Week 8 Posting

This week in class, we have been learning about musics of Africa, concentrating on Sub-Saharan Western Africa. The first general principle of African music with which we dealt was aesthetics. In general, most African music is characterized by a preference for buzzy timbres, chordophones with a percussive element, breathy aerophones, and dense, overlapping textures, which are created by the use of interlocking parts. Although these general principles cannot be applied to every single piece of African music or every single African musical artist, these qualities can be used to distinguish African music from other world musics. In the same way, general principles of aesthetics and performance can be used to characterize traditional music of other regions, or, even more specifically, of a particular artist of a certain region, whether this musician is a performer of traditional or contemporary popular music.

My musician of choice is a Taiwanese songwriter and pop star named Jay Chou. He is one of the best-known musicians in Asia. Chou started his career in the music industry as a songwriter. His particular strength is found in constructing complex and exceptional melodies, though he also writes lyrics. Eventually, Chou broke through as a singer in his own right, releasing his first solo album in 2000. His style is uniquely recognizable as being distinctly "Jay." In terms of aesthetics, the timbre of his voice is easily distinguished from other Chinese-language pop singers. His voice often has a strained quality, as many of his songs tend to be in higher keys. His style of singing is a combination of quick rapping and medium-speed singing. Chou has a tendency toward relaxed enunciation, making it difficult for the unfamiliar listener to distinguish what words he is singing or rapping. It often sounds like mumbling, but it is extremely characteristic of Chou's style. In terms of musical sound, Chou prefers to fuse many genres of music for a fresh sound, combining R&B, rap, Western classical music, and Chinese traditional music. On occasion, Chou will use the pentatonic scale, common to East Asian traditional music, instead of the diatonic scale, common to Western music, to accentuate the desired Asian sound. This fusion of a variety of musical influences allows the listener to have a taste of Chou's musical background. Particularly, Chou's frequent use of classical music, as in his song "Reverse Scales," shows how elements of his musical upbringing have influenced his music as a professional performer. In addition, Chou also incorporates many sounds of everyday life into his music, ranging from the sound of bouncing ping pong balls to the ringing of a cell phone. Using these non-musical elements in his music allows Chou to transport the listener into another world of Chou's music, yet using familiar sounds helps the listener identify with these sounds. Finally, although Chou does not write the lyrics to all of his songs, the majority of his songs contain meaningful, rich lyrics, dripping with imagery and emotion. His songs often refer to aspects of traditional Chinese culture, incorporating Chinese folklore and history, while maintaining contemporary relevance for his audience.

Through these numerous aesthetic qualities - a unique vocal style, fusion of a variety of musical styles and influences, incorporation of non-musical everyday sounds, and meaningful, thoughtful lyrics - Jay Chou has created a distinctive style of his music. When it is imitated by other musicians, fans or frequent listeners of Chou can immediately note the similarities. Through these principles of his music, Chou attempts to create a new style of pop music that can be appreciated by contemporary Chinese music fans, but he also pays homage to the musicians who went before him. By combining many different styles of music in his songs, Chou acknowledges his many influences. In addition, Chou is a good example of globalization. Without technology and the global atmosphere of the twenty-first century, a Chinese musician would not be able to incorporate the Western sounds of rap, R&B, and classical music into his compositions. Chou's meaningful lyrics, which often contain references to traditional Chinese culture, also illustrate his respect for his heritage. Using aspects of Chinese culture in his pop songs is also a way to transmit knowledge about Chinese culture to listeners of other ethnic backgrounds, as well. In conclusion, Chou's musical style is a good representation of the state of pop music today, as it demonstrates how music is not static, but mobile; music of one culture can be shaped and influenced by outside culture(s), but it can still retain characteristics that allow the listener to distinguish it as being of that one culture.