African American Music The History Of
When I saw this title, I was afraid and Im still afraid regarding my opinion about the subject. The subject is complex and difficult so I cannot resolve it overnight. I am an African. I do things the African way. I cannot write about African American music like a Western scholar. In my culture we live the past and the future in the present. When I listen to some African American music I can feel the past, the present and the future all at the same time. Now, the best way for me to handle this subject is to work by questions and answers.
[Question Yaya! Who do you think you are?
Yaya Diallo - I don’t think! I am Farafin, which means I am a dark skin man. The word Africa is the Arabic name for our continent. In Bambara we call the so-called Africa Farafina. Farafina means the land of dark skin people. I am from Farafina and I am proud of it. I don’t want to be somebody else. People in general say African American. I would say American Farafin, which means dark skin human being who lives in America.
[Question What is your African background?
Yaya Diallo - I come from far away. I was born in 1946 in Fienso (French Sudan), now Mali. My parents were nomadic. When I was very young I used to travel a lot. I grew up in the bush far from any western civilization. The music that I heard was very traditional and played live. I did not have a radio or TV. I had the opportunity to listen to the music of the different ethnic groups from the Ivory Coast, Burkina and Ghana. In some villages I heard Muslim songs coming from the mosques. By night, I would enjoy the frog symphonic orchestras. From 1946 to 1960 I was living in complete nature. My musical training is a long story but you can learn more from my book The Healing Drum.
[Question What are your feelings about the civilized world?
Yaya Diallo - In the city I had strange feelings. I saw people listen to music through what I thought was two kinds of boxes. The first was a radio. You could change the singer with the tuning button, I thought. The second needed records. It read 78, 45 and 33 1/2. You had to adjust everything with something but I did not have a clue as to what. Even still, the only music that I heard was the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Johnny Holliday.
[Question What do you think about the word African American?
Yaya Diallo - Dark skin people living in America are not different from people I met in Africa (Farafina). To me they are just different ethnic groups like the Yoruba, the Bantou, the Zoulou or the Touareg. Africa is not one culture. We have thousands and thousands of languages and different music. My wife is an African American from Louisville, KY. Her mother is from Dark Corner, MS and her father from Jackson, TN. Like my wife and family there was one African American man, James Brown, who saved my life with his music.
[Question How can an African American man save the life of a traditional African?
Yaya Diallo - In 1967 I left my country to go to Montreal, Canada. On my way, in Paris, I saw a big picture of James Brown in the Olympia Theater. In my mind I thought, Oh! A black man in Olympia in Paris, France. In Montreal I was looking for a place to dance or listen to the music that I loved. One day I found a radio station that played black music. I heard James Brown and felt at home.
[Question What do you think about African American music?
Yaya Diallo - I always say that I don’t think, I feel. When we talk about African American music we talk about Spirituals, Blues, Funk, Jazz, Gospel, Rap, dance music, etc. I want to talk on each one by one.
When people in Canada were dancing the twist, jerk and go-go, in my country a French man named Johnny Holliday was playing bad versions of Wilson Pickett and Ray Charles music in French. In America I found out this French man was a robber. He stole the music, sang it in French and looked like a genius for us Africans.
[Question What did you feel when you started to dance?
Yaya Diallo - I used to go out to dance to Wilson Pickett, James Brown, and Sly and the Family Stones music. For me they were Africans. They had good beats, good feelings and most important, African Soul. I did not feel that from Chinese or European music. In the 70s I discovered the Funk music, The O’Jays, Parliament, Ohio Players, Kool and the Gang and JR Walker and the All Stars. I felt I was at home when I knew the Motown Family (Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Temptations and Stevie Wonder). I could survive because I had those kinds of musicians.
[Question In terms of music, what is the link between African and African Americans?
Yaya Diallo - African Americans are Africans from the village and sadly they just don’t know it! When you listen to the music you can find out. Kool and The Gang played Funky Stuff. When you listen to the drum part you will get the Dounouba part of the dance Sounou. Sounou was played in the 15th century and today is the dance young people love. In Africa we learn the past in the present and teach it to the next generation. The African Americans sometimes do not know how African they are.
[Question Why can you say that they are African?
