History fun facts

aerophone

column of air that vibrates (flute)

chordophone

strings vibrate (guitar)

idiophone

instrument itself vibrates (gong)

membranophone

membrane vibrates (drum)

electrophone

sound is generated electronically

lute

strings on the neck of the instrument, can be bowed or plucked

zither

strings span entire instrument, can be plucked or struck

ethnomusicologists’ influence

study music and interpret music through their own cultural lense

classical music

requires formal training; for the aristocracy

folk music

based around common people; learning is informal; passed on orally

popular music

related to music business/the media

music use

what the music is being used for (example: music being used at commencement)

music function

meaning of the music (example: music at commencement is being used to represent celebration and moving on)

oceania music characteristics

vocal music and drums (popular because it was all they had); used dance to tell stories

portamento

sliding between notes; can be vocal or strings

kilu

high-pitched drum made of coconut shell and fish skin membrane

pahu

lower-pitched drum made of wood and shark skin membrane

tabla

membranophone; used for rhythm; a set of paired hand drums

tambura

cordophone; fretless plucked lute; continuous drone on I and V most often

colotomic structure

music organized intro cycles; specific instrument is responsible for starting and ending a cycle

North Indian Culture

Hindustani raga; cordophones— sarod (melody) and tambura (drone); one membranophone (tabla)

South Indian Culture

Carnatic raga; melismatic vocal line imitated by violin, tambura, and ghatam (membranophone, two-faced drum)

Raga performance considerations

never spontaneously played, but performance itself is mainly improvised

Tabla pedagogy

teacher/disciple tradition; multi-year apprenticeship; guru teaches drum strikes that correspond with syllables; emphasizes a strong foundation with correct posture and sound production

Javanese gamelan

slow, flowing melodies, stately, cyclical colotonic structure, for court setting

Balinese gamelan

fast, dynamic (loud then silent, etc.), metallic and shimmering sound, everything is tuned slightly apart

Music vs Non-music in Islamic culture

worship related musical sound is considered non-music; other music is considered distracting or sinful

Chinese music characteristics

high in rhythmic density, instruments play the melodic contour of the language, improv

Japanese music characteristics

reflects Confucian restraint and balance, low rhythmic density, controlled timbre, sustained notes, very thought-out

Silk and bamboo ensemble

Silk is a cordaphone, bamboo aerophone, used for amateur social music

Beijing opera— civil

melodic instruments, mainly cordaphones and voice

Beijing opera— military instruments

rhythmic instruments (gongs and drums), loud aerophones

taiko

japanese drums

ud

fretless, plucked Arabic lute

taqsim

fretted, plucked Arabic lute

bayin

Chinese system of organizing instruments based on material

erhu

chinese fiddle

hichiriki

japanese reed instrument, aerophone, bends tones

Sub-Saharan African musical characteristics

community music performance, polyrhythmic, rhythmically dense, and drones are really powerful

density referent

one distinctive instrument that sets the pattern that other instruments refer to

steel pan

caribbean pitched drums made of hammered steel oil drums, claves

siku

peruvian pan pipes

bombos

peruvian membranophones with alpaca skin heads

vihuela

high-range cordophones in Mexican mariachi

Role of talking drums

to strengthen speech, helps with communication and storytelling

relationship between mbube choirs and colonialism

non-white South Africans were forced to live in poverty townships, sang and competed as part of township identity, blends different indigenous traditions

relationship between steel pan and colonialism

symbolized resilience; turned oppression into a new art form

son clave pattern

two-bar afro-cuban rhythm

musical styles that developed from the son clave pattern

salsa, latin jazz, rhumba

sikuri ensembles and community

community ensembles that anyone can join and play hand pipes

mariachi singing style

operatic (full voice and vibrato) with cheers or exclamations interspersed

european music characteristics

lots of polyphony, large ensemble, steady meter, rhythm is not as important as harmony/melody

Scottish highland pipes

airbag is filled by blowing into the airbag, played outdoors, often while marching, ceremonial

irish uilleann pipes

airbag is filled by moving the bellows, the bagpiper is free to sing, and played indoors with small ensembles

vocables

words or sounds with no specific meaning in a language

powwow

pan-tribal community event with song and dance performance

native american music characteristics

steady or dotted drumbeat that continuously playing, vocal string timbre, cascading melodic contour, portamento, long sustained noted with small ornamentation

Hawaii: drum-dance chant fun fact

contains portamento

north india: hindustani raga fun fact

rhythmic, free, improvised intro (alae) followed by the gats; metered composition, continuous drone

south india: carnatic raga fun fact

highly ornamental vocal devotions with imitating a violin, continuous drone

Scotland: highland bagpipes fun fact

outdoor ceremonial performance, blowing in pipes to fill the bag, reeds in pipes

Ireland: Uilleann bagpipes fun fact

indoor community playing bellows to fill the bag

indonesia: javanese court gamelan fun fact

idiophone ensemble with a colotomic structure for court rituals

indonesia: balinese gamelan bong kebyar fun fact

idiophone ensemble with sudden flourishes and abrupt silences

islamic call to prayer

solo vocal with repeated phrases that become more melismatic

arabic taqsim for ud and buzuq

improvised, non-metric cortaphone piece used as introspective moment

china: sizhu fun fact

chinese silk, bamboo, ensemble for amateur social time

china: beijing opera fun fact

civil ensembles (match the words), military ensembles (imitate the action), both accompany the acting

china: chuida fun fact

outdoor wind and percussion ensemble

japan: gagaku fun fact

japanese imperial court music, meant to be played the same each year

japan: kabuki theater fun fact

japanese music and sound effects accompany the theater

ghana: polyrhythmic ensemble fun fact

rhythmic patterns weave in and out of recreational community percussion ensembles

ghana: talking drums fun fact

follows the contour of language and the rhythm of speech

south africa: mbube vocal choir fun fact

call and response choir that represents township identity

USA: plains chippewa song fun fact

heartbeat drum and vocals with a cascading melodic contour

USA: native american flute fun fact

sustained pitches with minor ornamentation

cuba: afro-cuban son fun fact

african polyrhythms plus spanish harmony plus jazz

peru: sikuri ensemble fun fact

homophonic hand pipes played in parallel fourths or fifths

mexico: mariachi fun fact

catchy melodies with trumpet, voice, and different ranges of cordaphones