So I have to cover a cool stuff blog from the first time when I got a little carried away with the cool.
If you're interested in the Native American story, you should check out the 2006 documentary, Trail of Tears. The movie documents the forced removal of Native American peoples from southeastern territory during the1830s.
The Native American's explanations and ideas concerning music were so beautiful and poetic thatI was curious to read about their spirituality and historical writings. I came across the Navajo creation myth which has one of the most beautiful explanations I've ever heard of.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
toodles
Every culture found across the globe has music deeply embeded in its culture. One idea that constantly comes to mind when thinking about all the cultures we studied is that non-western music seems so natural compared to what we're studying here at Converse. The acceptance of more raw, animalistic sounds is what we found in other cultures; some even desire a more rugged, less beautiful sound. This approach is very different from eveything we've been trained to do, but it's what I love most about ethnomusicology. It's almost as if we make a mockery of music. Like our work is just one big satire. Everything we do is exaggerated, overworked, and overstudied. Maybe this isn't exactly the case, but what I've seen of other countries' music helps me to play and interpret western music in a much more relaxed way. Music which is so natural and un-fixed makes my work seem stuffy and somewhat stuck-up, so this january I've taken a much freer approach to my practicing and rehearsals. We get so hung up over a single out of tune note, a honk from a clarinet, or a scratchy bow, but other cultures would welcome our errors as a natural part of the music making process. I think we have to be a little more forgiving in our practice so that we can actually enjoy what we're playing. I've found that studying foreign music is a great way to let one's nerves go.
Although I had this great realization, there's still one question that hasn't quite been answered by this class. Why is western music pretty much the only type of music which has delved so deep into the harmonic aspect of music. So many cultures lack complexity of harmony but have it in their melodies, rhythms or both. Why is it that only western music has explored harmony so heavily?
Although I had this great realization, there's still one question that hasn't quite been answered by this class. Why is western music pretty much the only type of music which has delved so deep into the harmonic aspect of music. So many cultures lack complexity of harmony but have it in their melodies, rhythms or both. Why is it that only western music has explored harmony so heavily?
Monday, January 26, 2009
anna owens is the shit
Since Japan is the culture which we studied the least, I thought it would be appropriate to include some Japanese music. The following is a video of Pink Martini, a band I've mentioned before, singing in Japanese a song called Kikuchiyo to Mohshimasu. It has a pretty provocative and interesting text. You might want to look for it if you've got some free time.
Looking for more Japanese music, I found this video on youtube under the heading, "probably the worst music video ever," and thought it would be wonderful to share with everyone. I must agree with the poster because it was definitely hard to handle.
Lastly and most importantly is the best website known to man, engrish. They post pictures of culturally incorrect signs & objects found in Japan. If you're ever having a bad day, go visit Engrish and you're absolutely guaranteed to laugh.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
music+society
When I think of music and society, I automatically think of what is popular among society. And then I start to think, what does society know anyway? Nothing. Trying to pair music and society is difficult for me because it's just another way to categorize music, which I don't really like to do. Society can be divided many different ways, and there are genres of music that we probably don't even know about yet. I'd be here forever if I really tried to write about music+society seriously. So I'm going to talk about it non-seriously. And so begins the classification of the unclassifiable.
American society is often tied to pop and rock music. European society is linked more with classical music. Middle-eastern and eastern society holds with religious and ceremonial music. These are just a few ways that an American would think of music and society; but people from other cultures will most likely have differing thoughts. With more study of cultures other than my own, I'm finding that caste systems within the Western music world are less common in other societies. For example, we have blue-grass and country music which is of the lower class, along with rap which could also be considered on a lower rung of the social ladder. Above that would be folk and rock and roll with a little more poetry and musicality, thus serving somewhat of a more sophisticated audience. Even higher in society we find classical and religious music. Something interesting about our culture, however, is that that religious music is slowly becoming less important to the masses than classical music (or at least I think so). This is not necessarily a bad thing (classical music is on the rise!), but it is unusual compared to most other parts of the world. Most cultures are much more tied to their sacred music than Americans and some Europeans. But, maybe I think religious music is disappearing because I'm not a part of religious society. A churchgoer would probably disagree with me. But backing up a little, within the hierarchy of music, we have even more division regarding who should to play the different types of music. For example, it caused kind of an uproar when Jessica Simpson switched from pop to country. And when Apocalyptica first came onto the scene, there was a good bit of controversy over their music among classical music. How do you think die-hard Metallica fans responded? I'm not saying we're the only society that has these unspoken rules of performance, but I'm realizing more and more that outside of Western culture, people value professional performance much less than we do; societal participation is more important. I really like that concept. It takes music off of the pedistal that we tend to put it on so that it's not seen so much as an art form that you have to be skilled at to do and integrates it as a part of everyday life, a commonality. Some of you might be thinking, "But that's what makes music so cool, the fact that it is an art form." Well, sure, but I'm not of that mindset. I don't like liking things because their special, I like them because of practicality and simplicity. And music that is performed daily from birth would probably seem pretty practical and simple if you were the one playing it. . .our society should try that!
