User:IlL/Spare pages 1/79: Difference between revisions

From Linguifex
Jump to navigation Jump to search
mNo edit summary
mNo edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
Owing in part to the large number of tones in the Zzean language, how Zzeans perform and view music radically differs from mainstream Western views.
Owing in part to the large number of tones in the Zzean language, how Zzeans perform and view music radically differs from mainstream Western culture.


For Zzeans, non-"tonal" elements such as rhythm, ornamentation, and scale choice are vital for distinguishing monophonic singing from normal speech. Choral vocal music that uses big block chords is wordless; polyphonic word-ful singing is used in specialized contexts.
For Zzeans, non-"tonal" elements such as rhythm, ornamentation, and scale choice are vital for distinguishing monophonic singing from normal speech. Choral vocal music that uses big block chords is wordless; polyphonic word-ful singing is used in specialized contexts.

Revision as of 20:27, 7 May 2023

Owing in part to the large number of tones in the Zzean language, how Zzeans perform and view music radically differs from mainstream Western culture.

For Zzeans, non-"tonal" elements such as rhythm, ornamentation, and scale choice are vital for distinguishing monophonic singing from normal speech. Choral vocal music that uses big block chords is wordless; polyphonic word-ful singing is used in specialized contexts.

The boundary between vocal and instrumental music in Zzean culture is somewhat ill-defined, as pitched instruments can "speak" by imitating the tones of speech. One can also choose to play instruments in a more "relaxed" or "conversational" manner by playing in speech-like contours rather than song-like ones, an option also available for voice.

Forms and styles

Zzean singing traditions include:

  • an intoned singing tradition
  • hiphop/rap (speech with stylized rhythm and sometimes autotune)
  • a religious chanting tradition with much ornamentation
  • some weird form of musical theater?
  • something really weird and independent from Cuam music's weirdness

Instruments

  • a shruti box that plays 5-note drones for guiding singing
  • "talking" pitched instruments: drums, flutes, trombones and fretless bowed strings

Scales

Zzean music is abstractly based on a pentatonic framework, onto which the five tone levels of Zzean are mapped. Seven-note scales are viewed as ways to ornament 5-note scales. However, not all Zzean pentatonic scales are octave-equivalent.