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----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob Olhsson" <[log in to unmask]> > >... a properly qualified recording is a defining document. > > In fact it is the ONLY defining document possible other than maybe a piano roll. All the rest is oral tradition. We were taught by my elementary school violin teacher that musical notation is strictly a menomic device. > Sheet music tells one how the melody is supposed to go...which may or may not be what an artist decides to play as his/her/its version of the song! > Rock & roll, swing, etc. pretty much all have their roots in the Chick Webb band. Chick Webb happened to be black but his "swinging" drum style was very much his own creation. > I'd have to compare some records to speak to this in an informed fashion... > American popular music seems to be mostly a product of teachers who were descendent's of African slaves that had been taught to perform 18th century European music. Their students were the working poor of all races and nationalities. Contrary to popular racist mythology, they could read, write and perform with the best of classically trained Europeans. > To a certain extent that may be true...but I would see it primarily applying to about the last 50 years or so. Prior to the emergence of rock'n'roll as the standard form of pop music, much if not most of our popular music was written by professional songwriters, who were generally NOT performers of the music...and jazz recordings and performances were usually based on these compositions, albeit altered to varying degrees by the improvisation to which they were subjected. It is probably true that many of the popular music artists...and certainly the songwriters...were trained and capable musicians. However, that applies only to music "pre-rock'n'roll!" and a certain portion of the "rock" musicians of the sixties and seventies (whose music was often based upon, or quoted extensively from, "the classics"). As an occasional performer of the current era (blues and blues-based music) I am doing well (from a performing standpoint) in spite of my "musical illiteracy" and I know very few other performers who have significant music literacy. Steven C. Barr