Why I Created a Music Publication Called Four Dash Four
As someone involved in music for a long time, writing about music has been interesting, the least to say.
Ever since I know myself, I have been involved in music.
My oldest recollection of my interest in music is when I was probably five or six years old. A few years later, I joined a children’s choir and was part of it for more than six years throughout elementary and middle school, even getting a solo piece when I got a little bit more experienced.
When I was eight years old, I started to go to a professional music school and studied there for about eight years, learning music theory and playing the violin extensively and graduating with a diploma.
Around the age of ten, I started taking vocal training lessons for about two and half years with a vocal trainer specializing in Operatic singing technique and style.
I also started taking lessons to learn how to play the piano for a year and a half.
During that time frame, I was also a church choir member.
I had the opportunity to have solo pieces while singing with the church choir, which was an exceptional experience.
After moving to the United States, I was part of my high school’s music group and an ensemble member of the school’s musical project. Through this, I had the opportunity to experience what musical theatre is, where we learned choreographies and songs that we performed while acting.
After graduating high school, I joined a church choir again while attending college and continued to be part of it for about two years.
Then, I decided to continue my vocal training endeavors and started taking vocal training classes with my vocal coach Cynthia Elvira Ramos, whom I interviewed before. I trained with Cynthia for about three years, specializing in Operatic style and singing Opera pieces most of the time.
You can find my interview article with Cynthia here:
Language and Music
Being multilingual has influenced my musical taste throughout my life as I have listened to music in various languages while growing up.
Culture influences many things in life, including music. As I was interested in various languages, I learned the culture and music of the target language, too, respectively.
Starting a Music Publication, Four Dash Four
Growing up, I have dreamt of becoming a singer multiple times, but I didn’t pursue that path yet. It’s a long journey, and as someone who has many passions in different areas of life, I was preoccupied with other hobbies for the time being.
About a decade ago, I discovered Kpop, and my perception of music shifted. I started reading interviews done by Kpop artists I followed, where they talked about their albums and the music-making process.
I watched many behind-the-scenes videos of recording sessions, album making, and creative processes.
As music fans, we consume the final product when we hear a song.
But, I am interested in knowing how a song is written and produced, learning about the people involved in the writing process, why a particular sound is used in a song or why a song is sung in a particular style, etc.
I am passionate about singing and performing, as I have had my fair share of musical experiences throughout my life, even if they weren’t a professional endeavor, but I am curious about the creative process, too.
In today’s music industry, reaction videos to artists and their music are common, and I like watching them. Finding people who are excited just like you about a song or an album is very satisfying.
I decided to create a publication called Four Dash Four, where I talk about songs, albums, performances, and music in general. The time signature 4/4 inspired the publication’s name.
The publication’s vision is based on taking the concept of video reaction to music and transforming it into writing. When I write a review, I write my thoughts as if I’m recording a reaction video on Youtube.
It’s much easier to record a video reaction and post it on Youtube. There is no way to get around the concept of doing written reactions with less effort as the only connection between the writer, and the reader is words.
Expressing your thoughts while talking is more convenient than typing them. In writing, you don’t have the luxury to minimize expressions to convey your idea.
While in reaction videos, even if you say nothing, the viewers are getting feedback from you as they are presented with facial expressions and body language cues that convey thoughts and emotions.
Thus, I wanted to create a platform to write about music, which I am passionate about.
I started to use the publication to expand my musical taste and vision to explore different genres and artists. Writing about music is helping me search and read more about music in general, which was my initial goal when I created Four Dash Four.
I plan to launch a youtube channel to accompany the publication where I do video reviews of albums, songs, and performances that I write about. It’s a project in progress, so we’ll see how that works out eventually.
Finally, if you are interested in the publication Four Dash Four and my reviews, you can follow the publication here.
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