elegant part of the piece (call me a sucker for tambourine and harp), I think of all the creativity that abounds in the aforementioned forums.
9:19 of Part 1 to 0:45 of Part 2 - "Return of the Seriousness"
It is at this point that the more solemn "Board/Site Issues" melody returns. On an individual level, I think this is representative of when I get tired of the forums and take a necessary break. On a larger scale, this may be representative of when members take hiatus from (or leave altogether) the Playground.
0:46 of Part 2 to the end of Part 2 - "Welcome Back" or "Silly Message Board Games"
This part begins at a fast tempo, and the melody is mischievous. I think this is analogous to the inescapable allure of the Forums and its community, particularly after the "hiatus" between 9:19 and 0:45. The piece gets progressively sillier until around 1:55, at which point it gets almost violently so. Frankly, I'm not... ah... quite sure what this angry, loud version of the silliness buildup represents. Maybe how Giantitp members will beat you with sticks until you post some more? (:smalltongue:)
Anyway, at 2:33 the piece returns back to the "Splendor of Silliness" theme. The return of this theme no doubt represents the return to the forums themselves by a member who has taken a break. At the very least, it represents the memory of the awesomeness of Giantitp.
Then, amid much frenzy, the piece ends.
~-~
And there you have it. My over-analysis of Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien with respect to my experiences with the wonderful Giantitp community. Thoughts? :smallbiggrin:
~-~
Actually, as one final note, I realize that, among many others, I did not mention the OotS forum, which clearly makes up a massive chunk of Giantitp. I, however, have little knowledge of the OotS forum and almost never post there. Because of this, I have no discernable impression of the OotS forum and excluded it from my song analysis. Please accept my apology, OotS-goers, and whoever else may frequent a forum I didn't mention.
As those who frequent silly message board games may know, I'm something of a classical music nerd. The other day, I was wondering what the Giantitp forums would "sound" like as a piece of music. Then I realized that the piece I was envisioning sounded suspiciously like Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien. Thusly, I have taken the opportunity to assume that the Capriccio Italien is, in fact, analagous to my experience with Giantitp, and perhaps the experience of others.
It's a great piece, but YouTube only carries a fairly old version of the entire 15 minutes. Regardless, this is Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien, Parts One (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HRjigDjrKc) and [/URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9agaM7MCBE&feature=related"]Two[/URL]. If you have a fast computer, I would recommend searching for this piece on Grooveshark.com or some other similar music database.
One thing I enjoy about this piece is how throughout almost the entire thing, it maintains an air of silliness and good-naturedness, which I think translates very well into what the Playground means for me. I've broken the (considerably long) piece into distinct segments, which I have attributed certain aspects of my daily routine with the Boards, the general experience of anyone (as far as I know), or simply an individual forum or subforum. Any generalizations about playgrounders are entirely assumptive, and I understand that this piece may not relate very well to anyone besides myself. In any event, here it is:
Beginning to 3:10 of Part 1 - "Logging On" or "First steps into the Boards" or "Board/Site Issues"
The Capriccio begins with a cavalry call. This, of course, represents, for me, the actual act of logging on to Giantitp. And yes, logging on is that epic, every time. :smalltongue: The slow, more solemn music that follows is analogous to the fairly droll length of time during which I simply sift through the boards looking for new posts, not yet fully engaged with the exciting Giantitp community. This "engagement" is heralded by the return of the cavalry call at around 2:52.
At the same time, for a new member, the cavalry call represents the excitement of first entering playgrounderhood, while the solemnish music represents that period where, as new members, the forums are still fairly foreign and slightly intimidating. This part of the piece also relates to the Board/Site Issues forum, which is undoubtedly the most serious part of the entire Board. To make further connections, when we first enter the playground, the relative seriousness of the playground rules are fresh in our minds, and this carries over into the quality of the Capriccio.
3:10 to 4:06 of Part 1
This fairly brief portion is more or less a repeat of the "Board/Site Issues" melody, but its chief purpose is to symbolize a new member's tentative steps before fully embracing Giantitp, or, in my own case, the wait between my posting and responses. Ultimately, though, this part merely leads up to:
4:06 to 6:58 of Part 1 - "The Splendor of Silliness" or "Silly Message Board Games" and/or "Friendly Banter"
It is here where the first true nature of the piece becomes clear, and with it, the nature (I think) of the Playground. The music implies a silly, carnival atmosphere, which (again, my interpretation) is a wonderful representation of the lighthearted nature of Giantitp, particularly Silly Message Board Games and Random Banter. I, of course, spend a lot of time in SMBG, so the fact that this is the most prominent melody in the entire 15 minutes probably reflects that, too.
6:59 to 9:18 of Part 1 - "Arts & Crafts" and/or "Gaming" and/or "Free Form Roleplaying"
Here, as we approach the middle of the piece, the pace picks up. This is analogous to a member's sincere involvement in the playground, or the part of my presence on the forums where things are particularly busy or exciting. I think we all know the thrill of seeing new replies, and this part of the song is a good representative of that feeling for me. At the same time, this part is a bit less silly, per se, than the last segment. While still undeniably fun, this part is more matured, and therefore my chosen anthem of the forums that the more deeply involved Playgrounders (my observations, at least) tend to frequent; Arts & Crafts, Gaming, and Freeform Roleplaying. This part represents the full glory of the playground; that which we all contribute. Around 7:33 in particular, which I think is the most elegant part of the piece (call me a sucker for tambourine and harp), I think of all the creativity that abounds in the aforementioned forums.
9:19 of Part 1 to 0:45 of Part 2 - "Return of the Seriousness"
It is at this point that the more solemn "Board/Site Issues" melody returns. On an individual level, I think this is representative of when I get tired of the forums and take a necessary break. On a larger scale, this may be representative of when members take hiatus from (or leave altogether) the Playground.
0:46 of Part 2 to the end of Part 2 - "Welcome Back" or "Silly Message Board Games"
This part begins at a fast tempo, and the melody is mischievous. I think this is analogous to the inescapable allure of the Forums and its community, particularly after the "hiatus" between 9:19 and 0:45. The piece gets progressively sillier until around 1:55, at which point it gets almost violently so. Frankly, I'm not... ah... quite sure what this angry, loud version of the silliness buildup represents. Maybe how Giantitp members will beat you with sticks until you post some more? (:smalltongue:)
Anyway, at 2:33 the piece returns back to the "Splendor of Silliness" theme. The return of this theme no doubt represents the return to the forums themselves by a member who has taken a break. At the very least, it represents the memory of the awesomeness of Giantitp.
Then, amid much frenzy, the piece ends.
~-~
And there you have it. My over-analysis of Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien with respect to my experiences with the wonderful Giantitp community. Thoughts? :smallbiggrin:
~-~
Actually, as one final note, I realize that, among many others, I did not mention the OotS forum, which clearly makes up a massive chunk of Giantitp. I, however, have little knowledge of the OotS forum and almost never post there. Because of this, I have no discernable impression of the OotS forum and excluded it from my song analysis. Please accept my apology, OotS-goers, and whoever else may frequent a forum I didn't mention.