Introduction - Love Music Festival

Introduction
Artist journey
The Creaking Tree String Quartet is a band that mostly plays its own compositions.
The style of music the band play is influenced by many different styles of music, so
many in fact that they seem to have invented their own unique ‘fusion’ style!
© Eve Harrison & Love Music Festival
Activity 1. Spot the Style (a, b & c)
a.
Listening
• Paper, pens / pencils
• Computer & internet connection
15 - 30
mins
Class activity / individual
computer work. Any age
Listen to these tracks on the Love Music Festival Jukebox and think about the different
styles that the Creaking Tree String Quartet are influenced by.
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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Brady Jenkins
Jazz Hands
Scotland Yard
See if you can find these other tracks on the internet:
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Working on a Building
All I Want
The Times They Are A-Changin’
Nardis
D’yer Maker
4’3’’
What musical elements can you hear?
Can you guess some facts about these pieces, such as what country their style
originates from? What is it about the music that makes you think this?
b.
Research
Research material, eg internet,
reference books, musical
dictionaries, encyclopedia
30 - 60
mins
Small group
Any age
Find out some information about one of the styles listed below. Make sure all the styles
are being researched by different groups in your class. Share your findings with the class.
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BLUEGRASS
NORTH AMERICAN FOLK
JAZZ
ROCK
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CHAMBER MUSIC
FOLK (Scottish & Irish)
AVANT GARDE
CLASSICAL
Where did the style originate?
Where is it played now?
Who plays it?
What are the features of the style (eg rhythms, instruments, techniques used)?
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c.
Mapping then discussion
• Large world map, eg Google Maps,
to print out or use on your whiteboard
• Paper & pens
• Research findings about styles of music
15 - 30
mins
Small group (4-8)
then whole class
Any age
Using your World Map mark an X on the countries where your group’s chosen style
originates from and / or is dominant now. Find Toronto, where the quartet live, and draw
connecting lines between Toronto and each country related to the quartet’s style.
Extra Info
Here are some starting points for 3 of the styles, the others should be straight forward.
Bluegrass
Scottish and Irish fiddle playing has a huge role in the source material for most
bluegrass music, forming the ancestral backbone of Old-Time Appalachian fiddle music
that predates bluegrass and upon which much bluegrass is based.
Avant Garde
This is a French phrase which means “advance guard”. In English we use it to describe
people or works that are experimental or innovative. The idea of “pushing boundaries”
helps link to the French translation.
Can you list some “avant garde” people or groups you know or have heard of?
Folk
Focus on Scottish and Irish folk music.
Compare with other groups that have mapped other styles.
Which style has travelled the furthest?
Which style appears in the most countries?
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Activity 2. Influencing Creaking Tree
Listening
• Print out(s) of tables
• Computer, internet access
& speakers / headphones
30 mins
Class or Pairs
Any age
1. Listen to ZigZag and Scotland Yard by The Creaking Tree String Quartet - can you hear
the Scottish and Irish folk influences in these tracks?
2. Listen to some other tracks by The Creaking Tree String Quartet. Can you hear the
features you’ve found out in your research in the previous activity? Try to find tracks by
the band in which you can hear influences of other styles of music. Write them down on
the table below. If you can hear any other styles add them too.
Style
Track
Bluegrass
North American Folk
Jazz
Avant Garde
Chamber Music
Folk (Scottish and Irish)
ZigZag and Scotland Yard
Rock
Classical
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Activity 3. Individual Style (a & b)
Background
Like you, the members of The Creaking Tree String Quartet have favourite bands and
artists. When they bring their individual styles together it makes something that sounds
even more special. Here are the bands or musicians they felt influenced them most:
Brian Kobayakawa - bass
Charles Mingus - http://www.mingusmingusmingus.com/ suggested song:
Pithecanthropus Erectus
Jaco Pastorius - http://www.jacopastorius.com/ suggested song: Come On, Come Over
St. Vincent - http://www.ilovestvincent.com/ suggested song: Jesus Saves, I Spend
Gillian Welch - http://www.gillianwelch.com/ suggested song: Wayside/Back In Time
Phillip Glass - http://www.philipglass.com/ suggested song: Concerto for Saxophone Quartet
John Showman - fiddle
Bobby Hicks - http://www.bobbyhicks.com
Michael Cleveland - http://www.flamekeeperband.com
Kenny Baker - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Baker_(musician)
Brad Keller - guitar
Bill Friselll - http://www.billfrisell.com/
Lenny Breau - http://www.lennybreau.com/
Bela Fleck - http://www.belafleck.com/
Tony Rice - http://www.tonyrice.com/
Andrew Collins - mandolin
David Grisman - http://www.dawgnet.com/
Mike Marshall - http://www.mikemarshall.net/
Oscar Peterson - http://www.oscarpeterson.com/bio/
Darol Anger - http://www.darolanger.com/
Pink Floyd - http://www.pinkfloyd.com/
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a.
