Information: - Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound and silence, which exist in time. The common elements of music are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics (loudness and softness), and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture (which are sometimes termed the "color" of a musical sound). Different styles or types of music may emphasize, de-emphasize or omit some of these elements. Music is performed with a vast range of instruments and vocal techniques ranging from singing to rapping; there are solely instrumental pieces, solely vocal pieces (such as songs without instrumental accompaniment) and pieces that combine singing and instruments. The word derives from Greek ("mousike"; "art of the Muses"). In its most general form, the activities describing music as an art form include the production of works of music (songs, tunes, symphonies, and so on), the criticism of music, the study of the history of music, and the aesthetic examination of music. Ancient Greek and Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies. Common sayings such as "the harmony of the spheres" and "it is music to my ears" point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to listen to. However, 20th-century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music, saying, for example, "There is no noise, only sound." - N*E*R*D (a backronym of No-one Ever Really Dies) is an American funk rock band. Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo were signed by Teddy Riley to Virgin Records as a duo, The Neptunes. After producing songs for several artists throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, the production duo formed the band with Shay Haley as a side project of The Neptunes in 1999. N*E*R*D's debut album, "In Search Of...", sold 603,000 copies in the United States and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was also awarded the second annual Shortlist Music Prize. The band's second album, "Fly or Die", sold 412,000 copies in the United States, but shipped at least 500,000 units, certifying it Gold. - The Neptunes are an American production duo, composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop and R&B artists in the late-1990s and 2000s. The Neptunes' sound is a distinctive brand of off-kilter, stripped-down electronic funk with sounds from Middle Eastern and Asian music including percussion and woodwind. Pharrell sings and (later) raps on records and appears in videos, unlike his production partner Chad, who tends to stay behind the scenes. - A pianist is an individual musician who plays the piano. Most forms of Western music can make use of the piano. Consequently, pianists have a wide variety of repertoire and styles to choose from, including traditionally classical music, Jazz, blues and all sorts of popular music, including rock music. Most pianists can, to a certain extent, play other keyboard-related instruments such as the synthesizer, harpsichord, celesta and the organ and keyboard. Perhaps the greatest pianist of all time was Franz Liszt, whose piano mastery was described by Anton Rubinstein: "In comparison with Liszt, all other pianists are children". - Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (born April 5, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and film producer. - A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level. Multi-instrumentalists who play closely related instruments, a practice known as doubling are common in orchestra (e.g., flute players who double on piccolo and percussion players, who play snare drum, cymbals, bass drum, etc.), in jazz (e.g., saxophone players who double on clarinet or flute; or double bass players who also play electric bass); in music theatre pit orchestras (e.g., reed players who are required to play numerous reed instruments); and in other areas of classical music (e.g., church piano players are often expected to play the church's pipe organ or Hammond organ as well). Popular music composers and songwriters are often multi-instrumentalists. In pop and rock, it is more common than in classical or jazz for performers to be multi-instrumentalists on instruments that are not from the same family: it is common for pop and rock musicians to play both guitar and keyboards. Many bluegrass musicians are multi-instrumentalists. Some musicians' unions or associations specify a higher rate of pay for musicians who double on two or more instruments for a performance or recording. - A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar by singing or playing the harmonica. - Sheldon Haley ( born December 18 , 1972 ) , better known as Shae , Shay or Shade , is an American musician . He is a member of the funk rock band , N * E * R * D , who often contributes backup vocals , while Pharrell Williams carries lead duties , and Chad Hugo supplies the production . His role in the band is often questioned , but in a recent interview , Pharrell stated that Shae is the root of the band . Pharrell also stated that Shae keeps everyone grounded and together . - A musician (or instrumentalist) is a person who plays a musical instrument or is musically talented. Anyone who composes, conducts, or performs music may also be referred to as a musician. - Richard Wayne Penniman (born December 5, 1932), known as Little Richard, is an American musician, singer and songwriter. - James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer and bandleader. The creator of funk music and a major figure of 20th century popular music and dance, he is often referred to as the "Godfather of Soul". In a career that spanned six decades, he influenced the development of several music genres. - A record producer or music producer oversees and manages the sound recording and production of a band or performer's music, which may range from recording one song to recording a lengthy concept album. A producer has many roles during the recording process. The roles of a producer vary. He or she may gather musical ideas for the project, collaborate with the artists to select cover tunes or original songs by the artist/group, work with artists and help them to improve their songs, lyrics or arrangements. - Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the rock and roll beat, with a biographer stating that their music "spark[ed] the musical transition from fifties rock and roll to sixties funk". - Charles Edward "Chad" Hugo (born February 24, 1974) is an American multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is best known as one half of the music production and writing duo The Neptunes and as a member of N.E.R.D. He is a saxophonist, pianist and guitarist. Along with his production partner Pharrell Williams, he has produced numerous number-one hit tracks. - Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid- 1960s when African American musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of soul music, jazz, and rhythm and blues (R&B). Funk de-emphasizes melody and chord progressions used in other related genres and brings a strong rhythmic groove of a bass line played by an electric bassist and a drum part played by a drummer to the foreground. Funk songs are often based on an extended vamp on a single chord, distinguishing them from R&B and soul songs, which are built on complex chord progressions. Funk uses the same richly-colored extended chords found in bebop jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths, or dominant seventh chords with altered ninths. Given the information, choose the subject and object entities that have the relation of 'occupation'.
shay haley , singer