week 9

Teaching an ethnomusicology class would definitely be a challenge for me--I have never taught a class in my life and the topics within ethnomusicology are familiar but in no way an expertise in mine. Thus, to be able to convey the best lecture, I will need to draw upon music that seems most "American" to me--an eclectic range of genres that have taken over the popular music charts. Because America as a nation truly represents a "melting pot" of cultures, it is only fair to include a wide range of music to define American music. Such music genres I will include in the lecture are as follows: pop, r&b, country, and rock. Because I am no expert on American music, it makes the most sense for me to draw upon music that I have constantly heard in my life, so that I can add better input to the lecture that I present.

I. Pop Music
Characteristics: Pop songs normally have an easy melody to catch on to. The chorus is repeated a couple of times with verses separating the choruses, allowing listeners to easily learn the melody. The beat is also catchy; some of the most popular songs that Americans can identify come from these catchy and pleasing to the ear rhythms. The lyrics to pop songs usually relate to emotions and generally love.
Listening examples: Britney Spears' "Baby One more Time" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BclTRsTBZM) and Kelly Clarkson's "Since You Been Gone" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL28kGHjPOQ) exemplify typical pop songs because of their catchy tunes.
Other comments: Pop music is heavily distributed through the radio as well as television. It is an essential part of popular music and often has global appeal beyond the United States

II. R&B music
Characteristics: This musical genre started out being played by mostly African-Americans and thus has great African-American influences. It combines such elements from jazz, gospel, and blues, which are genres historically affliated with black people. In contemporary terms, soul is often added as well. Historically from the 1940s, the musical format combined 12 bar beats with boogie-woogie and black beat.
Listening examples: Usher's "Burn" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8qwkIX23VQ) and Ne-yo's "So Sick" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QD_sMYhbnU) represent typical R&B songs that highlight the characteristic drum beats and smooth sounding voices.

III. Country music
Characteristics: The roots of country music stem from folk music, blues, gospel, and Celtic music. The music typically features guitars, drums, banjo, harmonicas, and mandolins. Although country music is sometimes considered synonymous with "western" music, the origins arise from the East coast, such as Tennessee, West Virginia, and Kentucky. The lyrics often relate to every day life activities in great detail and the voice is often the focus of the song.
Listening examples: Faith Hill's "Breathe" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIp9vmH6ZYM) and Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T56vLzS5i5w) are good examples of country songs because they display the common guitar playing and the lyrics are stylistically country.
Other comments: There are many subgenres of country music. A few include country folk, Nashville Sound, Outlaw Country and Honky tonk.

IV. Rock music
Characteristics: Rock music is often identified by the instrumentation: guitar, drums and bass. Often times the music is "heavy" sounding and is enhanced by synthesizers and other electronic equipment. The melody is often followed by the harmonies of the electric guitar. There are different kinds of rock including a mellower soft rock in contrast to heavy metal style rock and emo punk rock.
Listening examples: Nirvana's "Smells like Teen Spirit" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW4VVVXSiEw) and Green Day's "American Idiot" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h4o8O_99XI) showcase the common instrumentation of rock--guitar, and drums, and bass.

week 8

Although I've come to like an eclectic range of music, there are always a select few that hold their positions as the "favorites". One of these songs is "Where is the Love?" by the Black Eyed Peas. Over recent years, the Black Eyed Peas have emerged as chart-toppers with their catchy tunes and underlying messages about society. They rap about topics beyond the scope of common rap subjects--money, girls, sex, drugs. Instead, many of their songs have underlying messages that depict current situations in society and obstacles in which many people can relate.

The song "Where is the Love?" focuses on the world's injustice, hypocrisy, and brutality. Although this song has a pessimistic outlook, the true meaning of the song summons a call to action and a call for change. It outlines the wrongs that are occurring in our home country, and pleads for the "father" to come help out mankind in general.

