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1997 Padraig Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this article
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THIS
ART WE CALL MUSIC —
APPROACHING
THE CLASSICS
By Dr. Tim Lake
When I began to organize my notes in order to study for my doctoral
qualifying exams, I was overwhelmed by the fact that I would be
held responsible for the entire history of music during the course
of two examinations, one written and one oral. Fortunately, I have
discovered an atavistic talent for organization that has given me
a newfound sense of security knowing that, if this music business
does not work out, I could make somebody one hell of a secretary.
Therefore, I decided to study for fifty days in a row only breaking
to teach and play 'good' gigs. The gig situation was so bad that
I turned down more jobs than I worked. Somehow I just couldn't handle
the culture shock of studying the glorious music of great composers
like Mozart and Beethoven only to play that night for a bunch of
drunks whose idea of a great musical evening is hearing Rocky
Top played over and over again while they watch a football
game and a baseball game simultaneously on two completely separate
big screen televisions. Secure in my own little cocoon, sheltered
from the reality of the 'real world' of music, I commenced to totally
immerse myself in the study of music for fifty days. With the pressure
of my qualifying exams hanging over my head during every waking
moment, I could not shake one overpowering feeling. One might assume
that I would ask myself how I had gotten into the predicament of
a laborious fifty day study regime locked away from family and friends.
Quite to the contrary, however, my reoccurring thought concerned
just how lucky I was to be able to revel in the beauty of this art
we call music and just how immense a field was this art we call
music, and if I tried with all my heart, I might make the world
a little better place by being a true and humble servant of this
art we call music.
The more I studied, the more I realized just how ignorant I was,
but the more I realized how ignorant I was, the more I studied.
Hence, I slowly became smarter, and wiser, and more humble than
ever. The classic music of the masters is such a great example of
the highest in human achievement. These composers and their music
were still relatively new to me because I wasn't exactly raised
attending orchestra concerts and piano recitals. As a matter of
fact, my youth was so far removed from the world of music that when
one of the guys on my junior high basketball team asked me what
kind of music I liked, I couldn't think of any. I began my exploration
into what we call 'classical' music in the seventies by purchasing
a recording of a different composer each month for a dollar after
a minimum $10 purchase at a local supermarket. I purchased these
'classical' records, so I could listen to some music that I would
not try to analyze. The music seemed so complex that I could not
keep up with it, so I just gave up and tried to relax. Little did
I know that one day I would be struggling to understand something
as far removed as the mysteries of the sonata allegro form in the
concertos of Mozart.
Although classical music has been played on the banjo for quite
some time, I still find it interesting to note the novelty in which
it is perceived by most listeners. People will come up to me after
a performance and say, "I didn't know that you could play that on
a banjo." My first encounter with classical music on a banjo was
with John McEuen's version of Muzio Clementi's Opus 36
from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Uncle Charlie Album which I later
recorded on my Only In The Movies
album (PAD 35437CD/CT). A short time later I discovered a little
know Rounder Record album called A Banjo Galaxy, The Classic Banjo
of William J. Ball, L.R.A.M. Ball's three finger banjo style is
referred to as classic banjo which stylistically has strong ragtime
influence and includes original compositions by Britain's banjo
virtuoso Joe Morally. Ragtime music was viewed by the Europeans
as one of America's original contributions to classical music, but
it is important to realize that this banjo style is called 'classic,'
not 'classical' banjo. Classic banjo is a fingerstyle technique
that was very popular in the 1880's and declined in popularity through
World War I. The scholar in me would like to see the music of composers
such as Clementi referred to as 'classical' and the music of Scott
Joplin, Joe Morally and others referred to as 'ragtime' in order
to more clearly delineate genre. Scott Joplin is by far the most
popular ragtime composer thanks to the movie The Sting.
I recorded his famous theme song entitled The Entertainer
on Only In The Movies.
