The Cuatro of Puerto Rico

The National Instrument of Puerto Rico, the Cuatro

The first oldest of the cuatros was called the "Four String Cuatro Antiguo" and was the earliest form of the instrument dating back to the 17th century. Although it is rarely played now and is for the most part gone, it was tuned in intervals of 4-3-4. It was made from a single block of wood and used 4 gut strings.

http://www.cuatro-pr.org/Home/Audio/Indexaudio/I
nstrmusaudio/Instruments/Cuatros/Cuatro%20Antiguo.mp3

The 8 stringed "Southern Cuatro" began appearing in Southern cities in Puerto Rico in the twenties and forties. It was made like a guitar and had s4 pairs of steel strings. Although they were tuned like the four stringed cuatros were they were played with a pairs of metal strings. Because it was difficult to play only the most skilled musicians performed using the "Southern Cuatro" and they were used to perform Puerto Rican Classic music. It played mazurkas, polkas, waltzes, danzas, and other music. Because they were so difficult to play and required very cumbersome tuning they drifted completely out of play by the early fifties.





http://www.cuatro-pr.org/Home/Audio/Indexaudio
/Instrmusaudio/Instruments/Cuatros/NorbertoCalesocho.mp3


A cross between the modern cuatro and the ten stringed cuatro seen before, this early rural 10 stringed cuatro was brought over from remote villages into cities during the 19th century. With modern tuning and stringing, they were the early version of the modern cuatro but still held the pyramidal semi-circular shape in its form.




The modern cuatro is widely used by puerto ricans today is the 10 (5 pairs) stringed instrument with 20 inch strings and a violin like outline. It is also sometimes called the "cuatro aviolinado" or the violin shaped cuatro or the "Cuatro Espanol" the Spanish Cuatro because of the similar tunings to Spanish brought instruments such as the citaras and laudes. It gained much popularity in the thirties after being played on the radio show Industrias Nativas for years by Ladislao Martinez.


Cuatro making poster:

http://www.cuatro-pr.org/Home/Images/Index/
Instmusimages/Artisans/HaciendoCuatroPoster.pdf

Impromptu Modern Cuatro:



Live Performance:



Latin Jazz:






http://www.cuatro-pr.org/Home/Eng/Instrmus/Instrmnts/Cuatros/cuatros.htm

The Cuatro of Puerto Rico

The National Instrument of Puerto Rico, the Cuatro

The first oldest of the cuatros was called the "Four String Cuatro Antiguo" and was the earliest form of the instrument dating back to the 17th century. Although it is rarely played now and is for the most part gone, it was tuned in intervals of 4-3-4. It was made from a single block of wood and used 4 gut strings.

http://www.cuatro-pr.org/Home/Audio/Indexaudio/Instrmusaudio/
Instruments/Cuatros/Cuatro%20Antiguo.mp3

The 8 stringed "Southern Cuatro" began appearing in Southern cities in Puerto Rico in the twenties and forties. It was made like a guitar and had s4 pairs of steel strings. Although they were tuned like the four stringed cuatros were they were played with a pairs of metal strings. Because it was difficult to play only the most skilled musicians performed using the "Southern Cuatro" and they were used to perform Puerto Rican Classic music. It played mazurkas, polkas, waltzes, danzas, and other music. Because they were so difficult to play and required very cumbersome tuning they drifted completely out of play by the early fifties.





http://www.cuatro-pr.org/Home/Audio/Indexaudio/Instrmusaudio/
Instruments/Cuatros/NorbertoCalesocho.mp3


A cross between the modern cuatro and the ten stringed cuatro seen before, this early rural 10 stringed cuatro was brought over from remote villages into cities during the 19th century. With modern tuning and stringing, they were the early version of the modern cuatro but still held the pyramidal semi-circular shape in its form.




The modern cuatro is widely used by puerto ricans today is the 10 (5 pairs) stringed instrument with 20 inch strings and a violin like outline. It is also sometimes called the "cuatro aviolinado" or the violin shaped cuatro or the "Cuatro Espanol" the Spanish Cuatro because of the similar tunings to Spanish brought instruments such as the citaras and laudes. It gained much popularity in the thirties after being played on the radio show Industrias Nativas for years by Ladislao Martinez.


