Blog 8

The difficulties in my music ethnography have come in the research aspect. I have had trouble finding good, credible sources (i.e. not Wikipedia) on what defines country music, what the culture is, etc. My interview of my friend did not go as smoothly as I thought because he only gave me short or yes/no answers to all my questions and I had to keep pressing him for more information. Actually going out to Cowboys Red River though proved very interesting. It was way different than I expected it to be but in a positive manner. It definitely broadened my horizons as far as music and also dance preferences. It also made me want to learn more about country music and dance and participate more in the culture.

Blog Post 7

For my music ethnography I am going to Cowboys Red River located in Dallas. They play country music for the most part but occasionally play other things like hip hop, rap, and pop music. I am interviewing Garrett Lindley, a bouncer who has worked at the club on and off for several years and is also a regular there when he is not working. Jason Ashely is the lead singer for the house band, Runnin' Behind. His singing is not super twangy like some male country singers but its still got that country feel. The house band has a 2 lead vocalists, Jason Ashley and Todd Stewart who also plays fiddle and rhythm guitar. There is also a lead guitarist with back up vocals, a steel guitarist, drummer, bass player, and keyboard player who also does back up vocals. This provides for a wide range of country songs and sounds.

Blog Post #6

Japanese noh theatre was originally a folk art style that moved into the upper levels of society. Based on this performace that I watched and readings from the book, I have found several important factors for producing a noh play. There are only a few instruments, several drums and a single flute. Also, there are only a few actors, who are richly costumed and masked, and also sing during the performance. The drums beat out different patterns and rhythms that do not seem to coincide. The actors pantomime a story that can be understood if one is well versed in Japanese noh theatre. There is a small group of all male chorus members who sing in a chant like manner, reminiscent of Buddhist monks. The music is played generally in a nonpulsatile and free manner often with long pauses. This helps create an atmosphere of timelessness for the audience. The audience is generally familiar with the story before the play has even begun. The stories and styles are very well known. Most noh plays are unrehearsed by the actors and musicians.

I watched this video of Begum Parveen Sultana. Several chordophones are played during this piece. The chordophones could be sitars, sarods, or surbahars, but I'm unsure as to which specific type of chordophone they are since the video does not show the entire instrument. An electric keyboard also seems to be in use, which may be the drone sound that I hear when I listen to this. Towards the end, a membraneophone is played for a short while. The chordophones and membraneonphones were played quietly as more of a background to Begum Parveen Sultana's singing. In this video, Begum Parveen Sultana sounds like she is reciting a religious chant, from which Hindustani Indian classical music is partially derived. I am unsure if she was saying words or just merely "making noise". Towards the end it sounds more like she is reciting words of some sort, but since I do not speak any Indian or similar language it is hard to distinguish anything. The main focus of the song is on Begum Parveen Sultana's voice, which is a major feature of Hindustani Indian classical music. Even the instruments seem to mimic or at least sound like her voice or another person's voice. Hindustani Indian classical music has three major influences: Hindu religion, Indian folk music, and also Persian cultures. I can hear some similiarites between Googoosh's singing and Begum Parveen Sultana's.

Blog Post #4

I watched this video of Googoosh on YouTube. It is called Gharibe Ashena. To me the music sounds like it has a Latin influence. The melody starts off being played by the flute like instrument then the female vocalist Faegheh Atashin sings the melody. Its almost like they have a dialogue throughout the song, when one is playing/singing, the other is not. Unlike most Iranian classical music, the song is rather simple. One melody, and then the supporting harmony provided by the drums, keyboard, flute, and what sounds like violins and other chordophones. I cannot tell if there are two different types of drums are being played. If there are, this could be an African influence. Also the song is clearly composed and rehearsed whereas a lot of Iranian classical music is improvised. I think it is interesting to note how nicely dressed and well put together the singer is as compared to Western popular music where the women parade around in clothing that could barely be considered underwear. This is a clear reflection of culture differences. Laws in Iran after 1979 put a damper on pop music. Whats interesting about her is that she stayed true to her heritage and culture and after the ban on female soloist singers, she stayed in Iran until 2000 when she was granted a special visa to go out and perform again. I think its fascinating that after a 21 year break, she still had mass amounts of followers all around the world and continued to support her even when she was not performing.

Blog Post #3

After attending "An Evening of Latin Music" Friday night I have chosen to write about the first song group, Suite. The music was written by a French composer with a Latin theme. It's function would be Art or Classical because it is more about the expression than trying to sell it commercially and it was created by a professional. The piano was mainly used as an accompaniment and for the harmony. The clarinet and violin took turns playing the melody. In different parts one took the melody and the other accompanied, other parts they both played the melody (homophony), they both played the same melody but at different times or with different ornamentation (heterophony) and in other places they each played different melodies(polyphony). The performers were teachers at the University of Texas at Dallas. They were less formal with their performance (ie interacting with the crowd, telling jokes, etc) than say a professional orchestra. The audience was made up of mostly UTD students, mostly from arts classes completing the requirements set forth by their teachers. There were several older audience members, presumably other teachers, family members and friends. I do not recall seeing any children attending the performance. It was a Friday night in a relatively small theatre and it was almost full. It was a suggested donation concert, and I believe if it would have been a "pay for admission" event then there would be a lot fewer students attending and perhaps more people from the community or the more dedicated music lovers.

Music Ethnography (Post #2)

For my music ethnography research, I am choosing to do Cowboys Red River. I would like to learn more about country music as I have never had a lot of exposure to it. I am very intrigued to learn about all the aspects of a "country bar". For example, do real cowboys actually go there? Is it all country all the time? How do they dance and interact there? Most of my club/bar experiences deal with pop, hip-hop and rap music and those associated cultures. I have my boots, my plaid, and my daisy dukes, now all I need is my hat and I think I'll be good to go! Cowgirl up!