r&b

R&B stands for Rhythm&Blues, which is translated as "Rhythm & Blues" or "Rhythm & Blues". A fusion of jazz, gospel and blues music. This musical term was coined by Billboard magazine in the late 1940s. It has derived many different music types, such as the familiar Rock'n'Roll, Disco and Rap, all of which can be regarded as developed from R&B.

Origin - Blues

The predecessor of R&B appeared in the black areas of the United States in the 1940s.

At that time, not many people could afford colorful entertainment. Black people who loved music liked to gather on the streets after dinner and play music with simple instruments such as guitars and harmonicas to express their life, work, and life. Various feelings such as leaving home and leaving the well. This led to the development of Blues, the predecessor of R&B.

With the invention of the tape and the emergence of more and more small radio stations, blues music began to break out of the black circle and became popular in Chicago. I don’t know if it’s because blues music has been talked about as sad for too long. Music fans are eager to hear blues songs with strong rhythm, bright tunes and not too sad content.

But the term r&b was originally coined as a music marketing term by Jerry Wexler of Billboard magazine in the United States in 1947, replacing ethnic music (originally derived from the black community, but was adopted by the post-war words that society considers to be offensive) and the Billboard category Harlem Hit Parade in June 1949. The term was originally used to define rock music that included 12 blues formats and boogie-woogie with a back beat. Transformed into a basic element of rock and roll.

In "Rock & Roll: An Unruly History" (1995), Robert Palmer defines rhythm and blues as a catchall rubric used to refer to any kind of music created by African Americans. In his 1981 book "Deep Blues," Palmer used "r&b" as an abbreviation for jump blues. Lawrence Cohn, author of "Nothing But the Blues," wrote that rhythm and blues was an umbrella term invented for industry convenience, In addition to classical and religious music, rhythm and blues included all black music, except that it was a gospel song and sold enough to make it onto the pop charts.

In response to changes in public tastes, musicians added piano, drums, saxophone and the latest technology of the time - electric guitars to their works, allowing listeners to follow the rhythm (Rhythm) Dance to the strong new-school blues music (Blues) and create the classic "Rhythm Hate".

Fresh rhythm

Important R&B musicians from the 1950s to the 1960s included Ray Charles, Ruth Brown and The Drifters. Listening to their classic works, you will find that they are very different from the R&B music we are familiar with, such as Jay Chou, Hikari Utada, etc. But as far as musical elements are concerned, they still have many similarities. The most outstanding thing is the rhythm part.

Most R&B works use 4 beats as a measure and 12 beats as a paragraph. Different from traditional white pop music, the rhythm song emphasizes the 2nd and 4th beats of a section, which is a very fresh rhythm effect.

The sound quality varies greatly

The timbre of the singing voice or musical instrument will vary greatly.

Sound quality is the "texture" of the sound. When we hear "Mud", we will feel that Xu Zhian's singing is very tragic; and the sound of the wooden boy flute often gives us a very lively feeling.

This is the effect of the different timbres of vocals and instruments.

In R&B works, such as Jay Chou's "Bullfighting" or "Lady", we can easily find that both the music and the use of vocal lines are obvious in the beginning and chorus. Different treatments.

Singing voices and instrumental parts often echo each other - in R&B songs, when the singer sings certain notes, the musical part or the harmony singer will repeat/sing those notes again. It's like "questions and answers", or it can be used as a "yes man".

Another characteristic of R&B is that it repeats some phrases and sentences many times. Just like the continuous "I don't, I don't, I don't" in "Tornado", it is an obvious example.

Hip-Hop is translated as hip-hop, and RAP is translated as rap. These two concepts are different. Hip-Hop is actually not a musical term but a cultural term, including rap, graffiti, hip-hop and DJing. RAP originated in the 1960s, while Hip-Hop as a musical understanding originated in the early 1970s. Its predecessor It’s RAP (sometimes a little R(B) is added.

Hip-Hop Literally, Hip is the hip, Hop is jumping on one foot, and together they are a light twist of the hips. It originally meant Street dance in its embryonic stage (that is, what we used to call break dance) gradually developed into a huge concept - the Hip-Hop culture we now call also includes those loose clothes, heavy pure gold jewelry, and usually The oral habit of saying "YoYo? what's up?" - in short, it is the lifestyle of black people in slums in the United States and their "style"

The origin of Hip-Hop is one. The word "poor" can be summed up. Why should we wear larger clothes? In addition to the convenience of exercise, the advantage of such large clothes is that they can be worn for several years; why is there graffiti? The symbol of dividing the sphere of influence between people later became more and more beautiful and refined, and developed into a folk art; why was there street dancing? Because they had no money to go to dance halls, and racial discrimination still existed at that time, and even those with money might not be able to dance among white people. Have fun in the dance hall; why are pure Hip-Hop works mainly black and always contain foul language? Because these black youths on the street have no future and no hope, and they hate much more than they love.

