Module 5 - Jigs and such

Origin: Ireland
Title: Kesh Jig/ Drowsy Maggie
Performers: The Ghillies
Instruments: harp, guitar, violin, flute, bodhran

This medley incorporates several elements of traditional Irish music.  The rhythm of the first section is that of the jig, which is normally in 6/8 time at quite a quick tempo.  There is also the layering of instruments, beginning with the harp and then adding others as it goes.  Much of the playing is in unison but with minute little ornaments being added by individual players as they enter.  Then at the 3:05 mark there is a shift to duple time as the second tune is added.  This provides the opportunity to shift back and forth between the major key and its relative minor - also a common technique.

The bodhran helps provides unique style of percussion:

You really can't stress enough that getting the rhythm is critical. However, unlike rock and a lot of other styles, the rhythm instruments ... are not there to create the rhythm, but to draw it out, to accent and highlight it. The rhythm itself comes from the tune ... how it is structured and phrased ... and how it is played by the melody players. ... Alternate rhythms are great, but we have to stress to beginners that they must complement the original rhythm. No matter how many rhythms you pile on top of each other, they all still have to work together. The result of stacking rhythms should not be several rhythms, but a single, integrated, complex one. (Mittleman)

This could be used as part of the exercise Campbell describes on p.206-207 to improvise hand percussion (on body parts or hand drums) to match the various meters of the traditional jig.  This can then lead into learning to improvise small melodic phrases in the style of these traditional jig melodies, using both the traditional types of instruments and then more distant ones.

Source:
Campbell, P.S., 2004. Teaching Music Globally. New York: Oxford University Press.
Mittleman, Josh, (n.d.) A Beginners' Guide to the Bodhran. Retrieved from http://www.ceolas.org/instruments/bodhran/beginner.shtml

Module 4 - Mbqanga

Origin: South Africa/U.S. fusion
Title: Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Performers: Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Chikapa "Ray" Phiri, Bagithi Khumalo
Orchestration: Vocals, guitars, fretless electric bass, drum kit, basket rattle, shaker, organ, triangle, horn section (trumpet, sax, trombone), djembes

As I am writing this on the date of Nelson Mandela's birthday, it seemed appropriate to go to some music strongly influenced by South African styles.  This is a live performance of a song originally released in 1986 as part of Paul Simon's Graceland album.  Much of the album was recorded in South Africa and featured many South African musicians, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo.  This particular song makes use of a South African style called mbaqanga - which is a Zulu influenced music which developed in the early 1960s.
Merriam Webster Online defines it as "a South African dance music that combines traditional elements (such as chanting and drumming) with elements of modern music (such as jazz)"

Simon was strongly criticized by many at the time because, in going to South Africa, he was violating the United Nations' cultural boycott of the country in its effort to force an end to apartheid.  However, Simon was ultimately vindicated when the huge commercial success of the album also brought many of the previously unknown South African artists into a world wide prominence that they had never had before.  In addition, by spending an extended amount of time in country and working extensively with musicians who would meet Koop's description of "culture bearers" (p.26), Simon imbibed many of the indigenous influences and it showed in his songwriting for this project.

Simon learned to write differently by homing in on the ways guitarist Chikapa "Ray" Phiri varied his playing from verse to verse, and by grounding his vocal melodies on the basslines of Bagithi Khumalo. Khumalo's playing has such fluency and personality that, at least on the five songs he's a part of, this is nearly as much his record as anyone else's.  (Pitchfork.com)

 In the particular performance in this video, the presence of Ladysmith Black Mambazo as well as Ray Phiri and Bagithi Khumalo really strengthens the sense of authenticity.  Paul Simon may not have been raised on mbqanga, but he certainly had top notch tutors who were and he appears to have been an excellent student.


Sources:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mbaqanga
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16843-graceland-25th-anniversary-edition/
Koops, Lisa. "Can't We Just Change the Words?": The Role of Authenticity in Culturally Informed Music Education. Music Educators Journal 2010 97: 23  DOI: 10.1177/0027432110376892

Module 3 - Taal

 

Title: Tabla Solo in Jhaptal
Performers: Ravi Shankar, Alla Rakha
Origin: South India
Orchestration: Tabla drums, sitar, hand claps

Understanding the cultural context of non-Western rhythmic systems is a continual challenge for those of us raised on Bach and rock.  Often it takes individuals raised in other traditions to help us begin to conceive of musical time in different ways.  This video is an amazing explanation and demonstration by Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha of the Indian rhythmic system called taal described briefly by Wade (p.75-76).  It also helps illustrate the way that this system is intimately related to the syllable pattern of culture's language. Note how Shankar calls out a series of syllables and Rakha immediately responds to each with a unique rhythmic pattern.  A more detailed explanation of this connection is given here.

My youngest son's wife (Bengali by birth) studied under this system as a child and helped me understand the difference between raag (melodic patterns - comparable to scales) and taal - the type of rhythmic patterns being demonstrated here.  She explained that both have to be learned (and eventually memorized) and that they begin with simple groups of 4 but then gradually expand to become increasingly more complex as you go. As a player grows in skill, the patterns are combined together into more complex and longer strings.  This is demonstrated towards the end of this video as the patterns that Shankar calls for with his hand signals for Rakha to play become increasingly more difficult.  Videos such as this and input from others raised in other cultures offer a great way to help provide a better sense of cultural context for ourselves and our students.

As I read about this, it made me think of how some of these trends have been incorporated into our popular music.  One example that came to mind is from one of Chicago's lesser known songs - Poem for the People:

While the bulk of this is standard Western jazz/rock, starting at 3:59 there is a section in the interlude where the rhythm repeats a sequence of 3+3+2, 3+3+2+2, 3+3+2+2+2.  While it may not be a full taal sequence, it does exhibit some similarities.  This seems to me to be one way to help students realize that, while such practices may have roots in other cultures, they have begun to make their way into our own musical styles in recent years.

Sources:
- Skype interview with Arena Hull - 7/7/2014
- http://raag-hindustani.com/Rhythm.html
- Wade, B.C., (2013). Thinking Musically. New York, Oxford University Press.

Module 2 - Kothbiro

Title: Kothbiro
Performer: Ayub Ogada
Origin: Kenya
Orchestration: nyatiti (an 8 string lyre like instrument), vocals, guitar, piano, cello like sound (whether produced acoustically or electronically), bass guitar

I found this very intriguing.  The plaintive solo voice captures your attention almost immediately.  The ostinato type accompaniment pattern on the nyatitti definitely sets the mood and brings unity to the overall song, even as other instruments join in and thicken the texture.

According to the Sachs-Hornbostel classification of instruments, the nyatiti would be a plucked membranophone. Ogada's comments on the nature of his relationship to his instrument are particularly interesting:

Ayub's principle instrument, the nyatiti lyre, is considered to be a woman. "When you start to play this instrument, you practically get married," he once said. "She won't like you to play another instrument. You play, and you enter a contract, and you have to be serious. Suits me fine; I'm happily married." The nyatiti is used in spiritual practice and to sing historical praise songs. 

This is a reflection of the spiritual nature of such music in the culture of the Luo people of Kenya, of whom Ogada is a member. He also expressed concern about the dilution of the spiritual impact of the nyatiti:

Ayub also expressed a certain ambivalence about introducing this ancient, venerable instrument into modern technological settings. "I can't stand sampling," he said. "I don't want someone to sample the sound and then start playing it on keyboards, though I wouldn't mind controlling the keyboards through my nyatiti!"

Sources:
https://realworldrecords.com/artist/352/ayub-ogada/
http://anyango.com/e/nyatiti/