One media product that inspires the project I want to create is the song “Taiwan” by Zac Zinger. The composer explains that this piece was inspired by his trip to Taiwan and is dedicated to the people he met there. The piece features traditional Chinese instruments such as the erhu, guzheng, and dizi fusing them within a modern jazz composition. The usage of traditional Chinese music within jazz creates a very unique texture adding a feeling of authenticity and soul to the piece. This piece also features stylistic elements within Chinese music including the use of the pentatonic scale, glissandos, and rolled chords from the guzheng. My project is similar to this production as I aim to fuse elements of traditional Chinese music within my own music. While Zinger’s composition reflects his experiences in Taiwan, I want my project to reflect my struggles staying in touch with my heritage as a second-generation immigrant. Hearing Zinger’s composition was very inspiring and there are many elements within the piece I can draw from. If possible, I would love to get in touch with people who play these traditional instruments and record samples so that I can use them within my own project. I think collaboration will be a big part of this project. I own an Erhu that my grandmother gifted me a few years ago. Maybe I could try to learn the instrument as a part of this project.
To create this project, there are a few things I would like to research. It would be helpful to analyze stylistic elements and trends within traditional Chinese music and the instruments used within the genre. Additionally, it would be interesting to research the settings and contexts the music was played to understand the role music played culturally. Background knowledge on the topic of cultural identity will also help inform my project.
Sources:
Zinger, Z. (2019, October 12). Zac Zinger – Taiwan (ft. Min-chin Kuo, Yu-Wei Hsieh, Chia-kun Chen). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcCxCxnXcug