syu

As I cannot post anywhere else than my blog, I will post this here. 

Entry #1Title – Protected: September 12th, 2008 by samkingss  Critique: Although the examples of my icon is quite unique to me, and therefore could be hard to be understood of proven that they were right choices, I elected this one of my best posts for a number of reasons. First reason is that when I listen to my examples again, I am able to recall the feeling that projected certain sceneries in my mind. With the aid of my description, I can duplicate the thoughts that I had when I first entered this course in the beginning of this semester. The second reason would be the fact that this post was at least just more than just a ramble of my ridiculous thoughts. It was my thoughts accompanied with a different device, which in this case is an mp3 file. I did not put a lot of time in my blog, and as this is my only listening blog entry with something other than just text, this has more deviation from other posts and is therefore more interesting. Also this post is the one post that could portray my inner personality through a different medium other than writing. Last reason would be simply the fact that this was my first listening blog entry. Firsts are generally quite important, and this allows me to recall that time serving as a symbol itself. Title- Entry #2 Critique: I remember when I wrote this post, I had totally misunderstood the titles of the media files, and songs like call to prayer were suddenly changed into actual prayers that held themes like revealing how people had survived, and were in a way proud of how they made it through hardship. Although it is ridiculous compared to what “call to prayer” actually meant, I put this entry up as I tried my best to analyze the songs and to get at the meanings they held underneath. Title- Entry #5 November 21st, 2008 by samkingss  Critique: In this entry, I tried to break down the music pieces with more systematic factors than entry’s before, like the tempo and the rhythm, how the rests work, and so on. I tried to analyze how each factors were coordinated to emphasize what the music piece really wanted to show. Mostly I tried to leave out my personal thoughts and focus only on what is presented, which seems to be an improvement.

Starting with the second track, moody and melody passing one note by one note. Third was like it’s name a supreme tongue twister, or at least testing one’s virtuosity on saying those ti sounds. Basically they really try to articulate all the syllables while making it look like, in the third song for example, a part from a conversation.

Listening to the music of “wedding songs” of the Roma, I again have to praise the virtuosity these people show with their instruments. Starting off with Pravo Hozo, the tempo is unusually fast compared to other traditional music we have been listening to in class. The whole music slowly increases its already fast tempo faster, and repetition seems to be common. Now, the next piece which is the shumentsi, is a procession that is more ‘beaty’ and incredibly fast. The rests between notes sound like statements, which amplify the feeling of the ‘beat’, and drive the whole music forward with ease. The third song has a different instrument involved in its music, and takes on more of a traditional form. Although it is fast, the songs focus doesn’t seem to lie in the sense of showing the brilliant abillities of the musician. There are drones, and changes in who takes role of the melodies. The fourth music makes use of the two closely set notes which produce a fast harmony that goes on during most of the piece.

The World Music Network (WMN), make world music accessible by offering such albums at a moderate-price. It has been quite successive in this matter, and if there words are accountable, they are now one of the leading scenes of world music. They also had success in creating the Rough Guide music, which tries to portray the world music in general sense. They have committed themselves with non-profit organizations, and tried to accurately represent the different cultures without giving the wrong cues to people.              It is very unfortunate, however, that although they may have tried to stem away from the other labels, that try to sell a product by linking musicians and their culture with exoticism and mysticism, they have failed to fully control this situation. Their language for example in the “Introducing Hangai” seems to give an impression that links the Hangai people with primitive images for the majority in our group, phrase being “I discovered that having five guys sitting around two microphones is a really primitive and instinctual thing to do”. Also the Rough Guide music, which is the main and most popular item of this website, is indeed only a “rough” sketch of the real culture and music of the place it comes from, even just in the country level. This basically leaves too much space for the incomplete image of certain cultures to be believed to be the right image for a much larger scale, like the cultures of a whole nation.             All in all, this label seems to have put in effort to take a perspective that is more informative and educational in introducing music and artist of different cultures. Though there might be some doubtable mistakes in general, the label is one of the better labels in linking the population with other cultures, without having to put the people of distant cultures into woods or caves to run around with wild animals.

In the yodeling, and the Darkness song was fascinating in the sense it had continuous repetition of the same phrase. They sounded quite like a badly mixed up sound clip, as sounds all sort of danced around. In the piece of makala, they had different melodies sung by different people and how they all interlock at different times, the way it is woven together in such a fashion, later even with clappings, incredible. I almost feel as if I am going to develop a liking for it.

Gamelan beleganjur, is a typical type of gamelan that is usually associated with ceremonies both for the god and people.  It includes the gong, the metallophones, the drum, flute, and another very special instrument known as the cymbal. Although there are many types of Gamelan music, this is a rare instrument to accompony the music. Also another interesting factor would be the fact that Gamelan beleganjur, has instruments that are all portable–even the huge female and male gong that marks the progression of the cycle. Using straps and poles, this Gamelan is again defined by its progressional style, compared to the many other sitting style Gamelans that are stationary.
Unlike other Gamelan music, the Gamelan beleganjur, has a 8 cycle beat where the others are formed with 16 or 32, and the significant style of rythm and tempo that changes quite often during the performance is another difference from the other Gamelan music. 

Many Gamelan music (or talempong if you are refering to the West Sumatran), are valued with great respect some revolving around the royal courts and many associated with religious ceremonies. There is no doubt many engraved meanings in music that include beliefs derived from both hinduism and buddhism.
One of such is the rhythm, known as the kotekan, in Gamelan beleganjur where the interlocking off-beat and on-beat fashion represents the interlocking between male and female which is to be the seed that will be planted in to earth’s womb. Indeed Gamelan and the instruments in it are regarded with high respect; one is not allowed to show the sole of your foot, which is regarded as the lowest ranked part of your body.

The Gamelan itself can be played just for the enjoyment of being played and heard of, and as it is intergrated in such depth of the Indonesian culture, that “nothing is serious before the gong is hung”.

Although all the 3 songs were directed towards god as a prayer, they all felt as if they conveyed different themes. The Adhan for example was a prayer that gave me the feeling that wanted the god to pity their souls. It felt as if the song was telling others of the grave reality of people’s lives. The slow song and certain prolonged notes on a  sad tune that seems to be calling to god gives me this impression.  Call to prayer(ringtone) on the other hand, somehow changed the feeling so that it seemed as if the prayers were now portraying, not the feeling of asking for pity and salvation for the gods, but a feeling that seemed to ask god to look how they have become. By being accomponied with a piano and some other instrument which kept a stern base note, the prayer was now showing how these people were suffering in a sort of grandiose way. It somehow gives me the thought of the people that are praying to be feeling of achievement; they have been living a life in a hard situation and they although still in pain and suffering, are feeling a small piece of pride and happiness at their life.