Last Big Blog: Celtic Music

 For the last blog of the year, we were given the chance to choose a culture or topic that we have not spoken about throughout the semester, and learn more about it. When thinking of what I wanted to choose, the first thing that came to my mind was Ireland. When doing more research on Ireland and its history, I found information on Celtic culture and music. After doing some more research on it, I decided that I wanted this blog to be focused on Celtic music, but primarily from Ireland, as there is Celtic music in other places such as Scotland. So within this blog, I will be discovering more about this music, sharing what I learn with you along the way.

One of the first things that I looked up when searching about Irish Celtic music, was what exactly does the word Celtic mean? According to the article "What is Celtic Music? - Types and History", the term is one that is controversial, mainly for the fact that it is synonymous with the Irish. Other countries that had Celtic culture within them were upset. Originally, prior to Roman conquest, the Celts were a group of cultural people that took up large parts of Europe. They covered places like Scotland, Brittany, Wales, etc.. After two major events, the culture of these people spread to Canada and the United States. One of these events was called the Highland Clearances, where the government attempted to eradicate the Highland culture from Scotland. The other event was the Great Irish famine, where crops were destroyed by a fungus, leading to many deaths from starvation.

The next question I asked myself was "What does this music sound like?". I found some answers within another blog by a woman named Diane Arkenstone, who is a musician that has created some Celtic music herself. She describes Celtic music as vibrant, eclectic, and distinctive sounds with many unique styles. From this blog I learned that Celtic music is not played in harmony, it is "played in ensembles, with the melody instruments playing in octaves". This music is very similar to folk music, and is loved by people with all tastes around the world. Below is a video of Diane Arkenstone's song called "Through the Veil".

When looking at the many instruments used within Irish Celtic music, I decided to look into two different ones. One of them being the Celtic harp, because I have always loved the sound of the harp. According to the article "Celtic Harp Instrument Page: The Heavenly Instrument of the Ages" the harp is a wire-strung instrument that is associated with the "Gaelic ruling class". It is also known as a lever harp, due to its lever mechanisms that are against the strings to change keys. With a pedal lever harp, the pedals are to move discs at the top of the instrument. There are many different sizes for these harps, as there are larger ones, and also smaller ones that can be used on ones lap. The Celtic harp is one of the oldest instruments, making it a very important part of the Celtic history. One of the first instruments resembling the harp was called a cruit, and after time it was replaced with the ones used today. There are many different types of harps, and 3 out of 4 of them are still used to this day, called the Pedal harp, the Celtic harp, and the wire harp. We have already touched on two of these harps, but overall, they are all very intricate instruments that takes a lot of patience and practice to play and master. Below is a video of someone playing the Celtic harp.

The next instrument that I wanted to look into was the Irish fiddle. In an article called “Learn About the Irish Fiddling Tradition”, I learned that the fiddle has been around for centuries and is still an instrument that musicians are intrigued by. The earliest known information about the fiddle was found from 900 A.D., and has since then been modified in many ways. It is believed the it was the Scottish that introduced this instrument to the Irish during the Crusades. Even thought the fiddle and the violin are more or less the same, the Irish fiddle is usually played at faster speed and louder than a violin. One interesting thing that I learned from this article was that many Irish families in the early 20th century, used to meet at crossroads to play in groups. As time went by, more people officially came together and created “formal groups” that created music with these amazing instruments. Another thing that changed with time, is the music people created. For example, people went from creating for traditional Irish Celtic music, to more modernized music like pop and rock. Below is a video of someone playing the fiddle.

Finally, I wanted to find a few different Irish Celtic artists and read about their stories. One of the artists I found where the Screaming Orphans. The band is made up of four sisters who were born in Ireland and originally started playing more traditional Irish music. Once they reached a certain age, they deterred from tradition and decided that they wanted to created more pop/rock music. This spread in “cultural boundaries” was also due to many different artist’s influence around them. Like most bands, they started small and became bigger with time. One thing that I loved when reading their story was how they got their name. Their mother was originally their lead singer, and their father a part of their management. So whenever they went off on their own they claimed that they were “orphans”. Supposedly the screaming part is from the idea of familial screaming within a household. Below is a video of one of their songs that I enjoyed.