American society is often tied to pop and rock music. European society is linked more with classical music. Middle-eastern and eastern society holds with religious and ceremonial music. These are just a few ways that an American would think of music and society; but people from other cultures will most likely have differing thoughts. With more study of cultures other than my own, I'm finding that caste systems within the Western music world are less common in other societies. For example, we have blue-grass and country music which is of the lower class, along with rap which could also be considered on a lower rung of the social ladder. Above that would be folk and rock and roll with a little more poetry and musicality, thus serving somewhat of a more sophisticated audience. Even higher in society we find classical and religious music. Something interesting about our culture, however, is that that religious music is slowly becoming less important to the masses than classical music (or at least I think so). This is not necessarily a bad thing (classical music is on the rise!), but it is unusual compared to most other parts of the world. Most cultures are much more tied to their sacred music than Americans and some Europeans. But, maybe I think religious music is disappearing because I'm not a part of religious society. A churchgoer would probably disagree with me. But backing up a little, within the hierarchy of music, we have even more division regarding who should to play the different types of music. For example, it caused kind of an uproar when Jessica Simpson switched from pop to country. And when Apocalyptica first came onto the scene, there was a good bit of controversy over their music among classical music. How do you think die-hard Metallica fans responded? I'm not saying we're the only society that has these unspoken rules of performance, but I'm realizing more and more that outside of Western culture, people value professional performance much less than we do; societal participation is more important. I really like that concept. It takes music off of the pedistal that we tend to put it on so that it's not seen so much as an art form that you have to be skilled at to do and integrates it as a part of everyday life, a commonality. Some of you might be thinking, "But that's what makes music so cool, the fact that it is an art form." Well, sure, but I'm not of that mindset. I don't like liking things because their special, I like them because of practicality and simplicity. And music that is performed daily from birth would probably seem pretty practical and simple if you were the one playing it. . .our society should try that!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
branch out a little
Since we've been talking about Latin America in class, I've been thinking about this "band" that my dad introduced me to when I was about 5. Thinking now, I'm pretty impressed that my dad, a pretty conservative dude who really enjoys cowboy music (real cowboy music), would even own a CD by these guys. The name of the band is Cusco and is comprised of two German guys who explore the musical styles of other cultures in the composition of their own music. They focus very much on the music of Central and Latin America, which is appropriate as their band name is derived from the name capitol of the ancient Incan civilization--Cuzco, literally meaning "navel," considered to be the center of the earth. What these guys have cooked up is musik de über producción. Have a listen.
Flying Condor - Cusco
I'm not really a fan of the music, but I commend their creativity. What I'm really interested in is the following video.
As mentioned in class, the technical perfection of articualtion that Tabla players possess is just totally mindblowing. If I my fingers were that fast, I'd be playing Tchaik faster than Hillary Hahnn. However, if you watched the entire video and have at least some knowledge of music, you'll agree with me that although this clip is pretty cool, he's really only expressing one ability, and that is speed of fingers. The next video is much more impressive. The Chakardar Ensemble is performing in Royal Albert Hall, which alone is pretty impressive, but after glimpsing the technicality involved in playing tabla, the quality of this ensenmble is pretty amazing.
The bass tones are the best.
Flying Condor - Cusco
I'm not really a fan of the music, but I commend their creativity. What I'm really interested in is the following video.
As mentioned in class, the technical perfection of articualtion that Tabla players possess is just totally mindblowing. If I my fingers were that fast, I'd be playing Tchaik faster than Hillary Hahnn. However, if you watched the entire video and have at least some knowledge of music, you'll agree with me that although this clip is pretty cool, he's really only expressing one ability, and that is speed of fingers. The next video is much more impressive. The Chakardar Ensemble is performing in Royal Albert Hall, which alone is pretty impressive, but after glimpsing the technicality involved in playing tabla, the quality of this ensenmble is pretty amazing.
The bass tones are the best.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
play it rite
Musical rites are not something most people think of on a daily occurance, but if you think hard enough, you'll probably realize that experienced at least one today. Church is the most common place to hear a musical rite: the organ processional for the entrance of the choir, a hymn for the offertory, etc. Weddings and funerals are two other occasions where one will most likely hear music as part of tradition. Thankfully, I've experienced more in nuptual settings than at wakes, but that has to do more with the fact that I'm a violinist, and people always want violinists at weddings. I can't tell you how many times I've played Canon in D; Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring; Trumpet Voluntary; The Bridal March; and so on. (However, I still manage to find a way to screw up.) You'll also find musical rites at graduations, i.e. the Alma Mater, and Pomp and Circumstance; and if you're Connie, maybe something composed by Dr. Berry! Another occasion where you'll hear a rite is on your birthday (most likely). Even if your friends don't sing to you, just go to an Outback Steakhouse or Applebees and a group of complete strangers will sing a song for you with nearly unidentifiable text along with a slice of apple pie...for free!
