Music and Gender

 Helloooo beautiful people :) Welcome back to yet another tasting adventure. Today we have a saucy topic cooking in the pan. Drumroll, please. 

*imaginary drumroll*

Its Music and Gender. Yayyyy. Let's dig in. 

So, I use to attend an art school called Charleston County School of the Arts (shoutout to my former classmate Emorie). In this school, there are 7 majors: Creative writing, Strings, Fashion, Band, Theater, Vocal, and Piano. I was in the orchestra and I notice that many fellow music mates were female and most of those females played the Violin and the males gravitated more to the bass or the cello. And if you look at the music majors as a whole, I would definitely say there were way more guys in band and piano. 

                                            

So why is that?

Honestly, I feel like instrument choice among the male population has to do with size and whether or not that particular art form is "Feminine". For a dude have a big instrument like a bass or a cello is big and "masculine" it's like a car for them you know? A stereotypical guy likes a big truck that can make loud sounds and show off that they are hot stuff, its the same for big instruments, Cellos, drums, basses, etc.

 Now we're going to move on to band and piano. In-band, I've never seen a girl play the saxophone, ever. My theory with that is the saxophone gives guys "the sex appeal". Come on, you know I'm a little bit right. Ever heard of careless whispers? A handsome man, with shades, no shirt, and playing that saxophone so right, you're ears be like "ohhhh yeahhhh". 

                                                 

So for guys and instrument picking, it's based on if it makes them feel masculine and if it helps them snag the ladies. But what about us girls?  The stereotype for us is that we like small, danity things that make pretty sounds. So our go-to instruments would be like flutes, violins, ukuleles, etc. But for the most part, girls do follow that stereotype when it comes to music, we're too awesome for that. Though, I can recall a time when a was afraid to try an instrument because of my gender.

I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was a little pre-teen, 11 or so and I had my heart set on playing the drums. But I had all these doubts.

"Only boys can handle such an instrument"

"I'll be made fun of"

"I won't be any good compared to dudes" 

But in all honestly, gender stereotypes in music shouldn't be a thing and there certainly shouldn't be any prejudice against girls who want to play the drums or guys who want to play the flute. And I believe and the year 2020 we're at the point, where music is music, but there are always people out there with irrelevant opinions. 

That's all for now.

Stay frosty 

                             

Cool stuff 2: Music form South America

 Hello fellow classmates, and teacher, today's musical journey stops off in a pretty rad place: South America, in particular Argentina. Now let's cha cha slide our way into this blog. 

I'm a bit of an instrument geek and really wanted to know what type of instruments Argentinians use and I found out some pretty cool stuff. In more traditional folklore Argentiatians would guitar, violin, and drums, these are instruments pretty common to most Americans. They also use indigenous Andean instruments like the Quena (wooden flute) and Charango (small banjo). But the coolest instrument of them all is called the Bandoneon. The Bandoneon basically a miniaturized accordion with a bit of Spanish flavor. (the flavor being it sounds different than an accordion). This instrument is particularly used in Tango music, because of it's rich, gloomy sound. It is also known to be one of the hardest instruments to play. But enough of me yapping. Below you will see an interview about the Bandoneon, including when it was made, what it sounds like, and how it differs from an accordion. Enjoy :)

The dances of Argentina are so captivating to me. I don't know about you guys but when I watch tango dancers or dancers in general I get lost in their quick, smooth movements and the color of outfits. It's all so stunning. Most people know of the all famous Tango dancing, but did you know there are ten other dancing styles Argentia has? Yes, ten guys, let me run them by you ( or at least a few of them). We have the Carnavalito that is commonly used for religious festivities and has multiple partners arranged into groups in rows dancing to very cheerful and quick music. There's the Chacarera which is a type of folk dance as well as an internationally accepted version of the modern tango, where the female performers standstill (ish) while the males circle them. And the last one I'd like to mention is called Chamamé. Its a traditional folk dance that is a mix of native, Spanish, German, and Polish influences. This dance is accompanied by Spanish guitar, violin, and accordion. If you'd like to learn about the other seven click here. 

I got two words for you guys: Tango. Dresses. I can't be the only noticing the Argentia really dress it up when they step out on that dance floor. From the colors, the flowers, the style, to be everything is so gorgeous. In 1913, the first "proper" tango dresses were made and promoted. The dresses were light, colorful, and had a transparent bodice and shirt were made shorter (above the knee). Unfortunately, Tango arrived in a time of Victorian Fashion, so corsets were a big thing. But as more women learned the tango they gladly stopped wearing a corset so they could freely move while they dance. (though so women weren't so keen on letting the corsets go so worse a slimmed-down version of a corset while they danced). Due to the Tango outfits and many getting rid of the corset, tango fashion was bashed for being too revealing, vulgar, and indecent. But as years went out Tango fashion changed and so did the society that surrounds it. Now, women could choose very short dresses and skirts and show as much boobage or backage they want. Down below you'll see comparisons of Tango dresses from the 1900's and Present day. 

And that stops our tasteful musical journey

til next time classmates and teach

Peace. 

