theOwl
I spent last weekend in Chicago at the 2009 TAA Tamburitza Extravaganza. To seize upon just one musical marvel among many, let me note that I really enjoy Macedonian music, and in particular, the extraordinary grooves that grow as a hybrid collaboration between the dancers and musicians. In fact, there is no need to distinguish between the dancers and musicians, as they are both in these grooves very much together.
How do people dance in 7/8? Here’s how:
In the above video dancers at the 2009 Tamburitza Extravaganza dance in a fast 7/8 meter to the music of Sviraj, of Steeltown, PA.
As far as I can tell, these “odd metered” Macedonian musics are constructed of segments of 2 and 3 beats. For instance, a 7/8 will be felt as (3+2+2) or (2+2+3). An 11/8 might be felt as (2+2+2+2+3) or (3+2+2+2+2) or (2+2+3+2+2) or (2+3+2+2+2) or whatever… A 25/8 might be felt as a conglomeration of smaller units, like ( (2+2+3) + (2+2+3) + (2+2) + (2+2+3) ) – that’s one “bar”.
Of course, if you have to count it, you’re probably not feeling it. Also, these musical events often get going so fast that the 2′s feel like single beats, and the 3′s feel like a single beat followed by a bit of an amorphous pause. After a while the dancers simply levitate.
I’ve played around with composing to these rhythms. Here’s me on bass, Aron Kaufman on traps, and Sam Clark on guitar kicking around a 14/8 groove (2+2+3+3+2+2) a couple of years ago at Oz’s here in Ann Arbor.
Someday…
