American indians

After reading chapter 1, what are characteristics of North American Indian music that makes it so distinctive? Next do an Internet search of your own and see what online information you can find about the music North America Indians of today.

The characteristics that make North American Indian music so unique is that they use geometrical patterns as they do in other forms of art and expression. This gives a meditative nearly hypnotic effect to the melody and depth in the texture of the music’s effect by not being in true harmony as many other European forms of music do. Their belief in nature and spiritualism does not separate from the arts and music of the cultures. No matter how many tribes with differences the songs and melodies follow a similar pattern. The Native Indian music set to rattles and drums with intense pulses and high pitch to low pitch phrases.

The websites that I visited all show new “native singers” now professional that are as our text confirms that are more common in modern Indian musicians. In the traditional North American Indian music the music is not “composed” per say the tribes believe that it is brought by spiritual muse. The current sites and music compositions are also still advertised as composed from spiritual muse. The instruments are modern even though they play the same type of music and in powwows the artists perform as close to traditional to preserve the culture and effect.

There are three classes of songs—traditional songs, handed down from generation to generation; ceremonial and medicine songs, supposed to be received in dreams; and modern songs, showing the influence of European culture. “Songs of heroes are often old, adapted to the occasion by the insertion of the new hero's name. Love songs often are influenced by the music of whites and are regarded as degenerate by many Native Americans.” (F. Densmore, The American Indians and Their