Works cited: 

http://www.dancefacts.net/tango/tango-dresses/

http://www.dancefacts.net/tango/argentine-dances/

http://www.dancefacts.net/tango/argentina-music/#:~:text=Argentine%20Folk%20Music,-Argentine%20folk%20music&text=Traditional%20folklore%20instruments%20are%20guitar,and%20small%20banjo%20%E2%80%9Ccharango%E2%80%9D.

Music and Religion/Philosophy

 Hiya! Today's tasting journey stops us at a very interesting topic: Music and Religion. Let's dive into, shall we? So, religion, I'm not exactly your church girl that goes to church and reads her bible, I'm more of sees religious stuff and walks the other way. That being said there are some religions out there that,  I think are pretty rad and I'd love to share them with you as well as their music.  

The first cool cat up is Hinduism. In Hinduism, music is a very big deal, in a typical Hindu worship, chanting mantras and singing devotional songs, usually referred to as bhajans are everyday incurrence. Their songs are primarily used to arouse the senses and create spiritual vibrations that enhance devotion during their worship. As for chanting the mantras, this helps connect devotees to humankind and to their spirituality. Many of their chants are Vedic hymns which were composed way before any of our parents thought about having us. The Vedic seers composed these hymns in a meditative state. So when you hear this type of song it really mellows you out (at least for me it does).  They even use their music as a gift to gods (I mean, who doesn't' like to be serenaded?). 

When you listening to Hindi worship music it sounds a little disjunct, depending on the type of music you listen to and their texture is also monophonic most of the time.  During the worship service, the priest would take the lead in the chants and songs while worshippers sang the chorus. As for the video down below, you will only see two instruments and no singers, or chanting, just two dudes having a good ole time in a temple. The video below is an Ancient Vedic hymn. I hope your ears enjoy :)

Another Religion that definitely caught my cat's meow is Vodu. I know what you're thinking, and no their religion isn't evil or filled with voodoo dolls, or spells and cures, though there is some of that in there. It's mostly based on followers asking for advice, protection, or assistance in their life. Haitian Vodou is an African religion mixed with catholicism, thus some of their music has a hint of  Catholicism. Voduist usually use their music for celebrations and religious services. Both are very upbeat and incorporate a lot of dancing. Their music centered around communal singing, pair that with their fast beats, powerful singing, and the upbeat melodies, you've got yourself one heck of a pop and locking tune. Take a little listen below ;)

Let's all for now,

over and out. 

Work cited: 

https://www.kansascity.com/living/religion/article1363260.html

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2006-05-12-0605120279-story.html#:~:text=Music%20is%20essential%20to%20the,like%20jazz%2C%20in%20the%20singing.

https://people.howstuffworks.com/voodoo.htm

Cool Stuff 1: Native America Music

 Hello beautiful people! Welcome back to my blog. Today our musical tastebuds take us to explore the Native Americans' way of music. 

The first thing that I found truly amazing about Native American music as well as their culture is their Pow Wows, especially the costumes they wear to these events. After doing some research I learned that a Dancer's regalia ( Fancy clothes) is a collection of things that reflect their lives, interests, and family background. Some will incorporate modern elements like t-shirts to pins or even Moccasins from Walmart. Their pow wow outfits aren't just costumes, it's a representation of who they are and where they come from as well as a physical representation of how fashion evolved in their cultures over time. As a formality dancer always wear some type of headgear; this can be a war bonnet, porcupine head roach, headdress, or any other objects that be used as a headband. To complete their glamorous outfit, they carry around objects such as feathered fans, fur-wrapped hoops, or staff. Below you will pow wow outfits from women to men and younger children. Did I light up your Musical taste buds? if not, click here. This website will surely tell you a bit more about Pow wow Regalia. 

The second thing, I gotta I run by your musical minds is the structure of Native American music.  Native American music is truly melodic; there is no harmony or polyphony, although there are occasional call and response singing between the soloist and chorus. Their music also has irregular rhythms with a nice healthy dose of Vocables (which are words that don't mean anything, but you should know that because we're in the same class and you were totally paying attention...right?). In my opinion, the Native American's use of vocables makes their music so powerful. Think about it, instead of focusing on the beat and words of the songs, you FEEL it. You feel the chanting, the drum beating, the Shakers Tremoloing (hope that's a real word). Their music was meant for your feet to dance and soul to squeal with joy. And that is the most amazing thing about their music. But let's take a listen, shall we? instead of listening to the music, I want you to "feel" and I love to hear what you feel in the comments (or not, it's all good). 

And lastly, the Native American musical instruments. Percussion, most of the Native American music contains percussion instruments and woodwinds. And the best thing about their instruments is they're made from natural resources. The native Americans were not kidding when they said "we're using every inch of the animal" they really meant ALL. They used animal hides and wood to make their drums, turtle shells to make shakers,  animal horns, hooves to make blow horns. And when I tell you these guys went into making their instruments, they really went in. And in my opinion, taking the time to hunt the supplies to make these instruments BY HAND of all things really shows you how much they cared for music and the quality of their instruments showed how dedicated they were. Below you will see a video showcasing a variety of Native American instruments. Enjoy :)

That's all for this tasting experience!

Stay Frosty (or sweaty because it's really hot out there)