Yaya Diallo - The first time I heard the Four Tops I thought I was listening to the Bambara Farmers in the evening after a hard working day. The Temptations reminded me of the men Fire dancers and singers. I can listen to Temptations but I am afraid to see them. I am not initiated to the Fire dance and the music brings out memories about the secret ceremonies that happened afar in the village. Aretha Franklin is for me a great Djeli-mousso coming from the Empire of Mali in the 13th century. When I listen to African American music I don’t worry about the meaning, only what I feel.
[Question What do you think about Jazz?
Yaya Diallo - Really, to tell the truth, I don’t feel jazz. Many people coming from Africa feel the same way. I learned about jazz in 1980 when I recorded my first album, Nangape, on Onzou Records. That opened the door for me with jazz. Jazz magazines like Cadence and Down Beat wrote articles on me like I was a jazz man. I was invited to do workshops at the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, NY. I met jazz big names like Art Blakey. He said, Yaya is the only African that I can jazz, that I can play with and be comfortable. I completed a trio with Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell in the Symphony Space in New York.
[Question What about Gospel?
Yaya Diallo - To me gospel means religion or church but my father-in-law changed my mind. When going to church with him I saw a big band and a big choir. People were singing and I forgot that I was in church. I was surprised; I saw ladies in a trance like in my village but they called it shouting. This reminded me of the Mania Secret Society where only woman go into a trance when praising god (See The Healing Drum).
[Question What is rap?
Yaya Diallo - I love rap! I use to lie about buying rap and say that it was for my children. Rap is the old tradition of the Fulani people in Mali. It tells life stories through poetry that is recited quickly. Nomadic people have to explain their daily journey through this same quick form, but without the foul language. Today, the young people think that they have reinvented the wheel.
[Question Yaya, what is wrong with African American music today?
Yaya Diallo - Today everything is easy. Instead of buying a drum set you buy a drum machine. Computers do everything. You can get almost every sound by pressing a button. This is the type of world that we live in today. The young Africans love it like we used to love James Brown. Time is the only thing that has changed!
[Question How did African American music change American Society?
Yaya Diallo - We changed everything! We changed the style of dance; we created new sounds, new styles, and new way to dress … EVERYTHING! Country music is the white version of the Blues. Rock-n-roll comes from our music. People forget that Jimmie Hendricks was a Blues player that just changed his sound and look. Without James Brown, Sly and Family Stone and the Motown Family there would be no Madonna, no Celiene Dion, no techno, and no disco. African Americans brought this to the world. It is sad because people do not recognize it. We changed the world and it will never be the same again.
[Question How do people know you in America?
Yaya Diallo - I am the author of two books, The Healing Drum and At the Threshold of the African Soul. I have four CDs, Nanagape, The Healing Drum, Dombaa Folee, and Dounoukan. I thank Onzou Records, the first company that trusted me to make my first album in 1980. That was not easy!
The History of African American Music by Malian musician/author Yaya Diallo was written to celebrate Black History Month. The article is translated into English by LaKesha Churn and edited for English grammar and clarification by Stephen Conroy, Producer/Publisher of the independent label to first produce Yaya Diallo in 1980 on Onzou records, http://www.onzou.com
Microsoft’s Zune Will It Be Able To Compete With IPod
Finally Microsoft has declared that it will be going to launch its own music player named Zune. Confirming weeks of rumors, Microsoft revealed that it will launch music software and player under the Zune brand name.
According to Chris Stephenson general manager marketing, Microsoft is working on a new music and entertainment project called Zune and under Zune brand they will deliver an array of hardware and software products. He also confirmed that the first of the series will hit the market later this year.
The initial Zune device will have a wi-fi and use a hard drive to store music. Revealing further Stephenson said, we see a great opportunity to bring technology and community to allow consumers to explore and discover music together.
Competition reaction
Apple and RealNetworks representatives so far have declined to comment on Microsoft announcements.
On the other hand Napster spokeswoman said that the company isnt worried about competing with Microsoft. We have held our position as number tow service through launch of MSN and Urge and a host of others, She said.
Experts in the industry are not convinced yet whether Microsoft will able to bring the integrated and seamless experience provided by the partnership of iTunes and I-Pod.
