FO on Music Theory Print

Folk baroque

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Definition#

Particularly notable in the folk baroque style was the adoption of DADGAD tuning, which gave a form of suspended-fourth D chord, usefully neither major or minor, which could be employed as the basis for modal-based folk songs. It is uncertain who first developed this tuning, as both Davy Graham and Martin Carthy attributed it to each other, but it has been speculated that Graham may have acquired it from the oud while visiting north Africa.

Folk jazz

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Folk metal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origins#

The English band Skyclad was formed in 1990 after vocalist Martin Walkyier left his previous band, the thrash metal group Sabbat. Skyclad began as a thrash metal band but added violins from session musician Mike Evans on several tracks from their debut album, The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth, an effort described by Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic as “ambitious” and “groundbreaking.” The song “The Widdershins Jig” from the debut album has been acclaimed as “particularly significant” and “a certain first in the realms of Metal”. With a full-time fiddler in their lineup, the band’s second album feature a “now legendary folky jig style” and “more prominent inclusion of the fiddle playing lead lines and melodies normally associated with the lead guitar parts of most other rock bands.” With the release of their debut album Wolfheart in the following year, the band made a transition into gothic metal and within a matter of years “quickly evolved into one of the major players of the European goth-metal scene.” Cruachan were formed in 1992 in Dublin, Ireland. From the outset their intention was to mix the native Irish folk music of their home country with the more extreme side of metal music. Their debut album Tuatha Na Gael was released in 1995 and was a full folk metal album from start to finish. In the Italian book Folk Metal, Dalle origini al Ragnarök, a comprehensive history of the genre, author Fabrizio Giosuè credits Cruachan as being the very first real folk metal band. He acknowledges that Skyclad did have some folk parts in some songs before Cruachan however he goes on to say Cruachan used folk music as much as they used heavy metal music. Cruachan also used arrangements of known folk songs and melodies, Skyclad wrote folk “sounding” parts. Spanish band Mägo de Oz was among early folk metal artists that were influenced by the Celtic folk music. The band introduced folk elements and instruments in their power metal-based music from their 1994 debut album. Another early developer of folk metal is the Finnish group Amorphis. They formed in 1990 with their debut album, The Karelian Isthmus, following two years later. Their sophomore effort Tales from the Thousand Lakes was released in 1994 with “plenty of fascinating melodies and song structures that drew heavily from the traditional folk music of their native country.” The album received a favorable reception from fans with “its content quickly being exalted across the metal underground as perhaps the very pinnacle of atmospheric death metal achievement.”

Folk music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Definition#

The terms folk music, folk song, and folk dance are comparatively recent expressions. They are extensions of the term folklore, which was coined in 1846 by the English antiquarian William Thoms to describe “the traditions, customs, and superstitions of the uncultured classes”. The term further derives from the German expression Volk, in the sense of “the people as a whole” as applied to popular and national music by Johann Gottfried Herder and the German Romantics over half a century earlier. Though it is understood that folk music is the music of the people, observers find a more precise definition to be elusive. Some do not even agree that the term folk music should be used. another is that of music that has been submitted to an evolutionary “process of oral transmission… the fashioning and re-fashioning of the music by the community that give it its folk character.” Such definitions depend upon “(cultural) processes rather than abstract musical types…”, upon “continuity and oral transmission…seen as characterizing one side of a cultural dichotomy, the other side of which is found not only in the lower layers of feudal, capitalist and some oriental societies but also in ‘primitive’ societies and in parts of ‘popular cultures’”. One widely used definition is simply “Folk music is what the people sing.” For Scholes, there was a sense of the music of the country as distinct from that of the town. Folk music was already, “…seen as the authentic expression of a way of life now past or about to disappear (or in some cases, to be preserved or somehow revived),” particularly in “a community uninfluenced by art music” Music in this genre is also often called “traditional music”. Although the term is usually only descriptive, in some cases people use it as the name of a genre. For example, the Grammy Award previously used the terms “traditional music” and “traditional folk” for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. Folk music may include most indigenous music.

Folk music of Punjab

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Rhythm#

The rhythm of Punjabi folk music is very simple. unlike the rhythms of Bhangra music which are generally complex

Melody#

Some songs like Heer and Mirza are sung using the traditional compositions.

Folk songs#

Punjab has folk songs on birth, marriage, funeral, death, love, separation, beauty, social and economical status, village lifestyle, food, nature, bravery, folklores and folktales, folk romances, folk and historical heroes, festivals and many more. The songs of professional castes of Punjab are also included in the folk songs. They can be divided into the following categories:

Folk punk

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Folk punk is related to and/or influenced by various styles such as Celtic punk, gypsy punk, anti-folk, and alternative country. Folk punk is also linked with DIY punk scenes, and bands often perform in house venues in addition to more traditional spaces. Folk-punk musicians may perform their own compositions in the style of punk rock, but using additional folk instruments, such as mandolins, accordions, banjos, and/or violins. Folk punk possesses a rich history of progressive and leftist political views, involving topics like race, class, feminism, anti-fascism, animal rights, queerness, and anarchism.

