Thursday December 3rd. The second song on the youtube video
Contour of the song is a figure 8. this applies to the way the music rolls back and forth in the pattern as well as the swing of the hips and skirts in the dancing. The character of the song is fast and upbeat, and the motives behind the melody is a push for movement. The range is pretty consistent, with the lead singer and chorus both staying within the tenor range. The phrasing is incredibly fast. The words are sung quickly and the drum is played even quicker.
There are 4 layers in the song which include, the lead singer, chorus, drums, and maracas. The drums keep the tempo of the song moving quickly, and the maracas keep the pulse of the song. The drums are the fastest layer and the lead singer quickly follows, while the maracas are steady but are keeping up with the fast chorus. After seeing the video, I see white in every layer. Especially in the drumming, it’s so fast, similar to what people call “white lighting”. There is a call and response between the lead singer and the chorus. There is also a minor call and response between the drummer and the lead singer.
Triple beat meter with no pause in between the time signature. The tempo is very VERY fast. The swing is slight during the choruses prolong portion of the chant. The syncopation is consistent throughout the song, the pattern just goes right back into itself.
The harmonic character stays in the figure eight pattern, it’s almost an invisible blend. The maracas and the drums stay consistent in loudness, but the chorus and the lead singer have a few short areas where the dynamics in their voice increase in loudness. The articulation in the lyrics are very clear, as are the beats of the drum. Again the overall color of the song is white. It reminds me of white lighting, not only because the people are wearing white and moving quickly but also because of the bright sound of the music and quick movement of the tune.
As far as the dancing goes in relation to African influences, the hands on the hips and the shaking hips goes back to African community dancing. Another aspect of the dancing that reminds me of Africa is when the everyone goes down and up, like a wave of their bodies. The chosen costumes of the dancers are white and the women are wearing head coverings, both of which are typically seen on African women. On the other hand, the music has a strong drumming component that also relates to African drumming. The use of only simple percussion instruments is another connection. The call and response, as well as the chanting of the chorus, are yet more examples of African influence within this Puerto Rican song.
