A Crash Course in World Music

Music marketing companies attempt to categorize different types of music that do not fit into typical western categorization, fabricated the genre World Music.

This ‘faux’ genre was created as an effort to have a rack in the music store separated from western popular music. This area of the music shop was populated with exotic scales and languages that contemporary music vendors didn’t know where to put it. In turn, lumping many different types of music into one category.

In an article written by music legend David Byrne titled Crossing Music’s Borders: ‘I Hate World Music’ published in the New York Times, October 3, 1999, Byrne states:

“the use of the term world music is a way of dismissing artists or their music as irrelevant to one’s own life. It’s a way of relegating this “thing” into the realm of something exotic and therefore cute, weird but safe, because exotica is beautiful but irrelevant; they are, by definition, not like us. Maybe that’s why I hate the term. It groups everything and anything that isn’t “us” into “them.” This grouping is a convenient way of not seeing a band or artist as a creative individual, albeit from a culture somewhat different from that seen on American television. It’s a label for anything at all that is not sung in English or anything that doesn’t fit into the Anglo-Western pop universe this year.”

FELA!

Now that we all know that World Music is not a very ‘organic’ genre, I can move on. I wanted to use this article to shed light on some famous musicians from outside contemporary western music. One individual that needs naming is Fela Kuti.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti was an amazing man who led an incredible life chronicled by his musical output. Kuti, a multi-instrumentalist, single handedly created the genre Afrobeat and shook up politics in Africa, almost becoming president but forever changing history.

Fela, a Nigerian by birth, went to London in his early years to study medicine like some of his siblings who became doctors. Instead of pursuing medical school, he decided to study music at Trinity College of Music. When he got out of school, he returned to Nigeria and had a successful band, with which he toured the U.S. After discovering the Black Panther movement going on in the U.S., Fela was inspired to use his music to bring attention to the tumultuous social climate of Nigeria. This is when Fela formed his most famous musical incarnation Fela Anikulapo Kuti and the Afrika ’70.

Fela began gaining momentum politically, because of his widespread musical popularity and admiration. He founded his own compound, which consisted of himself, his many wives, the band and friends. Felas’ began to sing in Pidgin or Broken English in order for all to understand since many African languages vary greatly but millions of Africans spoke Pidgin English. His politically motivated musical themes started to turn heads.

The song Zombie was a direct criticism of the Nigerian Army. In turn, the government of Nigeria sent an army to his compound, killed his mother, destroyed all possessions and beat Fela within inches of his life before sparing him. Fela regrouped with his band and began playing live again, this time with a very specific agenda – to gain the presidential seat in Nigeria. When his band mates found out about his intention to use band revenue to fuel his campaign, many saw it as a sure fire way of being killed or worse.

Fela then pushed further by forming is own political party and entered his name into the presidential race for almost a dozen years, consistently having his candidacy refused. Fela then formed a group called the Egypt ’80, toured and continually put out music. Fela then found himself under attack again from the Nigerian government and they put him on trial for a trumped up charge of currency smuggling. Several civil rights groups became aware of his plight and helped him to be release from jail, where he had spent almost two years.

Fela continued to tour and put out new music until the early 90’s when he eventually succumbed to a health complication due to not receiving treatment for AIDS.

What has he left us?

Fela has left us audiophiles with a sizable catalog of music that truly defines who he was and his social surroundings. Although much of his music is politically motivated, he does not bore. Fela knew that his music was more than a soapbox; it had to be the music at parties, playing on the radio and infusing itself into culture.

These songs, however simplistic, are amazing to jam on with guitar/drum/bass or even throw in a sax!

Must listen list:

Zombie

Equalization of Trousers and Pants

Opposite People

Question Jam Answer

Also check out the band Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra to check out some contemporary Afrobeat. Antibalas is also the house band for the Broadway production of FELA! A musical about Fela’s life and legacy. Check out their songs Si, Se, Puede and N.E.S.T.A. for awesome jam ideas.

Next installment of crash course in World Music

Umm Kulthum is as revered as the zenith in Arabic singing. As a consequence of being widely loved and admired throughout the Arabic world, she too became involved in politics and is said to have played a key hand in a revolution… stay tuned so SMG for more on this.

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Mike Kolbenson is a staff writer at SMG. Mike is a recent graduate from Purchase College, SUNY and absolutely in love with all things guitar. Email: mikekolbenson@sharemyguitar.com

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Photo by Dan Coplan

Modes are both fascinating and totally confusing. I could go on for days about modal theory but this article is more about fun and giving you a taste of what modes sound like and how to play them. First, a basic introduction.

