Music Styles Introduction -Country music and Funk music-

What is Country Music Country music is about tradition that differ from place to place. Its simple form lends itself to endless variations on similar themes. Country music grew out of American Southern folk music, both Appalachian and blues. Old-time country was simple and folky, with just guitars and fiddles.

Some Coutry Styles Western Swing Honky Tonk Bluegrass Cowboy Traditional Country

Western Swing It was the most eclectic form of country music and in its free-wheeling diversity. It set the stage for rock & roll. It also incorporated traditional pop melodies, jazz improvisation, blues and folk. Bob Wills and Milton Brown popularized the genre in the '30s and Wills became known as the father of the genre.

Bob Wills -Take me back to Tulsa 51U Symbolic Artists and Songs

Honky Tonk It was the first to be significantly influenced by rock & roll. It's spare and direct, driven acoustic guitars, steel guitars, fiddles, and a high, lonesome vocal. Ernest Tubb was the first honky tonk musician to popularize the genre, but Hank Williams, George Jones, and Lefty Frizzell became the definitive artists in the '50s.

Hank Williams Jr – Jambalaya 1:30 秒開始 Hank Williams Sr – Jambalaya George Jones - He Stopped Loving Her Today Symbolic Artists and Songs

Bluegrass It grew out of traditional string band music, but musicians made the music faster, harder, and more technically demanding. It was named after Bill Monroe's backing band, the Blue Grass Boys. After its inception in the mid-'40s, and its popularization in the '50s, the sound had become part of country music.Bill Monroethe Blue Grass Boys

Cowboy Cowboy Music was originally handed down from the genuine Old West articles, its repertoire consisting of songs sung on the open range to pass the time on cattle drives. The performances and production of cowboy songs depend largely on the context. While movie songs were usually recorded with modern soundtrack-style orchestras, old-time groups like the Sons of the Pioneers relied on traditional, unadorned acoustic instruments.

Michael Martin Murphey - Wildfire L-js Symbolic Artists and Songs

Traditional Country Traditional Country is a nebulous term,but the name does evoke a specific sound, namely the long-standing tradition of simple country songs delivered with simple instrumentation and a distinct twang. The era of traditional country didn't begin until the late '20s, when Jimmie Rodgers became the first national country music star.Jimmie Rodgers

Following Rodgers' success, old-time music faded in popularity and traditional country was born. For the next 40 years, most country music fell under the traditional country umbrella.Rodgers During the '60s, mainstream country became progressively more pop-influenced, yet traditional country held strong until the early '70s, when country-pop became the dominant form of country music.

Faith Hill – Lost 1dNwhttp:// 1dNw 0:30 秒開始 Symbolic Artists and Songs

Funk Music

Outline Stylistic origins Soul music with a greater emphasis on beats, influences from rhythm and blues, jazz and psychedelic rock Cultural origins Mid to late 1960s, United States Typical instruments Electric guitar - Bass guitar - Drums - Keyboards - Horns Mainstream popularity High in the 1970s, later revival of funk beats in metal Derivative forms Disco - Hip hop - Electro music

Characteristics Funk creates an intense groove by using strong bass guitar riffs and bass lines. Funk songs used bass lines as the centerpiece of songs. Graham is generally credited with inventing the percussive "slap bass technique." Some of the best known and most skillful soloists in funk have jazz backgrounds. Sometimes 1970s funk bands are divided to "hardcore funk" and "sophisticated funk" In funk bands, guitarists typically play in a percussive style contents-1-characteristics

History

Origin of Funk The word "funk", once defined in dictionaries as body odor or the smell of sexual intercourse, commonly was regarded as coarse or indecent. The distinctive characteristics of African- American musical expression are rooted in West African musical traditions, and find their earliest expression in spirituals, work chants/songs, praise shouts, gospel and blues. contents-2-2.1

James Brown and funk as a genre By mid-1960s, James Brown had developed his signature groove that emphasized the downbeat – with heavy emphasis on the first beat of every measure to etch his distinctive sound, rather than the backbeat that typified African American music. "Out of Sight" was the breakthrough hit that signaled the shift in Brown's sound to establish funk as a distinct genre. contents-2-2.2

1970s and P-Funk In the 1970s, a new group of musicians further developed the "funk rock" approach innovated by George Clinton, with his main bands Parliament and, later, Funkadelic. Together, they produced a new kind of funk sound heavily influenced by jazz and psychedelic rock.

P-Funk The two groups had members in common and often are referred to collectively as "Parliament-Funkadelic." The breakout popularity of Parliament-Funkadelic gave rise to the term "P-Funk," which referred to the music by George Clinton's bands, and defined a new subgenre.

Other prominent funk bands Other prominent funk bands of the period included -- Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Dennis Coffey, The Brothers Johnson, Earth, Wind & Fire, Bootsy's Rubber Band, The Meters, Tower of Power, contents-2-2.3

1980s and stripped-down funk In the 1980s, many of the core elements that formed the foundation of the P-Funk formula began to be usurped by electronic machines and synthesizers. Horn sections of saxophones and trumpets were replaced by synth keyboards, and the horns that remained were given simplified lines, and few horn solos. contents-2-2.4

Recent developments While funk was all but driven from the radio by slick commercial R&B and New Jack Swing, its influence continued to spread. Rock bands began adding elements of Funk to their sound, creating new combinations of "funk rock" and funk metal.

Since the middle of the 80s hip hop artists regularly sample old funk tunes. James Brown is said to be the most sampled artist in the history of hip hop, while P-Funk is the second most sampled artist. Dr. Dre has freely acknowledged to being heavily influenced by George Clinton's psychedelic funk: "Back in the 70s that's all people were doing: getting high, wearing Afros, bell-bottoms and listening to Parliament-Funkadelic. contents-2-2.5