Academic literature on the topic 'Melodic drumming'

In a study of tempo perception, London, Burger, Thompson, and Toiviainen (2016) presented participants with digitally ‘‘tempo-shifted’’ R&B songs (i.e., sped up or slowed down without otherwise altering their pitch or timbre). They found that while participants’ relative tempo judgments of original versus altered versions were correct, they no longer corresponded to the beat rate of each stimulus. Here we report on three experiments that further probe the relation(s) between beat rate, tempo-shifting, beat salience, melodic structure, and perceived tempo. Experiment 1 is a replication of London et al. (2016) using the original stimuli. Experiment 2 replaces the Motown stimuli with disco music, which has higher beat salience. Experiment 3 uses looped drum patterns, eliminating pitch and other cues from the stimuli and maximizing beat salience. The effect of London et al. (2016) was replicated in Experiment 1, present to a lesser degree in Experiment 2, and absent in Experiment 3. Experiments 2 and 3 also found that participants were able to make tempo judgments in accordance with BPM rates for stimuli that were not tempo-shifted. The roles of beat salience, melodic structure, and memory for tempo are discussed, and the TAE as an example of perceptual sharpening is considered.

Rouget analyzes the recordings of two pieces for vòdún initiation ceremonies for the deities of Xɛvyòsò (thunder and lightning) and Sakpàtá (the Earth), which he recorded near Porto Novo, Benin (formerly Dahomey), in 1958 and 1969, respectively. These pieces are performed in great secrecy and differ significantly in form and style from the drumming, dancing, and singing performed for the public “coming-out” ceremonies at the end of the initiates’ period of seclusion. Using staff and sonogram transcriptions, Rouget focuses on melodic and strophic repetition, as well as the function of chromaticism, a rarity in African music. These pieces reflect how the initiates move from a state of “dispossession,” or self-alienation, which the author chronicles in his photographs, before they are symbolically reborn in the public portion of the ceremony. Rouget argues for the pieces’ status as sacred works of art, originating from before colonization, that are worthy of aesthetic appreciation. Citation: Rouget, Gilbert. Musica Reservata: Two Initiatory Chants for the Vòdún Worship Society in Benin. Translated by Cari Friesen. Ethnomusicology Translations, no. 12. Bloomington, IN: Society for Ethnomusicology, 2021. Originally published in French as Musica Reservata. Deux chants initiatiques pour le culte des vôdoun au Bénin. Paris: Palais de l’Institut, 2006.

"Music therapy is the use of music to address the physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of a group or individual. It emphasises variety of activities, such as listening to melodies, playing an instrument, drumming, writing a song etcetera. The paper reveals the creative and receptive process of therapy designed along with the music perception and its effects. The benefits of music therapy are discussed along with the nada yoga and raga chikitse. The experience of melody in music therapy is elucidated in depth."

