[Harp-L] Re:music in other cultures/NotMuchHarpContent!

["Rick Dempster" <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jonathon;
                 I was expecting a response something like your's. Yes,
I am aware that 'old world' music moves on, and in some cases moves as
fast as does the change in the US. I would have to go to some length to
support my original contention; that musical change happens faster in
the US than in other places, but I still think it is broadly true, and I
would even argue that the trends emanating from the US influence,
directly an indirectly, the rate and sometimes content of that change.
                 I think the Dixieland example is different to say, an
oud player in southeast Turkestan (sorry;being satirical here to cover
my general ignorance) I believe nostalgia to be more of a phenomenon of
developed western countries. You might find someone in a village culture
playing with an awareness to keep alive a tradition, but it could be
argued that that is a different thing to somebody in LA playing Cigago
Blues, or Chicago jazz for that matter.
                 I suppose I was just putting forward an argument
against advancing technique for the sake of the appearance of progress,
rather than simply refining one's own concepts of self expression.
                 I appreciate your taking the time to respond to my
post; it's this kind of thing that keeps me adding my occasional
two-bob's worth to the list.
Cheers,
Rick Dempster


>>> Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx> 26/08/2006 13:31:02 >>>
Rick Dempster writes:

"Then again, you might view the whole history of US popular music as
an
expression of this attitude, both for better and for worse. What was
hot
in 1929 was on the scrap heap a decade later; from New Orleans to Bop
in
thirty years or so; from Chicago blues to gangster-rap in about the
same. Compare this to the musics of the old worlds; they change, but
very slowly, and remain rooted in their ancient traditions
nevertheless
(a mind-set that probably connects to slow economic development too;
but
thats another story)"

Have you listened to music from "the old worlds" over the last, say,  
fifty to a hundred years?  The popular bands in Vienna played music  
no less different from what's being played there today than is the  
case for the US.  The same for popular bands in Zimbabwe, Indonesia,  
Brasil, Ethiopia, India or everywhere else.  This is not an American  
phenomena, but rather a very well known, researched and recognized  
phenomena of the massive explosion in communications technology,  
particularly recordings, radio and the like.

You will find traditional music and musicians in most cultures  
(including the US: dixieland bands, for instance), but that is not a  
good indicator of what's going on now--nor over the last hundred odd  
years.











  ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
()  ()   & Snuffy, too:)
`----'



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