Technological innovations have always had an impact on world music traditions. From using electronic instruments to swapping tunes via email, available technology continues to shape the way we make music.
Available technology has always influenced how we make music, most obviously through the development of new musical instruments. From the very beginning of instrumental music, musicians have strived to improve the sound and playability of their instruments by adopting new materials and methods of construction.
Traditional music is an ad hoc music form. Unlike classical music there's little pressure to conform to technical standards, so it's always been quite open to new and unique musical instruments. Folk musicians borrow technical ideas from any convenient source, as long as the spirit of the music is maintained.
The Industrial Revolution brought a new influx of factory-made instruments and some had a direct influence on folk music. The accordion is a classic example. After a period of resistance from conservative elements who saw the accordion as ‘too mechanical’ for folk music, the instrument was absorbed and adapted to become a central part of many regional music traditions.
The story of the flute in world music shows a different twist. The development of the more technically advanced metal (Boehm) flute created a stockpile of cheap wooden flutes, bought by poor Irish labourers who realised the old flutes actually suited their music very well. From here, the wooden flute has spread outwards to be used by musicians from many cultures.
In more recent years, the acoustic guitar — and then the electric guitar — has challenged the world music status quo. The acoustic guitar is now an accepted part of most world music traditions. The electric guitar has also found some acceptance, particularly in parts of Africa, although in other regions it is still seen as an interloper, suitable only for fusion music, which blends traditional music with other genres.
These days the digital sampler faces a challenge in gaining acceptance although there are many artists such as Jim Moray and Garmarna experimenting with digital forms. While it may seem extremely unlikely that digital instruments will become central to traditional music, it is worth remembering that 200 years ago the accordion was at the leading edge of musical technology.
The other area in which technology has a strong impact is the way the music is transmitted.
Until the invention of recording technology, such as the Phonograph, traditional music was almost completely local. Each region, county and village had its own style and repertoire. Each player used the ‘accent’ of his or her hometown. Although tunes could spread over huge areas, they usually travelled slowly, passing from musician to musician. Consequently, local accents and flavours weren’t swept aside.
To a small degree, the invention of the printing press accelerated transmission, but this mostly affected song lyrics rather than music. The rise of the broadside ballad did much to spread traditional lyrics across Europe and North America, but little to spread music. From the 16th to the 19th centuries many songs spread around the globe, but often with quite distinct local variations in the tune.
Once recordings allowed ordinary people to hear music from other areas, the pattern changed forever and this, combined with easy travel — and now the internet — has killed the isolation that once kept diversity alive. The result is a paradox: a lot of the regional variation that once made local music so special has died out, but at the same time each of us has opportunities to sample and celebrate a vast number of musical traditions that were once completely inaccessible.
These days, traditional musicians have found new ways to share their music over the internet and MP3 technology has had a significant impact, making regional traditions even more accessible. But the real action is taking place at a more grass-roots level, with the abc file format, designed to let musicians send skeletal sketches of tunes in emails. Thriving email lists, websites, newsgroups and chat rooms are full of tips, tricks, anecdotes and tunes — a community as vital as any local pub.
→ hear Waterson:Carthy discuss DJ culture, sampling and the folk tradition in their interactive interview (specifically questions 15 & 16).