A scale is a series of notes, arranged by pitch, that starts at the root note (also known as the tonal center) and ascends or descends to its octave. Using A major as an example, an ascending scale looks like this:

A – B – C# – D – E – F# – G# – A

A mode is similar to a scale in that it’s a series of notes, arranged by pitch, that starts at a root and ascends or descends to its octave. Rather than the root note being the first note of a major scale, however, a different note is used as the root. If you choose the 2nd note, which is B, and ascend the scale using the exact same notes as the A major scale, you get the Dorian mode – the 2nd mode of the series of seven (one mode per note). A major is the first mode (in this particular example) and is referred to as the Ionian mode. Dorian is the second mode and in this case is called “B Dorian”:

B – C# – D – E – F# – G# – A – B

Start the scale using the 3rd note of A major which is C#. Guess what? Now you’re playing C# Phrygian:

C# – D – E – F# – G# – A – B – C#

Photo by iBjorn

Manage Your Free Time

You are a young guitar student. You have a guitar, a teacher, and a date set for lessons. However, one thing has seemed to escape your thoughts… creating your guitar practice schedule. When should you practice? Between work, school, friends, and family… where is the time to practice? Thank goodness that with just a little planning and time management, you will have enough time to practice and enough time for all of your other tasks.

Cut Out The Clutter

The first step is to find out what’s cluttering your time. Sadly, you can’t cut out school. However, there are other factors which come into play (these include your friends, family, and down time). Once you identify all of these factors then you can start rearranging your schedule to incorporate it. Try reducing friend time by about thirty minutes or so and reduce time with family by the same or more and then you have at least an hour to practice. This doesn’t have to be a daily occurrence. However if you wish, you may put in practice time daily. It also may be helpful to form a five day schedule during the week, leaving the weekend free, or you can make a schedule incorporating every other day. Choose whatever form of practice schedule it is, as long as it makes you feel comfortable and works within your lifestyle. One thing that may offer a slight hindrance to your practice flow is a work schedule. If so, try your best to make a practice schedule work around the job.

Photo by notsogoodphotography

Tune That Guitar!

The hard driving sound of a rock and roll guitar riff is unmistakable. However, there are so many styles and sounds of rock guitar. Each one has its own signature. For the amateur player, getting a good rock guitar tone is not easy.

New guitar players tend to make the same mistakes. Primarily, good tone and good sound come with the proper tuning of the instrument. Strings are also an important aspect of achieving that unique sound quality. Rookie players tend to use heavier gauge strings that may seem optimum for a harder rock sound. Though this may be true in some cases, newer players often cannot manipulate them in a skillful manner. This is due to the fact that heavy gauge strings are also hard on those virgin fingers. Tough skin and calluses need to develop by practicing regularly. Light gauge strings can create some of the best sounds in rock, and they are much easier to play.

Dial in the Right Sound

As far back as the 1950s, getting a good rock guitar tone meant having a quality electric guitar and a decent amp. The best electric guitars in the business during that era were Fender, Gibson and Rickenbacker. Back then it was more the guitar than the amp, but today good tone can come from many things.

Though vintage guitars are still the preferred instrument of most rock musicians, amplifiers have taken a giant leap forward in creating specific sounds themselves. Amp modeling has become a feature of some of the newest digital units. In some of the higher quality digital amps, sounds of specific guitars and amplifiers are used. For example, a newer amp with a modeling feature can mimic the sounds of a Fender Stratocaster or an old Vox tube amplifier. The digital quality usually comes fairly close to the sound that is produced by the guitar or amp that is being copied.

Using Effects Effectively!

Various pedals or board effects can also create a good rock tone. These adjuncts to the electric guitar can provide a myriad of sounds that can be custom made, and combined to form a more personalized sound. Some of these effects are built into the amp itself. The most common effects that create the best rock tones are distortion, chorus/flange, overdrive and vibrato. There are some others, but these additional guitar effects are main ingredients in that vintage rock guitar sound. However, in the end its all about practice and knowledge of the instrument itself that creates good sound.

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Corey Palmer is a guitarist from Woodstock, NB Canada who has been playing for the past 20 years.  During this time, he has been a member of many different bands ranging from rock, metal and even a little country.  He currently jams with a band called gNosh. Email: coreypalmer@sharemyguitar.com

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Did you ever want to learn to play guitar? Maybe you have a guitar that you do not know how to play, or you are thinking about getting one, but you know that guitar lessons can be expensive, and you just do not have the money. Well, did you know you could learn guitar online?

