The recording I listened to is called Carnival Favorites. It is Caribbean steel drum music. It is the majority of what people listen to and play in the Caribbean. It can be related to the genre of music known as techno. Usually a basic beat is repeated while a featured instrument such as steel drums plays a melody or song. Caribbean bands are mostly comprised of a drum set player, steel drum player, and a guitar and bass player. Other bands will add in other instruments such as a keyboard, bongos, or African drums. It is played so that people will be entertained, is played to keep people’s spirits high. Steel drum music is also about dancing. Any song that is played you will most likely be able to dance to it. The music makes you want to get into groove. Unless a band is playing a cover song, the band might not have a singer. Steel drum bands, in particularly, use the steel drums to “sing” to the audience. Steel drum players are fascinating to watch because of how difficult it is to play, and players can play every note perfect in the steel pan with ease.
It differs from any American music because there are usually not any words, and is different from techno because the steel drum is used as a voice instead of a sound machine. Most music that I listen to is based on the guitar and the vocalists. Being a drummer makes me focus more on the drum parts, which is why I like steel drum bands because they are percussion featured. The steel drums, and other percussion instruments are the main attractions. The tempos of what I listen to, and Caribbean music, differ greatly. The genre of music I listen to can be up to twice as fast as Caribbean music. Caribbean music is at a mild tempo so it is relaxing and so nobody is over worked, either dancing or playing. Most steel drum players could not play at a fast speed.
Dance: The large percussion section, with timpani and snare rolls opens this section, along with the woodwind. The flute plays an atonal allegretto melody, accompanied by a rhythmic ostinato by the percussion section. There is a crescendo as more instruments join the accompaniment and the strings take over the melody. The music climaxes with the brass playing the melody, still accompanied by the ostinato and the triangle. The strings play the melody again as different percussion instruments are used. There is a crescendo again with brass fanfares and snare rolls. There then is a rallentando with the percussion section.
In recent years pop and rap musicians have been collaborating with many artists that have different musical backgrounds like rock and metal. The new trend nowadays has been an influence from the Middle East with many songs having belly dancing beats in the background. The song I have chosen to discuss is a collaboration between Jay Z and Panjabi MC, the single is called “Beware of the boys” and it features a mixture of bhangra beats and a sample from the '80s hit television show, Knight Rider. The mixture of both sounds is something that had never been heard of before this collaboration and makes for a very interesting song.
Canciones de arargue, or songs of bitterness – was the original name for the creolized form Bachata. Many closely associate Bachata with the other Caribbean styles of the African diaspora such as merengue and son. In Intro to Music Cultures of the World we were tasked with attending a world music concert. I chose to attend a Bachata concert because I already had an interest in Caribbean music. The concert was not as I had expected, but was rather intriguing and thoroughly enjoyable. In this report I hope to analyze Bachata’s roots, report on its concert style, and compare it to another piece in the genre.
There is a very distinct stereophonic sound because of the data established above. This does not sound a live recording because you do not hear any reverb. The constant changing of sounds left to right is more like an effect had been created to give the sense of a live recording. Multi-tracking is something that lends to the fact that you hear instrumental sounds all one position, while Paul Anka, sings close the microphone to make it sound more live performance. If we now make a comparative assessment as we did with Paul Anka’s recording, there is a noticeable difference here. We do not have the big band sound, but instead rock band with one vocalist, electric guitars, string bass, drum kit it seems. Here then is a few things in the list that tell us more a about this songs production technique:
To better understand why samba represents the Brazilian’s national identity, one has to understand the history of Brazil and samba. Samba can be heard all throughout Brazil. It is a musical genre complemented by song and dance that includes a group of percussion instruments and guitar. The puxador (lead singer) starts the samba, occasionally singing the same song for hours at a time. The obligation of maintaining thousands of voices in time with the drum rests on his shoulders. Bit by bit, the other members of the escola (samba group) come in, and with a whistle from the mestre de bateria (percussion conductor) - the most exciting moment of the parade occurs as the percussion section crashes in. The surdos (bass drums) keep the 2 / 4 meter, while caixas (snare drums) and tamborins accent the second beat. This percussion ensemble, speak of as the 'bateria', frequently includes instruments such as the agogo (double bell) and reco-reco (scraper), as well as the prato, repique, pandeiro, tamborim, and ganzathe. The only stringed instrument is the great pitched cavaquinho (ukulele). Together these instruments combine to create polyrhythms that cross and align, contrast and reinforce with each other in an animated style less formal than marcha or maxixe. Couples often dance to samba in physically tight, close movements similar to the lambada and l...
Music and dance are important parts of Peruvian culture. “Andean Folk Music is common in Peru. People perform a stylized dance to energetic music mixed with sad songs. Popular instruments include clay panpipes, flutes, conch shell trumpets, and puma-skin drums”(Falconer, Kieran, and Quek 102). The music follows themes of religion, war, and profanity. Peruvians are always found dancing, whether at a festival, carnival, or just for fun. Music shows important parts of Peruvian culture.
Salsa, tango, and bachata have very different historic backgrounds, but come from the same culture. Latin music is popular for various genres in Latin America, mainly in Cuba, and is unique for the type of rhythmic structure it builds. The music is so alive that is pulls at the feet and hips of dancers, driving them to the dance floor. When dancing to the music their hips sway in time, and their feet mark the beat. If people did not grow up with this type of music, its complex rhythms can be intimidating.