A good place to begin a study of classical music is with the music
of the Baroque era which lasted from 1600 to 1750. Remember that
scholars have categorized epochs in music to aid in categorization
for teaching purposes. It is doubtful that J.S. Bach referred to
himself as a Baroque composer even though we scholars chose to close
the era with his death. The list of historical eras in western music
is as follows;
Medieval 450 — 1450
Renaissance 1450 — 1600
Baroque 1600 — 1750
Classical 1750 — 1800
Romantic 1800 — 1900
Twentieth Century 1900 — 2000
J.S. Bach lived from 1685 to 1750, during the Baroque era, and
wrote music that works out very nicely on the 5-string banjo. I
have recorded a medley of Bach's Jesu
Joy Of Man's Desiring and Minuet In G on Only
In The Movies. I would recommend pieces such as his Two Part Inventions
as good places to begin. John Bullard plays some of these Two Part
Inventions on a wonderful banjo recording of music from this epoch
entitled The Classical Banjo. Eric Weissberg also plays Baroque
music on one of my favorite albums entitled Vivaldi's Favorites.
Bach's contribution to music is so far reaching because of two books
that he published in 1722 and 1744 entitled The Well Tempered
Clavier. In these books Bach systematically wrote a series of
preludes and fugues that examined the entire 24 key tonal system
in chromatic order. He began with C major, then C minor, next C#
major, then C# minor and so on. 'Well tempered' refers to the concept
of equal tempered clavier tuning which made it possible to use all
tonalities. This is the same system that I have been introducing
in these articles in which tonality is divided into 12 major keys
and 12 minor keys. Now lets examine the harmonization of minor keys.
How Music Works
Diagram 1:
Harmonization Of Minor Scales
i7 iif7 III7 iv7
v/V7
VI7 bVII7/vii°7 i7
Am7 Bf7
Cmaj7 Dm7 Em7/E7 Fmaj7
G7/G#°7 Am7
A#m7 B#f7 C#maj7
D#m7 E#m7/E#7 F#maj7 G#7/Gx°7 A#m7
Bbm7 Cf7 Dbmaj7 Ebm7 Fm7/F7
Gbmaj7 Ab7/A°7 Bbm7
Bm7 C#f7 Dmaj7 Em7 F#m7/F#7
Gmaj7 A7/A#°7 Bm7
Cm7 Df7 Ebmaj7 Fm7 Gm7/G7
Abmaj7 Bb7/B°7 Cm7
C#m7 D#f7
Emaj7 F#m7 G#m7/G#7 Amaj7 B7/B#°7
C#m7
Dm7 Ef7 Fmaj7 Gm7 Am7/A7
Bbmaj7 C7/C#°7 Dm7
D#m7 E#f7 F#maj7 G#m7 A#m7/A#7 Bmaj7
C#7/Cx°7 D#m7
Ebm7 Ff7
Gbmaj7 Abm7 Bbm7/Bb7 Cbmaj7 Db7/D°7
Ebm7
Em7 F#f7
Gmaj7 Am7 Bm7/B7 Cmaj7
D7/D#°7 Em7
Fm7 Gf7
Abmaj7 Bbm7 Cm7/C7 Dbmaj7
Eb7/E°7 Fm7
F#m7 G#f7 Amaj7
Bm7 C#m7/C#7 Dmaj7 E7/E#°7
F#m7
Gm7 Af7
Bbmaj7 Cm7 Dm7/D7 Ebmaj7
F7/F#°7 Gm7
G#m7 A#f7 Bmaj7
C#m7 D#m7/D#7 Emaj7 F#7/Fx°7
G#m7
Abm7 Bbf7 Cbmaj7 Dbm7
Ebm7/Eb7 Fbmaj7 Gb7/G°7 Abm7
In order to better understand 'Diagram 1: Harmonization Of Minor
Scales,' please refer to the November issue
of Acoustic Musician and the Minor Scale chart. Remember that the
notes that comprise the Minor Scale chart are derived from the natural
minor scale. To create a natural minor scale we took the rule 1
2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 8 and plugged it into the major scale. Hence, an
A minor scale was 1=A, 2=B, b3=C, 4=D, 5=E, b6=F, b7=G, and 8=A.
We often use two other types of minor scales: harmonic and melodic.
