Dallas music culture

Dallas music culture is very complex, it was brought by many immigrants from other parts of the world. The immigrants brought their own styles like meditation music, church music, pop music, folk music and etc. But Dallas’ music culture has its own distinctions, like country music for example, it is famous with the cowboy culture. The culture of the music is extensive and has evolved over several decades. So for my music ethnography I have chosen to write about this wonderful music.
To collect my data, I have used several sources from the internet to know more about the history of this music culture. Besides using the website I also went to “Texas Love &War” a couple of times to observe. I also went to gain a better understanding of the music so I interviewed one of the bands.
Country music’s origins began in the South. Early settlers of the South from several different cultures helped produce the original sound that has evolved into what we now call country music. Irish settlers brought the fiddle, Italians brought the Mandolin, Spaniards brought guitars, and the African Banjo. These instrumentals were brought together because of early Appalachian String Bands. Many cultures helped influence the origins of Country Music; Irish immigrants with their fiddling of really sad tunes to playful melodies allowed for easy assimilation into the Southern culture. African Americans had a helping hand as well because many of the children in the poor white and black neighborhoods played together. Some of the church music in the area also helped influence country music in several ways. Today country music however is predominantly associated with Caucasian people as they are the major market of this genre. Most of the country music fans tend to be Southern, which is no surprise. Country music is popular in other countries as well such as, Ireland, Australia, and in Britain. But, most of the fans and the people living in those countries are predominantly white. Today, when you talk about the culture of country music, generally you are talking about the culture of the south. The south has very conservative beliefs, whether it is politics or lifestyles. The beliefs tend to follow the churches doctrine. There is some deviation from the music and the culture here though, in the old days, country music was more conservative. The lyrics of most country songs earlier were about real world experience like mining, logging, ranching and railroad. Others were about tragedies such as natural disasters, murder and accident. Now though, many of the songs depict heartbreak, revenge, or drinking. Although these are stereotypes of the genre they are the biggest topics of country music today. The South defines music in many ways, generally a catchy tune and a pleasant voice is all that’s needed to make a song. The general attire for this genre includes; tight jeans, a large belt buckle, a woven shirt, and a cowboy hat. Boots can also be added but also regular tennis shoes are welcome. Country music offers a peculiar role in the South. Unlike many genres today, it does not have an over filled market of dance tunes. It does have many love song ballads and songs that instill a longing for your home or the “good ol days”. It does provide an outlet for the growing antimodernism movement. By that I mean the distaste for the current modern lifestyle that we are a part of. Many country music fans dislike the digital age that has become so engraved in our culture. Most of the country music is performed in restaurants, bars for people that are interested in it, and also people at camp sites. At any Texas Cowboy souvenir store you will probably find traces of country music influence. Some people perform country music on the street in New York City, they play as a hobby and it also helps them to get some money, but most of them are amateurs. Some of the people do what is called a square dance, Scottish reel, Iris jigs when they listen to this music. Some like to listen to the country music while they are having dinner or lunch, they like to enjoy and follow it by tapping their feet or shaking their head with the beat of the song. Since I went to Texas Love & War there are some other customers that are wearing cowboy hats and boots with jean to join in the environment of the restaurant. The performers of country music most play for their hobby such as in a party or at camping nights. As stated before majority of the fans are white, gender plays little to no role when it comes to participation. The region where you’re from does play a large role in the US though. Because the South is the origin of country music more participation happens in the South than in the North. In fact, depending on where you live in the South certain types or styles of country music might be more welcomed than others. Radio has always played a large part in country music’s success. In the early 1920’s radio helped push early country music, this was known as hillbilly music, to new heights. It started from a Georgian station and moved all the way to a Chicago Station where the music spread throughout the center of the United States. The Cavender Boot is where you can purchase the country outfits. The boots are made in many places but in Texas they are made in El Paso. In the cowboy festival the popular food served are steak, potatoes, and corn.
To summarize Country music would be a disservice to the genre but a necessary component for the sake of my paper. “Country music was a federation of styles, rather than a monolithic style” that is the true essence of the music. It was built by several other musical genres that have exponentially evolved one after the other. Country music has always had its roots in the South and it continues to develop those even today. It is a rich culture that is still developing today and I have enjoyed the experience of getting to know it.
Work cited:
"Music Culture." Personal interview. 6 Mar. 2010
Scaruffi, Piero. "A Brief History of Country Music." A Brief History of Country Music. Web. 10 Mar. 2010

Music culture

The most difficulty that I found when I analyze this music culture is when I first started to listen to it. Because I am not used to listen to country music so at first it gets kind of bored to me but after I read and do research about country music, the more I know about it the more interested that I gained. I and my fiancé have a good time going to the Texas Love and War, we enjoined the band playing country music. After dinner we came and asked the band to do a little interview with them. They are pretty open, they answered and explained what we need to know and what we were unclear about. Everything was going well when I did my project and also the restaurant is not far away from where I live so I actually have more time to come over there and find out more about county music. I also did some research online and found out about some interested website that play country music. I also have interested in Garth Brooks music, and one of the song that he sings and I really like is “More than a memory”. This music culture project helps me learn more about the music that I don’t know.

