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Parrott Tri 1, 2019

Week 5 Reflections – World Music

Paragraph 1: Lecture
Within the first moments of the lecture I was already interested in many different
points; the main one being perspective in relation to the whole idea of world music. I
believe it was Josh O’Byrne, a first year jazz sax major that raised his hand and said
something along the lines of “Isn’t all music world music to someone?” I instantly
agreed. This brings in the whole idea of perspective. For example, if you go into JB Hi Fi
or Rocking Horse Records, there will be (or used to be) a world music section. But who
decides what genres and artists and albums fall under that category. If world music is
based on popularity that would place just the most popular artists of each genre outside
of world music. Some genres, due to their lack of popularity amongst modern
listeners/buyers wouldn’t have any of their artists sold outside of the banner of world
music (i.e Classical Music and Jazz). If you consider world music to be anything not
originating from your country of origin or residency then the majority of music would be
sold under the banner of world music aside from in the United States or possibly Great
Britain. If either of these would be the criteria for world music then the majority of what
I listen to would be considered ‘World Music,’ with some of my favourite artists ranging
from jazz musicians like Bill Evans and Sonny Stitt to rappers like Aesop Rock and MF
Doom to rock music of all sorts including Frank Zappa and Pup. This again relates to
perspective. To the layman who listens to the pop top 50 charts, all of the above might
as well be considered ‘World Music.’ Likewise a metalhead would consider jazz to be
‘World Music’ and a hardcore hip hop fan would think the same of metal. The general
thought then that is made is that anything that is not western music is considered world
music. I had never previously thought about perspective in relation to what was
considered world music or not, in fact I myself just considered it to be Indian or
Southeast Asian music or African Music. I was also unaware of the impact that music
from those cultures has had on the Western world. So, in future, I will endeavour to
explore music from other cultures to help it further influence my own playing.

Paragraph 2: Reading
The first line on one of the sub-sections of the required reading was “Does place
influence the ways we experience and produce music?” Of all the questions asked of the
reader in this paper, this one stuck with me the most. I would most certainly say that
music has a connection with moments and periods of time. The Baroque era for
example is generally dated between 1600 and 1750. More personally, I go through
T. Parrott Tri 1, 2019

periods where I’m only really listening to one or two artists A LOT. For example, it was
half way through 2017 when I was introduced to Hip Hop and since then, in one way
shape or form, I’m always listening to it. It could be considered my hip hop era. I’ve also
gone through phases where I’ve listened to one particular artist almost constantly for a
couple weeks. At the beginning of year 12, for example, I started to listen to the band
Sum 41 and was, for about a week and a half, completely hooked. But in relation to
place? I would have to agree also. When stepping foot inside a church, I immediately
think of Bach’s ‘St Matthew Passion,’ or other works of the like. Location has also
changed how I write and compose my own music. Over the most recent Christmas
break, my parents and I travelled to Canada to spend time with my Dad’s family in
Toronto and the surrounding areas. There was something about the vibe of the city that
I could almost hear affecting my compositions (really just doodling ideas on Garage
Band on my phone). A vibe I have yet to recreate here in Australia. How this applies to
the idea of ‘World Music,’ I am unsure but I do know that when I think of Indian music I
think of Sitars and Veenas. With Chinese music, I think of the Mandolin. But when I think
of Toronto, I think of the sketches I had done when within the bounds of the city.
Therefore, in the future, I shall try and think of each country or city I am in to have its
own sound, which I believe, they do.