Just as the category of "Foreign Language Film" has serious
problems, so too does that of "World Music," which names so many kinds of music that it names nothing at all. World music "might best be described by what it is not," noted a
1994 Music Library Association report.
"It is not Western art music, neither it is mainstream Western folk or popular music." The report adds some vague qualifications about "ethnic or foreign elements" then gives away the game: "It is simply not our music, it is their music, music which belongs to someone else."
Perhaps one can see why the idea is now regarded by some as
outdated and offensive. World music does not exist" except as an idea in the mind of journalists, critics, and the buyers of records.
But to whom can music belong? If Japanese musicians play jazz, are they playing American-owned music? Is it "Japanese jazz" or just jazz? Must it have Japanese instruments for it to be "World Music"?
How these questions get answered can determine whether most listeners ever encounter the recorded output of jazz musicians from Japan
There are obviously, very broad categories to World Music and one might reasonably object to them. But it's a great start for getting to know some classic pop sounds from specific regions in the world.
So, jump in and learn more about what the world's been up to, music-wise.
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If you liked this edition of
Mike Overly's 12 Tone Music Newsletter, forward it to your friends.
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Starting with this issue of 12 Tone Music News, I am adding a new personal column so that I may speak directly to you.
I'll begin by saying thank you for subscribing to this newsletter. I hope that you are feeling Healthy, Happy and Holistic in these troubled and
confusing times.
It is my desire that you continue to progress toward your guitar and bass goals during this time of quarantined isolation. So, with that in mind, I want to invite you to join me and my students
in our online studio via Skype or FaceTime. You can find the details by clicking
here for guitar and
here for bass.
It is always a pleasure to hear from you, so please don't hesitate to call or email me with any comments,
questions or suggestions you may have. I'm listening and I'm here for you.
Play On!
Mike Overly
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In 1950,
Fender debuted what would become the first commercially successful solidbody guitar. After an early name change, the guitar-playing world would forever know it as the Telecaster. It featured a bolt-on maple neck married to a solid ash body, and the company continued to use ash as its primary guitar body tonewood through mid-1956. Though the brand has diversified its build materials over the years, ash has remained a limited staple in the catalog. Now, no more!
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IN THE BASSMENT
Selecting an electric bass is a fairly cut-and-dried deal-listen to recordings, learn what your favorite bassists are playing, read reviews, and pull out your credit card. New basses from the same manufacturer and of the same model are likely going to sound pretty darn close. Not so with acoustics; you hear huge differences from one bass to the next simply because you're now dealing with a massive, predominantly organic creature with a sound that may continue to develop and improve for decades, maybe centuries, after you're gone.
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"Written for the guitarist who has been playing for a while, but is seriously hampered by the feeling that they don't know what they're doing.
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WATCH THIS
Slide/bottleneck guitar can evoke flavors ethereal and lyrical or aggressive and bombastic. From Santo & Johnny's "Sleepwalk" to Elmore James' "Dust My Broom" and on to Debashish Bhattacharya's Indian slide musings, this approach delivers a wide spectrum of sounds, emotions, and cultural touchstones. In this Weekly Workout, you'll look at styles ranging from blues and rock to Hawaiian and Middle Eastern sounds, which should whet your appetite for digging into bottleneck slide.
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LEARN HERE
Eddie Van Halen brought a whole new level of technical excellence and expressive playing to the guitar when he emerged on the scene in the late Seventies. Eddie used some unconventional techniques - most notably tapping - to create a wild style that would forever raise the bar on rock guitar playing. Eddie's technique is the subject of most conversations when it comes to his playing. But his melodicism is also worthy of exploration.
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GREAT GEAR
Designed to replicate the tone of the ZZ Top frontman's legendary "Pearly Gates" '59 Les Paul Burst, the "WhiskerBucker" pickups feature approximate outputs of 8.3k (for the neck) and 8.2k (for the bridge). The set is said to use a patented analog spectrum recorder to recreate 100% mirror-imaging of legendary pickups across the board. The pickup set is available for preorder now, with a choice of silver or red pole pieces, $497!
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ARTIST AWARENESS
Kanahi Yamashita, born in Nagasaki/Japan in 1997, has been performing with the Kazuhito Yamashita Family Quintet in the USA, Europe and in Asia since her early childhood. Since 2015 she has been living in Berlin and regularly plays solo and chamber music concerts at many different venues. She won the 1st prize at the VNC Competition and the Silver medal Strings Virtuoso at the 3rd Berliner International Competition in 2019.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1_b_Isdelw
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