Research and Listening
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Computers, internet access & speakers / headphones
Paper & pens / pencils for notes
Website: YouTube, Spotify, Wikipedia, iTunes, lastfm, myspace
Love Music Festival Jukebox (If it’s not on our Jukebox, type
the artist, track name & ‘listen’ into Google)
• CD collections at home, or your local library
• For info on the musicians start with the websites above
30 - 45
mins
Groups (4 - 6) or
individual homework
Any age
Each group chooses a band member ideally each band member is researched by at least one group.
Listen to some music by each of your band member’s chosen musicians, find out about
them and their music using the questions below.
Listening Questions
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What instruments are used?
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What are the rhythms like? (fast / slow, simple, complex, irregular, predictable, funky,
boring, weird…)
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Is it mainly in compound (6/8 etc) or common time (4/4 etc)?
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What about the style? Is it one listed above or another one you’ve heard of?
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Is the tempo fast or slow? Can you think of some other words to describe it?
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What about the lyrics? Are there any? Do they tell a story what is it about?
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Shape of melodies are they flat, gradual, angular?
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Are there any contrasts? Are they big or only slight? What changes dynamics /
pitch / instrumentation?
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Do you notice any techniques, structures, or styles that you’ve heard of before,
eg Jig, Rondo, Minimalism, Improvisation, Blues, Verse / Chorus?
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Are there any interesting non-musical factors? Are they making a point with their
music, eg Human Rights? Do they choose to live in a certain way, eg vegetarian,
Buddhist, Kabbalah? Do they live somewhere unusual?
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What are your favourite bits about their music?
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Which parts don’t you like?
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Which part would you borrow to use in your own music?
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b.
Comparing Styles
• Print out table on next page, 2-3 per pair
• CD players or
computers with internet access & headphones
• Students to bring CDs of their favourite music
or listen online as above
45 mins
Individual and Pairs
Any age
1. Compare your band member’s influential styles
Use the table to write down some of your answers from the activity above.
Then compare the music: draw arrows between the things that the bands or musicians
have in common, underline the things they don’t share.
2. Your Individual Style
Now choose your top four bands or musicians. You could do two each in your pair or
four to yourself. Listen to your chosen music, then use the Listening Questions above.
Put your answers on a new table. Work out what is distinctive about them and what links
them (draw arrows and underline like in Step 1).
3. Compare and Discuss
Now compare the information about your favourite music to that of the member of The
Creaking Tree String Quartet you found out about. Do you have similar tastes? Having
heard some different music would you adjust your choices?
Extra Info
1. Add or remove detail to the Listening Questions as appropriate for your class. You could
steer the comparisons to focus on a topic you have been studying, eg compound vs
common time, or instruments of the orchestra. Display these (edited) questions or give a
copy to each group / pair.
2. For 3. (Compare and Discuss) above you might expect responses like these, depending
on the pupils’ level:
(Primary Level) “My favourite music is all really fast and has lots of drums in it. John
Showman also likes fast music but he prefers string music.”
(Secondary Level) “His choices are often in compound (6/8) time whereas I’ve noticed
mine are often in 4/4. The music I chose was all composed very recently whereas John
likes music from the 1920s and 30s, as well as modern music. I really liked the repetitive
complicated rhythms in lots of John’s choices but prefer my simpler, funky beats.”
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Table for Comparing Influences
Name of Creaking Tree band member:
Name of band / musician:
Name of band / musician
Instruments:
Instruments:
Rhythms:
Rhythms:
Style:
Style:
Tempo:
Tempo:
Lyrics:
Lyrics:
Shapes of melodies:
Shapes of melodies:
Other factors:
Other factors:
Name of band / musician
Name of band / musician
Instruments:
Instruments:
Rhythms:
Rhythms:
Style:
Style:
Tempo:
Tempo:
Lyrics:
Lyrics:
Shapes of melodies:
Shapes of melodies:
Other factors:
Other factors:
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Activity 4. Fusing Style
Mixing Styles and Composing
Computer, internet access
& headphones
10 - 60
mins
Individual
Any age
Using Map Mixer on the Love Music Festival website make your own fusion music.
Experiment by adding samples from different styles of music and layering them together.
Which ones do you think work together?
What is your new sound called?
When you’re happy with it share it with your friends or the class.
You can also try to recreate The Creaking Tree String Quartet’s fusion style by mixing
their influencing styles! What’s missing from the mix?
Upload your fusion style to our Glow page and take a listen to what other Love Music
Festival students in Scotland have composed.
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