It is the first of many such announcements relating the product for music industry, where Apple has maintained its lead over both selling the music player and downloadable music business. It has sold over 58 million iPods and more than a billion songs.
Alan Scott is a geek, he follows technology across the globe and writes article featuring technological issues for write term papers. You can contact him for college term papers. Get the latest technology newsletter from write term papers
How To Read Guitar Tabs
Have you had trouble learning how to read guitar tabs? Learning how to read guitar tabs is really quite easy. With this simple tutorial you will know how to read guitar tabs in no time
First let me explain to you what the numbers on guitar tabs represent. This is the key to basic understanding of guitar tabs!
One of the basic guitar tabs you’ll see might look something like this:
Intro: (Play 12 times) - (The Intro To Enter Sandman)
======
1———————————————————————————-
2———————————————————————————
3———————————————————————————-
4————5———————————————————————
5——–7———————7—————————————————
6—-0————-6—–5——————————————————–
#1 represents your high E string, the thinnest string on the guitar and the highest pitched. This is the string closest to your input jack.
#2 represents your B string, which is one lower than the High E.
#3 represents your G string, which is one lower than the B string.
#4 represents your D string (one lower than the B)
#5 represents your A string (one lower than the D)
#6 represents your low E string, or the string with the lowest pitch. This is the string furthest from your input jack.
Now the numbers 1-6 on the left represent your strings. I’m sure you’re wondering how to read the other numbers now.
When you see a 0 on a tab, you should read this as playing the open string. This means that you don’t touch any fret.
In the case above, you would read the 0 as telling you to play the low E string open, or without touching any fret.
Why the low E string? Because as you can see, the 0 is in the same row as the low E string.
The next number you read is a 7. You should read that as telling you to fret the 7th fret on the guitar. This means to press the A string down 7 frets from the head stock of the guitar. The headstock of the guitar is the part that has the tuning keys, the bean shaped metal pieces that you use to turn your guitar.
Then the next number is a 5. Can you guess what string to press the fret down? It is the D string, and you should read that as telling you to press the 5ft fret from the head stock.
That is it! That is what a basic tab looks like. There are more advanced techniques that I hope to get to later, but this should give you enough info to know how to read some basic guitar tabs. Now you still might not understand how to read complicated guitar tabs.
Complicated tabs are tough for anyone. One issue with guitar tabs is that it is difficult to learn is how to play rhythm, or the pace of the songs that you are trying to learn how to play and read.
One book that I have found useful in learning how to play the rhythm of guitar tabs The Beginner’s Guide To Unlocking The Guitar. It will teach you not only learning how to read tabs, but also how to play full songs, solo, how to learn correct posture, how to jump start your music career, and how to play difficult songs, all in one weekend, no joke! If you are sick of spending tons of money on guitar tutors like I was, I would highly recommend trying it out for a weekend, because there’s no risk at all, if you don’t like it just return it.
I hope I helped you learn how to read guitar tabs!
Greg Duncan is a guitar enthusiast and sexy beast because he knows how to play guitar. He has wowed his friends and family by learning how to play guitar in one weekend with The Beginner’s Guide to Unlocking the Guitar. For more free tutorials and info on how you can learn how to play guitar in one weekend Click Here
Mozart
Even after two centuries since his death, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart remains as one of the most famous and highly influential composers the world has ever seen. His enormous output of Classical music spans over six hundred compositions, including several works that have become seminal pieces of symphonic, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music. Today, there are many Mozart compositions that are still a staple of standard concert repertoire.
Mozart is also unique in the sense that it is rare among composers to have their lives celebrated outside the boundaries of their art. But Mozarts own life was the subject of many myths and controversies, some of them so colorful that they have become the subject matter of countless biographies and even stage plays and films.
Some say Mozarts life was so colorful because none of his biographers knew him personally and, as such, had to resort to supposition and fabrication in the absence of real fact. Historians have pointed out the fact that many of the myths surrounding Mozart actually started after his death. There is the belief that Mozart composed his Requiem for himself, but that has neither been confirmed nor denied by the many Mozart scholars who continue to study his life to this day.