Folk ragtime

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Structure#

The writers of folk ragtime often mixed their themes together at random, in a structure loosely resembling the typical Classic Rag structure (IntroAABBACCDD). A good testament to this is the legendary multiple takes of Folk Rags by Sanford Brunson Campbell, recorded on acetate in 1947. They illustrate a performer who embellishes and improvises on basic themes, at times seeming as if he is making it all up as he goes along. In terms of melodic and harmonic content, Folk Rags have a distinct blues influence. In addition to themes based on 12-bar patterns, the non-blues-structured themes almost incorporate flatted ‘blue’ notes. Many themes in Folk rags are based on tonic-dominant chord relations, with forays into other simple chords. A typical chord progression in B major would go: B B E E B B F7 F7 B B E E B F7 B B : I I IV IV I I V7 V7 I I IV IV I V7 I I : At the center of the revival of folk ragtime has been historian, collector, and composer/pianist Trebor Jay Tichenor. His modern interpretations of Folk Ragtime, as well as his original compositions in the style, have set the standard for all folk ragtime pianists today. Some of his noted works are: “Hickory Smoked Rag” (1974), “Days Beyond Recall” (circa. 1960), and “Pierce City Rag” (circa. 1961), among many others.

Folk rock

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Definition and etymology#

“Folk rock” refers to the blending of elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the U.S. and UK in the mid-1960s. Dylan also contributed to the creation of the genre, with his recordings utilizing rock instrumentation on the albums Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde. The term folk rock was coined by the journalist Eliot Tiegel, who used it in Billboard magazine on June12, 1965. In his article, “Folkswinging Wave On – Courtesy of Rock Groups”, Tiegel used the term principally to describe the music of the Byrds, who issued their debut album in the U.S. later that month. In the same article, he wrote that Billy J. Kramer, Jackie DeShannon and Sonny & Cher had all started incorporating “folk-oriented material on singles”, and he listed Rising Sons, Joe and Eddie and the Lovin’ Spoonful as new folk-rock acts.

Folk songs of Lithuania

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Etymology#

The word “dainos” may come from meaning “song” or or , meaning “folk song, often with sad music or contents.”

Song festivals#

Lithuania is home to many folk music festivals. The “Dainų šventė” (literally Song Celebration) a state-supported festival, is perhaps the most famous. First held in 1924, it has taken place every five years since then, and helps to keep the folk and choral music tradition alive. Other major folk festivals include the Skamba skamba kankliai and the , both held annually. Of historical importance is the , which was held in the 1980s and was the first major festival of its kind. The Baltica International Folklore Festival is held in one of the Baltic states every year. The tradition of mass Song Festivals was inscribed in the UNESCO list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003.

Folk-pop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Musical elements#

Folk-pop incorporates the sounds of the acoustic guitar and banjo of traditional folk music and combines it with the more electronic and synth beats of today’s pop genre. The folk genre is recognized for its simple melodies, story-telling nature, and cultural themes and messages, while pop music is recognized by a repetitive but catchy chorus and fast-paced tempos.

History#

Recording production values created an unblemished style that appealed to a mass audience, and thus led to commercial success as measured by high record sales, particularly as illustrated by hit records reaching the Top 40 on AM radio in the United States. Folk-pop developed during the 1960s folk music and folk rock boom. Key example of folk-pop artists include the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary with contracts with major record labels (Capitol Records and Warner Bros. Records, respectively).

Folkhop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Folktronica

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The 1991 album Every Man and Woman is a Star by Ultramarine was described in a 2014 PopMatters article as a progenitor of the genre; it featured a pastoral sound and incorporated traditional instruments such as violin and harmonica with techno and house elements. The term folktronica was coined in the late 1990s, presumably first by the British press in reference to the musician Kieran Hebden (Four Tet). In the early 2000s, indie electronic acts such as Múm, Four Tet, Isan, Bibio and the Books began releasing formative music in the genre. According to The Sunday Times Culture’s Encyclopedia of Modern Music, essential albums of the genre are Four Tet’s Pause (2001) and Rounds (2003), Tunng’s Mother’s Daughter and Other Songs (2005), and Caribou’s The Milk of Human Kindness (2005), some of which had a cross-genre influence on artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead and J Dilla. In addition to its roots in underground indie and electronic music, some commentators have noted that elements of folktronica entered the mainstream through pop artists who experimented with blending acoustic textures and electronic production. Madonna incorporated aspects of folktronica into her early-2000s work, particularly on her 2003 album American Life, after starting to explore a similar genre-crossing by blending country and dance-pop on Music (2000). She has been credited with helping to introduce the hybrid sound to a broader audience beyond the indie scene.

Football chant

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Football chants may be considered modern examples of traditional storytelling and folk songs. According to folk singer Martin Carthy, football chants are “the one surviving embodiment of an organic living folk tradition.” It is also a unique public expression of collective identity, and football chants may be seen as modern examples of the folk tradition blason populaire where a group vocalise their identity as well as their rivalry against another group.

Footwork (genre)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Etymology#

The name “footwork” given to the genre refers to the footwork dance that accompanies it and is characterized by very fast structured dance footwork. The arguably first mention of the term “footwork” within the ghetto house scene of Chicago was WaxMaster’s “Foot work” track in 1995. The term juke, as being applied to particular styles of ghetto house, came into use from DJ Puncho and Gant-Man in the late 1990s Sometimes, the combined terms juke and footwork (or footwork and juke) are used to describe the single musical scene or musical movement, born from Chicago ghetto house.

Forró

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origin of the music#

The forrós were popular dances that took place in certain locations, using various rhythms. Forró as a festivity and musical genre has its joint origin in several states of the Brazilian Northeast, emerging in the outskirts of the capitals and in the countryside of the states of Bahia, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, and Alagoas. Forró encompasses various rural rhythms from several northeastern states, such as baião, xote, arrasta pé, xaxado, coco, rural samba, among many other rhythms. The popular dances, according to the Pernambucan press, were known as “forrobodó” or “forrobodança” or even “forrobodão” already by the end of the 19th century.