Overall, I really enjoyed learning bits and prices about this amazing culture and music within it. There was so much more information that I could have included within this blog, but it would have made it longer than any of us would want to read for our comments. I truly suggest taking the time to learn more about Irish Celtic music, and if you don’t, I suggest to at-least look up some songs!! The wide variety within this type of music could keep you entertained for days, and the traditional folk music is so calming. I would not be surprised if certain movies pop into your head whenever listening to it, because it always reminds me of movies that encompass fairytales and other mythical creatures.

References:

Collins, B. (2016, August 27). Celtic harp instrument page: The Heavenly Instrument of the Ages. Celtic Music Instruments. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://www.celticmusicinstruments.com/celtic-harp-page/.

Conrad, A. (2020, February 8). The history and ambiance of Celtic music • Diane Arkenstone. Diane Arkenstone. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://dianearkenstone.com/the-history-and-ambiance-of-celtic-music/.

Heather. (2010, March 26). Learn about the Irish fiddling tradition. Irish Celtic Jewels. Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.irishcelticjewels.com/celtic-wedding/2010/03/learn-about-the-irish-fiddling-tradition/.

Irish music | beautiful Celtic music - youtube. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJCxTgrbB6c.

Screaming orphans - "Step it out mary" - youtube. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgZBIreZ684.

Screaming orphans. Band. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://screamingorphans.com/band.

Swallowtail jig - irish fiddle tune! - youtube. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZxAVUsuE4Y.

Take online courses. earn college credit. Research Schools, Degrees & Careers. Study.com | Take Online Courses. Earn College Credit. Research Schools, Degrees & Careers. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-celtic-music-types-history.html.

Through the veil - youtube. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeknPNCEK18.

 When studying the music within Asia, I decided that I wanted to dive deeper into the instruments that have been used. In many of the other blogs, I looked into instruments that were originated in whatever country I was studying. This time, I wanted to look into the instruments that were added with time. On a website called the Maqam World, you are able to look at and study different instruments used within Arabic music. Some of these instruments include pianos, keyboards, organs, and electrical guitars. Some of these instruments were played without being altered, though most were altered so that they could produce a good Maqam scale. A Maqam scale is described to be a melodic framework of scales and melodic phrases that can be built off of one another. I took interest in the saxophone, which apparently produces "good maqam scale intonation" without a lot of alteration, though never became mainstream the way that other instruments did. Samir Surour, who was in the Brass Band in the military of Egypt, became the pioneer of the Arabic Saxophone. Below is a video of Surour playing.

An instrument that I wanted to do more research on was the Qunan. I found two websites that went into more detail on the instrument. One article I read was a cool website called Zawaya, that said that the Qunan was a descendent of the Egyptian Harp and is the shape of a trapezoid shape. These instruments are usually played on a table, or the player's knees, and have around 81 strings. Underneath the strings are small brass levers that help in changing pitch and to create the scale of the maqam. According to Zawaya, the word Qunan means "law" in Arabic, as it is known to "lay down the law of pitch" for other people playing instruments around them.

According to the other website called Arab America, which says that the Qunan and other similar instruments were also used by Babylonians, Greeks, and Ancient Egyptians. Here, the website digs a little deeper into the origins of the name. It claims that the word was derived from the Greek word "kanon", which means the rule of law. The Qunan was popular for a lengthy amount of time, and then it started to evolve into other instruments like the psaltery. Below is a video of someone playing a song many of us know on the Qunan