Hip-Hop was originally a subcultural form with counter-cultural tendencies. Its destructive and folk nature ran counter to our traditional popular culture. However, judging from the current situation, it has not only become a An important part of mainstream culture, and it is still rising, spreading, and developing rapidly. A reasonable explanation for the reason is: in our increasingly physical era, life and entertainment require more than just touching, Innocent, noble and serious, we also need funny, heartless, obscene and shameless style that dares to defy everything - what I say is true, our cultural life is indeed lacking these if we talk about Chinese Hip. - Hop has so-called hopes or development directions. I believe that we should start from these places. If we enter the market in this eager way to flatter mainstream music, I am afraid it will be difficult to make a difference in the current mainstream hip-hop. The participants and audience are relatively young, with most of them born around 1980. These Hip-Hopers, who began to be exposed to hip-hop culture when they were in middle school in the mid-1990s, will grow up as the first generation of Chinese hip-hop. I believe that as they grow up. China's Hip-Hop culture will become more and more recognized, just like rock music is no longer regarded as alien more than ten years later, just like Japanese comics and video games are gradually emerging.

Hip-Hop is a culture, it does not just mean something. It does not mean wearing a big POLO shirt, wearing an APE hat, wearing DUNK shoes, and hanging a big chain around your neck. But more importantly, the spirit.

Hip-Hop: Hip means butt, and Hop means jumping. Hip-Hop music specifically refers to black people in the 1970s. It originated from R&B (rhythm and blues), but it is completely different from R&B. It emphasizes D.J. Remix in dance halls. A pure dance music with technical skills, this kind of music formed Rap music in the 1980s due to the addition of Scratch (playing the record intermittently upside down to produce a special effect of friction with the needle) and black street-style rhymes. Hip-Hop is the predecessor of Rap, but today the two terms are often used interchangeably, but Rap focuses more on rap, while Hip-Hop tends to refer to pop dance music with an obviously strong beat.

Graffiti: Graffiti, in the dictionary, means drawing or writing on a public wall. Today, the traditional spray painting and street forms of graffiti art have had a certain impact on artists around the world. As a sales tool, early Hip-Hop party promotions always used graffiti artists to design flyers and posters. But later in the 1980s, Hip-Hop had been widely introduced and accepted by the public. For a period of time, Hip-Hop was not about trafficking culture, nor did it bring in the early graffiti form. Whether it is the special techniques or spray painting techniques in graffiti, it also has an impact on the art form, such as the angry graffiti of the Mexican Revolution. Today, in American cities where gangs are rampant, warnings of each other's turf and threats of violence are also communicated through graffiti.

Indie: The abbreviation of Independent refers to the fact that the record company to which the artist belongs is an Independent Label (independent company). Unlike the world's five major record companies, which have extremely large distribution networks, they can model and promote singers. The overall design of events, etc., because Major (i.e. the five major record company systems) can provide artists with the best recording engineers, accompanists and other objective environments, as well as a complete marketing plan, it often has the ability to mold an ordinary person into a big star. , and more importantly, for the sake of commercial interests, good artists under major record companies are often forced to sacrifice some ideals and persistence. This is why die-hard rock fans spurn the strong commercial nature of Major and support some Indie record companies that allow artists to produce their own albums and release albums according to their own ideals without doing a lot of commercial promotion.

Introducing some of the more famous Hip-Hop singers:

Eminem----I have to mention that as a white man, he performed very well in this music dominated by black people. . Some of my favorite songs are Stan, Without me, and Sing For The Moment (a cover of Aerosmith’s old song).

50 Cent----a very popular figure who needs no further introduction. There are many good songs, 21 questions is my favorite.

D12----The famous rap group, D-12's first album Devil\'s Night has proven this three years ago.

Snoop Dogg----The voice is very unique, and it feels like he is speaking calmly.

P. Diddy----An enemy of EMINEM, he is also a very good singer.

THE BLACK EYED PEAS----The Black Eyed Peas collaborated with Justin on the song "Where Is The Love". The entire album is excellent.

Dr. Dre——A top producer and singer, he can often be seen in many Hip-Hop MVs and has produced many very famous albums.

