Re: Living on a rock

[Chris Chovit <cho@newdream.net>]

Bobby wrote:

>hmmmmm, that's a good one kim. from all the enthnomusicology i absorbed
>during my time in school, i would say yes, in the sense that many types of
>asian and "oriental" musics do have a lot of repetition...and can also be
>very mono-chromatic and harmonically static in some ways...Bob Phelps, are
>you up for answering this one??? :-)_
>bobby devito/lvx nova

Yes, there seems to be much repetition in music from Asia....but (from what
little I know about it) it seems to me that the performance of the
repetition is very important, perhaps as a meditation.  For example, I
can't quite imagine traditional gamelan performers playing their patterns
into looping devices, then sitting back and drinking tea.  Perhaps this is
also what is preventing African musicians from embracing these devices.  I
mean, African polyrthythms are very repetitive, but I can't picture a
drum/dance ritual to the beat of a looping device.....but then again, you
never know how things will turn out....