Calypso and Steel Band Music

Question 1

Western Instruments used in Calypso include: (5 things)

Answer 1

1) acoustic and bass guitar with trumpets
2) saxophones
3) electric guitars
4) drum kit
5) vocals
(and LATIN PERCUSSION, different flashcard)

Question 2

latin percussion: (7 things)

Answer 2

1) congas
2) bongos
3) claves
4) maracas
5) cabasa
6) reco-reco (or guiro)
7) agogo bells

Question 3

when did steel bands begin?

Answer 3

Steel Bands began in Trinidad when a great many oil drums were left lying around after World War II.
It was soon found that they could be turned into musical instruments.

Question 4

How are Steel Pans made?

Answer 4

Steel Pans are made by cutting oil drums into different sizes and then beating the tops into concave bowls. Each individual note is then beaten into a small area of the bowl.

Question 5

what are used to are used to strike each note on a steel pan?

Answer 5

Small rubber-headed sticks

Question 6

what decides the name of the pan?

Answer 6

Each pan or pair of pans has its own name according to its pitch-range. Some of the pans have more than one name although they mean the same thing.

Question 7

these days, what do Steel Bands consist of?

Answer 7

These days, Steel Bands consist of a number of different-sized Steel Pans, and a rhythm section of Latin-American percussion instruments.

Question 8

what steel pans usually play the melody?

Answer 8

soprano, Ping Pong, or First Tenor

Question 9

what steel pans usually play a second melody underneath the Soprano part?

Answer 9

Double Alto, Double or Second Tenor

Question 10

what steel pans usually play 2 note chords?

Answer 10

Single Alto

Question 11

what steel pans usually play chords, melody or Bass?

Answer 11

cello or guitar

Question 12

what steel pans usually play the bass part?

Answer 12

bass

Question 13

note positions on a steel pan on the word document

Question 14

why is the Steel Band a very versatile ensemble?

Answer 14

Because a wide range of pitches is available on Steel Pans

Question 15

what different styles of music can be performed in Calypso music?

Answer 15

traditional Caribbean, pop and classical music

Question 16

what is the most common style of calypso music and why?

Answer 16

the Steel Band is most often found in outdoor carnivals playing traditional Caribbean music.

Question 17

what is calypso originally? and what is it associated with?

Answer 17

CALYPSO is originally the national dance of Trinidad and Tobago and is particularly associated with social gatherings such as CARNIVAL

Question 18

what metre is calypso normally in?

Answer 18

4/4 metre

Question 19

how does calypso use syncopation?

Answer 19

uses SYNCOPATION combining story telling with memorable melodies

Question 20

when is syncopation used in steel pan music?

Answer 20

both in the melody line and in the chords which are often performed OFFBEAT.

Question 21

what sort of rhythms are used?

Answer 21

Calypso often uses three-beat rhythms with two long beats followed by a short beat, (picture in word document)

Question 22

how are call and response phrases used?

Answer 22

CALYPSO uses CALL AND RESPONSE phrases with a leader or soloist playing the “call” and another instrument or the ensemble “responding” with another musical phrase.

Question 23

what are 2 characteristics of the call and response phrases in calypso music?

Answer 23

Call and response phrases are often an equal regular length (e.g. 4 or 8 bars) and are often IMPROVISED.

Question 24

what sort of form are the calypso songs in? what do they sing about?

Answer 24

Songs are normally in POPULAR SONG FORM with a verse and repeating chorus structure with topical, witty lyrics – often satirical – on subjects such as island life and were used as a means of spreading news and gossip

Question 25

what sort of phrases is steel pan music made up of?

Answer 25

Steel Pan music is often made up of a series of short phrases which are REPEATED and often have a “returning ‘A’ section

Question 26

how does improvisation occur in Calypso music?

Answer 26

The melody of Calypso music often features IMPROVISATION by the instrumentalists often on an “established”, pre-existing (folk) melody or one that has been composed who add ornaments and decorate a melody line during a performance.

Question 27

what “enriches” the harmony of Calypso Music?

Answer 27

The harmony of Calypso music is often enriched by using ADDED NOTE CHORDS e.g. Added 6th, 7th & 9 th and Diminished 7th Chords.

Question 28

what tempo is the harmonic rhythm?

Answer 28

The HARMONIC RHYTHM of Steel Pan music is normally SLOW with a single chord often lasting an entire bar.

Question 29

what are the 2 characteristics of the harmonies?

Answer 29

Harmonies are simple using mainly PRIMARY TRIADS and phrases often end with PERFECT CADENCES

Question 30

is it major or minor?

Answer 30

Much Steel Pan music is TONAL and often in MAJOR KEYS.

Question 31

what are the the Alto and Cello/Guitar pan parts are based on most of the time?

Answer 31

chords

Question 32

what does a triad consist of?

Answer 32

In its simplest form, a complete chord, or TRIAD consists of three notes. The lowest note of the triad, from which the chord takes its name, is called the ROOT. The middle note is called the THIRD and the upper note is called the FIFTH.

Question 33

what happens when arranging the notes of the triad for Alto and Cello pans?

Answer 33

it is usual to give the Alto the root and the third, and the Cello the third and the fifth
(eg the triad of C major with C being the root, E being the third and G being the fifth, so Alto = C + E, Cello = E + G)

Question 34

In Steel Band music, chords are rarely played as…

Answer 34

semibreves

Question 35

what is the texture?