JAY-Z----The rap is very clean, what makes it different is that there are no swear words.

Jazz

Overview In less than a century, the distinctly American music called jazz has developed from an obscure, folk-inspired music to a native American The most important type of art.

Today it is listened to and played in almost every corner of the world, and jazz flourishes in many forms, from roots blues and ragtime through New Orleans to Dixieland, swing, and mainstream jazz. , bebop, modern jazz to free jazz and electronic jazz. What is amazing is not that jazz appears in so many forms, but that each of its forms is very important and has maintained its own characteristics and unique charm and has been passed down to this day. If you want to appreciate all kinds of jazz and experience all the fun in it, you must have an open attitude, be tolerant and listen.

Tracing back to the roots of jazz, jazz developed from folk songs. It has many sources and is difficult to verify carefully. During the 19th century, music was an important means for black slaves on plantations in the southern United States to express their lives and emotions. Since the end of the 19th century, jazz has been based on traditional British and American music, mixed with blues, ragtime and other music types. It is a "hybrid" product. Black music in the Americas retains a lot of African characteristics, obvious rhythmic features, and the characteristics of collective improvisation. This tradition was combined with the music—mostly vocal—of the new settlement, and the result was not just a new sound but an entirely new form of musical expression.

The most famous Afro-American music is religious. White people also listened to these beautiful songs, but they had a more upper-class flavor than the songs sung in rural black churches. Gospel music as it is known today more accurately reflects the emotional power and melodic sense of early African Americans rather than the religious nature of the music of the famous Fisk Jubilee Singers of the first decade of the twentieth century. inheritance.

Other early musical forms include work songs, children's songs and dance music dating back to the slavery era, which have become important musical heritage, especially considering that under the system at that time, musical activities were quite restricted. Strict restrictions.

Artistic features Among the jazz tunes, in addition to the elements drawn from European traditional music, white folk songs and popular songs, the most distinctive one is the "blues scale" (about the structure of this scale) , we will introduce it specifically in the section about blues), while jazz harmony can be said to be completely based on traditional harmony, except that it uses various chord changes more freely. The main difference is, Also brought about by blues chords.

Jazz is very unique in the instruments used and playing methods, which is completely different from traditional bands. Since the "Jazz Age", the saxophone has become one of the most sold instruments; the trombone is able to play funny or weird slides that other brass instruments cannot do, making it popular in jazz bands; the trumpet It is also the instrument favored by jazz musicians. The novel timbre produced by this instrument plus different mutes and the several notes in the highest register have almost become the unique timbre characteristics of jazz; piano, banjo, guitar and later appeared The electric guitar occupies an important position for its powerful percussive sound and ability to play chords. On the contrary, the most important string instruments (violin, viola, cello) in traditional bands play a relatively minor role; the rich tone of the French horn is very charming in the orchestra, but for the jazz band, its temperament is too tame , almost no one uses it. In an orchestra, each instrument is integrated into the overall sound as much as possible in terms of timbre and volume control. In a jazz band, it is just the opposite. The musicians strive to make each instrument "stand up."

The formation of the band is very flexible. The most basic parts are the rhythm group and the melody group. In early jazz bands, the rhythm section consisted of euphonium, banjo, and drums. Later, euphonium and banjo were gradually replaced by double bass and guitar, and piano was also added. In the 1930s, a dance band emerged, called the "big band" at the time, which consisted of three parts: rhythm section, brass section and woodwind section. The instruments used by the rhythm section are still double bass, guitar, piano and drums; the common arrangement of the brass section is three trumpets and two trombones, but this number is not fixed; the woodwind section usually consists of four or five saxophones , everyone also plays clarinet or other woodwind instruments. If there are five saxophones, usually two altos, two tenors, and one alto.

There is also a kind of commercial (sometimes also called "sweet", "hotel", etc.) band. The organization is similar to the "big band", but all tenor saxophones are often used, and there are more woodwind groups. They often use other instruments (such as flutes, oboes), and sometimes three or four violins. The sound of this type of band can often be heard on commercial tapes.

Jazz masters and famous groups include Paul Martin, Dave HOLLAND (double bass player), NIELS-HENNING ORSTED PEDERSON), BETTY CARTER (female singer), DIANA REEVES (female singer), CASSANDRA WILSON (female singer), Michael Brick and Randy B. Rick Brothers Band, DAVID SANCHEZ (tenor saxophonist), HARRY CONNICK JR., Lee Kyung-ja (Japanese female singer), Zheng Jianliang (Korean pianist), Bao Yizheng (jazz guitarist from Hong Kong, China), James Newton, JOHN PURCELL...

