Mode, Harmony, and Dissonance Treatment in American Folk and Popular Music, c. 1920–1945

Stoia, Nicholas

doi:10.30535/mto.16.3.2

Cited by 6 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…The large-scale harmonic structure in Johnson's blues songs follow, more or less closely, the 12-bar blues pattern that became one of the most common (if not the most common) in the decades that followed . It differs a little from the pattern Stoia gives as the ‘Standard 12-bar Blues’ in that bar 12 is articulated by level V and bar 10 is articulated by level IV (Stoia 2010, para 3). Johnson will sometimes substitute I for IV in bar 2 as he does in the first verse but not subsequent verses of ‘Kindhearted Woman’ 31 .…”

Section: The Music Of Robert Johnsonmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…The difficulties presented by Weisethaunet's arguments go much of the way towards explaining why recent theoretical work on the blues and blues-related musics has largely ignored the issues he raises. The most important work in this regard is that of Nicholas Stoia (2010, 2013), whose thorough and rigorous work on blues music uses methods closely related to those dominating analytical approaches to music in the classical tradition 4 . Alongside such approaches Stoia does cite the work of ethnomusicologists such as David Evans and Gerhard Kubik, a fact that suggests some sensitivity to the kinds of issues highlighted by Weisethaunet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, Weisethaunet does make it clear that the blues system should not necessarily be conceived in terms of deviation from a scale and his article as a whole shows great sensitivity to the complex issues encountered in attempting to theorise blues music with reference to standard analytical tools. 4 In two recent articles, Stoia draws on the work of key figures in the analysis of music in the classical tradition such as William Rothstein, William Caplin and Robert Gjerdingen(Stoia 2010(Stoia , 2013. 5 This approach to theorising the blues is also reflected in Everett's subsequent work on rock harmony(Everett 2008(Everett , 2009).…”

mentioning

confidence: 97%

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Blues music theory and the songs of Robert Johnson: ladder, level and chromatic cycle

Curry¹

2015

Pop. Mus.

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The blues is a complex and subtle musical language that warrants careful analysis and sustained debate. There are legitimate concerns with the application of music-theoretical paradigms to blues music, but we should not allow such concerns to undermine all attempts to address the blues as a serious and coherently structured music. This paper explores the notions of ladder, level and chromatic cycle as an insightful set of theoretical tools in analysing the music of Robert Johnson. Key sources in developing this analytical approach are the scholarship of Gerhard Kubik and the spatially oriented analytical methods of neo-Riemannian theory. The notions of ladder, level and chromatic cycle are explored with close reference to Johnson's 'Kindhearted Woman' and through a more general consideration of the scale-degree content of his vocal parts.

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Section: The Music Of Robert Johnsonmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 97%

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Blues music theory and the songs of Robert Johnson: ladder, level and chromatic cycle

Curry¹

2015

Pop. Mus.

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“…These authors further go on to describe a "neutral" or "blue note" third as a blending between the two. It has long been observed that the blues artist frequently slurs between major and minor thirds (Jones, 1951;Kubik, 1999Kubik, , 2005Kubik, , 2008Niles, 1972;Stoia, 2010;von Hornbostel (as cited in Kubik, 2008, p. 16); Weisethaunet, 2001). Temperley et al (2017) postulate that the distributions of two distinct auditory targets (like Figure 3) separated by a half step should have an additive overlap between tones, but the resultant curve should present as two peaks with a definite "valley" between them, if the two notes were sung as independent vocal projections.…”

Section: The "Neutral" Third and Tritonementioning

confidence: 99%

Microtonal Analysis of "Blue Notes" and the Blues Scale

Cutting

2019

EMR

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Microtonal evaluation of blue notes in the early blues scale by empirical pitch measurement and statistical characterization has not yet been performed in existing research. To address this, fifteen recorded classic blues performances by acknowledged early masters of the blues were studied. Computer based methods were used to collect the audio frequencies of note samples from each performance. Each note had its frequency ratio with respect to the average tonic tone for the performance converted to microtonal cents format. Cluster analysis was performed on these note collections to identify individual note clusters. The fourth and fifth were clearly identified. Three principal "blue note" clusters were isolated with means of 319.1, 582.8, and 1037.9 cents. These values corresponded closely to the harmonic half diminished seventh chord (i.e. 1, b3, b5, b7 with harmonics 5:6:7:9). The "neutral" third was confirmed to occur in this sample. A similar blending of the perfect fourth and tritone was demonstrated in this study. The flat 7th presented as three separate clusters. Several clusters idiosyncratic to individual performers were also identified. Findings are discussed with regards to the array of theories proposed to explain the blues.

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“…Stoia suggests that the progression ‘emphasizes the cadence by approaching the final tonic from both its upper and lower dominants' (, p. 209). See also Stoia (), para. 16 and n. 18.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Two Approaches to Tonal Space in the Music of Muddy Waters

Curry

2017

Music Analysis

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The music of Muddy Waters is steeped in the blues tradition of the early twentieth century but also plays a key role in the development of the rock music of the 1960s and '70s. The importance of Waters's music can be understood more fully by exploring its engagement with blues music's harmonic and melodic characteristics. This article posits two approaches to blues tonal space: the networked and the laddered. The first is underpinned by the cyclical potential of equal temperament and is characterised by descending chromatic motions. The second is underpinned by the harmonic series and is characterised by the microtonal shaping of pitch content within the framework of a ladder that approximates an equal-tempered major-minor seventh chord.After explaining the details of these approaches with reference to an early blues recording by Alberta Hunter and Fats Waller, the article examines the ways in which Muddy Waters favours the laddered approach but develops novel ways of referencing the networked system, often combining or synergising aspects of each. This analysis yields insight into the potential for interchange in blues between networked and laddered tonal space. This interchange exploits (1) the structural importance of the major-minor seventh chord, (2) the special weight afforded the sonority of the minor third and (3) the affinity between microtonal and chromatic step motion in this genre.

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Mode, Harmony, and Dissonance Treatment in American Folk and Popular Music, c. 1920–1945

Cited by 6 publications

References 12 publications

Blues music theory and the songs of Robert Johnson: ladder, level and chromatic cycle

Blues music theory and the songs of Robert Johnson: ladder, level and chromatic cycle

Microtonal Analysis of "Blue Notes" and the Blues Scale

Two Approaches to Tonal Space in the Music of Muddy Waters

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