Correspondingly, after a few songs the band responded by singing the songs that the audience liked and by motivating them to scream and cheer for them. This way the audience wouldn’t get bored and stop cheering and dancing. This event took place in a dome-shaped like place where it also holds events like bull riding. There was a floor section where the people stand and there was the seat section where it went around the place and it was fenced around. This is what Hispanics call a “Jaripeo” because you can have concerts and bull riding, which is kind of like being at the
Samba can be heard all throughout Brazil. It is a musical genre accompanied by song and dance that includes an ensemble of percussion instruments and guitar. The puxador (lead singer) initiates the samba, sometimes singing the same song for hours at a time. The responsibility of keeping thousands of voices in time with the drum section rests on his shoulders. Gradually, the other members of the escola (samba group) join in, and with a whistle from the mestre de bateria (percussion conductor) - the most exciting moment of the parade occurs as the percussion section crashes in. The surdos (bass drums) keep the 2 / 4 meter, while caixas (snare drums) and tamborins accent the second beat. This percussion ensemble, referred to as the 'bateria', often i...
The performance includes the use of PVC pipes to beat big drums, catching marshmallows in their mouths, and the Captain Crunch snack challenge. They used body language and positioning to get their idea’s across. My only problem with the performance is that I am not sure the sound it produces can be considered music. The Blue Men do not talk or sing so the music is mostly percussion with background singing and music. The music composed has strange rhythms with varying pitches throughout. Of the music included in the performance it was mostly percussion. To make the sound of percussion instruments it seems the Blue Men use whatever they can find or whatever is lying around. For example, PVC pipes are used to beat the drums making a very unique drum beat. The addition of paint to the drums also changes the sound of the drum. Besides the use of drums the Blue Men also used their bodies to make sound. For example, the sound that is made from chewing Captain Crunch or marshmallows is used. The sounds in the Blue Man Group Performance can be best described as noise or a very primitive type of music. During the performance I felt as though I was in a thunderstorm with the crashing crescendo’s. It is an undoubtedly entertaining performance, but is lacking in regard to the musical
A jazz article by Raul Fernandez talks about Latin jazz and says “Latin jazz, also called Afro-Cuban jazz, a style of music that blends rhythms and percussion instruments of Cuba and the Spanish Caribbean with jazz and its fusion of European and African musical elements”(Fernandez). The quote explains that rhythm combined with influences from all around the world prove once again that music is the language spoken by all and when it comes together it makes one amazing sound. One of the big factors that brought Latin jazz to be such a great and amazing music was the percussionist or to be more specific, the drummers. “Afro-Cuban drummers played a fundamental role in the development of Latin jazz from the late 1940s through the 1960s, giving the genre its seemingly inexhaustible stream of rhythmic patterns, phrasing, and styles”(Fernandez). Latin jazz continued to gain popularity as big bands started to break apart and get smaller. And play lighter music and different kind of style that had never been heard of
The genre that has been chosen to focus on and examine is much less known than Reggae. It can be assured that a number of people asked on the subject will have no knowledge of the genre and perhaps not even recognition to the name. This particular genre is that of Zydeco music. Zydeco music is Louisiana based and most notably linked to Cajun music. Its roots are deep in the South and although it tends to not venture far from home, those around it have found music to fall in love with.
The instruments used for this song is of a standard rock band; lead vocalist, electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit. The genre for this song is determined by the steady and yet simplistic instruments used in this version. An interesting note is that the chorus is in the genre of rock but the verses combine the genres tango and reggae. This could be because merging these three different styles of music attracted the attention of youth more with rock being rebellious at that time and tango and reggae having a heavy beat for that time period. ...
According to his review of A Guide to Latin American Music by Gilbert Chase, Charles Seeger describes Chase’s description of the music culture, “The quantitative distribution of more than 2700 entries, which include some multiple listing, is interesting” (Seeger, 1946, 304). Chase explains a plethora of countries in Latin America and their specific musical features. Furthermore, thanks to his detailed work, the reader can see how many common features can be seen. Firstly, a common feature among all genres is the use of aerophones. The aerophones used could include, panpipes of various varieties, flutes, trumpets (as seen at the Boogat performance in Ottawa) and many more. Another common feature among all the genres is a strong rhythmic presence. In essentially all Latin American music, a steady, metrical rhythmic quality can be heard keeping the music energetic and easy to follow. To keep the rhythm, another common feature to Latin American culture is the drum. Most commonly found in the Afro-Latin genre, as a result of influence from African culture, can be seen throughout Latin America. A popularized western form of this type of music, is that of mariachi. Finally, Latin American culture is known for its vibrancy in their music. The music is generally quite expressive of feelings, strong moral messages found in protest songs, and their colorful, elaborate
Culturally, reggae plays many roles and is a way in which many Jamaicans tend to define themselves. The social impact of reggae music has largely impacted life in Jamaica. It has also created an understanding of Jamaican lifestyle and culture for the rest of the world. It is a form of music for the masses in which their word can be heard and spoken. It is a way to celebrate their nationalism and life. For as long as there's been Jamaican music it's remained inseparable to the people and the country responsible for it.