The song can be divided into two parts: the rapping in the verses and the singing in the chorus. The rapping has a more a harsh, blunt, and raspy tone, perhaps depicting the harsh, very real situations in which he speaks. From his tone of voice, a listener can tell that Will.I.am takes these issues very seriously and the hint of anger that surfaces in his voice evinces his disapproval and repugnance. One verse states: "I think the whole world's addicted to the drama/ Only attracted to the things that'll bring the drama/ Overseas yeah we tryin' to stop terrorism/ But we still got terrorists here livinin the U.S.A, the big C.I.A, the Bloods & the Crips, and the KKK." The underlying message is very clear--the current situation is unacceptable. We brood in hypocracy; the US is adamant about eliminating potential terrorists in the Middle East, yet we have our own unresolved problems that we have yet to attend to. These ironies can easily go unnoticed, yet these blunt and insightful lyrics bring up points that elicit further thought and realization.

In contrast to the seemingly up-front and raw sound of the rapping, Justin Timberlake sings the chorus and adds a soothing sound to the song. The singing possesses a slow, and soft timbre, which matches the lyrics that resonate. The lyrics, "Father father father, help us/ Need some guidance from above/ These people got me got me questioning...where is the love?" plead for a higher figure to stop the brutality and the cycle of hurt. While the verses provide a side that is angry with the world, the chorus calls for change. The song slows down for a bit, allowing the listener to absorb the previous lyrics, and contemplate what can be done in response.

Lastly, the minimal amount of instrumentation as well as the simple melody contribute the effectiveness of the song's message. In the song, there are three main instruments: two different drum and a chordophone that sounds like an electric violin. By using fewer instruments, there is less background music that can distract the listener from the message the song is trying to convey. Furthermore, the simple melody allows the audience to catch onto the harmony, ensuring that they won't be caught up trying to familiarize themselves with the melody. Thus, knowing what notes to expect, we can focus more on the words.

Week 7

Finishing up the movie Latcho Drom was extremely interesting because new scenes gave us new perspectives on the Roma people. Their heavy use of instrumentation continued and it was exciting to see how they used the instruments to evince their emotions and attitudes. The first scene was in a village and the violin was an integral instrument. A few men playing in unison used the violin to create a strong melody. Other instruments such as an accordion and a flute-like aerophone accompanied the main rhythm creating a homophony. There seemed to be a bit of improvisation with the melodies. After all, the festive nature of the people enjoying music calls for a lighthearted tempo and upbeat rhythms. The audience which in their case, were the people in the streets, were in important contribution to the effect of the music. The musicians were playing for the audience who seemed to be enjoying the moment.

The second scene took place at a train station in which the boy and his mother are awaiting near the train tracks. This time, however, the violin took a back seat to the vocals. Spoons were also used as idiophones when they were tapped together to make noise. It was really quite touching that the little boy offered his coins so that the gypsies could play music to cheer up his mother. In addition, the entire movie provided insight for different ways to play instruments. I have always seen a violin being strung by the bow. However, in the movie, I saw a violin being strung by only one string, creating a very screechy sound. It was just interesting to see how a movie can rely so little on dialogue yet produce a movie so rich in culture.

week 6 response

The movie Latcho Drom directed by Tony Gatlif follows the journey of gypsies through South Asia to the Middle East and finally to Europe. Although the geographic regions that the gypsies visited are very different, the instruments used by them have many commonalities. In each of the three scenes there is percussion to maintain rhythm for the music. The drum is in the form of an instrument which is similar to the tabla. The musicians play this instrument using their palms and fingers. There is also an aerophone that produces a timber much like a flute. In the scenes, cymbals and tambourines were used. The ladies also used idiophones; they wore wooden clappers on their arms so whenever they moved their arms, the wooden clamps moved and "clapped". String instruments accompany the melodies of the vocal performances. The string instrument can be compared to a sitar from India.

The director demonstrated how the gypsies "absorbed" the different cultures into their own music by showing the gypsies visiting different regions and changing up the settings of the musical performances. The film highlights the music's effect on the children especially; the children can be seen mimicking characteristic hand movements, which shows that they are taking in other cultures and adding their own flavor to their own version.

