Mar
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New World Beats
March 8, 2018 | Leave a Comment
The European tradition tends to emphasize the “1” and the “3” beat whereas the Afro-New world traditions tend to emphasize the “2” and the “4.” Music of the new world is the hybridization of European and African tradition which resulted in the introduction of a displaced beat. The displaced beat has an emphasis on the “and” of 2. The “habanera” from the opera “Carmen” is an example of this. Habanera represents the music of Cuba whereas samba is the national music of Brazil. One can argue that samba has the same displaced beat. When talking about the feel of music, people often describe music as either being behind the beat or ahead of the beat. Samba is most often found to be behind the beat whereas Cuban music is way ahead of the beat. The U.S does not really have a national music like other countries. A great example of a song with the behind the beat feel is Al Green’s “Love and Happiness.” This song created a cool/ relaxed vibe. I truly enjoyed how he evoked a feeling of ease and comfort. Louis Armstrong’s “Dinah” was very musically playful. He completely abandons the lyrics by adding nonsense syllables. He seems to be really having fun with song which is always enjoyable for the audience. Any metallic band will exemplify music ahead of the beat. Their songs can almost seem very chaotic and aggressive. The snare is very pushing. Bluegrass is also a genre that pushes the beat. The example I heard in class had a very hyper/upbeat vibe. Some of the bluegrass songs I enjoyed, while others I did not care for. Swing music can be characterized as having a displaced beat as well. Blues and jazz are often built around the swing beat. By the same token, using the jazz swing beat helps set the pace for hip-hop. I preferred the New Orleans style cover of “Sweet child O’ Mine” over the original. The swing beat changed the song but it is still very translatable. I also learned that the swing beat is also embedded in Go-Go music originating from D.C. I remember Go-Go music being popular when I was in middle school and going into high school but it’s popularity doesn’t seem as prevalent anymore.
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