A harmonic minor scale is created when we leave the seventh scale
degree natural to produce a half-step or leading tone between the
seventh and the eighth scale degrees. Therefore, the rule for a
harmonic minor scale is 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7 8. Hence, an A harmonic
minor scale is 1=A, 2=B, b3=C, 4=D, 5=E, b6=F, 7=G#, and 8=A. The
rule for an ascending melodic minor scale is 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 8, essentially
only altering the major scale by flatting the third scale degree.
A melodic minor scale descends as a natural minor. An A melodic
minor scale is comprised of 1=A, 2=B, b3=C, 4=D, 5=E, 6=F#, 7=G#,
and 8=A. It is important to realize that the variations found with
these three types of minor scales (natural, harmonic, and melodic)
account for more variety in the harmonization of minor keys. 'Diagram
1' lists the chords that we find diatonically in all minor keys
and includes the possibility of the either a dominant seven (V7)
or minor seven (v7) on the fifth scale degree and a diminished seven
(viio7) or dominant seven (bVII7) on the seventh scale
degree. Now you can understand why the diminished seven chord (1
b3 b5 bb7) is actually created from the harmonization of harmonic
and melodic minor scales. Make sure that you practice playing all
major and minor key harmonization's on the banjo. Play the root
of the chord as the lowest note then strum the rest of the chord.
Now you will hear the sound produced by harmonizing each key and
undoubtedly be inspired by newly found musical possibilities that
are only limited by your own creativity.
A half-diminished chord (iif7) is found
in the harmonization of minor scales as the diatonic chord based
on the second scale degree. As I mentioned in the previous article,
the half-diminished seven chord occurs diatonically as a viif7
in major key harmonization and a iif7
in minor keys. It is indeed curious that rarely does this chord
receive mention in most chord books. The definition is 1 b3 b5 and
b7, so the notes that comprise a B half-diminished seven chord (Bf7)
are 1=B, b3=D, b5=F, and b7=A. A half-diminished seven chord is
more commonly referred to as a minor seven flat-five chord in jazz
and pop circles. For example, a very beautiful and typical progression
in the key of A minor might be Bm7(b5) to E7(b9) to Am7. This progression
is essentially a iif7, V7, i7 in key
of A minor.
I want to mention the importance of understanding common rhythmic
notation as a fundamental in our musical language. Banjo players
are always speaking of the importance of rhythm and timing in regard
to the playing of great performers. If fact, I mentioned these aspects
of performance in the first article. However, I am continually amazed
at the frequency to which I find students who have not memorized
the names of basic rhythmic values such as whole, half, quarter,
eighth, and sixteenth notes. I have actually had students who would
not memorize these rhythms and consequently I had to refuse to teach
them. Believe it or not, I had a student who could not play the
notes to Sally Goodwin in time and would not believe me
when I tried to stress the importance of his understanding rhythmic
notation. Without this comprehension, he could not understand me
when I told him what he was doing wrong. Regretfully, I doubt that
he will ever get it right unless he changes his attitude.
Ludwig van Beethoven's famous Für Elise can provide us
with a good example of the language involved in the transmission
of musical thought. I recorded this piece on my 'banjo concerto'
compact disc and I'm sure those of you who called the answering
machine of Acoustic Musician have noticed this tune prior to leaving
your number. I would describe the first few measures of the piece
as being in the key of A minor, with a half-step, eighth note melodic
figure from D# to E in the treble clef and an eighth note arpeggio
accompaniment outlining an A minor chord beginning in the bass clef.
Hence, a musician who understood this terminology could actually
discuss this beginning and have a good idea of how it would sound.
The language of music communicates the sound in a way that expedites
the learning process and the understanding of how to actually perform
the piece.