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For the last thing I researched, I decided to look into more famous artists. One of them included a woman named Amal al-Atrash, who is an Egyptian singer also known as Asmahan. At a young age of three, Asmahan and her family immigrated to Egypt, as her mother hoped to keep her family safe from French forces that had been taking over. One day when a famous composer stayed over at her home, they overheard Asmahan sing and was amazed by her talent. He then suggested that she used the name Asmahan. After this, it did not take long for her to rise in her singing career. At the age of sixteen, she was invited by a record company to record her own album and her career kept rising from there. Later, she gave up her singing career after a marriage proposal, but eventually went back after having a family. Asmahad has had many ups and downs within her life, especially when it came to the combination of her marriage and singing career. Sadly, in 1944, she passed away in a tragic accident, where people believed that it was suspicious and that it was not an accident. There were so many incredible details of this amazing singer's life that I was not able to include, because if I did, we would all be here for hours. Though I do recommend reading more about this talented woman and her story.

Below is a video of Asmahan singing

  

The History of Rock&Roll

 For this blog, we had the chance to choose a certain type of music and do our own research on the history of it. After seeing that the one I had originally wanted to choose was taken, I decided to choose something else I was interested in learning about, which was Rock&Roll. In the past, I have not personally listened to Rock&Roll a lot so I do not know much about the origins of it. When I did listen to it, it was in a movie that I was watching and I never really thought twice about it. So within this blog, I am going to research and explain some of the history behind Rock&Roll and how it came to be.

When thinking about Rock&Roll, what is the first thing you think of? What singer or artist? One of the many artists that may have popped into your head was Elvis Presley, or one of the many artists closer to today. What if I told you that it all started way before then? According to the article "The true origins of rock'n'roll", this genre of music was created entirely based off of other Black genres of music like R&B, Jazz, and bluegrass. There are even many artists like the Beatles and Elvis Presley that covered and re-recorded songs that were originally created by black artists like the Marvelettes and Big Mama Thornton (who we talked about and listened to in class when discussing the blues). Around this time, segregation was a major issue. White people began to steal profits from Black artists after they began taking a liking to the music they were creating. At this time, Black artists were not given the proper profits that they should have been making off of their music, but when white people decided to re-record and take inspiration from their music, they took all of the profit. It was so frustrating that many artists left the industry and I do not blame them.

Below is a video of Big Mama Thornton singing Hound Dog, and then one of Elvis Presley singing the same song. Sadly, I feel as if more people know the song because of Elvis, rather than the original mastermind behind the song. 

The next website that I looked into explained the evolution of Rock&Roll through the years. Even though there are many arguments and discussion on when it was actually created, many have deduced that it was around the 1950's (History and evolution). Within the 50's, this genre was created by the combination of blues and electrical music, though was evolved with the combination of other types of music as time went on. One example of this is when Rock&Roll was combined with country, becoming one of the other genres up for grabs for this blog called Rockabilly. Rock&Roll also became bigger during the 50's because of the introduction of new technology that allowed people to play music. One of these examples includes the transistor radio. Below is a picture of a transistor radio that I found on Google, and a video showing music within the genre of Rockabilly.

When the 60's rolled around, people believed that Rock&Roll was going to become dated and unpopular (History and evolution). These people were extremely wrong, as the genre of music continued to boom. Even women's groups were in demand, ones like The Crystals. Around this time, even more technology was being created. One of which includes something we could not imagine living without today, the television. In 1963, President JFK was killed, and Texas was involved in a war with Vietnam. During this time, Rock&Roll finally began to fade as Folk music became popular. Below is a video showing the woman's group the Crystals.

By the 70's, Rock&Roll music became a thing of the past, as Rock music began to take its place (History and evolution). Within this time frame, many unfortunate things occurred and many famous artists passed away (Many of which who were a part of the 27 Club). During the early 70's, the war had finally started coming to an end, so many people turned their back on the up beat music of Rock&Roll. They not only began enjoying Rock, but they also started enjoying Disco music as well. One of the many famous bands known for Disco is called "Abba". Below is a video of Abba, who after listening, I finally realized who it was.

