Music Evolution

As time passes,people begin to desire new ways of doing things. This is because people are increasingly becoming more enlightened and as it happens the old ways of doing things become primitive and unpleasant. Sometimes it is just that people are tired of old things and desire something to take away the boredom they bring.

It is for the same reason that music must change or evolve to conform to these changes in what is desired. If this fails to happen there is the danger of old music style getting abandoned. Where the new forms are not invented the people face the danger of losing their music identity. In Jamaica, reggae music never got abandoned. It only evolved. Hence when one listens to today's forms of Jamaican music he still can hear elements that link them to the old styles such as ska, rude boys, rock steady and the peak of Jamaican music Roots and Culture that remains the axis of the Caribbean Island's music In the US, it is still easy to perceive the interrelationship between the old styles and what prevails today. This means that music forms over there are never abandoned. They only change gradually with time. This is also true of South Africa and music from central Africa such as Makossa and sukooz. Hence the music has remained part of the lives of the people in these parts of the world.

In Nigeria it is difficult to say that this is true. Nigeria has some of the richest genres of music known around the world. These of course, are Highlife, Juju and Fuji. Music evolution was however forgotten at some point in the history of the industry. Rather than evolve Nigerian music seemed to have experienced jumps so that one cannot draw a link between what was played then and what is being played now. This has resulted in near extinction of those genres of the Nigerian music

A surviving octogenarian Highlife musician, the Rolling Dollars, once explained that the comatose state of Highlife music was caused by the civil war between 1967 and 1970. This is doubtful. Highlife musicians just continued to play the old thing without changing and this is largely responsible for the near death state of the music As people were becoming educated and life styles were changing, the music failed to change along with the evolving culture. Thus the Nigerian music fans started looking outwards for music satisfaction. At the time, Disco just came handy.

To bring about the evolution of Highlife music to produce a modern version of it will demand a careful study of the music to identify the primitive-sounding elements of the music and then refining them to meet the music needs of today.

Music evolution is a process and not an event. This is because life styles will always change and since music is an extension of the culture of the people, it has to change too. Only then can people relate with the music and the music endures, percolating down to later generations.

Yiro Abari, Nightingale ( http://nightingaleng.blogspot.com )

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Not Your Grandfather's Country Music Station -the Continuing Evolution Of Country Music Radio

Having worked in music radio, most of that at Country music radio stations, for the past 35 years, I recently stopped to reflect on the evolution of Country music that I've seen and way Country music radio has reacted.

As with everything, Country music and radio aren't as straightforward or simple as they once were. When I first started playing Country in Eugene, Oregon in 1971 the raging discussion was the emergence in some markets of a "Country-politan" format distinctly different from the traditional Country format that everybody else was playing. Essentially the discussion revolved around programming "crossover" artists and music styles, and whether the "harder" heritage Country acts were acceptable as Country music radio evolved.

To put this into perspective, in 1971 the debate was whether John Denver and Ann Murray were Country acts and should be played, and whether a contemporary Country music station should play Hank Williams in regular oldies rotation! By today's standards this is laughable, but it does serve to make the point that as the Country radio format sought to broaden its appeal and attract a larger audience some felt that compromises would be necessary. More importantly it signaled the recognition that Country music fans were a more diverse group than they had been given credit for. This discussion of segmentation of the Country music format was the start of what we now have come to accept as the diversity of the tastes of Country music fans.

Today there are recognized music "charts" for the traditional Country Singles and Albums, but there are also now Bluegrass, Americana and Texas Music charts as well, all under the umbrella of Country music.

I find it most interesting that while Country music has quite obviously diversified, AM and FM Country music radio stations generally haven't followed this trend and branched out to any great degree. If you were to go into any market today I would lay odds that you will find the Country music station or stations will all be much the same - playing 10 or 12-in-a-row, with a station playlist of fewer than 750 songs little of which will be older than 10 years. Some of these stations will have an "oldies" or "bluegrass" show as we did in San Diego, but the station that weaves these elements into the day to day format is very rare indeed.

