AABB
Binary type of form; seen often in Scotland, Ireland, Britain, France
Acoustics
Study of sound
African Music traits
Call & Response; overlapping parts; Ground Elaboration parts
Bela Fleck
Plays banjo; went to Africa to learn musical heritage
Binary form
2 parts (AABB)
Bira
Spirit possession ceremony in Zimbabwe
Cadence
Pause between phrases in a piece of music; stopping point
Call and response
Musical dialogue; one person makes a statement and someone responds (subseherent African Music)
Chordophone
String Instrument
Colonialism
Foreign occupation for the excitation of resources
Contour
shape
Counterpoint
type of texture; polyphonic texture, mutiple voices equally competing for “brain space”
Dynamics
Loudness; amplitude
Edward Hall
Anthropologist; developed the non-verbal communication theory which states that human beings are driven to synchronize with one another
Electronophone
electromagnetic field; electrical guitar
Ensemble
Group of musicians playing together
Fixed Pitch
Piano, Harmonica, Mriba, Harp
Flow
feeling of well-being; batteries being recharged during a feeling of optimal experience (playing music, chess etc)
Form
The way melodic material is organized into a larger piece of music
Frequency
Speed of vibration
Ground and Elaboration
Repeating Phrase
Heterophonic
simultaneous variations ; (children singing; traditional irish music)
Homophonic
involves harmony; everyone’s playing harmony at different pitch levels
Icon
type of sign; through resemblance
Idiophone
rigid instrument; resonator and vibrator are the same; whole thing vibrates (bells)
Index
Sign of association
Mbira
ideophonic instrument; spiritual tool; drives dancing
Melody
Coherent succession of pitches
Melody and drone
type of texture; way voices interact; fixed pitch
Membranophone
type of instrument; stretched skin on the membrane
Meter
Organizing pulses
Monophonic
1 voice
Music culture “onion”
music is in the middle; then musicians; then audience; then community; then history
Organology
study of musical instruments
Overtones
(partial vibrations) responsible for timbre; ex 2 guitar strings : 1 steel, 1 bronze sub variations on the strings will vibrate different than steel
Paddy Keenan
Irish Piper
Participatory music
(African or polka music) they want to engage the audience
Phrase
short complete musical idea
Pitch
tone determined by frequency of vibration
Polyglot
speaking multiple languages; characteristic of people living in Africa
Pulse
Beat
Resonator
part of an instrument that amplifies
Rhythm
3 aspects- pulse, meter, tempo
Semiotics
study of signs/significance
Sign
Anything that has significance
Sliding pitch
capable of engaging frequency; violin
Spirit possession
invite spirit of dead into room
Symbol
arbitrary sign
Synchronizing
human beings have an innate drive to synchronize
Tempo
perceived speed of a piece of music
Ternary Form
3 part form
Texture
Relationship of voices
Thomas Mapfumo
Friends with Zimbabwe president; guitar player; took traditional music and combined with guitar
Timbre
voice of an instrument
Vibrator
An instrument has to vibrate in order to function.