MUS1476

This course will introduce students to variety of styles of World music, and Guitar Cultures: variety of music styles/genres, in which guitar plays very important role (e.g. Bossa Nova, African palm vine guitar, Flamenco, crossover styles, Mississippi blues, City blues, Jazz, Rock, etc.). We will focus mainly on music of all continents with a bit of focus on European and American continents. We will be examining styles connected variety of types of guitar: Classical (Spanish) guitar, Acoustic (steel string) guitar, Electric guitar, seven string guitar, Indian slide guitar, Hawaiian slack key guitar, etc. Guitar heroes will be presented in connection with the specific style and culture. Guitar Heroes are performers who represent the essence of the style, are in some way interesting for studying (e.g., by their social/political role in the given time), or represent unusual fusion of music styles and genres (e.g., flamenco in synthesis with Balkan music). By learning about Guitar Cultures, students will overview historical/social circumstances around variety of music genres or styles, and become familiar with many music genres of the world, that they were not aware of. The goal of this course is to introduce the guitar and its music, in variety of historical, political, cultural, and social circumstances, and help students in understanding what the World music is, and the role of music in cultures around the world.