One famous story revolves around the supposedly heated rivalry between Mozart and Antonio Salieri. There has been some speculation that Mozart died from poison that was supplied by Salieri. This is precisely the subject of Aleksandr Pushkin’s play Mozart and Salieri as well as Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera Mozart and Salieri. Lastly, this subject was also touched upon by Peter Shaffer in his play Amadeus, which was later made into a feature-length film of the same name. In 1984, the film won eight Academy Awards and was one of the years most popular films. But beyond that, the movie created a new generation of Mozart fans.
Then, there is the portrayal of Mozart as a kind of superhuman prodigy who showed musical genius from childhood to his death. There may be some truth in that. Many of Mozarts early compositions became hugely popular, include the motet Exultate, which Mozart composed when he was seventeen years old.
Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Arts, Recreation, and Jewelry
Aerobic Music Download
Those of us who like to do aerobics would be bored if it were not for Aerobic Music. Fortunately today there are many sites on the internet that allow us to do an Aerobic Music Download.
There are the free download sites and of course there are many Membership sites. You can download tapes you can burn Music on a CD or you can order Videos. Music is very popular and you soon learn very competitive. For a while with Napster it was very controversial.
What kind of aerobic music download should you do? Well that really depends on what you do with tempo and pace. But there on one thing most everyone agrees on it must be a 32 beat format. You have to be careful because sometimes you may be sold a different beat that will not work as well.
The other thing is what will be your use of the Aerobic Music Download. Remember that Aerobic covers a wide range of aerobic exercise, from class aerobics in a gym, to swimming, water aerobics, pumping iron or jogging or walking to name a few. I like to walk and you probably see a bunch of us jogging or walking with headphones on. Music makes the workout enjoyable and also it does not seem so long.
What that tells you about aerobic music is that it is most of the time enjoyable and motivating. You want it to be that. Some say they like their aerobic music download must to be hot. If you go to a gym you will notice that the instructor usually start with a slow tempo and then builds it up so that by the end it is hot.
So what this means is when you do an aerobic music download first make it what ever you like, choose your tempo, and enjoy your workout. It can be any style of music, Jazz, Country, Latino, etc..
On this site we provide you with internet links where you can get aerobic information and where to do an aerobic music download.
Al Villa is a retired Judge and internet entrepreneur. He loves to write articles and you can use them as free content provded you include the whole article and this resource box with this hot link: Lose Weight Fast
Country Music Lyrics
Developed as an amalgamation of various musical forms, country music has a huge fan following across the globe. Country music enthusiasts are divided loosely into two sects. The first contains those people who listen to this melodious form for entertainment. The second and the more serious are those who follow country music as a form of art.
Country music lyrics have played a huge part in bringing the music to its present successful stage. The simple and flowing words of country music describe the day-to-day lives of the average American. Not every body identifies with Brad Pitt or Madonna, but you can empathize with the simple characters described in country music. An average working class American citizen relates to the beautiful depiction of relationships, touching loneliness or poverty.
Earlier commercial forms of country music copied ballad or folk music. The lyrics depicted the lives of Americans in earlier days, using a fiddler to deliver the message. A good example of this was fiddling John Carsons 1924 hit Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane.
Country music lyrics beautifully portrayed the romantic version of a vast span of lonesome prairies. People loved the image of a singing cowboy galloping on a steed singing and working hard on a sunny day. Singers like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers boosted the image of country music tremendously by including beautiful lyrics in their songs.
The lyrics in country music are often repeated as a catchy melodious phrase by a chorus, and composers usually write tunes that are 150 words or less.
Country Music provides detailed information on Country Music, Country Music Lyrics, Country Music CDs, Country Music Videoes and more. Country Music is affiliated with Classical Music Downloads.
The History Of The Electric Guitar
The popularity of the electric guitar began in the big band era when guitarists needed to amplify their instruments to compete with the large brass sections found in most jazz orchestras. In the beginning, electric guitars were primarily made up of hollow archtop acoustic bodies with electromagnetic transducers attached, to convert the sound into electricity for amplification.
Some of the earliest electric guitars, then just hollow bodied acoustic instruments used pickups made of tungsten, and the guitars themselves were manufactured by Rickenbacker in the 30s. In 1935, Rickenbacker manufactured a solid bodied electric guitar made from Bakelite, which was nicknamed The Frying Pan for its shape.
