Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 6:47 pm
Very, very interesting discusion going on here.
Charles was an innovator indeed.
Yes, I am offtopic: Steve Reich has written wonderful music too. At times I find it too meditative if not brainy :;):
As to notation:
If you have got notation or grow up with the oral tradition
My studies of East African music and of Tanzanian music in particular so far have revealed the utmost un-importance of any kind of notation for the so-called traditional music, especially when it comes to playing and/or teaching marimba, ngoma (drum) or litungu (kind of lyre). Oral tradition is the key here.
At the same time, there are bands and orchestras all over the place that play a fusion of African music and music influenced the European tradition (e.g. brass bands). Another example is Zanzibar, where musicians have integrated European instruments over the years (e.g. the violin). In general, there has been a growing interest in learning European notation along with instruments like the trumpet or the clarinet.
This phenomenon shows that you never have one single system of memorizing or even reading music, but to me it rather looks like "cultural notation" so to speak. What is up-to-date in countries that have more than "just" one kind of basis for playing, be it five-line notation for pitch or notation for other musical parameter leads to an ever-changing mixture of differently educated musicians.
Just my 2 European cents :;):
Mike
Charles was an innovator indeed.
Yes, I am offtopic: Steve Reich has written wonderful music too. At times I find it too meditative if not brainy :;):
As to notation:
If you have got notation or grow up with the oral tradition
My studies of East African music and of Tanzanian music in particular so far have revealed the utmost un-importance of any kind of notation for the so-called traditional music, especially when it comes to playing and/or teaching marimba, ngoma (drum) or litungu (kind of lyre). Oral tradition is the key here.
At the same time, there are bands and orchestras all over the place that play a fusion of African music and music influenced the European tradition (e.g. brass bands). Another example is Zanzibar, where musicians have integrated European instruments over the years (e.g. the violin). In general, there has been a growing interest in learning European notation along with instruments like the trumpet or the clarinet.
This phenomenon shows that you never have one single system of memorizing or even reading music, but to me it rather looks like "cultural notation" so to speak. What is up-to-date in countries that have more than "just" one kind of basis for playing, be it five-line notation for pitch or notation for other musical parameter leads to an ever-changing mixture of differently educated musicians.
Just my 2 European cents :;):
Mike