This song is one of my personal all-time favorites. Although it was repetitive, and the lyric was a bit difficult to understand, I could still come to appreciate its catchy melodies and beats. Sometimes, I would play this song in my car when I needed an adrenaline boost to keep myself awake during a long commute. So, prior to constructing this forum response, I played it a couple of times on repeat and listened carefully in an attempt to identify the musical layers and the type of instruments used. Although not sure if I am correct, I have concluded that there are two vocalists and at least six instruments. I believe that there are a total of three “stringed” instruments, and the first one is Vihuela, a Latin-specific musical instrument, which is similar to that of a guitar, only that it sounds more “vivid” and “vibrant.” The second “stringed” instrument is a Harp, although it is worth mentioning that there are different types of harps and, in particular, a Latin-specific harp. The third “stringed” instrument should be a violin, and I do not believe it’s a Viola, Cello, or Bass because it sounds very crisp and smooth.

Now, moving on to the fourth instrument, I believe that it is either a Bongos or Djembe, which is an African style of that particular drum. However, given the cultural background of this particular song, it is likely that it’s a Bongos and not a Djembe, although they may sound similar to each other. The fifth instrument is perhaps Maraca, it is very similar to that of a shaker, but again, given the cultural background of this song, it is most likely a Maraca, a Latin specific form of “shaker.” Last and finally, the most apparent instrument is the typical and classic drum set that we should all be familiar with because of its wide array of adaptations across different music cultures.

With that said, circling back to the topic of music layers, I concluded that while the second vocalist will, at times, act as a harmony for the primary vocalist, both vocals are primarily considered melodies. On the other hand, the rhythm should be the classic drum set and Vihuela because it sets up the flow of the music. Therefore, it usually follows the vocalists, or in this case, the beats. Next up will be bassline; my choices are the Maracas and Bongos. However, I do feel a bit conflicted about this selection because I could also imagine that it may be Violin. Nevertheless, Violin appears less frequently than the other instruments or is less noticeable, so to speak. Therefore, for that matter, I have picked Violin and Harp as the Harmony because they contributed towards a softer and gentle touch to the entire piece.

As far as the other parts of the music layers, such as dynamics, tone color, and form, I really could not make an educated guess based on the definitions that I have read from the chapters. Although, I will note that the entire piece was well put together, considering its vocals, musical compositions, and organization. The volume of each part of the musical elements is tightly controlled and adjusted. To that point, I believe the personal touch from the post-production tuner played a massive role in perfecting the song for the final release.

Responses to the professor or other students for other student posts:

Response 1: This is actually my first time listening to a song by Justin Bieber. I have to say that he’s actually quite talented. I agree with most of your assessments. Although, I do want to note there were probably multiple keyboards. The goal of keyboards is to mimic the sound from that of the other instruments. I believe there are three of them in total. One of which is used as a synthesizer. For the other two, one is used as a traditional keyboard, while the other is used to produce sounds similar to that of an organ, probably for Bassline.

Response 2: I have to say that the other song that you’ve linked by Luis Fonsi sounded so much different than Despacito. It’s a completely different genre of music and it’s so calm and relaxing. It’s actually pretty unusual that one artist will have such a dramatic change in genre between their albums or songs. Usually, singers will try to stick to what they do best and the genre of the original big hit accompanying their initial debut. I really like the mellow tones and melodies of that song and will most definitely keep it in my playlist as a lullaby. Hahaha, just kidding. But definitely a keeper in my daily playlist.

Now back to your choice of music, I like this song too. Not just because the singer is absolutely handsome for his age, but also the very eye-popping use of his tongue twisters. It really puts the beauty of Spanish on full display. I haven’t actually heard a song where the singer actively tries to highlight the tongue twisters in the Spanish language. It is definitely a true beauty. Now, for Harmony, I too actually thought it was a Trumpet at first, but after trying to hear it closely trying to filter out the utter brainwashing tongue twisters from the vocalist, I believe it might also be a trombone. Although I don’t actually play any instruments myself, I could also be wrong, it’s more of my instinct and guesses. Everything else I am in total agreement with you. Although I still cannot wipe the smiles and tongue-twisting out of my head, IT IS SO CONTAGIOUS, hahaha.

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