Punk

PUNK, which emerged in 1970 An anti-rock music force of the era. PUNK is translated as "punk" in mainland China; translated as "punk" in Taiwan, and "collapse" in Hong Kong. In the West, PUNK in the dictionary means (slang) hooligans, trash, prostitutes, pedophiles, inferiors, etc. (although its meaning has changed to a certain extent now). It has been 25 years since "PUNK" magazine was first founded by Leg McNeil in 1975 and then became a trend in this music by Sex Pistols. To understand PUNK’s impact on the world and indoor space, we must first understand the meaning and development of PUNK.

Overview

Punk is the most primitive rock music - consisting of a simple and pleasant main melody and three chords. Born in the mid-seventies, a simple rock music derived from the garage rock and pre-punk rock of the sixties. Punk band Punk music pays less attention to musical skills and is more inclined to the sharp stance of ideological liberation and anti-mainstream. This original intention was actively imitated in the United Kingdom and the United States under the specific historical background at that time, and eventually formed the punk movement. Although most punk bands are surprisingly similar and their works are too monotonous, many famous punk bands have their own distinctive characteristics, such as the bubblegum pop of the Ramones, the Face-style power chords of the Sex Pistols, and the Buzzcocks. The pop feeling, the reggae elements of theClash, the artistic experimental features of Wire, etc. Since then, punk has gradually transitioned into post-punk, new wave, hardcore and other styles. In the mid-1980s, the punk movement as a whole fell into a low ebb. Hardcore punk, pre-punk, NewWave, PostPunk, Synth-Pop, Synth-Pop, PowerPop, NoWave, PunkRevival )etc. British critic Jon Savage wrote that history is made by those who say "no", and in 1976 there was no louder "no" than punk rock music. From the beginning, punk stood angrily against this phenomenon. And, like all rock genres and subgenres, punk is hardly a completely new movement. The definition of the word punk seems unclear, but its omnipresent heavy metal-like power, unrestrained self-expression, happiness is complete, clear and always uncensored. Overturning even includes overturning oneself---the essence of punk. Punk used crude music to elevate their explicit rebellion to a philosophical level, creating a twisted sense of responsibility and a fringe cultural phenomenon based on theories of subjectivity and negation of negation. The hippies came to an end with their "utopian" gentle and beautiful idealism, while the subsequent new generation went to the opposite extreme. Instead of praying to God, it is better to surrender to God.

Today, people are referring more to the inner thoughts of punk rock, so they say, "Focus Interview is punk, Nietzsche is punk, Lu Xun is punk, computers that frequently crash are punk..." That's a far cry, but No matter what, punk has always lived in our world, like our shadow, always following us. Rock music is a corrupted emotion oppressed by a false consciousness of self-exploitation, while punk is an aesthetically acceptable but politically doomed contradiction. Its unique approach revolutionized the styles of American and British music. Punk music has always existed quietly in the United States, eventually giving birth to the concepts of hardcore rock and indie rock in the 1980s. In the UK, punk rock has become the darling of the public. The UK is not the birthplace of punk rock. It is still a place where punk music flourishes and cultural collisions occur, firmly holding on to its different ideas from the United States in expressing anger and rebellion.

The evolution of PUNK

Although PUNK is so negative and extreme, it finally wrote an important page in the history of world art. The emergence of PUNK is not only in the music world, but also affects fashion, graphic images, video and interior decoration. A writer, Malcolm Mclarer, said "If punk was just about music this thing would have died years ago" "punk is the most important event in post-war Britain." PUNK may also give a vague meaning to the new romance (POST- MODERNISM) A little translation.

PUNK has evolved so widely that we may not realize it. It has transformed into a kind of performance art, a kind of thought, and even a kind of life. In terms of graphic design, the album covers of SEX PISTOLS triggered a craze for "co-posting". Posters, magazines, etc. at that time were all laid out in this way, which had a huge impact on the future design industry.

In terms of fashion design, people may always misunderstand that those with PUNK hair are PUNK friends. That is very wrong! In fact, the PUNK trend must have been experienced by young people in the 1980s. Anita Mui’s outfit back then Dressing up is all influenced by PUNK LOOK. People think that Miss Mei leads the trend, but in fact she also follows the trend! PUNK LOOK is often a rebellious style. In the 1980s, boys wore gel hair, a pair of narrow jeans, and a An unbuttoned white shirt and a walkman with a headphone attached to the waist are already a PUNK LOOK. (It’s a pity that Hong Kong people have only learned other people’s outlook, but they listen to Chinese pop music on their headsets!!)