In the article “Roots of Rock”, Robert Johnson is mentioned as one of the many legends that influenced Rock&Roll. This is due to this genre of music being influenced by the blues. Johnson had left his home to travel and perform the blues, but he was not seen as a legend at this point. He became a legend after he “met with Satan at the crossroads one night”. There, a deal was made. The deal was that if Johnson gave the devil his soul, then he would become a master of an instrument of his choice. Of course there is no true way to know that this happened, all we know is after this so-called deal was made, Johnson began playing incredibly. This is how he became a legend, and sadly it did not last long. Johnson became one of the many artists a part of the 27 Club, where they passed away at age 27. Below is a video of the legendary Robert Johnson, and another clip from the well known show "Supernatural", where the story of Robert Johnson is tied in to their supernatural universe because of his "visit with the devil".

Another well known catalyst for Rock&Roll was someone who I have already mentioned, the one and only Elvis Presley. Elvis became well known around 1954, right around when this genre was taking off. According to the article “Rock and Roll”, Elvis’s music “oozed sexuality”, which was popular for the young teens of that time. Though by the end of the 50’s the music industry wanted to take this music and make it more sophisticated. This last video is of another song by Elvis Presley.

References:

Abba - Dancing Queen (Official Music Video ... - youtube.com. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFrGuyw1V8s&.

Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock (music video) - youtube. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj0Rz-uP4Mk.

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Rock and Roll. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/art/rock-and-roll-early-style-of-rock-music.

Google. (n.d.). Google. Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://www.google.co.id/.

History and evolution. Evolution of Rock Music. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2021, from http://evolutionofrockmusic.weebly.com/history-and-evolution.html.

Posey, S. (2021, October 21). The true origins of rock 'n' roll. The Crimson White. Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://cw.ua.edu/83340/culture/the-true-origins-of-rock-n-roll/.

Robert johnson- crossroad - youtube. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd60nI4sa9A.

 Roots of rock. Roots of Rock | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://www.rockhall.com/roots-of-rock.

Supernatural -- Robert Johnson sells his soul ... - youtube. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RULsdMaOoo.

The crystals - then he kissed me (with lyrics) - youtube. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQtZUTRCLcY.

1950s rockabilly #9 - YouTube. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZywEOUJi00.

Music in the Eyes of my Mom

Me: Okay, so what type of music did you listen to growing up

Sandi(Mom): As a young child I enjoyed listening to pop music, though once I reached high school, I began listening to rock music. That became my favorite type of music.

Me: Why do you think this sort of music genre became your favorite, or what about it did you like?

Mom: When I was younger in high school and college, I did not do everything that other kids did. I never partied, or did drugs, or drink. So, I think rock music was kind of my own way of rebelling, as it was the type of music that most parent did not really approve of.

Me: What were your favorite artists? It can be a band, singer, or anything music related.

Mom: My favorite artists were and still are definitely The Eagles, Duran Duran, and Def Leopard.

Me: So, you still enjoy the same type of music?

Mom: Yes, I listen to it everyday

Me: As you were growing as a person, did you ever learn to love a different type of music that you did not think you would ever like. For example, once you became a mother, did you ever start liking other music because I listened to it.

Mom: Of course, I really learned to enjoy the pop rap you used to listen to in middle school. It was always so fun. Like that one song called Thrift shop by Macklemore.

Me: What kind of music do you not like, or did you learn to not like after time.

Mom: I don’t like classical music, other than one song by Beethoven. I don’t know why I don’t like it, I just honestly never got into it or enjoyed it. Another type of music I do not like is today’s rap. It is a lot different than the pop rap I was talking about. The music is so vulgar and aggressive, talking about things that are awful.

Me: Makes sense. Have you been to any concerts? If so, which ones?

Mom: Yes of course I went to quite a few. Some of them including Jimmy Buffett, Metallica, Def Leopard, New kids on the Block, and James Taylor. Of course, I also went to A One Direction concert with you when you were 13.

