Chapter 6 Reading Response

Andrew Devoy
This chapter is again on the topic of mobile music, but in a
different sense than before; it highlights music as an important
signifier of place to enhance travel and tourism. The author examines
music as a tradition within subcultures, as well as interculture. She
writes that subcultures influence each other through economic
connections and interculture can occur in instances such as Scottish
bagpipe adaptation to local settings. A third aspect called superculture
is a main theme of this chapter: the power of the state and national
and global economy. These aspects all connect and influence each
other. Music can be created within a subculture, spread interculturally,
and transformed through the influence of superculture.
On travel and tourism, the author uses examples of Broadway
musical attraction in New York City and steel bands at Caribbean island
resorts. These music events contain an element of uniqueness to their
locations and even a sort of authenticity that cant be experienced
elsewhere. The locations, then, are appealing to travelling music lovers
for this reason. The case study of the Hawaiian sound emphasizes the
sound qualities of the steel guitar (or lap guitar, as its better known)
and ukulele. The timbres of these stringed instruments are what
characterize this particular locations sound. The chapter mentions the
popularization of steel guitar and ukulele in North America during the
1920s and 30s, and then later revived in the 1950s. Discussing the
resurgence of Hawaiian music and dance traditions, the author
mentions a very surprising fact: there are more than 600 hula schools
in Mexico and about 1,000 in Japan. This cultural music and dance is
very popular in Japan, where it is estimated between 20,000 and
30,000 students study hula.
The next case study examines Indonesian gamelan through the
scope of intercultural transmission. Balinese gamelan began to attract
attention around the world in 1928 after German record labels
distributed recordings. Interestingly, the chapter cites the 1930s as the
period when Bali became a popular tourist destination and it remains
popular today. The music has changed over the years, with systematic
alterations occurring in the 1960s. Government-sponsored schools for
arts provided an institutional setting for global transmission of Balinese
music and resulted in multidimensional music that had no single style.
The case study of the Silk Road is particularly interesting for its
musical history. The Silk Road was a series of trade routes from East
Asia to Europe that resulted in much cultural exchange. Music was no
exception in this exchange, and was transmitted along with culture and
ideas. Yo-Yo Mas Silk Road project intends to support traditional music
as well as transform aspects of musical heritage. It emphasizes the

origins of cultural music, but also recognizes the innate mobility of

music.
Questions:
1. The chapter describes the Hawaiian sound as the timbres of
the steel guitar and ukulele. What other locations have this kind
of distinction and what instruments are used to achieve this
effect?
2. Describe the relationship between subculture, interculture, and
superculture. How do they affect each other?
3. What do you think is the reason for the popularity of Hawaiian
music and dance in Japan?