Photo by Y

Learning to play guitar these days means that you need an internet connection and an axe!

Google it

Learning guitar online is simple with all the information out there nowadays. With a simple search, you will discover that there are many and varied websites dedicated to teaching people how to play guitar. It doesn’t matter if you’re a complete beginner if or you have a lot of experience but still want to progress in your playing; with all the information there is to be found online, it’s easy to find websites that are perfect for your skill level. You will be surprised how easy it is for you to learn to play guitar online!

Get Your Video On

When it comes to websites that teach guitar, you have a variety of options. Some websites have video tutorials that you can learn from, while others use mainly written lessons. Some websites even have interactive “guitars” that you can use when learning. Since everyone has a different style of learning, it is up to you what methods you make use of when learning to play guitar online. Some people find videos help them more, while others who learn better from reading and seeing things in writing will naturally work better with written lessons. If you do not know which works better for you, it is a good idea to try both and see which one helps more. You may even find a mix of the two works best!

Now Start Jamming

Once you learn guitar online, you will be able to take your guitar out at parties, jam with your friends, or if you get really good, play at an open mike night. Maybe you can even join a band and start writing some songs. There are plenty of cool things you can do with a guitar, once you know how to play it. Think of how easy learning guitar online will be–you will not have to leave the house, you can do it in your pajamas, you can do it at anytime of the day or night (provided you don’t wake anyone up!). There is really no excuse not to try to learn from these online guitar tutorials. So, isn’t it time you took that guitar that has been propped up in the corner of your bedroom and made it into something more than just decoration?

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It’s easy to get yourself amped up and rockin’ when you are learning your craft as a guitarist.  When you strap on your favorite axe, plug in to your amp, hit that first note and feel the vibration surge through the air, it’s electrifying! At that point the adrenaline kicks in and you are on fire! But there often comes a time when you have reached a peak and the creative juices seem to lie stagnate or even dry up. So I pose the age old question (one I hear many aspiring actors say here in Hollyweird), what’s your inspiration?

Find Your Inspiration

There are no limits to what can be a source of inspiration and it matters not if you are a songwriter or just a hobbyist, inspiration and motivation are key components to perfecting your craft. You have to have a desire to play or practice and that desire is usually sparked by something that inspires you to want to pick up your guitar and be expressive.

One form of inspiration is listening. Just simply listening to music and dissecting the instruments, their tones, and the overall vibe of the song can do wonders to expand your musical horizons and make you want to emulate the things you hear that strike a chord with you.  I can remember spending hours with my former co-guitarist just playing songs for each other and pointing out the different textures of sounds, rhythms, progressions, and how they all came together to make the song interesting. This is also a great way to discover new things that you yourself may have never given a chance (I even liked Insane Clown Posse when my buddy pointed out certain nuances in their production value).

Check Out the Local Music Scene!

Another GREAT way to get inspired is to go see your favorite bands or live shows in general. Nothing gets you pumped to play like seeing your idol on stage tearing it up! Seeing Joe Satriani for the first time for example, I went home and immediately plugged in and played guitar till about 3am… or until my mom told me to turn down the racket, I don’t remember!

One of the things that helped me to push myself and motivated me was seeing other guitar players in the local scene as well.  When you’re striving to be the best and there is a kid down the block who is creating quite a buzz, it pushes you to keep up and stay ahead of the pack. Having a competitive spirit can inspire you to better yourself but don’t be competitive to be cocky (see my last post), but to push yourself beyond any limitations you may find that you have but others don’t. Just knowing that someone else can do it should inspire you to be able to do the same.

Don’t Give Up!

There is no limit to what may inspire you. Whether it is music, nature, art, movies, beauty,  just be excited to have an outlet to express yourself artistically. Take all of that inspiration now and put it to good use as it is just a precursor to the REAL effort that follows. The great inventor Thomas Edison said it best:

“Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration”.

So get inspired, then GET TO WORK!!

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Scott “SVH” Von Heldt is a staff writer for SMG. Scott is currently the lead guitarist for Brian “Head” Welch (ex-Korn) and has worked with members of White Zombie, Cirque Du Soliel and many others. In late 2008 he released the first book of his Mystic Art of Self-Discovery series entitled Mind Over Metal: The Musician’s Guide to Mental Mastery.

Email: SVH@sharemyguitar.com

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