Playing and Fighting as an Electric Violinist

The violin is an instrument used in various musical genres. Besides preserving, elaborating, and valuating, the classical form of the instrument as well as the classical violin repertory, an electronic version of the instrument has entered the music business many decades ago. It allows the musician to produce sounds ranging from classical violin sounds to electric guitar or even electric bass sounds. Nora Kudrjawizki (‘Angelstrings’, “One Violin Orchestra”) is an electric violinist living in Berlin and using the instrument for as many different genres and occasions as possible: playing Nirvana songs or fighting with the violin bow as an improvised sword to “Pirates of the Caribbean” music as part of her performance. Her work will be presented as a case study and will be set into a bigger framework with further electric violinist statements generated from the literature. I focus on the differences in the instrumentalist–instrument relation when playing electric or acoustic. My aim is to prove that the electric violin is mostly used to play public and impress others and that there are also musically interesting aspects and individual experiences that should be valued.

Jaco Pastorius

Choosing Jaco Pastorius was an easy call. As a player, he occupies a fascinating place in the world of electric bass. He is, in a word, undeniable. And yet, as a survey of Rolling Stone readers in 2011 noted, he’s not a “household name.” He was just number seven on the magazine’s list of all time greats. John Entwhistle of The Who and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers come in at one and two. But just as there’s no Entwhistle without James Jamerson (Funk Brothers bass icon who, most agree, first defined what an electric bass could and should do), there’s no Flea without Jaco.

Analisis Musik Iringan Lagu Aneuk Yatim Ciptaan Rafly Kande

Lagu Aneuk Yatim merupakan karya musik bergenre pop ciptaan Rafly pada tahun 1999 yang menceritakan tentang keadaan sosial kehidupan anak-anak di Aceh terkait peristiwa konflik dan tsunami di tahun 2004, dan mencapai puncak popularitasnya baik secara lokal maupun nasional. Lagu Aneuk Yatim memiliki penggunaan instrumen dan harmoni iringan yang khas dalam kalimat lagu dengan harmoni iringan dan tangganada konvensional (background harmony). Hal tersebut menjadi rangkaian pendukung melodi yang dimainkan untuk menciptakan kesan dan pesan pada lagu. Penelitian ini mencoba untuk menguraikan dan mengidentifikasi penggunaan instrumen musik dan harmoni iringan pada lagu Aneuk Yatim, yang nantinya bisa dijadikan rujukan bagi peneliti dalam menganalisis karya musik lagu. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan metode analisis deskriptif. Selanjutnya, pendekatan yang dilakukan untuk mempermudah pencarian data dilakukan dengan etik dan emik agar tercapainya kelancaran dalam proses pencarian sampai dengan pengelolaan data untuk mengindentifikasi penggunaan instrumen musik dan harmoni iringan pada lagu Aneuk Yatim. Metodologi yang dilakukan dalam penelitian ini adalah pengumpulan data yang terkait subjek maupun objek dengan cara berinteraksi langsung melalui dokumentasi, observasi, dan wawancara dengan partisipan. Penggunaan instrumen dalam lagu Aneuk Yatim terdiri dari accoustic guitar, keyboard, electric bass, dan drum set. Instrumen acoustic guitar, keyboard, dan electric bass merupakan instrumen melodis dan instrumen harmonis yang digunakan sebagai instrumen dalam memainkan melodi pada interlude, serta instrumen harmonis yang memainkan akor sebagai iringan pada melodi pokok. Harmoni iringan dan tangganada pada lagu Aneuk Yatim ini, seperti tangganada minor asli maupun minor harmonis, serta harmoni yang dipakai seperti akor I-IV-V (G-C-D

Low-Latency f0 Estimation for the Finger Plucked Electric Bass Guitar Using the Absolute Difference Function

Audio-to-MIDI conversion can be used to allow digital musical control through an analog instrument. Audio-to-MIDI converters rely on fundamental frequency estimators that are usually restricted to a minimum delay of two fundamental periods. This delay is perceptible for the case of bass notes. In this dissertation, we propose a low-latency fundamental frequency estimation method that relies on specific characteristics of the electric bass guitar. By means of physical modeling and signal acquisition, we show that the assumptions of this method are based on the generalization of all electric basses. We evaluated our method in a dataset with musical notes played by diverse bassists. Results show that our method outperforms the Yin method in low-latency settings, which indicates its suitability for low-latency audio-to-MIDI conversion of the electric bass sound.

