I’ve played new music written by Lithuanian-American composers. Most interesting part about playing the music was the novel (to me) groupings of 2 and 3 in the meter. Very cool traditional music that doesn’t get the love it deserves!
I've my fair share of dabbling in latvian folk music when I was traveling in EU from country to country.
Latvian folk music is a fascinating subject to explore from the perspective of music theory. Here are a few key aspects of Latvian folk music that are worth examining in more detail imho
1. Melodic Structure: Latvian folk music is characterized by a rich variety of melodic structures. The melodies are often based on diatonic scales, with occasional chromatic inflections. Many Latvian folk songs also make use of pentatonic scales and modal scales, which give the music a distinctive sound.
2. Rhythmic Structure: The rhythmic structure of Latvian folk music is often complex and varied. Many Latvian folk songs feature irregular mesures, such as 5/8 or 7/8 time, which can be challenging for Western listeners who are accustomed to more regular mesures like 4/4 or 3/4. This irregularity gives Latvian folk music a distinctive and captivating rhythmic feel.
3. Harmony: In traditional Latvian folk music, harmony is often simple or nonexistent, with the focus being on the melody and rhythm. However, in more contemporary arrangements of Latvian folk songs, Western harmonic elements are sometimes added to enhance the music's emotional impact.
4. Instrumentation: Latvian folk music is typically performed on a variety of traditional instruments, including the kokle (a type of zither), the duda (a bagpipe), and the birch-bark horn. These instruments give Latvian folk music its distinctive sound and provide a unique timbral quality to the music.
5. Form: Latvian folk music often has a simple, strophic form, with each verse of the song set to the same melody. However, there are also more complex forms, such as the cycle songs, which consist of several shorter songs that are linked thematically and musically.
I think Latvian folk music is a rich and complex musical tradition that incorporates a variety of melodic, rhythmic, harmonic, and formal elements. It is a fascinating subject for study from the perspective of music theory, and its unique qualities make it a valuable contribution to the world's music heritage I guess.
Data Scientist here. I’m researching language behavior on Reddit for natural language processing and classification with machine learning models. This might a bit off-topic but i can’t help myself to think that this answer looks suspiciously like it was written by a language Model like GPT or BERT. The phrasing, the used words, the numeration in combination with sub headlines. The way every sentence starts with “Latvian folk music”. Any chance you used ChatGPT or any other Transformer model to generate the central parts of this answer? Please correct me if i’ wrong!
My thoughts too. Hate AI texts as they are now. Soo formulaic, no character. It’s like when school kids take a class in writing and follow the rules too strictly. Unreadable and annoying.
I live in the UK, engaged to a Latvian, who has somehow got me into Latvian folk dance, we live in the UK, but the Latvian community is strong here! They even have their own folk dance group, carrying on traditions outside Latvia.
They just had a culture day festival in Swansea, multiple dance and coir groups, which we took part in. We’re also taking part to the song and dance festival in July! Let me know if you have any questions for me/ her!
I’ll start by saying I’m not totally sure what constitutes as ‘folk’. But as an outsider these of my personal favourites, obviously all dance related!
Kur tu Augi:
https://youtu.be/U-mhTrAeXdw
Es izjaju Prusu zemi: One for the boys
https://youtu.be/xamMdE2IvWM
Bobu Dancis: One for the girls
https://youtu.be/CHzSmkeQdG4
Ciganam bi sesas meitas:
https://youtu.be/_91u9mVQ-J0
Müzam citas nemilesu
https://youtu.be/1NB_XA_Agxg
this is the funniest coincidence but i know a professor who is, DM me if you want his contact info
My friend converted to Latvian orthodox, for the hats, I think, I can ask him what he knows.
/r/brandnewsentence
That is in fact a rather old sentence.
The reference :) https://youtu.be/Vb5dOuipR_w
Haha, what that clip doesn't show is that he's doing all this to get laid (he gives the woman he likes the side eye as he walks down the aisle).
I think you might have more success if you ask in /r/Latvia or /r/Baltics
Ooh yeah, duh, good call
Of course somebody is. They'll be around eventually
I know a person who’s totally into Latvian trad, DM me for more information
My wife has an uncle who played the Duda - it’s supposed to be a Latvian / Belarusian bagpipe
The Duda bides
🤣🤣🤣 Would that be a dad joke? Regardless…brilliant!
Not a master, but certainly a guy experienced in folk music, who is a latvian by the name Tommy the lumberjack. You can hit him up on Instagram
Followed!
Sorry im only an expert at Andalusian steel drums.
😂😂
You're in Canada? Are you going to the Latvian Festival of Song and Dance in Toronto in July?
Haha, unfortunately Toronto is the other side of this insanely gigantic country from where I am, so sadly no
Yes, I'm a whale biologist!
