Asian Music Time

Here we go again

    Now then we've had a lot of topics at this point. From the Americas to Africa and even some European aspects in these places. Where have we not gone? Asia baby! So buckle your seatbelts and let's get into some Asian music, instruments, and whatever else I can find from my lovely friend Google.

Ghazal

    I wanted to find some traditional music to start, but when I saw "romance" it peaked my interest. If you remember my blog about Native American music you'll know I took a look at romance then. I enjoyed learning about it and listening to the songs, so this seemed like a fun route to explore. I found that ghazal is the name given to songs with a romantic subject, which are typically sung from poems. Before diving into the music itself it is important to know the poems that the songs are based on. Ghazals are poems with origins in 7th century Arabia, that coney melancholy, longing, and/or love. While the poems started out Arabic they were later adapted to other languages, like Hindi. As a result, there are a variety of places with these poems in their native language, which opens the door to songs from many different places. Ok now the poem itself is organized doesn't mean much to me, but if you have a musical background I'm sure you'll see its reflections in the songs themselves. The poem is made up of at minimum five couplets, with a typical maximum of fifteen, that have generally autonomous structure, emotion, and theatrics. Here's the part that stuck out to me, the first stanza introduces a rhyme scheme that is carried on through the poem. Sound familiar? It reminded me of the blues. Am I crazy? Yes, but that's irrelevant. Now ghazals are popular in Pakistan and Indian in particular, with some viewing the songs as poetic recitations rather than music. The actual transition from poems to "music" occurred around the 18th and 19th centuries in the court system due to a process called "tawaif." When this tradition died down, the music changed and was used in film and other more modern ways. One last thing to add about the poems themselves, the last couplet is viewed as the most important. It is called the "maqta" and adds a personal aspect as it includes the poet's pen name. This is important because the songs themselves are very personal, with the most common theme being unrequited love. So now that we've had a decently informative introduction here is an example of a ghazal song:

    I found this song on a list of good ghazal songs, and I think it's pretty cool. I have no clue what she's saying, but I can hear the lament I would expect in a genre about unrequited love. So I hope you enjoyed because it's kinda a bop!

Chinese Pop Music (C-pop)

    Now I feel like every culture has its own form of pop music. C-pop is sung in either Mandarin or Cantonese. Typically the music is very simple. Common aspects of American rock/pop such as rapping, guitar solos, or loud drums are a rarity. Most songs as a simple and resemble ballads, with tempo changes to entertain a more modern audience. The songs are normally simple chords that focus on the melody rather than harmony. This makes learning C-pop easier because, I'm including this because I had no idea, melody centered music is easier for people to learn and sing. I chose to include a song by Teresa Teng, who was a famous C-pop singer who is known as one of the greatest singers in Asian recording history. If you've never listened to her music it's gorgeous! I have no clue what she's saying, but it's so relaxing and her voice is incredible. Without further ado, here is one of Teresa's songs:

    I hope you liked her singing as much as I do! I actually really enjoy the simplicity of the music. I'm actually listening to one of her albums now. So I definitely recommend listening to her music! On a side note, while we're in Mandarin, I'm going to link a song I remember learning in elementary school. It's about two tigers and it is one of the only things I remember how to say in Mandarin (I can also count like a boss). So um... I'll just leave this here. It's not related, but I remembered it and it's kinda cute.

Keroncong

    This one was a little bit more difficult to research. Keroncong is a form of traditional Indonesian music, with roots connecting it to the arrival of Portuguese sailors. Finding an exact history takes you to a research paper talking about the first known form of the music, but since that is 27 pages long and I don't want to read a 27 page long research paper about Indonesian music I just referenced the abstract. The abstract referred to similarities between Portuguese music in the 16th century and keroncong, which suggests a strong influence between the two. Much of what I found in my initial search called the music "grandma music" which I guess is understandable since it is older and more traditional. Basically, keroncong is an Indonesian string band, with many different instruments. According to the band Keroncong Musyawarah (the video is linked below), the key instruments are the cak and cuk, which can be confused with the ukulele. Fair warning the video is long, so I'd recommend skipping around. Towards the end there is a man explaining instruments, but I cannot understand what he is saying. The YouTube bio contains some quick easy information though if you want an overview without watching a long video:

    Overall I think the music has a pretty cool sound. It reminds me of something, but I'm not sure what. Maybe "Los Tres Caballeros", but that doesn't make much sense. Either way I think this has a lighthearted and fun sound that is pretty enjoyable to listen to. 

That's All I Got For You

    So this concludes my blog about the music of Asia. I actually learned quite a bit, specifically that Teresa Teng slaps! I actually found this blog interesting and enjoyable. Even though I can't understand what the singers are saying the sound is really pretty and just overall very pleasant. I hope you enjoyed and if you're dying to know more about the Portuguese influence on Indonesian string music, go read that paper. I won't be, but it's there if you want it! And if you listened to the tiger song, that's been in my head since 1st grade. I can still do the song and dance they taught us. Why do I remember it? Why do I know that but not how to find the volume of a sphere? Anyways have a great whatever time of day you're reading this!