I found the costumes of the movie most interesting. The dress was extremely ornate and elaborate and it really exemplified the beauty that the gypsies embody. The term "gypsy" is often associated with a negative connotation, however, the depiction that the movie uses shows that these members in a positive light. The women's bodies were often adorned with accessories that were actually used as instruments later on. Chimes could be heard whenever the women shook their bodies. This is reminded me of Oceanic music in which objects such shells, which were idiophones, were used to create new rhythms and sounds.

week 5

An example in which real life influences theater and in turn these representations influence society is the TV show America's Next Top Model. The objective of this reality show is to find "undiscovered" talent and train young women through challenges and photo shoots on how to become a legitimate model. America greatly values appearance and the contestants are chosen mostly on looks to begin with. These women are extremely thin and beautiful--traits that every American woman wishes they were. The contestants strive to look "fierce" in their photo shoots and are judged by a panel on how they look in the shot. The idea that the contestants stand before a panel every week reflects society's tendency to judge others by their appearances and not necessarily by their personality.

America's Next Top Model in turn influences society because it reinforces the traits that are important to have in order to be considered "beautiful". It shapes the characteristics that women strive to have. For example, most of the women on the show are at least 5'9 and weigh about 120 pounds--a stature that most women do not even come close to. However, because these lanky contestants are praised for their body types on the show, this may make viewers want to look like these "models" in hope that they too will be considered beautiful. These types of shows shape our society's views of what is beautiful and what is ugly.

Week 4

The author states that in order for their performances to be truly authentic the performers themselves must believe that the performances true to their culture. It is not hard to convince uninformed people such as the audience that these musical pieces are "authentic", however convincing the performers are a different story because they know the truth. The performers know that these musical pieces are performed not for merely ritualistic reasons, but rather to cater to the visitors who come to "learn" about their culture. It is performed for more commerical reasons. These tourists visit to see something different and the Naxi take this into consideration when they are performing their pieces. In addition, the author states that the piece cannot be a copy, but it is a copy from another Chinese group.

The Chinese orchestra is being accused of not being "authentic" because according to Western scholars the Chinese orchestra is incorporating Western influences into their music. Western instruments as well as Western-sounding compositions have been added that are not traditionally associated with Chinese music. I think that both sides of the arguments have a point. On one hand, the world is becoming increasingly globalized and it is inevitable that cultures affect each other and incorporate the aspects they like into their own. However, I also do think that it is important to stay true to one's heritage. If you incorporate too many outside influences, what is left is something that is not original and "authentic". Authenticity is on a continuum; in other words there are a lot of gray areas. Just because one culture adds aspects of another does not mean that it loses its entire credibility. The authenticity depends on the extent of borrowing other culture's elements.

week 3

The two performances--Ratna Ayu and Gamelan Bali Nyepi--contrast in many different ways, from the setting to the costume to the type of music being played. These performances seem to serve different musical purposes and the elements of the performance contribute to this notion.

The Ratna Ayu performance is held indoors, perhaps in a performing arts theater creating a "performance" environment. The dancers and musicians are clearly distanced from the audience from the presence of the stage--a physical barrier that distinguishes who is watching from who is performing. The movements of the dancers are slow, flowy movements. The music accompanies their body movements through the droning timbre and soft sounds of an instrument comparable to the xylophone. The instruments are neatly structured on the side of the stages with like instruments grouped together. It is a very organized performance highlighting the cultural beauty of the people. The elaborate clothing enhances the rich cultural aspect as well; the headress is made of a vivid golden color while the center dancer wears a long ornate dress.

In contrast, the Gamelan Bali Nyepi is located in an outside setting, making the atmosphere much more laid back and free. Likewise, the performers seem less tense compared to the performers in the Ratna Ayu performance. These people appear to playing for the enjoyment of themselves rather than a designated audience. Their attire is very laidback--a loose white outfit. In junction with the casual environment, the music played is very upbeat and lively; it is music that makes people want to dance. The structure of the musicians is much less organized. People are scattered on the floor; the drums (membranophones) are next to the idiophones in no clear order. The people's facial expressions are much more relaxed. This performance seems much more spontaneous and exhibits the vibrant nature of the people.