ETHN 100

Maira Clancy
April 10, 2009
Listening Journal #8
Response to Nhemamusasa (at Bira)

The song on this recording is an interesting example of how a piece can be both presentational and participatory at the same time. There is a simple, constant rhythm that is being kept by what sounds like a Western “egg-shaker” (a simple, handheld maraca-esque auxiliary percussion that looks like an egg, filled with little beans/beads). This seemingly unchanging layer, or part, of the song gives the listeners and participants a cyclical background to which they can contribute and become a part of. The rhythm seems less threatening to join because it is repetitive (as is the whole song), so the repetition of the rhythm and of the entire song in general encourages anybody to chime in at any time. People yelping, singing, whistling, and clapping in the background creates an atmosphere of community, which is a main goal of participatory music. The song seems celebratory in nature (because of the enthusiasm of the participants, the scales and notes used, etc.), so maybe this suggests that the Shona people feel uplifted by uniting with their neighbors, friends, and family in song. Also, I felt very in the moment while I listened to this recording, because about 2/3 of the way through there was a bustling of whistling and cheering, which made me wonder what exactly happened at that moment to excite everyone so much, and so I kept listening to that section over and over again. My curiosity about that certain point during this musical experience made me feel connected to the song, which also added to the participatory aspect of the piece.
However, like I mentioned earlier, there are certain elements of this song that make it seem to be presentational as well. For instance, the main melody (or what strikes me to be the main melody) is carried mostly by one man. He is yodeling beautifully, and his powerful voice and skill set him apart from the other participants, and so the main melody seems to be separate and distinguished. Also, a little before half way through the entire song, there is (what I believe to be) a three part vocal harmony that sounds absolutely perfect, which makes that part of the song a bit more rehearsed (and presentational), but it could just be a coincidence that the three men sang a chord that I liked a lot and felt like they spent more time on that part than the other parts. I would need to know more about the context of the situation before I’ll know the answer, like have these people ever practiced vocal harmonies or does it just come naturally? Also, another reason this song feels slightly presentational is that the Mbira players comprise half of the song’s layering, but to play Mbira takes skill, knowledge, practice, experience, etc. The Mbira players are distinguished by their fluency on a tricky instrument, just like how the clappers/whistlers/singers are distinguished by livening up the song with energy. Then, half way through the piece, the Mbira parts start to grow louder and intensify, making it more of a driving force than it already had been (not that it wasn’t a driving force before, because it certainly was). The ability of the Mbira players to shift roles in the song with volume gives them the power to control the song a bit. Granted, the singers/clappers could do this too, but because the Mbira players are playing a uniform instrument, the effect is more obvious when they grow louder because of the similar, blending timbres of the instruments.