Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Song Project continued...
I chose to do my project on that song because it has an interesting sound to it. I have been reading about Skip James for my performance for class and he sounds really interesting and unique. This song was mentioned quite a bit and I would like to learn more about it.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Possible Performance Ideas
So I have been thinking hard about this performance and am not sure yet quite what I plan on doing. I have some time to think about it which is a very good thing at this point.
Originally I thought about playing my clarinet but as I considered it more and more the final answer is NO
I was thinking of maybe making some kind of collage. I haven't thought about a lot of the details yet but I would have to make it meaningful in some way. Not sure yet how to accomplish that but I am working on it.
That's all I got. The creative juices aren't flowing.
Originally I thought about playing my clarinet but as I considered it more and more the final answer is NO
I was thinking of maybe making some kind of collage. I haven't thought about a lot of the details yet but I would have to make it meaningful in some way. Not sure yet how to accomplish that but I am working on it.
That's all I got. The creative juices aren't flowing.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Pandora Playlist
This was an interesting playlist. Some of it was absolutely fantastic and I would listen to it on a daily basis but on the other hand some of it made me want to vomit. I listened to a few songs by Skip James. I think he was phenomenal. His voice was incredible and the style of his singing was very original. I also truly enjoyed Mahalia Jackson and Blind Willie Johnson. Both of these artists had amazing vocal skills and were easy and enjoyable to listen to. A couple of the vomit-worthy artists that I listened to were Bill Monroe and Roy Acuff. They were definately not my style and it made me wish that I was deaf. I do understand however that some people like that style but it just wasn't for me.
Prologue and Chapter 1 of "Deep Blues"
After reading both the prologue and chapter one of "Deep Blues" I think I have a deeper understanding of where blues actually originated from. The pages assigned to us for reading were very informative. It was interesting to read about but because there was so much information included, it was hard to absorb it all. It helps to read a little bit at a time to try and understand all the information presented. I really liked how the prologue is split up with a personal story and historical background of the time period. It really helps the reader stay interested and focused.
I was surprised to find out that most all music is attributed to Delta Blues in some way. I didn't ever realize that so much of what we hear today has some characteristics of early blues music. I was also somewhat amazed to find out that although blues is made up of very basic rhythms and music, many people are unable to master it. Delta Blues focuses on the lyrics of the music rather than the rhythm. It is impossible to define Blues in a specific way; it has a tendency toward 12 bar, AAA or AAB verse forms.
Blues music is derived from early African music. For example the Wolof people are most likely the creators of the banjo which is a very popular American musical instrument. Black performing style was very distinctive with grainy vocal textures, and rhythmic momentum. Black American music has always contained impure sounds. You can hear the rasp in some folk, blues and jazz music.
One thing I had trouble understanding was a sound described on pg. 45:
"...pressing a knife against the strings to get a slurred, moaining, voicelike sound that closely followed his singing."
I have trouble imagining what that would sound like. I think it would be interesting to hear it sometime.
I thought it was ironic that the term "primitive music" was used on page 46 considering the fact that we discussed the use of this word describing music for about 20 minutes during one of our classtimes.
I was surprised to find out that most all music is attributed to Delta Blues in some way. I didn't ever realize that so much of what we hear today has some characteristics of early blues music. I was also somewhat amazed to find out that although blues is made up of very basic rhythms and music, many people are unable to master it. Delta Blues focuses on the lyrics of the music rather than the rhythm. It is impossible to define Blues in a specific way; it has a tendency toward 12 bar, AAA or AAB verse forms.
Blues music is derived from early African music. For example the Wolof people are most likely the creators of the banjo which is a very popular American musical instrument. Black performing style was very distinctive with grainy vocal textures, and rhythmic momentum. Black American music has always contained impure sounds. You can hear the rasp in some folk, blues and jazz music.
One thing I had trouble understanding was a sound described on pg. 45:
"...pressing a knife against the strings to get a slurred, moaining, voicelike sound that closely followed his singing."
I have trouble imagining what that would sound like. I think it would be interesting to hear it sometime.
I thought it was ironic that the term "primitive music" was used on page 46 considering the fact that we discussed the use of this word describing music for about 20 minutes during one of our classtimes.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Governor Blanco
Going to Governor Blanco's speech was eye-opening and interesting. I was very interested in hearing her experience with Katrina. She really was there and saw everything first-hand. Unlike the unreliable news reporters (which she mentioned), Gov. Blanco was able to share with us some of the truth surrounding this terrible catastrophe. I also really liked hearing her story about how she became governor. She beat all odds and was able to acheive that title. It is amazing because of the fact that she is a woman and because of her political standing. She seems like a very amazing person and I am extremely happy that I was able to hear her speak about her experiences.
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