fear of a black key

[ChrisO at fieldschool.com]

Date	5/10/96
Subject	fear of a black key
>From	ChrisO
To	pynchon list

fear of a black key
davemarc writes:

"I'm not sure that I'd want to call the challenge to diatonicism (or, to be
more precise, tonality) "democratization."  I think I understand the
intended meaning; I just wonder whether we could agree upon a better word.
Notes aren't people, after all; in addition, I'd say that "the people" still
tend to go for music that is tonal--though most of "the people" don't tear their
hair out when they sing off-key in the shower or RV and most of "the people"
readily accept departures from tonality used for expressive purposes (say, when
a harmonica player or jazz saxophonist "bends" notes) '

Here I disagree.
     I think the notion of "democratization" is a MORE appropriate word in the
1996 context of exruciatingly codified musical forms. I cite Hootie:

         "HOLD MY HAND"   (ascending, whole steps)
          "LET HER CRY"   (descending, whole steps)

 The music that makes the bucks is safe. And we won't go gently into unfamiliar
harmonal territory; we allow the bending of notes as long as you get us back to
the tonic quick so we don't feel disoriented. My high school music students
don't like experimenters - John Zorn is "weird" and "must be really angry"
because only that can explain "Naked City" to them.
  The Youth Of Today (at least, the ones I teach) have daily access to
staggering amounts of technically proficient and fathfully reproduced music. In
such a context of plenty, the limiting of musical expression to 7 safe notes (or
3 - thanks Hootie) can only be called tyranny. Preterit terminology rings true.

A voice in the wilderness,

Chris O.