To be fair I must acknowledge that in some markets you may also find a "Classic" Country station, generally on an otherwise unused AM frequency, but I find these stations personally unfulfilling. I suspect that this may be because I like a good deal of contemporary Country music and want to hear it, and that by and large the people behind classic Country formats weren't alive when these songs were hits, and, but that's another gripe!

As one who has been part of the research and strategy behind the contemporary Country music approach I don't criticize playing either extremely contemporary or exclusively "classic" Country music. On the contrary I understand that this kind of conservative approach is dictated to capture the most desirable (saleable) segment of the audience possible. I do suggest, however, that stations do this at their own peril as they continue to narrow their focus and leave larger numbers of Country music fans disaffected and unserved.

This wouldn't necessarily be a problem except that AM and FM radio no longer has a monopoly on delivery of music. The emergence of satellite and more importantly internet "radio" where startup and operating costs are negligible now presents an alternative that will play an increasingly important role. The fact is no matter what your personal flavor of Country music is, there is an internet station playing it. If you like 'mainly current hits but some 70s and Bluegrass", someone offers it. If you Texas Country and Bluegrass, it's there.

Although internet radio has been around for more than a decade it is still in its infancy. Indications are, however that it will grow up to be a 900 lb. gorilla. Estimates are that something approaching 50% of the younger and more adaptable age groups are already turning to the net as their primary source for new music. At the other end of the spectrum, the 55+ generation is the fastest growing segment of internet users. As the 55+ group represents an increasingly economically attractive audience, and one that used to be the domain of Country music radio, this is an ominous sign for traditional broadcasters who will be increasingly forced to compete with low budget operators.

This will likely be a double-edged sword. On the one hand the audience will be able to find a "radio" format either on a satellite service or more likely on the net that more closely approaches their ideal music mix. On the other hand the audiences for individual stations will be much smaller than broadcasters are used to working with. This will have the effect that the sterility and compromises of low budget broadcasting that has turned some listeners off will become more widespread. This will in turn further erode and put economic pressure on AM and FM broadcasters' in a vicious downward cycle.

John Peterson is a 35 year radio veteran who has announced, programmed and owned radio stations in the US and overseas. Currently John owns and operates The Ranch Online (http://www.theranchonline.org) which plays a traditional mix of contemporary and classic Country music. Send comments to jp@theranchonline.org.

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Evolution of Music

Music has been evolving since its creation. This evolution of music has led to a vast variety of music that all people can enjoy. Artists who make good music, are praised and revered for their talents, and recently this has lead to many aspiring musicians who want to acquire fame and fortune through their music. In the United States music in constantly evolving, and in recent years this evolution of music has sped up to a very fast rate. Music has evolved for many reasons including, improved technology, and change in culture, and a desire to create something new.

Primarily change in music has been related to the culture. During the Middle Ages music everyday music was located in two places, the church and the tavern. This was not a good atmosphere for good music to bloom. However during the Baroque period, 1600-1750, wealthy people began to hire musicians to compose music for them. These patrons would pay the musicians to compose and play music for the patrons enjoyment, and for entertainment at his or her parties. Music did not change very much in Europe for a long time. In America music was began to evolve in its own way. This new country had a culture of its own and this was reflected in its music and dancing. One of the main styles of music originated in Detroit, and it is called big band. It is called big band, because a large band was used to create snappy, catchy tunes. This style of music soon became popular in Europe as well as America in the 1920s. Big band music was very positive for America as a means of enjoyment and entertainment.

