Cajun music
Cajun music is relatively catchy with an infectious beat and a lot of forward drive, placing the accordion at the center.
The harmonies of Cajun music are simple and the melodic range is just one octave, rising a fifth above the tonic and descending a fourth below.
Because the Cajun accordion[4] is a diatonic instrument (do-re-mi or natural major scale) it can only play tunes in a few keys.
Families sang traditional French songs called complaintes which the Cajuns adapted to their new ways of life.
This form holds firm to a basic rhythm with staccato style notes, including many fiddle double stops.
[7] A number of the most prominent traditional Cajun musicians are featured in the 1989 documentary J'ai Été Au Bal.
B. Fuselier, Leroy "Happy Fats" Leblanc, Harry Choates and the Hackberry Ramblers are early examples of this style.
The implementation of electrical amplification allowed instruments to cut through the noise of the crowd and be heard throughout the dance hall.
Electrification of the dance venues also allowed the fiddle to be played in a smoother style and alternate leads with the accordion.
Lawrence Walker, Aldus Roger, Nathan Abshire, Iry LeJeune, Al Berard, and Sidney Brown are examples of this musical period.
The quick fiddle action and double stops are missing, replaced by dominant blues chords and jazz slides.
In 1964, Gladius Thibodeaux, Louis "Vinesse" Lejeune, and Dewey Balfa represented Louisiana at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island.
Musicians such as Wayne Toups, Roddie Romero and the Hub City Allstars, Lee Benoit, Damon Troy, Kevin Naquin, Trent LeJeune, and Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys have popularized this modern form of Cajun music.
[16] More recently, the Lost Bayou Ramblers have experimented with mixing traditional instruments and cutting-edge technology, as showcased on their last two records, Mammoth Waltz (2012) and Kalenda (2017).
Though songwriting in French is still common, today some Cajun music is sung in English with younger singers and audiences.
Twin fiddling traditions represent the music in its purest form, as it was brought to Louisiana with the early immigrants and before popular American tunes mingled with it.
The Cajun fiddle was a well established instrument which had been somewhat eclipsed by the German accordion fad, which had similar effect in French Canada.
Cajun music can be found predominantly at Louisiana festivals and dance halls, in addition to weddings in Acadiana.
