Pop/microtones

In the Sept issue of Guitar Player mag, there's a lesson with Popa Chubby (who I am not familiar with), and he says, speaking of BB King "His bends are are very interesting, because many of them are actually microtonal. He doesn't just play straight bends, he finds all these "between the frets" notes--which is really cool when you think about the blues going back to Africa and Middle Eastern music, where microtonal elements are the norm." Super hip to see in GP, and really true...I teach a lot of blues to students, and always try to make them aware that blues, which of course became the foundation of rock, is not "Western" in origin, and is essentially non 12 tone. Flamenco maestro Juan Martin once pointed out that the roots of flamenco and rock were very similar, as they both went back to North African origins in places...I thought that was very insightful, and it's also quite true.
So, microtones are everywhere in pop music, always have been, but very few musicians realize this. BTW, one of my 17 year old students just got a 24 tone guitar, and another one got an oud...of the young folks start getting into other tunings, the future looks hopeful, indeed....best...Hstick

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Neil Haverstick" <microstick@m...>

/tuning/topicId_55732.html#55732

wrote:
> In the Sept issue of Guitar Player mag, there's a lesson with
Popa Chubby
> (who I am not familiar with), and he says, speaking of BB King "His
bends
> are are very interesting, because many of them are actually
microtonal. He
> doesn't just play straight bends, he finds all these "between the
frets"
> notes--which is really cool when you think about the blues going
back to
> Africa and Middle Eastern music, where microtonal elements are the
norm."
> Super hip to see in GP, and really true...I teach a lot of blues to
> students, and always try to make them aware that blues, which of
course
> became the foundation of rock, is not "Western" in origin, and is
> essentially non 12 tone. Flamenco maestro Juan Martin once pointed
out that
> the roots of flamenco and rock were very similar, as they both went
back to
> North African origins in places...I thought that was very
insightful, and
> it's also quite true.
> So, microtones are everywhere in pop music, always have been,
but very
> few musicians realize this. BTW, one of my 17 year old students
just got a
> 24 tone guitar, and another one got an oud...of the young folks
start
> getting into other tunings, the future looks hopeful,
> indeed....best...Hstick

***Hi Neil

Nice to see you back on the list with all your practical insights and
experiences...

Joseph Pehrson