Adolf Rickenbacker invented the electric guitar in the later 1920s and in doing so he changed music forever. This was the first time that people began to use electricity to amplify their instruments. Furthermore with the invention of the electric guitar came the birth of Jazz music. Before the electric guitar came onto the scene it was nearly impossible to incorporate a guitar into band music because it was not loud enough, but the electric guitar solved the volume issue. African Americans strongly connect rhythm with their music. This can be seen in the tribal music of Africa which consists of drumming and singing. African Americans took hold of the electric guitar and used it to throw poppy grooves over the brass instruments and Jazz was born. Jazz was a type of music that spoke out as a bit of a rebellion against the culture. It was nothing like the music that was played in church, and it was perfect for dancing to. African Americans took hold of Jazz and made it a part of their culture. However racism still ran deep in the American culture and many whites dislike jazz music simply because it was generally performed by black musicians. However white musicians began to play the songs originally written and performed by African Americans, once this began to occur more whites began to appreciate Jazz. Somehow certain whites thought it was ok to listen to Jazz as long as it was performed by other whites. Overall Jazz music was very positive for the American culture because it helped give pride to the African Americans.

As long as the culture continues to change their will be a reflection of this in the music that is composed. America in particular has a culture that is always changing and growing, and this will, and has, lead to a continuing change in music. Rock n Roll came onto the scene in the late 40s and from its start it was about rebellion. The word "rock," as used in Rock n Roll, means to shake things up, and the word "roll" is slang for sexual intercourse. Rolling Stone argued that Elvis Presley's hit "That's alright mama" 1954, was the first Rock n Roll song, but this is very debatable. In the 1950s the youth were moving out from the post war era, and moving into a culture of fun loving freedom. Elvis Presley hit the scene wielding his electric guitar and rocking to catchy tunes. Although by today's standards Presley's music is considered tame, in the 1950s he was on the cutting edge of adolescent rebellion. Presley was criticized for gyrating his pelvis during performances, this and his "dirty" lyrics led to a few of his songs being banned from certain radio stations. Elvis could not be stopped and his popularity continued to grow wildly. The culture continued to change with the introduction of birth control during the 60s and this led to hippie era which was deeply rooted in music, particularly folk and rock n roll. Hippies were all about having "free love" which meant that you should be able to have sex with whomever, wherever, and whenever you wanted, as long as you were not hurting anyone else. The Hippie movement has had very negative effects on society, and it was fueled by rock n roll music.

New Technology was introduced in the 1960s-70s that paved the way for many new styles. This technology was the use of digital effects that were placed into songs. This technology was brought into the center of pop culture with disco music. Disco Music has a strong melody with deep beats that are perfect for dancing. This type of dancing isn't technical in nature people of all different skill levels could participate. However the adolescent culture of the time was split between the pop sound of the disco, and the cool rebellion of rock n roll. Most of these changes in music have been due to the culture, and more directly the culture of the youth. Although people of all ages enjoy the music it is primarily the adolescents that were and are shaping the music in the 20th century and beyond.

The effect of the music on the cultures is hard to place in a strictly positive or negative light. Of the examples of music trends given earlier, some were positive and some were negative. However it cannot be said that they are wholly good or wholly bad. These changes in music reflected the culture that they were brought into, and often these changes brought about good and bad reform. There are some fads in music that many would argue are completely negative, such as rap. The vast majority of rap music that is played on the radio is full of explicit content, and because of this is receives a bad wrap. Rap music is often inspired by gangster life, but people do not consider that when these people are writing music instead of starting fights on the street. Although rap music is often inappropriate it has given people the African American youth something constructive to do with their time, that will not lead them to being perceived as losers by the other gangsters. Therefore rap has both positive and negative aspects as do must trends in music.

America has started several trends and fads in regards to music, and they will continue to do so. Since America is a melting pot of cultures there is a huge wealth of new music that will become apparent as more time passes. If there was to be a standstill in the music industry, there would need to be a standstill in the culture. However the culture of the American youth has been constantly changing at an increasing pace. With all of this change there is no sign that the music industry is going to slow down. New songs are always going to be composed, and new styles of music will always be coming to the surface of the musical world. The study of the popular music in a culture gives a person deep insight on the values of the culture, because a populations culture is directly linked to their music.

Written by John Severin,
CD Player Electronics
http://cdplayerelectronics.net

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Printable Sheet Music - History and Evolution

Printable sheet music has come a long way from being written on parchments to Internet software that is easily accessible to perform many functions. The aim of this article is to give a brief introduction and history of its evolution.

