Blog Post #7

The first piece Polacca is full of participatory discrepancies that truly make the listening experience a fun and exciting journey. Right from the beginning of the piece it seems the drums and the vocal group are in a different meter or tempo. The drums arrive on the beat a fraction earlier than the vocals. The piece grows and evolves in many different ways, layering on futuristic ostinatos (repeated motifs). This piece reminds me of a sort of call and response as it seems the musicians are almost have a conversation. This is emphasized by the chant like vocals. The group of vocalists are often not singing pitches but rather following the natural inflection of the voice and language while still communication musically and rhythmically with the other musicians. These aspects make for a very lively composition that makes any listener want to get up and dance.

Sly and the Family stone’s Space Cowboy has many resemblances to a blues jam. The Bassist and the drummer lay the foundation of the groove while the keyboard lightly playing over top in a slap clav style. The vocals are the clearest example of participatory discrepancy as there are multiple vocalists singing in different octaves and the lead vocalists often switches between rhythmic speech and melody. The mix of speech and song gives the composition a sense of story. The piece reminds me of a campfire jam, where everyone is participating in the experience.

The final piece ‘Agua due va caer’ by Patato and Totico seems as though almost all musicians are playing at their own tempo. The vocals seem to flow over top of the drums independently but complementary. The piece does not feel like it has any bar lines time signature instead; a groove layered over top of the energizing drum beat. This piece like the Polacca really makes you want to dance. You also feel as though you can sing along when the group of singers responds to the lead singer, another example of how Participatory discrepancies allow the audience to feel they can participate as well.