 

Overall, I enjoyed interviewing my mom even though I already knew most of her answers. Her music definitely influenced the type of music I listen to today, as I listen to most of the songs she enjoys. I have not attended as many concerts as she has, but that is definitely a goal of mine to go to more.

 Below is an example of the music she loved growing up

Here is the song she mentioned within the interview called Thrift shopping

Here is the video of the interview, though there is only sound as my mom preferred not to be shown

 When looking for music to study within Sub-Saharan Africa, I stumbled upon a website that mentioned the Aka Pygmy people that take place in many places throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, including the Republic of Congo. With more research I found an interesting video called the Polyphonic Singing of the Aka Pygmies of Central Africa. Within this video, I learned that these nomadic people tend to use mainly their voices and other small hand-made instruments that they can easily carry. Some of these include drums, shakers, and harps. These instruments are used on certain occasions. The most impressive thing they do in my opinion is polyphonic singing. Where they are allowed and even encouraged to improvise while singing, meaning they can change his or her voice while singing. When dancing, their traditions are similar to the Indigenous Americans that we previously studied, as they mostly dance separately by gender. Though, there are dances that include couples or even singles.

The video below shows different parts of the Pygmy culture. I do want to warn ahead that there is slight nudity.

While looking through information on the Pygmies, I stumbled across an important type of music called water drumming, or Liquindi drumming, and the instrument is in fact water. I learned that this type of music is a very important aspect of the Baka forest people, and that it is reserved for the women hunters. They do this on the morning of a hunt in hopes to bless their hunt and bring forth the animals within the forest. Drawing them out makes it easier for them to hunt and prevents them from having to go really far into the woods. The women must be in a good mood and have to finish before sunrise, so that they do not disturb the gods and the spirits. Another time in which they perform and dance is when there is war. In order to get different sounds, the women cup their hands differently when hitting the water. 

When looking into the Mbira, I found a website on Hugh Tracey, who founded the International Library of African Music (ILAM). In order to fund this, he also created the AMI, also known as the African Musical instruments. With this, he made and sold African instruments with the hopes to spread insight on the African culture. While doing this, he created a new version of a Kalimba, called a Hugh Tracey Kalimba, which is another name for the instrument that we discussed for class called the Mbira. The original Kalimba has been around for ages, at it has been played for almost 3000 years. Tracey was inspired by the Likembe, which had an alternating note layout. Tracey continued to experiment with different techniques while making them to incorporate some none traditional aspects to the instrument. He finished making the Treble Kalimbas in 1954, then created both the Alto and Celeste Trebles in later years. 

Below is a cool video of someone playing a popular song we know on the Hugh Tracey Kalimba

Native American Must Knows

 In class, we went over many topics that I found interesting. There were a few things that I wanted to look into more, and these things included the creation of the Native American Flute, Supaman's music, and the origins of the drums.

1. When listening to a more modern Native American song, one of the instruments you could hear was the Native American flute. As we discussed in class, the flute sounds rather similar to the recorders that were given to us as young kids in school. When listening to the song, I began to wonder how these flutes were made and I came across this video called Measurements and Techniques for Making Native American Flutes. Within this video, I learned that these flutes are made of different types of wood and can also be made from other materials such as different types of bamboo, cane, and even plastic. When they were first being created, they were carved from wood by using rocks or flint knives. In order to create the holes within the chamber, one could use a knife, or even a torch, to create the holes by either carving them or burning them.
2. Another instrument that I wanted to learn more about was the drums. In class we learned a little about what the drums were made of, though I wanted to know more about them. I found an article that I became fascinated with called "Native American Pow Wow drums." Within this article, I learned that some cultures believe that the first drum was brought forth by a woman, and that the spirit of this woman still resides within the drum. While searching for more information of the origins of the drum, I found the article "Native American Drums". This article stated that Native Americans viewed the drums as a living entity, and that it contained the lives of the animals and trees that were killed in order to make it. So, within both of these articles, it seems that the drums are filled with some sort of life. Another fascinating thing I read was that a designated person was chosen to look after the drum, and that person was often the oldest son within the family. Below is a video of  the Super Drum Group, who I listened to after reading about the drums.
   