ABSTRACTGong kebyar emerged in early 20th century and was initially an instrumental genre. In its later advancement, the ensemble became accustomed to accompanying dance compositions, which are decorated with miscellaneous dance improvisations corresponding to the characteristic style of gong kebyar. There are three types of Balinese drumming that are considered improvisational, in particular the styles that are played in the repertory of gamelan gong kebyar. Gamelan gong kebyar is the most popular and influential genre of twentieth century music developed in Bali. In gamelan baru, the function of the drum (in Bali it is called kendang) in the ensemble is more important than it was in older styles and it is considered to be the leader of the ensemble. Drummers are skilled musicians and usually teachers, who know all of the parts that are played by other instruments in the ensemble. Krumpungan, Cedugan, and Gupekan are examples of drumming style that gives incorporate the idea of improvisation, though in Bali we do not have a special term for improvisation. We do however have the same ideas and sense of the meaning of improvisation itself in the way some drumming is played spontaneously in the course of performance, by using drummer’s abilities to create spontaneously new pattern on stage. There are some important aspects that need to be underlined in creating those patterns, such as: melody accompaniment, dancer’s cues, good partnership (in krumpungan and cedugan), and the ability to lead the ensemble. Those aspects have the prominent role in the acheivement of drum improvisation in the performance. Drumming improvisation remains something that has to be learned more comprehensively in the future. It is still an abstract concept for many musicians as well as Balinese gamelan lovers.Keywords: improvisation, drumming, kendang, gong kebyar. ABSTRAKGong kebyar muncul pada awal abad ke-20 dan pada mulanya merupakan genre instrumental. Dalam perkembangan selanjutnya, ensambel tersebut menjadi terbiasa dengan komposisi tari yang menyertainya, yang dihiasi dengan improvisasi tari yang berbeda sesuai dengan gaya khas gong kebyar. Ada tiga jenis drum Bali yang dianggap improvisasi, khususnya gaya-gaya yang dimainkan dalam repertoar gamelan gong kebyar. Gamelan gong kebyar adalah genre musik abad ke-20 yang paling populer dan berpengaruh yang dikembangkan di Bali. Dalam gamelan baru ini, fungsi drum (di Bali disebut kendang) dalam ensambel lebih penting daripada pada gaya lama dan dianggap sebagai pemimpin ensembel. Drumer adalah musisi yang terampil dan biasanya adalah guru, yang tahu semua bagian yang dimainkan oleh instrumen lain dalam ensembel. Krumpungan, Cedugan, dan Gupekan adalah contoh gaya drum yang memberikan ide improvisasi, meskipun di Bali tidak ada istilah khusus untuk improvisasi. Namun di sini ada ide yang sama dan rasa makna improvisasi itu sendiri dengan cara memainkan beberapa drum secara spontan dalam jalannya pertunjukan, dengan menggunakan kemampuan pemain drum untuk menciptakan pola spontan baru di panggung. Ada beberapa aspek penting yang perlu digarisbawahi dalam menciptakan pola-pola tersebut, seperti: iringan melodi, isyarat penari, kemitraan yang baik (dalam krumpungan dan cedugan), dan kemampuan untuk memimpin ensambel. Aspek-aspek tersebut memiliki peran penting dalam pencapaian improvisasi drum dalam pettunjukan. Improvisasi drum tetap sesuatu yang harus dipelajari lebih komprehensif di masa depan. Ini masih merupakan konsep abstrak bagi banyak musisi dan juga pecinta gamelan Bali. Kata kunci: improvisasi, drum, kendang, gong kebyar.

In the education of academic musicians, the 6-bar measure is not mentioned as an object worthy of special attention – from an early age children are taught to count mainly in 2-bar and 3-bar measures. School science is unaware of the fact that in the folk music of Ukrainians and Belarusians a significant number of works are "served" by the 6-bar meter, which is well suited for both moving dances and choruses, as well as for lyrical musical expressions. Ethnomusicologists, analyzing thousands of archives of recordings of rural (indigenous) melodies of two neighboring ethnic groups, found huge arrays of songs based on the 6-meter monochronic model. The lion's share belongs to the wedding qi-class (more than 9 thousand), a smaller one – to the spring (1300). Both cycles created quantitatively and geographically powerful arrays of moths. Vesnyanky densely occupied the expanses of Podillya and Pripyat Polissya (I. Klymenko. Atlas of ritual melodies of Ukrainians, vol. 2, map A19). Instead, among Belarusians they are found locally in the eastern zone. Wedding songs formed a huge polyethnic macro-array that united Ukrainians and Belarusians (ibid., maps A46-47). 5700 wedding samples belong to tyradic forms, 3500 are strophic forms. In other cycles 6-dole formulas are found only locally (winter, Kupala, harvest). In the lyrical layer its popularity is insignificant (for example, the Ukrainian story "I had one daughter"). Choruses in 6-measure are also known (well-known Ukrainian "Choboty", "Yakiv", Belarusian "Lyavonikha", "Kamarynska" and others). The original rhythm formula is very simple (in conventional digital coding it is | 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 ||, where 2 is equal to a quarter duration). But it gave a bunch of derivative variants, formed mainly in two ways - rhythmic-syllabic splitting of initial positions (| 1111¦2 2 2 2 || = V44 and other variants) and prolongation (lengthening) of individual positions, more often end positions (| 2 2 2 2 4 4 || and other less common variants). The range of various forms developed within wedding songs is relatively well studied - several articles were published in a special issue of "Problems of Ethnomusicology-8" (2013). Instead, vesniankas derived from the 6-dole model are described only in some regional varieties (Podillia and Polissya) – therefore they became the main analytical object of the article (with musical illustrations). The chorus pieces of 6-bar base are also commented. The conclusions about the polystadiality of rhythmic modifications of the model, caused by the drumming algorithm in different genres and regions, are made. Correlations between verbal accents and the choice of rhythmic figures are observed. The conclusions present a general genre picture of this typological group of melodies and outline the areas of their distribution, emphasize the prospects for in-depth study of ritual meloforms as arguments of the "archaeological type".