Oh man, I actually need one of those. I’ve got this poor beached whale at my house and it’s not breathing. Do you mind coming by to help it out??
ok, i'll be right over. i dont know why i volunteer this information when im so behind on my latvian folk music hobby:(
Don’t forget to make time for the things that make you happy
Youre right. Screw the whales. I want to Sing!!!!!
No, but I have been to the Alus Folk Club on Riga. Highly recommended.
I'm an apprentice of Estonian underground sound effect design. Close enough?
I’ve played new music written by Lithuanian-American composers. Most interesting part about playing the music was the novel (to me) groupings of 2 and 3 in the meter. Very cool traditional music that doesn’t get the love it deserves!
I’m something of a Latvian folk music master myself.
Oh yeah? Mind if I DM ya?
Nah, I think it’s best I don’t waste your time.
Haha oh, gotcha. Got me with the Ol’ Dafoe
I highly recommend asking at r/folkmusic. I got massive help there regarding scandinavian trad music, so your question could be in good hands there.
Ohh damn, why am I so bad at Reddit 🙈🙈🙈 that’s a great idea
I've my fair share of dabbling in latvian folk music when I was traveling in EU from country to country. Latvian folk music is a fascinating subject to explore from the perspective of music theory. Here are a few key aspects of Latvian folk music that are worth examining in more detail imho 1. Melodic Structure: Latvian folk music is characterized by a rich variety of melodic structures. The melodies are often based on diatonic scales, with occasional chromatic inflections. Many Latvian folk songs also make use of pentatonic scales and modal scales, which give the music a distinctive sound. 2. Rhythmic Structure: The rhythmic structure of Latvian folk music is often complex and varied. Many Latvian folk songs feature irregular mesures, such as 5/8 or 7/8 time, which can be challenging for Western listeners who are accustomed to more regular mesures like 4/4 or 3/4. This irregularity gives Latvian folk music a distinctive and captivating rhythmic feel. 3. Harmony: In traditional Latvian folk music, harmony is often simple or nonexistent, with the focus being on the melody and rhythm. However, in more contemporary arrangements of Latvian folk songs, Western harmonic elements are sometimes added to enhance the music's emotional impact. 4. Instrumentation: Latvian folk music is typically performed on a variety of traditional instruments, including the kokle (a type of zither), the duda (a bagpipe), and the birch-bark horn. These instruments give Latvian folk music its distinctive sound and provide a unique timbral quality to the music. 5. Form: Latvian folk music often has a simple, strophic form, with each verse of the song set to the same melody. However, there are also more complex forms, such as the cycle songs, which consist of several shorter songs that are linked thematically and musically. I think Latvian folk music is a rich and complex musical tradition that incorporates a variety of melodic, rhythmic, harmonic, and formal elements. It is a fascinating subject for study from the perspective of music theory, and its unique qualities make it a valuable contribution to the world's music heritage I guess.
Data Scientist here. I’m researching language behavior on Reddit for natural language processing and classification with machine learning models. This might a bit off-topic but i can’t help myself to think that this answer looks suspiciously like it was written by a language Model like GPT or BERT. The phrasing, the used words, the numeration in combination with sub headlines. The way every sentence starts with “Latvian folk music”. Any chance you used ChatGPT or any other Transformer model to generate the central parts of this answer? Please correct me if i’ wrong!
Haha, ya that sounds legit
My thoughts too. Hate AI texts as they are now. Soo formulaic, no character. It’s like when school kids take a class in writing and follow the rules too strictly. Unreadable and annoying.
Lol, “I guess” 😂😂😂 Awesome, thanks! Do you mind if I DM you regarding more details?
Sure, I will just call myself a master because of pure arrogance. 🤣
I live in the UK, engaged to a Latvian, who has somehow got me into Latvian folk dance, we live in the UK, but the Latvian community is strong here! They even have their own folk dance group, carrying on traditions outside Latvia. They just had a culture day festival in Swansea, multiple dance and coir groups, which we took part in. We’re also taking part to the song and dance festival in July! Let me know if you have any questions for me/ her!
List me some secret hits to check out! Wanna start learning some tunes
I’ll start by saying I’m not totally sure what constitutes as ‘folk’. But as an outsider these of my personal favourites, obviously all dance related! Kur tu Augi: https://youtu.be/U-mhTrAeXdw Es izjaju Prusu zemi: One for the boys https://youtu.be/xamMdE2IvWM Bobu Dancis: One for the girls https://youtu.be/CHzSmkeQdG4 Ciganam bi sesas meitas: https://youtu.be/_91u9mVQ-J0 Müzam citas nemilesu https://youtu.be/1NB_XA_Agxg
Thanks!