In the early 1940s, after working after hours at a Gibson Guitar factory, guitarist Les Paul created a guitar consisting of a simple 4×4 wood post with a neck attached to it, homemade pickups and hardware, and two detachable Swedish hollow body halves attached to the sides for appearance only. He called it his log guitar, and is considered to be the first of its kind. The solid body Les Paul guitar sold by Gibson in 1952 does not share its design or its hardware.
In 1950 and 51, Leo Fender designed the first guitar to be commercially successful. Originally named the Esquire, it featured a single magnetic pickup, with the two-pickup version being called the Broadcaster; this was later renamed to Telecaster in homage of the television. The telecaster featured an ash body, 21 frets and a bolt-on neck, which allowed for cost effective and easy manufacturing or replacement.
In 1954, Fender introduced perhaps one of the most recognised guitars of all time, the Fender Stratocaster, or simply the Strat; known for its double cut-away body design, 3 pick-ups and synchronized tremolo mechanism. Leo Fender is also credited for the design of the commercially successful Fender Precision Bass, first introduced in 1951.
The electric guitar achieved wide popularity in the 1960s; with the success of guitar-based pop groups. Electric guitars were soon being manufactured by individuals and companies all over the world, often as copies, and became available to the keen amateur as well as the professional musician.
Electric guitars are now seen in many genres of music, from Rock to Surf, over to Ska and Punk. Fender and Gibson, perhaps the two biggest guitar manufacturers of all, have helped inspire nearly three generations to learn or get in touch with music, and they will continue to do so for a long time to come.
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Learn To Play The Electric Guitar
Wedding Guitar Music And Wedding Songs
Weddings are very important occasions. This is the day when the bride will walk down the aisle (with soft music playing on the background), while the groom waits at the altar, and the entire guests attention are focused on the two of you. Nothing can be more romantic.
But wait, what if you take off the music. Would it still be as romantic? No bride would want to walk down any aisle without any music, you can bet on that. The wedding would be lifeless. In fact, the wedding will not probably pull off.
A successful wedding ceremony is usually accompanied by a well-chosen wedding music. Wedding music creates a certain atmosphere, and sets the mood. When planning for your big wedding day, careful attention should be given to the wedding music during the ceremony, and at the reception.
Having a lot of factors to consider, choosing the right wedding music is a difficult task. Live guitar bands nowadays are more preferred than recorded wedding music. However, if youre having a church wedding, you would have to stick to the churchs guidelines, and churches have choirs that sing hymns during weddings. But if your wedding ceremony is to be held outdoors, it is best if you can book guitar bands.
Deciding for the wedding music should be determined by personal taste, and with consideration to the atmosphere, duration, and guests. It is best if you can have different music for the reception and the processional. Some couples like to stick to the traditional but there are also liberal minded couples who want their own style.
Wedding guitar bands can make your weddings more entertaining and livelier. You should find the right guitar band for that very special occasion. The quality of musicianship is a very important consideration. If you already have prospective bands, you can listen to their recordings, or you can watch some of their live performances.
Aside from that, you should also check the bands repertoire and experience. You can ask for testimonials of couples who hired the services of live bands. There are many people that you can ask including your friends, colleagues, and relatives.
Once you find the right guitar band, make sure that you discuss with them all the things that you want for the wedding. You should be able to get the best out of the bands musical skills if you discuss with them the music flow you want.
Weddings are full of promises, love, and life. Here is a list of the top ten wedding songs often used:
1.Good Thing Going by Carolyn Arends
2.Youre Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher by Audio Adrenaline
3.Youre Love Broke Through by Rebecca St. James
4.Love of My Life by Jim Brickman
5.Answered Prayer by Bob Carlisle and Lisa Bevill
6.Waltz for Jennifer by FFH
7.Ill Give by Smalltown Poets
8.Youve Got Me by Steven Curtis Chapman
9.Household of Faith by Steve Green
10.For You by Michael W. Smith
Your wedding day is one momentous event that you and your loved one will treasure for life, and choosing the right wedding music is a significant part of it.
Whatever wedding music you choose, make sure that it can create a lasting memory for you and your future spouse.
