Kristine Yang's MUH6515 World Music Blog

This week, I am sharing "Vedic Chanting", performed by world renowned sitarist Ravi Shankar. The origin of the song is India. It features sitar, chanting voices, and flute. This piece is especially interesting to listen to when considering the theme of this week. In considering how classification systems are useful, both instrumental classification and time classification stand out as noteworthy in this piece. Instrumentally, using classifications that describe how the sounds are produced gives the listener a clear idea of how the piece might sound. According to Wade (2013), Indian instruments are classified based on whether the vibrating body is the instrument itself, a membrane, a string, or a column of air. These classifications inspired Victor Mahillon's system for classification in labeling instruments as idiophones, membranophones, chordophones, and aerophones. These classifications focus on the sound rather than other cultural significances of the instruments. ...

Hi everybody, For my first post, I am sharing a song titled "La Lluvia" which translates to "the rain". It is an example of music from the Andes and is performed by a group named Alpamayo, who performs and records music from Peru and Ecuador. In the recording, you hear a combination of instruments that create the unique sound of the piece. The percussion section establishes a lively rhythm pattern. This main instrument used is probably the cajon. It produces a strong beat, like a bass drum, but can also adjust its percussive timbre. String instruments such as the charango, the national instrument of Peru, and the violin are used. Wind instruments such as Peruvian panpipes and flutes play the main melody. Finally, vocals are heard on the recording through exclamation and trills. I really enjoyed this piece because of its joyous melodies and rhythms. For me, this piece was aesthetically pleasing because it sounded so happy. These are my perceptions as someone ...