Cuatro making poster:

http://www.cuatro-pr.org/Home/Images/Index
/Instmusimages/Artisans/HaciendoCuatroPoster.pdf

Impromptu Modern Cuatro:




Live Performance:



Latin Jazz:





http://www.cuatro-pr.org/Home/Eng/Instrmus/Instrmnts/Cuatros/cuatros.htm

Week 8

Because I am a very deep loving commited fan to r&b, I had to find an artist who I felt represented r&b to the deepest extent and see how he did that. Although much of today's r&b is produced electronically and through studio sound mixing and the sort, true r&b as the album of ne-yo has been described seems to possess a large variety of noises and distinct sound effects. But some of the predominant instruments in the majority of his songs are the piano, the quick rhythmic tapping of the hi hat, the bass drum (used in drum sets with the foot pedal), acoustic guitar, tapping blocks, body noises such as snapping fingers and claps, and a great variety of drums with different ranges and timbres. In a great deal of Ne-yo's songs, his lyrics match the tone of the notes played by the different instruments. This interesting aspect, or at least what I find the most intriguing in his music and several other r&b singers is the fact that one can listen to the instrumental version of the song and just in the different melodies and the tone and speed of them, one can practically feel what emotion the song is trying to express and the specific story one is telling. For example, in the song "Time" the repetitive melody played by the piano expresses the feeling of going back and forth. Just as the fingers play over the same keys in the same order, the mind weaves back and forth through the same thoughts in the same distraught but constant order. The somber lowering of the pitch leads the the lyrical phrase of "She'll be gone" which is sung just as the piano hits its lowest keys, straying from the repetitive melody is played over and over again before. The beauty of not only his voice but his lyrics and ability to incorporate different instruments to tell the story along with him only strengthen his music and the power it possesses.

Thursday May 17 Blog

The end of the video was a bit more intriguing in my opinion then the beginning of the film. I believe this is partially due to the fact that I found the music a bit more familiar. The first scene we were shown consisted of an ensemble of five violinists, an accordion or aerophone like instrument and and a large cello or chordophone instrument. It seemed a very joyous occasion with food being made and people gathered together. This event seemed to show the popularity of music and its large presence in the society considering the musicians were placed in the middle of the gathering of people and all eyes were shown to be on the musicians in certain camera shots.
Although there were no instruments in the next scene which consisted of a mother and daughter on a train singing a song, I must say that I noticed a large difference in the tone (and possibly even timbre) or quality between the mothers and daughters voice. Although it may be explained with age it seemed the mother sang in more of an alto voice with a more somber quality while the daughters was more nasally and much less solid (more shaky). Her voice reminded me very much so of the man who sang the first day we watched the video while the man sang under the moon outside and made the women laugh and smile.
In the third scene a little boy sat with his visibly saddened mother waiting on a bench for a train. Across the tracks were Roma people and the boy got them to play to cheer up his mother while he danced. Along with being an adorable and touching scene (I thought the little boy was such a cute sweetheart for offering all his coins to cheer his mom) the Roma people played using two spoons which would I believe be an ideophone, a violin, a aerophone pot-like instrument and body slapping and clapping while singing and dancing to the music.
The last scene that showed instruments was a very westernized appearing scene took place in a church-like scenario that involved around four guitars, a cello (or similar chordophone instrument) and very western clothing, no traditional dress. I have to admit I think I missed the point of the last scene although musically I enjoyed it.
Overall I found the film in its entirety to be interesting and quite explanatory. It really showed just how strong music influences not only our lives but how we celebrate how it plays such a large role in everyday life and its rituals and times. It also showed amazingly just how different aspects of tradition can be copied or carried on either in time or to other people and mixed into a completely different culture. It seems that what the Roma people learned from who was around them, they made their own by including it in what music they already had, therefore inventing their new own type and putting an interesting twist on what already was. The most interesting thing in all of this is that it is just a small sample of just how much we have integrated different types of music into others and music has evolved through time. This film shows us in the most personal of ways how this happens and it does so quite well.

