Calypso Flashcards
Where does this music originate from?
Trinidad (the most southern island of the Caribbean)
What countries influenced Calypso music and why?
Spain, France and Britain ruled the Caribbean so they influenced the music, as well as African music as it originated from the African slaves making songs with clever lyrics to communicate to each other in the sugar and cotton plantations
Name the main instrument in Calypso, and how they originally made
Steel pans, made from oil drums
Calypso uses what type of rhythms?
What pattern do they mostly follow?
What does this mean?
Syncopated Rhythms
3-3-2
This gives each bar 3 beats, but the final beat is shorter than the other.
Give a suitable time signature for a Calypso song
2, 4
2, 4
Show 2 examples of the syncopated rhythms used (4/4)
ppp ppp pp
LLl LLl Ll
p p p p p
l/ l l/ l l
What does a strophic structure mean?
The music is the same in every verse. Only the lyrics change. Calypso music has either this structure or a verse-chorus structure
Which of these are the main textures of Calypso music?
a) homophonic
b) monophonic
c) heterophonic
d) polyphonic
a) homphonic - main melody and accompaniment
d) polyphonic - melodies with countermelodies
Name some instruments in Latin percussion
Bongos Conga drums - tall, narrow, barrel shaped drums Claves - pair of wooden sticks Bamboo sticks Wood blocks Maracas
Complete the sentence:
Calypso music is all about…
syncopation
Here’s a long list of instruments that can be in Calypso, not counting the Latin percussion section
Acoustic, electric and bass guitars
Brass - such as trumpets and trombones
Woodwind - such as clarinets, flutes and saxophones
A modern drum kit sometimes
I have ukelele and violin written down but who knows?
STEEL PANS
Give the book definition of steel pans
They are tuned percussion instruments. They have a concave surface with a dented appearance, made from sheet metal.
The players are called pannists
A steel bands always only consist of pannists. True or false?
False - Latin percussion and a drum kit is usually used too, and sometimes even a bass guitar
The deeper the pan, the lower the notes produced. Which are the highest - lowest pan sizes?
Soprano (sometimes called tenors or ping-pongs)
Alto
Baritone
Bass
What is unique about a soprano pan?
It can be tuned to create all the chromatic notes within range (but a set of pans is needed to get the full range of the bass notes etc)
In order to cover the full range, how many pans does the bass pannist need?
Between 4 and 6
Sets of pans have special names and are used for different purposes. What is a set of 2 baritone drums known as and why?
“Double guitar” because it’s used for strumming (playing chords) and also can provide the harmony and countermelody
What do pannists play instead of a sustained note?
DRUM ROLL PLEASE
dundundundundudundnudndudndunduddun
hdhdjndundudndundndnundhnduhdjnddnnjj
They roll notes or using tremolo
How can pannists play chords with up to 4 notes?
Sometimes they hold two mallets with each hand
What is the timbre (sound) that the mallets make and how?
They produce a warm, echoing metallic tmbre due to the special mallets having rubber heads
Name an ornamentation that steel pans can effectively produce
Trills (by alternating between different notes)
Which intervals are most commonly used by steel pans to create that awesome harmony they have?
a) 2nds
b) 3rds
c) 4ths
d) 5ths
e) 6ths
b) 3rds
d) 5ths
Fill the blanks:
Steel pans produce music with complex ________, harmonies and _______. They’re very versatile - usually playing __________ calypso rhythms, but they can play music of other genres too such as ____ and ____
Melodies Rhythms Syncopated Folk Jazz
Name 2 styles which are evolved versions of calypso with new styles
Rapso - first in the 60s, which focuses on the lyrics (often about political & social issues). The style developed to use synthesised instruments and modern production techniques
Soca - developed in 70s, a faster beat than traditional calypso, popular as dance music (particularly at carnivals) Calypso artists began using electronic drums, synthesizers and studio effects in their recordings
The song “Hot Hot Hot” is a god example of what type of modern Calypso genre?
Soca
