GCSE WORLD MUSIC-African (Yiri) African Voices How are they used? In Africa songs are sung for many reason and it is ingrained into their culture. They can be sung for: -childhood lullabies -birthdays -marriages -funerals -religious and tribal occasions Techniques One main technique used in African music is call and response where one person leads and a group answers. The group normally sings the melody in unison whilst the leader/soloists improvise over the top. It is still used today in gospel music.
The Folk Music of Bangladesh Bangladesh is country that has very deep traditional music roots. Music was not only used as a form of documenting the lives of people by writing songs about them, but it was a vital part of their prayers. With Hindu mythology playing such an influential role in folk music, many of the songs that were written include praise to their gods. Also, the songs were composed for different groups in the community, such as hermits, fishermen and cart drivers, each having specific songs relating to them. As the world became more modernized, the music industry in Bangladesh also adapted and various genres began to emerge, such as the folk music genre called Sufi.
It is evident that the Black Americans have long been considered a large and significant ethnic minority of the United States population. The African-American ancestors were mostly brought to America to work as slaves to serve the White Americans who at that time were considered the superior race. These slaves were mainly shipped from West and Sub-saharan Africa bringing with them polyrhythmic songs from hundreds of African ethnic groups. That is when African music was introduced to Western music, creating at first a fusion from both worlds and evolving through the decades which developed into today's most popular music, listened and appreciated all around the globe. Our main goal and focus is to trace the development of Afro American musical styles and learn about their pioneers.
However, I didn’t know much about county music. Through this research, my understanding of country music reached new levels. To begin with, I have to know what country music is: Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It has roots in traditional folk music, Celtic music, blues, gospel music, hokum, and old-time music and evolved rapidly in the 1920s. The term country music began to be used in the 1940s when the earlier term hillbilly music was deemed to be degrading, and the term was widely embraced in the 1970s, while country and western has declined in use since that time, except in the United Kingdom, where it is still commonly used.
Because of this, the songs get passed down from generation to generation, from bard to bard; some even existing today. Music genres like folk music and country/western music still carries the traits of the music of the bards in the way that they too, carry stories and histories about today’s societies and ways. This essay will explore the similarities and the influence of traditional bardic music to these musical genres in the contemporary world. Folk music emerged in the 15th to 19th centuries and is the musical aspect of folklore and is a clear link to traditional bardic music as it is ‘the earliest kind of music’ . Folk music is portrayed to be traditional and a way of describing the life of people in their communities.
MUSC3004 Assignment I Student: Josh Coomansingh (60622) Instructor: Aidan Chamberlain Course: Form & Structure II February 3, 2015 Coomansingh 1 Question: Discuss the formation and development of the Blues, including notable figures in the genre. The blues is the label given to both the musical form and genre originating from the South of the USA by the African-Americans towards the end of the 19th century. The blues genre is based on the blues form, but possesses other characteristics such as lyrics, bass lines and instruments. The blues has evolved into a variety of styles, including jump blues, classic blues, country blues, boogie-woogie and Chicago blues. The blues as a style has three recognisable features which are: the so-called blue note or sad feel, an AAB three-line lyric structure, and a particular pattern of call and response between the lyrics and the instruments.
These recording sessions saw Dylan return to the acoustic guitar after his controversial ‘plugged-in’ performance at the Newport Folk festival two years previously. As put by Alex Abramovich, “the charm of The Basement Tapes might have less to do with the quality of the songs themselves than with the informal, experiential qualities of the recording.” It was this re-hashing of the qualities of their music which gave The Basement Tapes such influence over popular music in the late 1960s. In the 1960s, folk rock was taking off, beginning with the release of The Byrds’ cover of Dylan’s Mr Tambourine Man. The addition of electric guitars into the folk genre paved the way for other artists, including Dylan himself, to shift to a more electric rock sound. But it is the emphasis on the acoustic guitar which gives the traditional folk style of music its authentic charm.
The traditions of bluegrass’s oral narratives originated in the mountains of Appalachia. It was often used by the settlers there as an outlet for their systemically problematic lives, in a rural area; that was very taxing on their humble financial resources. They would use their instruments to tell stories of their difficulties and wretchedness in their relationships and love affairs, woes that often, even related to their attachment of the Appalachian Mountains. It was largely because of this bluegrass origin that it was dubbed “hillbilly” music. That word “hillbilly” just makes so much sense for me and I can totally relate to that terminology.
They associated many of their ancestors as spirits that would influence their lives. In doing so they had many ceremonies and rituals dedicated to them. Another key aspect of West African society and culture is art and music. West African art was pretty much related to their religious practices. Many who seeked preserved images of their ancestors excelled in woodcarving.
Revision sheet Miles Davis All Blues All Blues was improvised using scales and melodies Miles Davis and shown the musicians. Blues can be played in the twelve bar form or using blue notes. Blue Notes Blue notes are note that have to be bent or flatten to make an in-between note. 12 bar Blues The 12 bar blues has three four bar phases. The most common chord structure uses three chords: Chord 1, chord 4 and chord 5.