Overview about country music

County music at Texas Love & War provides atmosphere and the feeling you are in the old style. Country music usually has a slow rhythm and deals with sad subjects but sometimes there are also some faster songs. The particular one at Texas Love and War that I visited had faster music; I don’t know if that is typical for the restaurant but regardless that is what was playing. The music created a very country and southern feel, as if you were in the "good old days". Like cowboys and outlaws, like in the movies with Clint Eastwood. It provided a very different environment compared to most restaurants which tend to play pop music. The band wore hats, boots, and skinny jeans. The instruments were just some guitars, a drum, and a harmonica that was used occasionally. The singer's voice is kind of raspy or maybe it just has gone hoarse because of the night or changing weather. The band's whole attire and everything they brought only enhanced the atmosphere, like it was part of it. The customers seemed to like it too and they enjoyed the music very much. Like the band most of them were Caucasian. The majority of the people are somewhere in between their 30s and 60s.
http://loveandwarintexas.ning.com/video/the-driftin-outlaw-band
http://loveandwarintexas.ning.com/video/john-david-kent-my-girl-cmt

Japanese Noh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUTG6N0KFj4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quqqc1shAtU
The Noh play is a slow motion play and most of the actors play as slow as the theme song goes; to try and mimic the slow weightless floating of the music. The music group in the background known as the hayashi consists of three different drums and a bamboo flute. The drums have an unusual pattern and the flute always plays in and out of the melody freely. The play is mostly about the queen, king and the bad guy. They wear the traditional clothes and in the back ground are pretty much simple. The music although limited in instruments surprisingly enough can make several different melodies and sets the mood for the whole play. Another thing is the open area that the stage sits in; that is the seating is around the stage or in front of it which seems quite open. The actors’ movements seem predicated on the music, like he is playing off of the hayashi. Another thing that was noticeable is the masks the actor(s) wear. The masks painted have a deep meaning and represent the center emotions that underlie the play. The actors movements are often slow and graceful; the whole play as a matter of fact is a slow moving story without words and is entirely dependent on the actor’s abilities and the musicians.

Classical Indian Music

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi sings through this long piece with his aged voice quite methodically. His voice vibrates with the instruments and sometimes the instruments vibrate to imitate him, this imitation is highlighted usually by higher notes. Very rarely does the background singer even hymn a note, the entire ten minute piece is sung primarily by Pandit. The song itself is seemingly void of a meter and just floats on, quite similar to Gregorian chant. The difference between the two primarily comes from the musical accompaniment. The instruments themselves are different with two guitar-like instruments, a conga, and a music box of some sort which bears a little resemblance to the accordion if it were shaped like a box. The texture of the piece is polyphonic with long melismas on certain words. The conga isn’t introduced until about one minute into the piece and from then on keeps a steady pulse for the group to play around with slight variations in his patterns. The notes are ambiguous as far as the mode is concerned, it is difficult to determine if the notes are major or minor because they seem to blend and are altogether somewhere in the middle. Even the cadences are very unpredictable and seemingly blend with the music as they all are one piece rather than many separate parts it’s all just one flowing piece of music; in and out as it pleases.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIwsPNJlP0&feature=PlayList&p=3786E62F6052A973&index=0

Googoosh music

Googoosh in Hamseda Medley is drawing musical aspects from what seems like Spanish music. There is a steady beat with a constant flute to accentuate notes and the texture is mostly homophonic. On top of that Googoosh is holding notes and adding extra notes on some of the words. Definitely an experienced singer because she holds notes very quickly and can end them just as fast. Her tempo is very fluid like. She hits her high notes to fill in the silence after the flutes’ pauses. The majority of the song is in the major scale. Her voice’s ability to extend a note and raise it is opera-like while at the same time not as high and tiring on the ear. The background music was very catchy and made my feet want to dance because of the flickering uplifting notes. The music is very unlike many other Iranian artists of today’s time like afshin, andy, and arash. They sing in traditional Iranian music while googoosh has had plenty of time to develop her style and expand her style. Most Iranian singers would be lucky to last as long as she does in the Persian music industry. She has recreated herself over and over to fit the time and now the time conforms to her.

Music concert

When I got there at 8:35, there wasn’t a lot of student there yet. The music was definitely lively although it wasn’t that loud. The music piece was called ballad of the three rivers and it was played with three instruments. The instruments were vital to convey the message and the main melody was provided by the violin and the clarinet. The background or supportive melody was the piano. The piano was played by Michael McVay, the clarinet by Winston Stone, and violin by Ronald Neal. The music was minor and happened to be played excellent by the performers. The audience’s main group was UTD students and their families while the second largest group happened to be an older audience. The room wasn’t that big but since the audience filled it and the sound quality was good it was a good fit. The timing of the concert was perfect for the scores being played and the lighting had dampened after the eight o clock cue. Overall I enjoyed the concert very much however I did enjoy the first piece the most because of the piano background sound which offered a nice soft melody for the violin and clarinet to play for a nice homophonic sound.