Thursday, May 7, 2009
Assignment #1
What is a pretzel? Where did it originate? Do you like pretzels? Why did they make the pretzel? Research and post!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
U2, Irish Jigs, and the Blarney Stone
How random is that? But today is St. Patrick's Day, and i have some educational posts about Ireland!!! (yay!)
What is U2?
U2 is a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Bono (lead vocals and guitar) The Edge (guitar, keyboards, and vocals) Adam Clayton (bass guitar) and Larry Mullen, jr. (drums and percussion). The band formed in 1976 when the members were with limited musical experience. By the mid-1980s, the band had become a top act, known for their unique sound, Bono's vocal style and The Edge's guitar playing. The band's sucess as a live act was greater than their success at selling records (which is kind of true, because bands never sound the same live as they do in a record...) until their 1987 album The Joshua Tree, which elevated the band's status on the charts. Afterwards, U2 pursued a more rock sound that retains the influence of their previous musical explorations. U2 have sold more than 145 million albums worldwide and have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band! Rolling Stone magazine listed U2 at #22 in its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time. Wondering what on earth U2 has to do with St.Patricks Day? The band is Irish, and oringinated in Dublin (Ireland).
What is an Irish jig?
Or should we say, THE Irish jig? The Irish jig (the term jig was derived from the French 'giguer', meaning 'to jump' or 'giga', the Italian term. Bet you didn't know that!) is a form of folk dance as well as the accompanying dance tune, originating in England in the sixteenth century and today most associated with Irish and Scottish country dance music. Jigs were originally in 2/4 time (if you don't know what this means, it has something to do with the timing of a piece of music...if you want a more elaborate discription, ask someone who knows music better than I do :)...) but has been adapted to a variety of time signatures, by which they are often classified into groups, including, light jigs, slip jigs, and treble jigs.
Light Jig- the fastest of the jigs, and are performed in 6/8 time. The dance is performed with a step known as the rising step, or the rise and grind. The dance is usually done so fast that the feet give an illusion as never touching the ground.
Slig Jig- slip jigs are much slower and much longer than the light jig because of its longer measures, but with the same amount of bars to the music. The dance is performed high on the toes, and is often considered the "ballet of Irish dance" because of its graceful movements that seem to "slip" the performers across the floor.
Treble Jig- Treble jigs (also called the Hard or Heavy jig) are performed in hard shoes, and are about a medium speed (in between the light jig, and the slip jig) many dances are performed in treble jig time (hence the name...treble) and include stomps, trebles, and clicks (the dance steps the use to characterize the dancer's dance).
And for our last topic of the day...
What is the Blarney Stone?
The Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney about 5 miles (8 km) from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of great eloquence or skill at flattery. The stone was set into a tower of the Blarney Castle in 1446. The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world to kiss the Stone and tour the castle and its gardens. (Thats alot of blarney! The word blarney has come to mean clever, flattering, or coaxing talk.)
I have just enriched your life with unecessary knowledge on Irish customes because it is St. Patricks Day (or it was :)...) Hope you had a good St. Patricks Day.
Spread the Green!!
What is U2?
U2 is a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Bono (lead vocals and guitar) The Edge (guitar, keyboards, and vocals) Adam Clayton (bass guitar) and Larry Mullen, jr. (drums and percussion). The band formed in 1976 when the members were with limited musical experience. By the mid-1980s, the band had become a top act, known for their unique sound, Bono's vocal style and The Edge's guitar playing. The band's sucess as a live act was greater than their success at selling records (which is kind of true, because bands never sound the same live as they do in a record...) until their 1987 album The Joshua Tree, which elevated the band's status on the charts. Afterwards, U2 pursued a more rock sound that retains the influence of their previous musical explorations. U2 have sold more than 145 million albums worldwide and have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band! Rolling Stone magazine listed U2 at #22 in its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time. Wondering what on earth U2 has to do with St.Patricks Day? The band is Irish, and oringinated in Dublin (Ireland).
What is an Irish jig?
Or should we say, THE Irish jig? The Irish jig (the term jig was derived from the French 'giguer', meaning 'to jump' or 'giga', the Italian term. Bet you didn't know that!) is a form of folk dance as well as the accompanying dance tune, originating in England in the sixteenth century and today most associated with Irish and Scottish country dance music. Jigs were originally in 2/4 time (if you don't know what this means, it has something to do with the timing of a piece of music...if you want a more elaborate discription, ask someone who knows music better than I do :)...) but has been adapted to a variety of time signatures, by which they are often classified into groups, including, light jigs, slip jigs, and treble jigs.
Light Jig- the fastest of the jigs, and are performed in 6/8 time. The dance is performed with a step known as the rising step, or the rise and grind. The dance is usually done so fast that the feet give an illusion as never touching the ground.
Slig Jig- slip jigs are much slower and much longer than the light jig because of its longer measures, but with the same amount of bars to the music. The dance is performed high on the toes, and is often considered the "ballet of Irish dance" because of its graceful movements that seem to "slip" the performers across the floor.
Treble Jig- Treble jigs (also called the Hard or Heavy jig) are performed in hard shoes, and are about a medium speed (in between the light jig, and the slip jig) many dances are performed in treble jig time (hence the name...treble) and include stomps, trebles, and clicks (the dance steps the use to characterize the dancer's dance).
And for our last topic of the day...
What is the Blarney Stone?
The Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney about 5 miles (8 km) from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of great eloquence or skill at flattery. The stone was set into a tower of the Blarney Castle in 1446. The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world to kiss the Stone and tour the castle and its gardens. (Thats alot of blarney! The word blarney has come to mean clever, flattering, or coaxing talk.)
I have just enriched your life with unecessary knowledge on Irish customes because it is St. Patricks Day (or it was :)...) Hope you had a good St. Patricks Day.
Spread the Green!!
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