Your Help Required Please

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sam_m

Posts: 71
Joined: Nov. 24 2008
From: St.Helens, England

Your Help Required Please

If any of you guys would be kind enough to spend a few moments jotting down some thoughts for me I would be most grateful.

This exercise pertains to a piece of coursework I am involved in looking at studying music/dance forms in other cultures, so some points of view from all levels of experience and all backgrounds would be really useful.

I'll post the questions in the next post - I would have attached a word file, but I don't know how to. I realise the questions seem quite formal and quite rigid - they're really supposed to act as more of a set of guidelines for an informal discussion, but seeing as there are a limited number of people I can talk to in person locally, I thought asking you guys would be the next best thing - so if you want to add things that I've missed or that you think are super-important, please feel free to do so.

You can post back in this thread, send me a PM, or you can e-mail your thoughts and ideas to me at sammiguel 'at' gmail 'dot' com.

Your input would be greatly appreciated, even if you only have time to go over it briefly. My thanks in advance.

Edit - I'd like you to answer the questions, rather than provide feedback on the questionnaire itself, though as I said please feel free to add stuff I've missed out. Thanks to Richard (not sure what your username is) for pointing out the ambiguity.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 24 2009 10:20:37

sam_m

Posts: 71
Joined: Nov. 24 2008
From: St.Helens, England

RE: Your Help Required Please (in reply to sam_m)

Ethnomusicology Interview/Discussion Questions

1. Could you please give your name, age, occupation?

2. Is flamenco culture part of your own (personal) heritage?
-how important do you think this is with regards to people from other cultures performing in the flamenco style?

3. In what aspect(s) of flamenco culture are/have you been involved?
-what in particular drew you to this culture/art form?
-for how long have you been involved in this way?
-how did you get involved initially?

4. How would you describe this (your predominant) role in its relation with other aspects of flamenco culture? (in terms of its role/function, importance, how it interacts with others)

5. To the unfamiliar listener, flamenco music/dance may seem quite similar to other Spanish or latin forms. What would you say are the defining attributes that constitute authentic/real flamenco music/dance?

6. Would you consider flamenco to be a 'folk' art-form?

7. Are there any points covered you would like to expand upon, or points hitherto not mentioned which you feel are important or useful to discuss?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 24 2009 10:23:07

edguerin

Posts: 1589
Joined: Dec. 24 2007
From: Siegburg, Alemania

RE: Your Help Required Please (in reply to sam_m)

Hi sam_m,

I've just sent you the completed questionnaire via PM.

I'd like to provide following public feedback:

You are probably well aware of the influence of the setting (i. e. environmental variables) on the outcome of an interview. It would probably be easier to answer your questions if the context were more explicit. I for one at least am allways a bit reserved (not to say paranoid) when I don't know what is going to happen with my answers

_____________________________

Ed

El aficionado solitario
Alemania

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 25 2009 7:52:20

sam_m

Posts: 71
Joined: Nov. 24 2008
From: St.Helens, England

RE: Your Help Required Please (in reply to sam_m)

Hi Ed - just got your answers - thanks very much for taking the time out to do it.

To provide a quick background to the study, and thus how your answers will be used:-

-it's a single-term module, where the student is asked to pick a new instrument to investigate, as well as the culture which surrounds it. As I'm already a guitarist, I decided to focus on flamenco guitar because the right-hand technique is so very different from other styles - in that sense it is pretty much a different instrument.

-So, as well as teaching myself the techniques, I also need to look at the cultural context of the music. This means talking to people, but as there are very few people I can speak to locally, I thought I would ask on the foro.

-As far as assessment goes, the student keeps a diary/log book of their progress - technique/practice, gatherings they visit, interviews they conduct etc. and also to make a short presentation including some playing and some discussing of ideas etc.

-The information people provide if they would like to answer the questions will be included in the submitted log-book as part of my research, but the ultimate value is in making sure I can consider a range of perspectives for the presentation I will give in a couple of weeks time, and to act as a sort of 'checklist' for areas to look at for my own learning.

Pretty long-winded, but I hope it gives people a better idea of what it is they're getting involved in. If people are happy to take part but would like their names removing from anything that will be submitted, that's fine also.

As a final thought, I wonder what peoples' thoughts are on flamenco guitar music on it's own. I notice a lot of the more notable performers (PDL, for example) are often thought of as a 'solo' artist (for wont of a better phrase) rather than part of a larger context in terms of performance. Is this still 'as flamenco' as having the full package with singing, dancing etc.?

And thanks to Richard - I've received your answers also.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 25 2009 9:18:39

at_leo_87

Posts: 3055
Joined: Aug. 30 2008
From: Boston, MA, U.S.A

RE: Your Help Required Please (in reply to sam_m)

i'll do this tomorrow, it's going to involve thinking and using my head

when do you need this by?

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 26 2009 19:03:06

sam_m

Posts: 71
Joined: Nov. 24 2008
From: St.Helens, England

RE: Your Help Required Please (in reply to sam_m)

Hi mate,

I have another week or so to get things together, but the sooner you can fit it in the sooner I can read through and take stuff on board.

thanks

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 27 2009 10:10:44

sam_m

Posts: 71
Joined: Nov. 24 2008
From: St.Helens, England

RE: Your Help Required Please (in reply to sam_m)

Just a final bump for this thread, so I can say a big thank you to those who helped me out.

Submitted my coursework study today and had my presentation/performance which went pretty well I think.

So again, thanks - leo, edguerin and Rich, I think - sorry if I missed anyone out.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 18 2009 14:32:13