The Concept of American Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Concept of American Music - Essay Example music traditions, which have also essential effects on American music. In the paper we analyze all the implications of the statement ‘Rock and pop music in the United States is African-American music’ and investigate the issue of American music origin and its present trying to point out whether it is determined mainly by African-American tendencies and whether there are other crucial factors, which affect American music to a considerable extent. American Music Controversy and Diversity It is commonly accepted that African music has made a significant influence on development of overall American pop and rock music beginning with 19th century (Nicholls 123). The most major effects could be easily discovered if consider spirituals, slave songs, jazz, blues, soul, and rock and roll music tendencies. Originally all these integral parts of American music culture were developed by African slaves in the US and only later they became common within all American social and racial s tratums. However, another inseparable part of American music, country music, is supposed to emerge due to both African and European impacts as well as Hawaiian and notably Native American traditions. When searching for arguments that support or disprove that American music is affected significantly by African motives, it is worth to consider American folk music first of all, which brought to life American popular music later (Nicholls 47).Originally, it comprised such styles as gospel and blues, which have undoubtedly strong connections to West African culture and further have been modified and extended due to English, Spanish and French motives (Nicholls 135). Generally, American folk music involves such traditional instruments as drums, shakers, which are included to percussion group of instruments, and flute, all of which have strong associations with African traditions. However, it is also worth to mention that British tendencies had also a significant impact on American folk mu sic development enriching it with such techniques as drone, which is constantly repeating motive through the whole theme, and numerous ballad songs. Moreover, complex rhythms, or polyrhythms, which are associated with American music, are also inherent characteristics of African music and were integrated into the US music traditions by black people (Nicholls 109). At the same time African culture seems not to bother a lot about melody and this tradition American music derived from European counties. Another fact that confirms strong relationship between African and American music concerns the issue of syncopation, which is heavily used in modern American pop music. Syncopation means that common rhythmic accent is moved from strong to weak beat and is an original African invention. Another initially African feature, which is clearly presented in American music, is about call and response technique (Nicholls 47). The method implies that several musicians play their phrases in such way that one of them sounds like a response to other parts. On contrary, there are some important British tendencies, which affected American music and directed its further development. 1960s are associated with British invasion in the US music and presented times when American blues and blues rock musicians were influenced significantly by mainstream music tendencies in Great Britain. The other thing, which clearly confirms strong African