Lee Anderson is an Internet Research Analyst who researches and writes on many topics. You can learn more about Lee and what he’s up to at: http://www.Top65.com/lee
Why Is Music So Bad Today?
Everything that can be invented has been invented. ~ Charles H. Duell, Commissioner of the US Patent Office in 1899.
Children nowadays are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their food and tyrannize their teachers. ~ Socrates
Why is popular music so bad today? I mean, I’m not that old, but jeez, the music of today, with only a few rare exceptions, kinda stinks. Some would say that when New Year’s Eve 1979 ended, we were ushered into an era of lame music that we still haven’t escaped from today.
I grew up in the 80’s and remember listening to the Beatles, John Lennon, Simon & Garfunkel, Roger Waters and Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, and David Bowie, to name a few, with my brothers or my dad. I remember seeing album covers strewn about my brother’s bedroom. Albums, not CD’s. (If you’re a really young reader, albums are like CD’s in that they’re flat and round, but black, and a lot bigger. The get scratched and don’t work just like CD’s though).
Some say that the 60’s were a turbulent time in the U.S. and the world and thus created a perfect environment and culture for innovative and creative music. But let’s face it. These days are pretty turbulent as well. So where’s the Crosby, Still, Nash and Young of today to sing about our involvement in Iraq? Or where is the Paul Simon of today to protest the government’s stance on stem cell research? All we’ve gotten recently is the new Paris Hilton CD. Paris Hilton? Isn’t she just famous for being famous? And her new CD actually got some good reviews.
Before anyone accuses me of painting a broad brush stroke condemning all music after the 70’s, let me say that in more recent times there has been a small amount of good stuff like Phish or Midnite, and even politically-minded music such as U2, but no where near the creative amount of earlier times.
I remember when the Dixi Chicks came out against President Bush and the Iraq war. While not a bad band, they’re hardly going to achieve iconic status. And they paid dearly at the hands of big business for their outspoken views. That’s a far cry from the politically-charged days of Woodstock where many artists were speaking out, and changing things.
If you think about it, there are only a select few artists or bands that can regularly sell out huge arenas today. These are the icons. And the vast majority of those artists are bands from before the 80’s! Between last summer and this summer, here are some of the really big concert ticket sellers: The Rolling Stones, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, Eric Clapton and The Eagles.
I recently read an article that suggested that music and tour promoters, large venue owners and ticket companies are all worried about concert sales taking a plunge after the legendary artists stop touring. They realize it’s going to be hard to sell out big arenas after the dinosaurs become extinct. Who are the artists of today who will reach that status tomorrow?
In a recent interview with Joe Walsh on Sirius Radio Joe said there is not nearly as much improvisational rock anymore. And I agree. When asked what bands he thought were decent these days, he couldn’t think of any for a while, and then finally said he thought the Goo Goo Dolls were good. Hmmm.
Maybe I’m some kind of curmudgeon, but Top 40 today is just not as good as it used to be. Is Kevin Federline really talented? I just found out recently that his nickname is K-Fed. How about fed up? I think K-Fed, J-Lo, X-tina (Christina Aguilera, no joke) and A-Rod all need to get together ASAP and rethink their feeble nicknames, just an FYI.
Here are the top 5 songs right now in the Summer of 2006:
- Fergie - London Bridge
- Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
- Nelly Furtado Featuring Timbaland - Promiscuous
- The Pussycat Dolls Featuring Snoop Dogg - Buttons
- Panic! At The Disco - I Write Sins Not Tragedies
And here were the top 5 albums of 2005:
- Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi
- 50 Cent - The Massacre
- Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway
- Green Day - American Idiot
- The Black Eyed Peas - Monkey Business
Here are the top 5 albums of 1976:
- Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive
- Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac
- Wings - Wings At The Speed Of Sound
- Eagles - Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-1975
- Chicago - Chicago IX Greatest Hits
And here are the top 5 albums of 1966
- Original Soundtrack The Sound Of Music
- The Beatles - Revolver
- The Beatles - Rubber Soul
- The Rolling Stones - Aftermath
- The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Is it just me, or is there a glaring difference between the two 21st Century lists and the second two 20th Century lists? To be fair, I actually own Monkey Business and I like it. Also, Green Day is decent. Admittedly, Wings isn’t the best Paul McCartney music around, but it is Sir Paul after all, and Chicago and The Beach Boys are a little weak. But overall, the lists just don’t compare.