Types

Punk rock

Primitive punk (Proto—Punk)

Punk

Hardcore Punk (also translated as hardcore)

Post-Punk

Ska-Punk

Ska

Punk-Pop

Famous punk band

Sex pistol

the clash

the ramones

Country music

The name is from the 1920s Appeared in the United States, it has a wide range of origins. The content of the songs at that time included, in addition to expressing working life, aversion to the lonely wandering life, yearning for a warm and peaceful home, singing about sweet love and the pain of lovelorn, etc.

In terms of singing method, folk vocals were mostly used at first, and the form was mostly solo or small chorus, accompanied by guitar, banjo, harmonica, and violin.

The tunes of country music are generally smooth and beautiful, and the structure of the music is relatively simple. Most of them are ballad, two-part or three-part form.

The clothing is also relatively casual. Even if you are participating in competitions and important concert hall performances, you do not need to wear performance clothes. Jeans, casual clothes, fur hats, and travel shoes are all acceptable.

In 1925, a radio station was established in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. They started a column called "Operas of the Past - Folk Voices". An 81-year-old folk singer named Jamie Thompson was invited to sing, and the program was warmly welcomed by the audience. From then on, people collectively referred to this music as "country music". Country music has become one of the favorite forms of music for working people in the United States. In the United States, "blue-collar" refers to the lower class, so this kind of music is also called "blue-collar music."

In the 1940s and 1950s, country music came to big cities. Influenced by other bands, pianos and other musical instruments and electronic amplification were added. At that time, people called this music "Nash" Vail". The "Grammy Awards" organized by the National Academy of Recording Arts is the highest award.

The two most important components of country music are string accompaniment (usually a guitar or electric guitar, often with a Hawaiian guitar and violin) and the singer's voice. Country music abandoned the "electronic" sounds (effects) that were widely used in pop music. Most importantly, the singer's voice is a hallmark of country music (folk voice), and country music singers almost always have a Southern, or at least a rural, accent.

As important as the music itself, however, is what it contains, and in this regard, country music is very different from pop, rock, rap, and other genres. Country music generally has eight major themes: 1. Love; 2. Lost love; 3. Cowboy humor; 4. Having fun; 5. Country lifestyle; 6. Pride of region; 7. Family; 8. God and country. The first two themes are by no means unique to country music, but the last six distinguish country music from other American popular music genres. In short, rural people have their own sense of humor; they like cowboy-style fun; they live in a very different way from city people; they are proud of their town, state, and region; they attach great importance to family; Not shy about expressing religious and patriotic sentiments. These themes set country music apart from music such as Britney Spears and N-Sync.

Country music classification

Early Country

Cowboy

Western Swing< /p>

Blue Grass

Honkyu-Tonk

Hank Williams' songs that fascinated women and imitated men made Honky- The form of tonk became the mainstream of country music in the early 1940s. He lived what he sang, but his excessive lifestyle eventually led to his premature death at the age of 29.

Rockabilly

In Memphis in 1953, the racial boundaries in music were also clearly divided. Most black people listened to rhythm and blues (R&B), while country music at the time was popular music with white people. In order to find a way to integrate black and white music, producer Sam Phillips wanted to find a white boy who could sing black songs for his record company "Sun Records". So there was Elvis Presley----Elvis Presley.

The Nashville Sound

Country-rock

Outlaw

At the center of this storm is Willie Nelson. In 1968, he was frustrated by Nashville's rejection of his newer, more personal attempts at music. Nelson left Nashville and went to Austin, Texas, where he started an annual concert and attracted other similar then-unnoticed singers and songwriters such as Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson et al.

New Traditional Country

New Country Music

Representative:

gimmie Rodgers (Sept. . 8, 1897-May 26, 1933)

Classic songs: "T for Texas," also known as "The Blue Yodel"; "In the Jailhouse Now"

Vernon Dalhart (April 6, 1883-Sept. 18, 1948)

Classic songs: "The Prisoner's Song," "The Wreck of the Old 97"

The Carter Family Alvin Pleasant Carter ( Dec. 15, 1893-Nov. 7, 1960);

Sara Carter (July 21, 1899-Jan. 8, 1979);

Maybelle Carter (May 10, 1909- Oct. 23, 1978)

Classic songs: "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," "Wildwood Flower