Adaptation of Traditional Music Idioms to Enhance Contemporary Music Styles: A Case of Selected Fusion Musicians in Kenya
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Date
2022
Authors
Ashene, Emmanuel Wanguba
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
It is an assumed philosophy, that every musical idiom is, largely, defined by its cultural and sociological context. The use and function of traditional music world over has inherently been associated with audiences of different age sets influenced by beliefs for aesthetic experiences. However, with the increasing dynamics in music styles and diversified genres of music in the world today, musicians have discovered possibilities of developing and repackaging traditional music genres into new forms of authentic contemporary music to cater for new audiences. The main concern raised in this study sought to establish dynamics involved in crossing over of traditional music idioms into contemporary music styles through the processes of borrowing, incorporation, enculturation, integration and establishing the potential cultural identity risks encountered during the crossovers. The study was inspired by the need to understand how musicians engage in cross-cultural music, a process likely to reveal technical challenges in aspects related to compatibility, and hence possibilities of influencing the cultural significance. The main objective for this study was to identify and investigate the performance approaches used by fusion musicians in Kenya. The study was to also suggest a guide explaining how to incorporate traditional music idioms with contemporary music. The social exchange theory on tangible and intangible social activities as developed by Farganis was central in explaining the dynamics involved in the transformational process of music adaptation in this study. The study engaged fusion musicians who were actively involved in Kenya’s music performance scene. The locale of the study was Nairobi City County and its environs. The research technique entailed making use of scheduled interviews, observations of performances, administration and collection of questionnaires data from fusion musicians. A qualitative approach was used to analyze data related to the sample of fusion musicians to establish the outcomes, which helped to address the major study concerns. The Data collected was analyzed using thematic and content analysis to solicit responses to the study research questions.
Description
A Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Award of the Degree of Master of Musical Arts (Performance) in the School of Creative and Performing Arts Film and Media Studies of Kenyatta University. May, 2022
Keywords
Adaptation, Traditional Music Idioms, Enhance, Contemporary Music Styles, Selected Fusion Musicians, Kenya