The music industry itself has changed so drastically that I think that is one of the main reasons there is such a chasm between today’s music and the creations of yesteryear. Like sports and medicine, music in another industry that has been a casualty of big business and American capitalism.
No longer does the actual music quality drive the industry. Instead, the people with the money and power at the record companies notice some bad music selling well to young people for example, and therefore decide that from then on they’re only going to find and promote that type of bad music since it made a few bucks. They’ve totally stopped listening to the music and instead only listen to the dollars.
No longer does the music they create determine the success of a band. Instead, entertainment conglomerates tell fans what to listen to, and that determines the success. They do this because they have such a strangle hold on the media. We only have the illusion of choice now. A vicious circle has begun where the whole industry is inexorably spinning down, unable to find purchase on the sides of some slimy corporate funnel, circling downward uncontrollably into the abyss of painfully bad music.
Some bands occasionally slip through the vortex relatively intact, sidestepping the almost institutionalized process of making it set in place by music executives. Phish is a great example of this. They became hugely successful in spite of the music industry. Because they were so good and so tenacious in touring and jamming, they attracted a large fan base. The sheer numbers of eventual fans Phish had gave them a power that most artists today can’t have. Most other artists have to do what the people with the purse strings tell them to do. And that often makes for bad music. Unfortunately, Phish isn’t even together any more. But they’re a rare exception in that they came after the 70’s and were highly creative and improvisational.
Another thing that contributes to the poor music of today is technology. These days, Hollywood actors who can’t sing can have singing careers. The engineers touch up their voices, and use every digital sound technique there is to make an average product sellable, just like the magazines airbrush the models and actresses, trimming years off to complete the illusion. There are many ways in which the music engineers can do this in the studio and even for artists on tour.
Ashlee Simpson is a good example of this. First, we saw her on Saturday Night Live getting caught lip-sinking. Then I heard a recent interview where Joe Walsh’s daughter, Lucy Walsh, admitted that as Ashlee’s keyboard player, she always doubled Ashlee’s voice while on tour.
I know that in any era there’s going to be silly music acts like Ashlee Simpson, Kevin Federline and Paris Hilton. I realize that during Bob Dylan’s time there were lots of feeble yet famous music artists then too. My complaint is that it seems like in any other era there was at least enough really fantastic and original music being created to balance things out.
Let’s go backwards. We’ve looked at the popular music of the 21st Century a little in the lists above and I don’t see any really original music in there at all. Some may argue that the grunge era of the 90’s produced some great and original music. I argue that almost all of that music was so heavily influenced by the rock of the 60’s and 70’s that it really wasn’t that original at all.
The music of the 80’s matched the hair and clothes of the time, lame. The synthesizer was new then, but the music was reasonably bad, and certainly not timeless. But then we come to the 70’s and 60’s. Those are the decades that last held any hope for people like me who long for fresh, original, creative and improvisational music.
In 1899 the Commissioner of the US Patent Office wrote Everything that can be invented has been invented. Alright, maybe he was a little off. But in a way, everything that seems new is really just new combinations of existing things. Music is no different. I’m hoping that we return to the days when the combinations of beats, rhythms, harmonies and melodies become as creative as they were in the 60’s and 70’s.
But maybe things haven’t changed much since even Socrates’ times. He thought kids were tyrants, as if his generation was the last of a dying breed of angelic children. Maybe he just didn’t understand the kids of his era, and maybe I’m the same way.
Jason OConnor runs Rock and Pop Concert Tickets - A great place to buy tickets to cheap concerts across North America. http://www.bestshowticketslasvegas.com
"Romantic Composers" Takes On A Whole New Meaning
While Wolfgang Mozart showed an amazing aptitude for music very early in life, he also displayed an absolute affinity for women. His charm was alluring, earning him the title, The Most Kissed Boy in Europe.
Unfortunately, his adorable charm began to fade when, at age seven, he proposed to the future queen of France, Marie Antoinette, and was rejected. Things got worse when his girlfriend and the love of his life forgot him after his absence during a musical tour of Europe. She didn’t even recognize him when he entered the room. Ouch.