Most people who are not in the music industry might not know what printable sheet music is. To explain it in layman terms, it is like a piece of literary writing whereby the writer gives distinct, nitty-gritty details of how the work was done - Like a literary masterpiece,written in common accepted language.But the writer weaves the so called common language in a way that it becomes a gem, a uniqueness. Let us say now the writer gives the blueprint of his composition for anyone willing to do the exact same or variation to proceed with or without condition.In this case, anybody that can read and is lettered in the genre will be able to reproduce the masterpiece.

The only difference is that the former(literary) is mostly written, while the latter (music) is either audio,visual, or the two combined (audio-visual). That is why in music,because of the uniqueness of each composition or masterpiece,anybody that wants to reproduce this same piece live must look at the printable sheet music or notation.

In other words,it  is musical notation written with hand or printed.Nowadays,however,musicians can reproduce any piece of music by simply hearing it (audio), and maybe watching it simultaneously and repeatedly. Hence to distinguish between the two "printable sheet"  music" is used, printable to show that it could be printed just like a book,pamphlet,booklet,hand-out.

Just as an illiterate can't read a piece of writing, so also cannot a person who is unlettered in reading music notation be able to make sense of it.

It is however interesting to know that composing music does not necessarily require sheet music literacy. Musicians like John Stanley in the 18Th century and composer and lyricist Lionel Bart are good examples. Most Nigerian,especially Yoruba musicians also fall into this category. This latter musicians don´t even study music, save some local instruments before breaking into limelight.

What is the use of printable sheet music then if composers and musicians can do without it? Instrumentalists and lyricists of classical tradition need the scores or sheet music to reproduce the exact music or its variations. Also the notes have made it possible the preservation of  a tradition copied and inherited by this present generation.If not for this, most of the earlier music would have been lost.

Brief Historical Background

We owe the the beginning of printable sheet music to the scribes of the Medieval European monasteries. They wrote music on parchments. These have become valuable collectibles that run into thousands of dollars.With the invention of printing press, Johann Gutenberg lead in the development of printing sheet music.

By 1800,it has become a booming industry in Europe and America as firms started printing both popular and serious music. We should remember that this was also the period of Industrial Revolution and the coming of the Middle Class.This class in particular also had time for leisure and income to purchase musical instruments for their homes(mainly pianos). They could also hire teachers to teach them and their children.

Printing the sheet music was done with the writer,(in this case the musician or the person having the rights to the music) entering into legal binding with the firm. This legality involves, what rights an individual has on the printed sheet music and the royalty to be paid.The American music of today- be it jazz, blues, country, spiritual owes its growth and preservation to both the virtuoso composers and the publishers of sheet music.

Influx of people from Germany during world War 1 because of Hitler´s torture and annihilation crusade forced many notable composers out of Germany.Some of them were Bela Bartok, Arnold Schoenberg, and Igor Stravinsky among others. This brought a boom to music in Europe.

The popularity became more widely spread with the invention of phonograph and the radio,further accelerated by Television after World War II. This not only made easy accessibility possible, but as well cascaded printable sheet music price.

The information age has made printable sheet music available everywhere. Even though most don´t care since they can download any music free from the net. Yet in the same Internet there are affiliate programs specifically for printable sheet music. No need knowing the composer of a music before the sheet is made available.There are computer tools that reproduce the sheet music for you just by playing the tunes.

Especially notable are sites for music students, helping them learn music through the readily available sheet music of any kinds and sorts. Playing instruments are also included in the nutty-gritty of the computerized sheet music- How the instruments are held,tuned,pressed, etc. For anybody willing the world of music indeed is an oyster of opportunity.

Without face to face tutorials, people are now learning music through ingenious inventions of some tools. Why not take a look?

Get to a resource that will help you with writing sheet music and singing in no time.

http://hubpages.com/hub/LearnToSing

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