My father is a song maker. His father was a song maker and his father was a song maker. As they passed these songs down, there was no written form of music to learn from. Yet, each knew hundreds of songs. I would estimate my father knows over 600 songs from different tribes and genres that he has stored in his memory, over his lifetime. Many of these songs have been passed down to me. I have also learned numerous songs from my friends from other tribes during my lifetime.
I was fortunate to have sat down and learned about the drum from many late, great singers who shared their philosophy and songs with me. One such singer instructed, "You should never learn songs from recordings. They should be learned from the tribes that sing them and the singers who made them." For much of my life I stuck to his philosophy.
I was recently asked by a Grammy nominated, Native contemporary singer to participate as a guest artist in her concert. We did our first performance on Wednesday and do another tonight. Her back up consists of a Grammy winning artist, a music professor and me! I have been asked to harmonize in both English and Mohawk, sing a short piece of a Crow Hop and use a rattle and powwow drum for precise backup percussion.
So during our first rehearsal she instructs, "Our first song is going to be allegro, in d minor at 4/4 tempo. One, two, three, GO...."
..... silence on my part .... "Stop."
To begin with I, don't, read, music.
I have seen written Native music. I know that Francis Densmore transcribed over 2400 recorded Indian songs. One of the singers in our drum got his master's degree in music and can transcribe each of our powwow songs. One of my friends told me his drum, which is very well known, has written words phonetically spelled out in their language, to help their new singers.
What is your take on writing Native and powwow music?
I wonder if written powwow music can be sung by someone who does not sing Native songs? If so, does it actually sound like powwow music?????????????
I was fortunate to have sat down and learned about the drum from many late, great singers who shared their philosophy and songs with me. One such singer instructed, "You should never learn songs from recordings. They should be learned from the tribes that sing them and the singers who made them." For much of my life I stuck to his philosophy.
I was recently asked by a Grammy nominated, Native contemporary singer to participate as a guest artist in her concert. We did our first performance on Wednesday and do another tonight. Her back up consists of a Grammy winning artist, a music professor and me! I have been asked to harmonize in both English and Mohawk, sing a short piece of a Crow Hop and use a rattle and powwow drum for precise backup percussion.
So during our first rehearsal she instructs, "Our first song is going to be allegro, in d minor at 4/4 tempo. One, two, three, GO...."

To begin with I, don't, read, music.
I have seen written Native music. I know that Francis Densmore transcribed over 2400 recorded Indian songs. One of the singers in our drum got his master's degree in music and can transcribe each of our powwow songs. One of my friends told me his drum, which is very well known, has written words phonetically spelled out in their language, to help their new singers.
What is your take on writing Native and powwow music?
I wonder if written powwow music can be sung by someone who does not sing Native songs? If so, does it actually sound like powwow music?????????????
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