   
3. After listening to Supaman's song during class, I quickly became curious of the artist and how he came to blend music. One of the first articles that came up was "Supaman: Rapping on the Reservation", and this one article told me most of his story. Growing up on the Crow Nation Reservation, he claimed he always listened to rap and even related to many of the songs. These songs soon became part of the reason why he lived a life of crime. At one of his lowest points, he turned to God for help. After that, he began to heal and spread the word of God through a combination of cultures. Within his raps songs, he not only incorporated aspects within the Native American culture, but he also incorporated Christianity within the lyrics. I found his entire story interesting, though I was even more amazed when I realized how many different styles and cultures he included within his music. I also loved his story and how his life started to go downhill, though he decided to turn around and do what he could to help others. Below is a link to Supaman's YouTube page, as I could not decide which song of his I wanted to include within this blog. Overall, it is so fun to go through and find the bits of Native American culture within his songs. Two of which include vocables and a high range. Another way he included his culture was through the music videos, where he included people from his tribe and even other tribes.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK3FcmL4OXk9Dp2QtAitFEg

My Music Culture

Hello! My name is Anna Seebeck and I am double majoring in Psychology, and Child and Family studies at Converse College (now university). I currently live at home with my parents and I commute to class daily. Spartanburg has been my home my entire life, though I do plan on moving away once I finish college. My end goal in life is to be a psychology professor, as the ones that I have had at Converse have really helped me along my journey of college. Their consistent support has pushed me to hopefully do the same for other students in the future. Until then, I plan on working in the Animal Assisted Therapy community and doing some other things along the way. I am 21 years old and have never really been musically inclined. As a child, I was always drawing and this has continued to this day. A fun thing about me is that I have two beagles, named Koda and Summer, who are my babies.

 Even though I only have artistic abilities, I do love listening to music of all genres. These are a couple of examples of the music I love to listen to...

The first song is by the Driver Era. There is no true sentimental reasoning behind this one, I just absolutely love the beat and rhythm of it. This is one of the few songs that I always listen to and never skip when it comes on. It is also the one song that I frequently have to put on before I get to my destination while driving. To me, I find it soothing and calming when I am anxious, yet upbeat and lifting when I am down. Other than just this song, I love most alternative songs with a good beat.

This is another song, by the Brook & The Bluff, that I wanted to include because it is very upbeat and always makes me want to sing whenever it comes on. This song, along with the first one, is a song that I blast with the windows down while driving. An interesting part of this song is at minute 2:56 where there is a slight pause and then continue of the beat. When I originally listened to it, I thought that my phone had turned off the song. After listening to it a few times I not only got used to it, but it soon became my favorite part of the song.

 Other types of music that I love to listen to are different types of rock, especially 80's rock. 

Growing up, my dad always had a complete different taste in music than me. He listened to a lot of classical music and sole music. One of his favorite artists was a blind man named Andrea Bocelli, and my dad had cd's of his concerts that he would watch daily. This was my dad's favorite song on one of his albums and I remember him playing it for me every time I walked into him watching the concerts. It sort of became our song and we would play it on road trips when I had to travel for volleyball. In all honesty, this song often has made me emotional for some unknown reason and always gives me goosebumps.

This is The Prayer by Andrea Bocelli and Céline Dion (skip to minute 1:40)

Lastly, a type of music I do not connect with is Dubstep/ EDM. I appreciate the talent of the people who create dubstep music, though I never could get into it. I have found one or two songs within that genre that I like, but I'm still trying to listen to more hopes to find others. Many people love this genre and enjoy going to raves, though I never enjoyed to consistent fast pace of the music.

Here is just an example of dubstep/EDM that many people around the world know