This project is an investigation of melodic drum-kit practices in popular and contemporary music. The development of melodic drum-kit playing techniques has helped create a more inclusive role for drum-kit players within ensembles and has increased the potential for drum-kit players to present solo elements in performance. The project artefacts of my research are six compositions presented on CD. They demonstrate performance and compositional techniques that encourage a melodic approach to drum-kit performance. My research involved several methodological approaches these included: a) professional practice-based research, b) music composition and transcription, c) interviews with significant musicians familiar with drum-kit melodic practices and d) elements of autoethnography. I refer to particular drum-kit performance techniques and practices such as mirroring, thinking melodically, spatial relationships between drum-kit instruments and ensemble players, as well as, internalising melodic and harmonic ideas and being in the moment. I have shown in my compositional project that melodic elements in drum-kit performance and composition encourage a broader and more inclusive role for drummers in improvised performance. This is evident in the ensemble versions of compositions submitted as part of this study.

Part A: Sound recordings -- Part B: Exegesis
This practice-based research project has investigated the different melodic approaches developed by selected jazz drummers as both soloists and accompanists, with the ultimate aim of incorporating these concepts into my own performance in a recital setting. I chose four drummers as the focus of this project: Max Roach, Roy Haynes, Bill Stewart and Ari Hoenig. Through transcription and analysis of recordings, I identified and classified the melodic concepts used by each drummer. Specific exercises were then composed for each melodic concept as a tool to aid their integration into my own playing. I practiced these exercises both in a small ensemble setting and independently, maintaining a sonic diary for each session. Reflecting on the successes and failures of each exercise helped guide the development of future exercises in an iterative process. The project has culminated in two one-hour recorded recital performances in which I led various small ensemble settings, and an exegesis.
Thesis (MPhil) -- University of Adelaide, Elder Conservatorium of Music, 2020

This chapter examines the importance of tone and stroke melody in the rhythmic patterns of South Asian drumming traditions. Many musicians and listeners in South Asia are interested in the relation of what they consider classical music to what they consider folk music. Some emphasize the distinction when wishing to make a point about what constitutes true musical knowledge (usually knowledge associated with the “classical”). This chapter explores the practice of naming and defining drum patterns based on the author's fieldwork in a number of cities, towns, and rural regions in India and Pakistan. It also discusses the role of melody and rhythm in the definition of patterns by looking at examples of (tone-) melodies accompanied by drums, such as functionally specific genres that combine wind-instrument melodies with drum patterns. The chapter highlights the complex ways in which tone and stroke melodies may vie for primacy within a genre or across different items in the drum repertoire.

This chapter examines the idea of classicism being connected with the counting of homogeneous time units, or mātras, and of local music being oriented to an irregular sequence of accents marked by syllables and claps. It considers the ways in which drum patterns might be linked to texts and accented syllables, as well as the importance of reciting drum syllables not only in the learning process but also in performances. Four principles for organizing drum patterns that do not depend on cycles with a fixed number of pulses are discussed: the number of stressed beats, repeating motives, tone melody, and verbal formulas. The chapter also presents four case studies: Kota and Aruntiyar (Cakkiliyar) drumming in Tamil Nadu; Dalit drumming in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh; Muhājir drumming in Hyderabad, Sindh, by men of Agra heritage; and Mamraj's dhol-tāshā group, associated with the Nizamuddin shrine in Delhi.

The musical rhythm of Agbadza is analyzed as dynamic and multideterminant, that is, as emerging from the interaction of many different musical factors including dance, metric structure, and the accentuation and grouping of the parts in the drum ensemble (bell, handclap, rattle, and support drum). Response drum and lead drum parts are analyzed for accentuation and rhythmic motion; the singing of Agbadza is studied in terms of melodic motion, design of phrases, and call-and-response form. The temporal relationship of songs to instrumental music is examined. By integrating the performance modalities of dance, song, and drumming within a holistic, ethnographically informed analysis of musical rhythm, the chapter models a method for documenting and understanding traditions of African performance art.

This chapter discusses the concept of irama: the articulation and changing of temporal and density flow in Javanese gamelan that would guide and inspire musicians to render melody and rhythm in all sorts of variations. The chapter begins with a brief history of the development of gamelan theory. The main discussion of the chapter is on cross-cultural elucidation of irama by Indonesian and Western theorists. Beyond its technical and mechanical significance, the heart of irama is its impact on the melody and rhythm of gendhing (composition). The changing of irama, led by kendhang (drum), inspires musicians to elaborate, embellish, or simplify their melodies, resulting in ensemble’s togetherness, though not in a perfect synchrony. The drumming itself also affected by the irama, as the drummer selects the style of drumming accordingly. The chapter ends with listening guides to a number of compositions based on irama and textural and timbral changes.