Week 6- Latcho Drom

I really enjoyed watching the video Latcho Drom which showed the evolution of music and the musical aspect of the culture of gypsy's as they traveled to different places and their children were influenced by the music and use of musical instruments in each of the places they were exposed to. The first scene that was shown depicted the instruments the gypsy/nomads originally used. During what I believe to be the wedding we saw all of the people seated and a variety of instruments from small finger cymbols, pots used by being blown into, a sitar, clap sticks, bangles, tambourine like instruments and the tabla were used. In the second scene that we saw was a dance scene where a woman danced on a table with a man people clapped and the woman wore a chime like belt around her hips that jingled as she shook her hips. She also used finger clappers, while drums were played with sticks and the rabab was used. People also used their body to add to the music and rhythm through clapping and stomping. Children also watched through the windows while another one played along in the tree. This showed us how children take on a new cultures methods on dancing in their cultures and make them apart of their own and pass them on. The last scene seemed to have a very European or Middle Eastern influence as the gypsy's seemed to be settled in not only from the way they dressed but from the scene where the ensemble sits and plays. It seems western influence has taken over as we saw a violin instead of a rebab along with a flute a guitar and tambourines. The way that the little girl was dancing though was obviously very similar to the dance showed in scene two and one would be able to link some aspects of her movement to scene one as well (where the little girl was dancing). It was very interesting to see just how one culture influences another and how children can take was they see and bring it throughout their lives with them obviously passing what they learned down to their own families.

Week 5 Post- Media and Music

The fact that music is so easily attainable with technology internet filesharing, downloading, and radio and that it is such a large part of our society and culture so it reaches such a large percentage of people makes it easy to blame a lot of violence and negativity on the expression of todays rap hip hop and r&b artists. I must admit that at least the top of the charts in the rap and hip hop departments often contain music and lyrical content that would drop the jaw of an avid listener if the true content definition were explained. The fact that mainstream rap contains such negative lyrics is pretty obvious. But it is unfair to place the blame of violence and negativity on all rap artists. I personally am not a fan of many of the top hits due to their lack of depth and their messageless lyrics. But there are many rap artists in the industry who use their lyrics to express their emtotions on the life they live. One can not say that rap has caused violence. Or that rock music induces suicide or bad attitudes. We as people tend to like and listen to music that we personally identify with. The media does its job in delivering this music to us no matter what the content. So while the music we listen to can possibly be a reflection of our moods or emotions at certain times in our lives (or certain times of the day even) it would be completely unfair say that music influences our lives. If anything the lives of the artists create the music. If there were no drugs, gangs, violence, or shootings then there would be no music about them. It jsut seems to be an easy target to place the blame on the bad things we encounter in this world on the artists many of whom write lyrics as a method of expressing their thoughts feelings and encounters. There are many artists whom I have heard whos lyrical content contain real meaning and true artistry and poetic license. (in my opinion at least) Many of these artists tend to speak on legitimate issues and use words abstractly but accurately to do so, creating what I feel is good music. Perhaps it would serve the world better for the media to expose these artists more so than those who rap about cars money and bling. If they were to do that perhaps the neverending circle of violent lyrics leading to violent behavior would cease. But until then we should keep in mind that the end of a story is only the tip of their iceburg and much more leads up to that point.

Week Four Post

After watching the criticism of Western scholars of Chinese orchestra I was a bit annoyed to see how harshly these western scholars judged the Chinese orchestra. The scholars made comments on the instruments the Chinese orchestra used and how they were factory made and their sound therefore had a western influence. Professor Helen Reese seemed to be a large critic of the Chinese orchestra defining authenticity as being an immaculate simulation. She deemed the "ancient Naxi Music" as not authentic because it was performed for a foreign audience and was no longer being performed for the same rituals as it was originally. But it seems quite unbelievable that these scholars are being such harsh critics of the Chinese orchestra. One should appreciate the fact that the Chinese Orchestra is sharing a piece of their culture with the rest of the world. One would assume this would be done because China is proud of their heritage. If they were to keep everything authentic then these Western Scholars like Professor Helen Reese never would have had an opportunity to criticise the ancient Nazi music because it would be more than likely that western scholars would have either none of very little access to it. Another point to keep in mind is the fact that music throughout the world and in the US especially has evolved throughout time so it seems a bit bold of western scholars to declare china's orchestra and music un-authentic because they have changed some of their methods.