Music as I see it.

                                                   In Salamanca, Spain (Summer 2012

                                                                         

My music life

Throughout my life I have been constantly exposed to music in some way or another. Either by playing it, and/or listening to it whether it may be via live concert settings, radio, various portable devices and/or just during the jam sessions that occur on Monday afternoons at my college. Music is ubiquitous, some of it is unfortunately “painful” and some of it quite the contrary but no individual can escape the presence of music in their lives. At a very young age, I started taking violin and piano lessons and with that eventually joined an orchestra. From participating in that ensemble, I received a well-rounded musical education (mainly classical) and developed a deeper understanding and appreciation for live music.

For me, the definition of ethnocentrism is a little scattered due to the significant amount of globe trotting that I have been fortunate to experience in my short life thus far (23 countries and 37 states). But, I was born in Boston and raised near New Orleans, so if one would the true root music of my culture it would be Cajun music and/or jazz. Thus, I have experienced a fair amount of both, whether it being through live concerts, and/or digital recordings; I have also been taught by well-known Cajun musicians in their own right. Scenarios like these are truly valuable and create more of a bond with the music that one’s culture is connected to, however for me (because of all the traveling I have done) they create a catch 22 situation. Traveling the world allows one to experience numerous amounts of music styles, cultures, and traditions that create a cumulative amount of impressions and/or experiences and compared to someone who has never had the opportunity to leave ones native culture, I believe I am able to get more out of the music rooted in my culture by tying in the knowledge of the specific traditions I learned about from various parts of the world. Also, I have found that jazz (not so much Cajun) has infiltrated many parts of the world (in some cases where one would least expect it namely Turkey).

In conclusion, learning about the various cultures and traditions of the world fascinates me and music is an integral component of that education. If I would pull just one minor example of how my music education deeply coincides with my travels, while I was enrolled in my second study abroad course this past summer (this particular time in Turkey), I experienced a massive show of folk music and dancing specific to that region of the country and it was extremely enjoyable, fascinating, and well attended. Another example would be during my first study abroad experience (in Spain) when a band of college aged students  (depicted) called “La Tuna” played their hearts out every night in the Plaza Mayor. In a nutshell, just like the saying “you have to see it to believe it”, with music you have to be there to experience it.

Bowfire! You will be entertained!

Even though this song is in portuguese, it is very popular in Spain

El Caballito

                                                                           El Caballito


                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHvcjZFZX2I

              After listening to the song “El Caballito” by Los Camperos de Valles and watching the youtube video of the group, I discovered that both the cadence and the timbre of the song itself proved to be quite enjoyable throughout. Besides just being seemingly happy, the musicians clearly harmonize well together and this makes the song extraordinarily more enjoyable to the listener. The band Los Camperos de Valles consists of all male members from Mexico and mainly plays a style of music dubbed huapango. This style of music usually consists of an upbeat rhythm and an inevitable dancing component.  From my analysis and observations, I gathered that this style of music could easily be compared to the mariachi style of Mexican music except for (at least for this piece) it has less instruments and there are less sounds that are needed to flow together. The prominent violin introduction to the piece, gives the listener an idea of what he/she is getting into as the piece continues. Furthermore, the falsetto male vocalist and the guitar back up from the other members of the band create an overall enjoyable and vibrant experience for their audience.

             With the name of the song meaning “little pony” in Spanish, if one concentrates and listens to it with that in mind they can detect a timbre similar to the galloping of a pony in the way that violin plays out throughout the piece. The backup guitar strengthens ones imagination of a pony galloping through meadows and having a great time. Since the male vocalist is singing in a falsetto voice; that confirms that the objective of the band is to promote joyous dancing and fun with audiences of all ages. I imagine this group being hired to entertain audiences after they just enjoyed a massive meal of burritos con carne asada and modelo.

             The whole band and its listeners are involved in “musicking” for this situation. Meaning that this type of music allowed avenues for everyone to participate and to have fun doing it. For instance, after about 4 modelos (or before) an individual will inevitably begin to clap and/or yell as the music is going on and therefore they are taking part in the process of “musicking”. The definition of “musicking” is solely to partipate in the art of making music. That participation may include listening, showing appreciation through clapping (on the beat or not), showing appreciation though dancing, and of course the act of actually playing the music.  As far as class (judging by the included youtube video) I would surmise that they are solely middle class Mexican men attempting to make days more enjoyable for many individuals through their music. There is never a dull moment in this piece of music (in my opinion) and it definitely will make an individuals day brighter and I think that is the bands sole intention.

            In conclusion, the great thing about this particular type of music is that it is just a taste of what Mexico has to offer and (at least for me) it entices individuals to learn more and/or actually travel to Mexico to experience this band in concert and many others as well. After studying abroad twice in my college career, I can personally attest to this. This song serves as a gateway to Mexican culture and the huapango style of music.