The Eyes and Ears of Iriana

     The music of Bangladesh is very upbeat and complex. I’d never searched or aimed to listen to music from Bangladesh before do I had no clue what to expect. I wanted to understand the country’s history before I tried to describe the culture or music. After so much research, I discovered that Bangladesh wasn’t always independent. In 1971 Bangladesh gained its independence from Pakistan after the Bangladesh liberation war. This was the beginning of Bangladesh known today.     As you can guess a lot of culture in Bangladesh extends from Pakistan. the reason Bangladesh broke away was because of oppression, war, and mass genocide of the people, also famine. the following video contains a brief history of Bangladesh. On to the music...     Some of the most common instruments of Bangladesh are the  Sitar, Violin, Flutes Harmonium, and Esraj, which is a traditional Bengali instrument. The sitar is a string instrument, sort of like ...

  What Is DooWop?      Doowop is a genre of music that was popular during the 1940s and 50s. the way to distinguish the doo-wop sound is the close harmony and more particularly the use of nonsense words that correspond with the beat or rhythm with the words. Doowop is also known as a sub-category of rhythm and blues, wh9ich were popular genres during this time. The sound of Doowop takes inspiration from blues, jazz, and swing. How was Doowop created? Surprisingly, the creation of Doowop had nothing to do with famous musicians at that time or fancy recording labels. Doowop was created by African American teenagers. While swing music was on a rise so was segregation. The black community was separated and given fewer opportunities than white people, this even extended to the music scene. Since they couldn’t buy expensive instruments or perform with famous groups, Doowop was born. Born in alleyways, barbershops, living rooms, anywhere that was safe and allowed creativity...

    This week's blog will be an interview with my mom. she grew up in the late 70s, so her music taste is somewhat different from mine. I tried to ask questions that would show a clear contrast between time and music. for the most part, I think the best way to get to know what music someone grew up with is to not only ask about what they like but also the time. this interview took place on zoom, I was unable to go home to talk to my mom. Iriana- hey mama, you ready to start mama- I reckon (laughs) Iriana- ok so what do you think were the best years for music? mama- ummm, when I was bout, 12. around the 80s. iriana- why? mama-music wasn't anything like today. you didn't hear all that cussing and sex. we listened to Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Prince.  iriana- so a lot of pop icons today are mainly what you listen to. mama- yea, I liked older music too, Etta James, Nina Simone, you know them. i raised you right (laughs) iriana- (laugh) I guess so. ...

What do think of when you think of Egyptian music? If you are anything like me you probably thought about camels, gold, and slow chimes with a calming melody in the background. I only think this way because I haven't learned about the actual culture and the significant of the music, until now. First, I had to consider the origin of Egyptian music. sadly, after a bit of research, it turns out that no one really knows what ancient Egyptian music sounded like. there was no sign of written music or scales, so scientist got their information from cave carving, and painting. They also found some instruments. some instruments that were discovered were harps,  Mashrôkêtã (double oboe) and the double flute.  Many of today's instruments come from or are inspired by Egyptian instruments. One of the oldest flutes was found in ancient Egypt. The Harp and the flute are both instruments we have discussed with other cultures in class.  The Egyptian flute has a low windy sound, that i...

       In class, we learned about how the Native American culture was being stripped away by Europeans in the late 1800s. we discussed reservations, boarding schools, and unwanted adoption. What I found to be interesting was how part of the native American culture was preserved. The Native American flute is a prized piece of the indigenous culture. The Native American flute has a high-pitched whimsical sound, which was nothing like the current instruments of Europe.     Thurlow Lieurance is a man who traveled to the native American reservations and gained inspiration for some of his music. I think that getting inspiration from native American culture is amazing, but not giving credit where credit is due, is terrible. The native people were sometimes exploited for their traditions such as dancing and singing. Thurlow used inspiration and sound from his travels to create the song “ By the Waters of Minnetonka” . In the beginning, you can hear the tradit...

      Hi i am Iriana foster. I have lived in Union South Carolina for my whole life. I would not consider myself to be a musician, of course, I had a phase where I wanted to be the cool girl who played guitar and was in a rock band. Needless to say, I am not her. although playing music didn't work out as expected, I am an active music listener. throughout the years I have come across types of music that make me cry, feel happy or cringe.       Music is an expression for me. my taste tends to change depending on what my soul needs at the time. Sometimes my soul needs to cry. This tends to be the music that is personal to me. Sometimes my soul needs to be happy and other times I simply hate the music. As of now, I am listening to upbeat Pop with a mix of R&B. this type of music is a genre that I like. the first songs that I found on my own as a kid were very energetic and upbeat.       "I don't do drugs" by Doja Cat. Doja Cat...