Author Question: How is the Sioux Grass Dance on CD 1:3 organized metrically (grouping of beats, if any)? Explain. ... (Read 41 times)

DyllonKazuo · **on:** Jul 25, 2018

How is the Sioux Grass Dance on CD 1:3 organized metrically (grouping of beats, if any)? Explain. What is the tempo of the selection (slow, medium, or fast)?

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Question 2

Discuss the general form (phrase structure) of the Sioux Grass dance. (See specific formal pattern of phrase repetition and music transcription in WOM, page 38.)

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cupcake16 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 25, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Sioux Grass Dance has a steady beat, but does not have a regular meterthat is, the music is not based on continually recurring groups of beats with specific beats consistently emphasized more than other beats.
For example, compare CD 1:3 to CD 1:7, Folsom Prison Bluesa country western song, which can be counted in either a slow duple (two-beat) meter 1 2 1 2 . . . or a fast quadruple (four-beat) meter 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 . . . In each grouping of beats (called a measure and divided by vertical lines), the first beat, the downbeat, is automatically accented (stressed) more than the rest of the beats in each grouping. Folsom Prison Blues is obviously organized around a strong meter that is being reinforced by the drum (trap set). Tap along with Folsom Prison Blues to get a feel for the meter. In contrast the Sioux Grass Dance and other traditional Native-American musical examples are not normally organized around such meters.
Sioux Grass Dance has a fast tempo. Notice how the drum beat does not coincide exactly with the singing part.

Answer to Question 2

Two melodic phrasesA and Brepeat.