Answer 35

The texture of Steel Pan music is mainly HOMOPHONIC MELODY AND ACCOMPANIMENT with additional textural layers added by chord riffs and percussion instruments which thicken the overall musical texture.

Question 36

what are the dynamics?

Answer 36

Since Calypso and Steel Pan music is designed to be performed at carnivals and outdoors accompanying dancers or in front of large audiences, the dynamics are generally very loud - FORTISSIMO (ff).

Question 37

what is the articulation?

Answer 37

notes of LONG DURATION are playing by ROLLING, giving a TREMOLO effect which produces a ‘shimmering’ sound as is a unique TIMBRE/SONORITY to Steel Pans.

Question 38

what are most of the Caribbean population are descendants of?

Answer 38

Most of the Caribbean population are descendants of West African slaves and settlers from Europe, India and China.

Question 39

where do the caribbean islands lie?

Answer 39

The Caribbean islands lie in a chain from the Bahamas in the north to Trinidad and Tobago in the south.

Question 40

what are the largest islands in the Carribean?

Answer 40

Central in the chain are the largest islands of Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Puerto Rico

Question 41

is music throughout the Caribbean the same?

Answer 41

no, the music of the Caribbean differs from island to island, but each kind has its origins in a mixture of African and European influences.

Question 42

African musical influences include:

Answer 42

• SYNCOPATIONS (offbeat accents) and CROSS-RHYTHMS
• Use of PERCUSSION instruments
• CALL AND RESPONSE
• SINGING STYLES

Question 43

European musical influences include:

Answer 43

• TONAL (based in a key) harmonies and melodies

* Instruments e.g. guitar

Question 44

what did advances in recording technology cause?

Answer 44

Harry Belafonte recorded a “Calypso Album” in 1956 selling more than a million copies bringing Calypso to a wider audience worldwide.

Question 45

how did Calypso develop into a call and response form?

Answer 45

While Calypso started as a type of folk music, it developed into a CALL AND RESPONSE form from originally a political and social commentary, to dance and party music.

Question 46

how did the use of the “Iron bands” (before steel bands) come around?

Answer 46

During British colonial rule of Trinidad in the 1800’s, hand drums were used as a form of communication by neighbouring gangs. However, due to a steady increase in violent, the government outlawed the use of these drums. As a result, Trinidadians turned to a variety of materials to take the place of the banned drums and searched for objects to create music, including rubbish can lids, old car parts and empty oil barrels. Eventually, these metallic found instruments became the basis of musical gatherings called “Iron Bands.”

Question 47

how were the original steel pans accidentally discovered?

Answer 47

.” In the late 1930s, someone discovered that hitting a dented section of an oil barrel produced a particular tone, and people began to experiment with different shapes, resulting in the original steel drums, now referred to as “pans,” which were convex like a dome rather than concave like a dish.

Question 48

why have steel pans been accepted in the present-day percussion family?

Answer 48

Ellie Manette, a steel drum maker still active in the United States, was the first to hammer out a pan, giving the drum its familiar concave form. Over many years, steel drum makers have perfected the quality, tone, and appearance of the instrument, which has led to its finding acceptance in the present-day percussion family.

Question 49

when was calypso music introduced worldwide?

Answer 49

The first major “stars of Calypso” started crossing over to new audiences worldwide in the late 1930’s as a form of protest against the authoritarian “colonial culture” which existed at the time.

Question 50

when did calypso become popular, by who?

Answer 50

Calypso (often “toned-down” to a more “commercial” form) became popular with the release of “Banana Boat Song”, or “Day-O”, a traditional Jamaican folk song, whose best-known rendition was done by Harry Belafonte on his album Calypso (1956) which was the first full-length record to sell more than a million copies.

Question 51

which broadway musical theatre did Calypso become popular in?

Answer 51

Calypso also became popular in Broadway musical theatre with the musical Jamaica (1957)

Question 52

which movies was Calypso heard in?

Answer 52

Calypso began to be heard as music in films such as Island in the Sun, Calypso Joe, Calypso Heat Wave and Bop Girl Goes Calypso

Question 53

what happened in the 1970s?

Answer 53

In the 1970’s, women entered the previously male-dominated Calypso arena and Calypso continues to be popular in films of today such as “Under the Sea”, a Calypso theme from Disney’s The Little Mermaid.

Question 54

The names of some famous performers and groups of Calypso and Steel Bands include:

Answer 54

1) Harry Belafonte
2) David Rudder
3) Mighty Sparrow
4) Andy Narrell

Question 55

who is Harry Belafonte?

Answer 55

(An American singer, songwriter, actor, and social activist. One of the
most successful African-American pop stars in history, he was dubbed
the “King of Calypso” for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with
an international audience in the 1950s)

Question 56

who is David Rudder?

Answer 56

A calypsonian from Trinidad, one of the most successful calypsonians
of all time. He began singing with a calypso band at a young age, and in
his teens sang backup vocals in a calypso tent run by Lord Kitchener)

Question 57

who is Mighty Sparrow?

Answer 57

(Slinger Francisco, better known as Mighty Sparrow, is a calypso singer,
songwriter, and guitarist of Trinidadian citizenship. Known as the
“Calypso King of the World”, he is one of the best-known and most
successful calypsonians)

Question 58

who is Andy Narrell?

Answer 58

(An American jazz musician and composer specialising in steelpans.
He has a brother Jeff Narrell who is also a steelpan player)