Jaco Pastorius, the Electric Bass, and the Struggle for Jazz Credibility

This article explores Jaco Pastorius’s efforts to legitimize himself as a jazz electric bassist. Even though the instrument had existed at the margins of jazz for decades, by the 1970s it was overwhelmingly associated with rock and funk music and therefore carried with it the stigmatized connotations of outsider status. Building on the work of Bill Milkowski, Kevin Fellezs, Lawrence Wayte, and Peter Dowdall, I situate Pastorius’s career within the broader context of 1970s jazz fusion. I then analyze how he deliberately used his public persona, his virtuosic technical abilities, the atypical timbre of his fretless electric bass, and his work as a composer and bandleader to vie for acceptance within the jazz tradition. As I argue, Pastorius specifically attempted to establish his jazz credibility through his first two solo albums, initially by disassociating himself from his own instrument, and then by eventually abandoning the musical style that had made him famous. Ultimately, Pastorius’s story serves as a useful case study of the tangible ramifications of authenticity disputes and the complicated ways in which musicians have attempted to navigate contested musical spaces within popular music.

Jaco Pastorius, the Electric Bass, and the Struggle for Jazz Credibility

This article explores Jaco Pastorius’s efforts to legitimize himself as a jazz electric bassist. Even though the instrument had existed at the margins of jazz for decades, by the 1970s it was overwhelmingly associated with rock and funk music and therefore carried with it the stigmatized connotations of outsider status. Building on the work of Bill Milkowski, Kevin Fellezs, Lawrence Wayte, and Peter Dowdall, I situate Pastorius’s career within the broader context of 1970s jazz fusion. I then analyze how he deliberately used his public persona, his virtuosic technical abilities, the atypical timbre of his fretless electric bass, and his work as a composer and bandleader to vie for acceptance within the jazz tradition. As I argue, Pastorius specifically attempted to establish his jazz credibility through his first two solo albums, initially by disassociating himself from his own instrument, and then by eventually abandoning the musical style that had made him famous. Ultimately, Pastorius’s story serves as a useful case study of the tangible ramifications of authenticity disputes and the complicated ways in which musicians have attempted to navigate contested musical spaces within popular music.

Modern Band and Special Learners

For the greater part of the past 50 years, music educators have advocated for contemporary approaches to music education that reflect the interests of students. This has recently manifested in an approach to music education that scholars call Modern Band. Though the term lacks any one definition, Modern Band classes typically involve popular music making with guitars, drum set, electric bass, and keyboard. Among the features of this approach is a student-centered orientation that is focused on the individual learner. Additionally, Modern Band is rooted in informal music-learning theory, which easily lends itself to the inclusive principles of universal design for learning and differentiated instruction. Because of this, Modern Band may be a perfect fit for inclusive music classrooms.

Low-Latency f0 Estimation for the Finger Plucked Electric Bass Guitar Using the Absolute Difference Function

Audio-to-MIDI conversion can be used to allow digital musical control by means of an analog instrument. Audio-to-MIDI converters rely on fundamental frequency estimators that are frequently restricted to a minimum delay of two fundamental periods. This delay is perceptible for the case of bass notes. In this paper, we propose a lowlatency fundamental frequency estimation method that relies on specific characteristics of the electric bass guitar. By means of physical modelling and signal acquisition, we show that the assumptions of the method relies on generalize throughout electric basses. We evaluate our method in a dataset with musical notes played by diverse bassists. Results show that our method outperforms the Yin method in low-latency settings, which indicates its suitability for low-latency audio-to-MIDI conversion of the electric bass sound.