Imagine, were he alive today, young Mozart could have tried courting 21st Century-style with a date at the movies. This teen was the type of courter who, eager to scoop a handful of bosom in the dark theatre, would employ the stretch and clutch maneuver.
This is a smooth and delicate movement where the suave pubescent pretends his arms need a stretch. After slowly lifting his limb closest to his target, he reaches around to her furthest shoulder and casually rests his hand there. Little by little he begins to feel the overwhelming force of earth’s gravity as his hand creeps down.
This tactic sometimes backfires, leaving a buttery hand print across the attacker’s doleful face and an angry phone call from the girl’s father. In the event his device failed, he would have simply pursued her sister. It worked for him back in the 1700’s!
Well, sort of.
His wife, the sister of the first forgetful girl, was described by him as not ugly, but in no means a beauty. He went on to write, She is not witty but has enough sound common sense to enable her to fulfill her duties as a wife and mother. Again, ouch!
Enough of Wolfgang. One fellow who never had any romantic charm to begin with was Franz Schubert, nicknamed Little Mushroom for his chubby stature, little round glasses, and shy, geeky nature. A crummy catch for most girls , he was a poor composer who couldn’t even afford his own piano and composed his piano works on a cheap guitar.
At one point he thought the best way to woo a potential sweetheart was to write her a love song. Unfortunately, he couldn’t sing to save his life ever since his voice broke at age 16. He devised a scheme where his friend, Schober, a handsome tenor, sang the tune to the girl with Schubert’s piano accompaniment. Much to the mushroom’s dismay, when the song was finished, the girl embraced Schober!
If only he were born in the mid-1900’s, Schubert would have been much more successful in catching girls with his music. All he would have to do was holler out the song himself, strum a few chords on his Fender and gaze at her through his groovy, John Lennon-style glasses. The guy would have been a babe magnet, and I’d still love his music, be it changed.
Peter Tchaikovsky had disastrous relationships. His first marriage lasted only 9 weeks, which resulted in him trying to kill himself. Other affairs didn’t get much better. He finally met a wealthy 46-year-old widow, but their relationship never went past writing letters for 14 years. They met once by pure accident and were so embarrassed that they ran in opposite directions.
Peter would have done very well had he the chance to date on the Internet. Thousands of on-line dating and matchmaker services offer a highly selective process in which the seekers specify the personality, physical appearance , income bracket and other details of themselves and their potential mates. Peter was a handsome lawyer who dressed very well and had expensive taste. This successful and famous musician was also sensitive guy who wasn’t afraid to cry. This hunk would have cleaned house on www.composerdate.com.
Even if he chose to continue his relationship with the widow on-line, it would’ve saved him oodles in postage stamps and would have been much quicker than mail delivery in 1880’s Russia. Maybe he could’ve gone a step further and picked up the phone, or even hopped on a plane to take a visit! It’s these modern-day miracles in technology that could have bridged an awkward gap in poor Tchaikovsky’s love life.
As I write this I think of what my love life would have been like if I lived in the time of the great composers. Chances are, I would’ve married for money, or worse, against my will, and life as a woman would have meant serving my husband and fifteen-plus children. At least my corset would’ve had me too breathless to complain…
Even though life seems to be more complicated in the 21st Century than ever before, I’m blessed to have a relatively simple life with endless opportunities and to have found love. It’s not romantic, but it’s simple, it’s real and it’s mine.
**Rhiannon Schmitt (nee Nachbaur) is a professional violinist and music teacher who has enjoyed creative writing for years.
She currently writes columns for two Canadian publications and Australia’s Music Teacher Magazine. Writing allows her to teach people that the world of music is as fun as you spin it to be!
Rhiannon’s business, Fiddleheads Violin School & Shop, has won several distinguished young entrepreneur business awards for her commitment to excellence. Her shop offers beginner to professional level instruments, accessories and supplies for very reasonable prices: Visit http://www.fiddleheads.ca
Rhiannon is also Founding President of the Shuswap Violin Society which promotes violin & fiddle music and helps young musicians in need: http://www.violinsociety.ca