The Musical Exploration Of Isms

The adoption of Western music inspired new ways of viewing music and resulted in a transformation of Chinese music. It prompted “Chinese composers to either fuse Western music with traditional sounds or turn their back on traditional Chinese music [because they Westernized] their music modeled on the perceptions that Western music equates with modernization” (Lau 90). Additionally, because many traditionalists feared that traditional Chinese music would gradually disappear due to the modernizing Western music, “they began to focus on promoting Chinese music as a way to counteract the encroachment of Western culture and music. But they did it in a 'modernist' rather than preservationist sort of way. Many musicians experimented with new ways of composing music and modernizing traditional instruments” (Lau 92).

Having looked at the emotional effect this music has on people, it is now worth looking at the specific churches within the Sydney diocese to get a greater understanding on a smaller level as to how the music is played and what effect it might have. To do this, there have been visits to said churches to see what goes on, this is like a large scale of the participant observation methodology. This was a very useful in developing an understanding for how different churches of the same denomination were going about music as part of the service. There is some clear information that has come out from attending these churches. Firstly, and worth noting, the churches run very similar services, across most of the churches the structure of songs is the

If you live in the D.C. metro area, there’s a fairly high chance that you may have heard go-go music. You may have been walking down the street in D.C. and heard people banging on trash cans and not even realized what kind of music it was.

For as long as mankind has walked on this earth, music has been an important part of our culture and lifestyles. Each walk of life beats to a different drum. Different cultures use music for many aspects of their lives; for religious purposes, for celebrations, for comfort, for sorrow, for relaxation, for sports, for dances, for energy, for learning, for sleeping, and for sexual experiences. Everyone uses music for something. Music connects with people and reaches them in ways that words simply cannot. Music is a representation of what feelings sound like. It expresses emotion and brings that characteristic out from within us; it tells us a story. Every generation has its’ own sound and different music styles have emerged and become

Juju blends the traditional foundation of percussion and storytelling with modern elements of instrumentation and concert performance. This music was meant to be able to hold the audiences attention for a long period of time, for that reason most juju based music’s follow the same polyrhythmic as the rest of the nations music. This allowed the audience and the crowd to get involved, and keep in touch with the music.

Thesis: Drums give the world of music rhythm. Without drums and drum beats, I believe that music today would not be as good as it is currently.

Music has evolved too many different forms that we recognize today. We trace this development throughout time. Beginning in the middle ages, we have seen advancement from the Gregorian chant all the way to the Jazz of the 20th century. The current events, politics, religion, technology and composers can shape musical eras during time. Here I will look at the middle ages, renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and twentieth century periods. I hope that a better understanding can be reached to why, when, where and who are the reasons for musical evolution.

Each one of these instruments complements Merengue Tipico in a way that no other instrument would. The tambora is a two-headed drum that is more used as a background instrument in Merengue Tipico. It originated in Africa and was brought to the Caribbean by the West African slaves that came to work plantation (Larson, 2017). Moreover, the guira is a percussion instrument that is played by rasping a metal stick against the rough surface of the instrument (Solano, 2017). Also, there is the saxophone, which is one of the last instruments that was added to the Merengue Tipico, and contributes to give a better rhythm to it. The other instrument that is essential in Merengue Tipico is the accordion. This is a musical instrument that has form of a box. It is held and played by pulling the sides apart and then pushing them together while pressing buttons and keys. However, the instruments in Bachata are completely different, except that the guira is also played in Bachata. The instruments used to play bachata are the lead guitar, the segunda guitar, the bass guitar, the bongos, and the güira (Marracco, 2014). The lead guitar, the segunda guitar and the bass guitar are essential to play Bachata. These instruments are the ones that make the most improvisation. Followed by the bongos, which are a pair of single-headed drums that are played with hands and fingers (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017). Overall, Merengue Tipico and

Sonata V of John Cage has binary form which consists of small-ranged irregular phrases. The piece as a whole does not have a distinct melody. The first section has a smooth, repetitive rhythm, and percussive sound of prepared piano is ethereal. There is a regular pulse throughout the first section, and the pulse is delayed in some places with a couple of extra notes (“Sonata V,” 0:12-0:16). The second part is more like the developmental part of the Classical sonata form. It is more dissonant and irregular, and there are pauses between some phrases. The piece as a whole differs from Western music in almost every aspect. Some parts of the piece resemble African drumming (“Sonata V,” 0:47-0:52). However, Cage was actually inspired from Javanese Gamelan, an orchestra of metallic percussion from Indonesia (Forney et. al., 374).

When Chad Smith graduated high school in 1980, he encountered one of his most important musical experiences. Chad Smith was invited to start drumming with a band. The band was named ‘Pharaoh’ and it was a hit band around the year 1981. When he started playing with this band, Chad Smith met the band’s percussionist, Larry Fratangelo. With this experience, Chad’s drumming was increasing dramatically. “I think up until then, I was a drummer. Once I studied with Larry, I turned into a

Throughout the many years of time, music has been associated with the lives of humans. Ranging from the oldest recorded music in 1888, The Lost Chord, to Motherese, or the way that mothers “sing” to their babies to communicate to them, to our modern music of radio stations blaring our favourite song while we drive from place to place. Music has found its place within human lives, intertwining its existence with ours. Incredibly enough, humans have found a way to harness music with our very hands and create elegant melodies from tools. Beginning with instruments that look like a guitar, instruments that look like a flute and instruments that look like a drum, we began making controlled music with rhythms and harmonies. As years passed and civilization began to grow, musicians came to be. These ancient musicians played music for others on the instruments that they would make and performed for many.

that acts as a bass drum and normally comes in three different sizes that vary in pitch. These instruments are the heart of the entire ensemble. The tambourine is also a membranophone

When the word music is heard, generally the first thing that comes to mind is how one would be able to relate to the piece. John Cage, a contemporary composer, expanded the normality of music by sounds with no meaning or emotional connection and silence. The propinquity between mind and music is difficult to sever, and to have music without an emotional connection is unfathomable.

John Cage lived a very interesting, non-traditional life that allowed him to form his outside of the box philosophy on music that questions the very definition of music. After exploring many different careers in the art world, he decided to compose music and through a winding, tumultuous road, he rose to the top of the classical music world. His life greatly influenced his music. His study of Buddhism and working with the choreographies of Merce Cunningham allowed Cage to discover the other side of music, silence. Cage and his philosophies not only changed music for the better but also changed the path that all types of art for the good; without Cage’s philosophy on silence, musicians and composers would be doing their jobs differently.

The history of American music begins with a fundamental process of exchange through all different social lines, where diverse cultures meet, and mix. Music has and always will be defined as sounds that are arranged in a particular pattern that are played to be meaningful and pleasurable. The chronology of music began in the Medieval period, when chanting was introduced into the Church. Music has then moved its way through many stages: renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and leading up to 20th century American music. American 20th century music is made up of a diverse number of styles that are reflected by cultural traditions and the era’s of the past. Immigrants from Spain, France, England, Germany and Ireland all contributed and brought their own unique styles to the forefront, hence creating American music. African Americans created influential musical traditions that include rhythm and improvisation that were later combined with European traditions and other indigenous music.