A concerto is traditionally a three movement composition for orchestra
and solo instrument that flourished during the Classical era of
music. You should remember the Classical era as the one that gave
us the genius of Mozart and Haydn. Indeed, the concertos of Mozart
are viewed as some of the finest ever written and often provide
the measurement for young composers. As I previously mentioned,
I wrote a concerto for 5-string banjo and orchestra entitled
An American Concerto For 5-String Banjo And Orchestra that
tries to provide the same orchestral foil for the banjo that others
do for more conventional instruments such as violin and piano. When
referring to a concerto, please do not call it a symphony which
is an entirely different work for orchestra that is usually comprised
of four movements and does not showcase a solo instrument. Concertos
attempt to examine the entire range of emotion that may be communicated
through the talents of a virtuoso performer and his instrument while
featuring interplay with the entire orchestra. When composers write
concertos they not only write the music for the solo instrument,
but they write all the music for every instrument in the orchestra.
Some musicians assume that I only wrote the banjo part for my concerto,
so I am quick to point out that the real achievement is arranging
the music for the entire orchestra.
While banjo concertos are not common, I found reference to one
in Tony Trischka's "Melodic Banjo" book. Composed by Earl Robinson
(the composer of "Joe Hill" and other American classics), it was
performed by Eric Weissberg and the Boston Pops Orchestra under
the direction of Arthur Fiedler in 1967. I am not familiar with
an available recording of this concerto and it is for this reason
that I decided to release on Padraig Records the premiere of my
concerto by the Atlanta-Emory Orchestra with myself on banjo under
the direction of Jere Flint. As a banjo performer and composer,
I think that it is very important that we begin to establish repertoire
that embraces the entire spectrum and history of music. The influences
in my banjo concerto range from the sixteenth century counterpoint
of Palestrina to the twentieth century style know as minimalism.
It is very important that we banjo players study the work of the
masters and compose our own concertos in order to attain equality
within the family of instruments on the banjo, America's original
contribution to that family. In this way, we can do our very best
to dissuade the stereotypical misconceptions that give rise to generalized
misinformation manifested in newspaper articles such as the one
I recently read saying that a fellow in Atlanta "may be the world's
only classical banjo player." This statement is made even more inaccurate
because that same newspaper previewed my banjo concerto in April,
1993. These sorts of uncorroborated statements by an otherwise respected
journalist in a nationally respected paper make us all look bad.
By using the word 'all' I do not refer to all us banjo players.
Rather, I refer to all us Americans who might not know enough about
our own cultural heritage to find the folly in such inaccuracies.
Is it any wonder that advertisers find it easy to manipulate such
an uniformed American population? If music matters at all in the
overall framework of who we are as a people, then I say that the
banjo matters equally in this equation. If mandolin concertos are
important to the cultural heritage of Italy, then why shouldn't
banjo concertos be of equal value to American culture. It is, therefore,
my hope that there will be many more banjo concertos so we banjo
players can aspire to the same heights as any other musician with
the full dynamic range of possibilities within this art we call
music. In this manner, we will not only have the ability to entertain,
but we will be able to educate and elevate the audience through
this art we call music.
Some say that I take music too seriously, and I readily admit
that might be true. I am frustrated by the role of music in the
marketplace and the fact that in many cases musicians are required
to be less than they can be in order to cater to the whims of the
general public. In other words, if the music industry only follows
the path directly relating to bottom line record sales, then the
consumer could and sometimes does dictate the music that the musician
will play. I am hard pressed to think of another field in which
this is true. We don't tell our physicians how to treat us. We are
willing to allow lawyers, architects, and other professionals to
perform in the manner in which they were trained. Why is it true
that the purchaser of musical services often insists on hiring the
best only to turn around and tell them what to play? Justified by
the fact that we are paying him, this practice would be analogous
to hiring Michael Jordan to play basketball and making him play
the popular playground game 'HORSE'. It would be far wiser for the
purchaser of musical services to allow the musician to perform to
the best of his ability and thus elevate, educate, and entertain
the listener. In this manner, the musician will function as an integral
member of the community, sharing equal importance with other professions
by making our society more vital and endearing through his knowledge
of this art we call music. Our responsibility as musicians should
simply be to strive for excellence in our craft by emulating the
best from the history of music, whether it be Ludwig van Beethoven,
Duke Ellington, or Bill Monroe, and by hard work and dedication
strive to be faithful servants for the greater good of mankind through
this art we call music.