There are quite a few overlooked musical rites that happen daily, sometimes repeatedly. One example is bells which mark the change of the hour. For instance, the bells in the tower of Wilson Hall, First Pres., Westminster Abbey. And with modern technology, "music" is becoming even more of a rite through cell phones. I may be stretching it a little bit, but those of us who wake up to a cell phone alarm are experience a musical rite every morning when we roll out of bed, not to mention when we get phone calls and one of our 23 real song ringtones starts blasting. Anyone who has hung out with Wanda Sanders for more than 5 minutes knows which tune indicates whether she's got a text message, voicemail, or if one of her not so favorite people are calling her (joking). Some Verizon phones even have a ringtone which is a pretty accurate (other than key area) reproduction of the pizzicato movement from Ravel's string quartet. Now you're going to be hunting down a Verizon customer tomorrow.
There are quite a few overlooked musical rites that happen daily, sometimes repeatedly. One example is bells which mark the change of the hour. For instance, the bells in the tower of Wilson Hall, First Pres., Westminster Abbey. And with modern technology, "music" is becoming even more of a rite through cell phones. I may be stretching it a little bit, but those of us who wake up to a cell phone alarm are experience a musical rite every morning when we roll out of bed, not to mention when we get phone calls and one of our 23 real song ringtones starts blasting. Anyone who has hung out with Wanda Sanders for more than 5 minutes knows which tune indicates whether she's got a text message, voicemail, or if one of her not so favorite people are calling her (joking). Some Verizon phones even have a ringtone which is a pretty accurate (other than key area) reproduction of the pizzicato movement from Ravel's string quartet. Now you're going to be hunting down a Verizon customer tomorrow.
Monday, January 12, 2009
music+religion=$
When I was young, the music I always heard in the car was that of Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, and sometimes even the Gathers, unfortunately. I used to hate the sound of the organ, probably because I associated it with our pastor's endless sermons, and the only reason I liked the church lady solos was because all the boring stuff stopped for a while and I had the chance to make a little noise. Christian music definitely affected my aesthetic view and as I grew up and defied my my mom's wishes for what music I'd listen to, I began to hear more of what made my ears happy.
I try my hardest not to associate music with religion. Spirituality? Yes. Religion? No. The music I find to be the most spiritual are Indian ragas. The drones make me think of the vibrations that are ringing through the universe and the steady drumming steadies my concentration on ideas and questions I have regarding life and existence. I also have spiritual experiences while either listening to or playing classical music, Brahms and Beethoven especially. Oh and Mahler, also. One of the most spiritual experiences I've ever had with music took place during a summer chamber festival I attended a couple years back. A group of the musicians decided to go to a performance of the Royal Philharmonic and it just so happened that they'd be playing Mahler's 3rd symphony. I had never heard any of Mahler's works before, so I had no idea what to expect. One of the professors tried to sing some of the themes for me and explain what I might feel, but the words he used did not even begin to describe the affect the music had on me. It was one of the most beautiful and magnificent things I'd ever heard or seen, and I cried straight through the 4th and 5th movements. This was the only life-changing musical experience I have ever had. The only way I can describe the performance is that the musicality coming from the orchestra was like a purely perfect expression of Mahler's emotions and must have been how he heard the piece playing in his head. I had another spiritual experience while rehearsing the Mendelssohn c-minor trio this summer. After having serious doubts about playing the violin and taking about a month from practicing, I went to work at a music camp and found a pianist and cellist on staff and we decided to read trios. I could tell from the first note that we were going to jive together and we surely did. The read through wasn't performance quality, but we made real music with one another which was the catalyst for one of the most important epiphanies I've ever had. Spiritual experiences with music can depend on one's state of mind, but they can also be totally spontaneous and uncontrolled by the self. Mine tend to be pretty uncontrollable.
I try my hardest not to associate music with religion. Spirituality? Yes. Religion? No. The music I find to be the most spiritual are Indian ragas. The drones make me think of the vibrations that are ringing through the universe and the steady drumming steadies my concentration on ideas and questions I have regarding life and existence. I also have spiritual experiences while either listening to or playing classical music, Brahms and Beethoven especially. Oh and Mahler, also. One of the most spiritual experiences I've ever had with music took place during a summer chamber festival I attended a couple years back. A group of the musicians decided to go to a performance of the Royal Philharmonic and it just so happened that they'd be playing Mahler's 3rd symphony. I had never heard any of Mahler's works before, so I had no idea what to expect. One of the professors tried to sing some of the themes for me and explain what I might feel, but the words he used did not even begin to describe the affect the music had on me. It was one of the most beautiful and magnificent things I'd ever heard or seen, and I cried straight through the 4th and 5th movements. This was the only life-changing musical experience I have ever had. The only way I can describe the performance is that the musicality coming from the orchestra was like a purely perfect expression of Mahler's emotions and must have been how he heard the piece playing in his head. I had another spiritual experience while rehearsing the Mendelssohn c-minor trio this summer. After having serious doubts about playing the violin and taking about a month from practicing, I went to work at a music camp and found a pianist and cellist on staff and we decided to read trios. I could tell from the first note that we were going to jive together and we surely did. The read through wasn't performance quality, but we made real music with one another which was the catalyst for one of the most important epiphanies I've ever had. Spiritual experiences with music can depend on one's state of mind, but they can also be totally spontaneous and uncontrolled by the self. Mine tend to be pretty uncontrollable.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
