World Music Exploration - Tarantella

Now that the ensemble classes and Virtual Choir 3.0 (that's another story) are behind us, we can resume our world music exploration. This month, my students and I are exploring one of my favourite countries in the world: Italy.

Italy is rich in history, food, culture and of course - music! This is perhaps one of Italy's most famous folk dances, the Tarrantella:

It translates to "tarantula". It's a circle dance which features changes in direction and tempo. This recording features the mandolin. The above version is Neopeltana one. There is also a Sicilian and Calabrese Tarantella.

All this talk of Italy has given me a huge craving for Italian cuisine and limone gelato.

(c) 2012 by Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

THWOMP Interview: On Convention Gigs

Originally written for Suite101.com on July 27, 2010 as part of my  Interview with Dave Marshall and Brad Stanton of THWOMP series. This one didn't make the cut (although the other parts did, go figure). Here, Brad Stanton and Dave Marshall of the Nintendo® cover band THWOMP discuss convention gigs:

Calgary-based Nintendo® cover band THWOMP has attracted a growing fan base of gaming enthusiasts. They will rock Edmonton on August 6, 2010 at Animethon 17.

In the fall, they will release their debut CD. Band members Brad Stanton and Dave Marshall came for an exclusive chat with Suite 101. In this segment, they talk about this year’s convention gigs.

Video Game Bands and Conventions – A Good Fit 

Conventions draw anime otaku, hardcore gamers and comic book fanatics, giving them a platform to publicly indulge in their geeky passions. In On Gigs, Past, Present and Future, Brad explained that these enthusiasts make for their ideal audience.

Having performed at Alberta's anime conventions for a couple of years has given the group members a unique insight in convention organization. "It’s interesting being on the inside a little bit, seeing how some of them are run," shared Brad. "How completely different they are, even when it’s a lot of the same people because it’s people from the same circle."

Anime conventions are mostly volunteer run, which the group admires. "They’re doing it just because they love the experience, which is kind of like what we’re doing," said Dave. "It’s a good fit in that respect too." 

Animethon is Alberta's longest running anime convention. The anime con takes place every summer at Edmonton's Grant MacEwan University. The guys from THWOMP are looking forward to their August 6 gig. "Last year was such a hoot," said Brad. "We tore it up. We had some fun. So we’re gonna expect some good people there. It’s a good show."

The group is appreciative of the efforts that convention organizers put towards hosting an entertaining show. man, they put in a huge effort into it last year, too," said Brad in relation to Animethon 16. "The stage last year was so wicked."

THWOMP at the Calgary ExpoLast year marked THWOMP's debut gig at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, held every spring on the Calgary Stampede grounds. The Calgary Expo attracts high profile guests such as Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy and Brent Spiner.

THWOMP's expo experience hit some sour notes. The guys tried their best to rock the convention "on some risers in a box" during their half-hour gig. Unfortunately, their gig was scheduled at the same time as the cosplay contest. "That was lame!" said Brad. "You can’t rock out in convention hall lighting. It just doesn’t happen."

THWOMP at Otafest  

THWOMP also enjoys their gigs at Calgary's annual anime convention, Otafest. This anime con is held every May long weekend at the University of Calgary. The organizers have experience hosting anime cover bands and video game cover bands and take great efforts to staging the shows properly.

The 2010 Otafest was extremely memorable. THWOMP's show blew a fuse, cutting off power in one side of the building. "It was exciting," recalled Dave. THWOMP is a Nintendo® band comprised of Calgarians Brad Stanton (lead guitar), Colin Mitchel (lead guitar), Scott Munro (bass), Scott Moffat (drums), David Marshall (keyboards/percussion) and Kirk McVean (keyboards).

For more information about THWOMP, the band or to listen to audio clips, visit their website and Myspace page. In upcoming installments of this Suite 101 exclusive interview, Brad and Dave discuss video games, fun and food.

Full interview series: Part 1 – THWOMP’s Origins | Part 2 – Band Names & Niches | Part 3 – Songwriting | Part 4 - Hey! Listen! CD Release | Part 5 - On Gigs | Part 6 - Convention Gigs | Part 7 - Video Games | Part 8 - Fun & Food

(c) Rhona-Mae Arca, 2010. All rights reserved.

World Music Exploration - Nigerian Gospel Music

This week, we are reminded that we are in the middle of winter. With temperatures in the -20's (Celsius), taking a virtual trip to Nigeria is a nice change.

This week, we are looking at Nigerian Gospel music. Judging from the vast number of videos on Youtube, one can surmise that this is a huge part of the fabric of Nigerian Music.

This is the ECWA Yoruba Choir Mushin. The music is extremely upbeat and their clothing is bright too.

(c) 2012 by Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

World Music Exploration - Traditional Dance Music from Nigeria

When I chose this month's musical destination back in the summer, I assumed we would be in the middle of a cold snap. For the most part, we have been enjoying a rather mild winter in Alberta.

We are exploring Nigeria this month. According to Wikipedia, "Nigeria has been called "the heart of African music" because of its role in the development of West African highlife and palm-wine music, which fuses native rhythms with techniques imported from the Congo for the development of several popular styles that were unique to Nigeria, like apala, fuji, jùjú, highlife, and Yo-pop."  After listening to some music from Nigeria, put on some hip hop or reggae. You'll probably notice some similarities.

There are over 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria. Each group has a distinct style of music. Some of their songs are works songs and some are based on epic poetry. Many of their songs have a call and response form. They use mainly percussion instruments plus voice.

This clip features three dances:

1. Yoruba: uses the dundun hourglass tension drums

2. Hausa: call and response song uses the Arabic scale and is played on a one-stringed goje

3. Igbo: known for incorporating foreign styles,. Instruments used include the 13-stringed zither, called an obo., slit drums, xylophones, flutes, lyres, udus and lutes and European brass instruments.

Enjoy!

(c) 2012 by Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

World Music Exploration - German Trance Music

Trance music isn't something you'd normally hear at a piano lesson. However, since the idea is to expose students to a wide variety of musical genres, why not?

Wisegeek defines trance music as: "an art form that relies heavily on the use of electronic equipment and a specific tempo range, typically 130-160 beats per minute (BPM), to create a musical arrangement that is understood to have somewhat hypnotic qualities." It came onto the scene in the 1990's.There is a set form to trance music. The repetitive melodies are "connected by a series of crescendos and breakdowns." Sounds a bit like minimalist music in a way.

Here is an example of trance music from Germany. Enjoy!

(c) Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.