CLASS on 2/11/03
I found Dr. Saltings' visits to class to be very intriguing! He seems to know a WHOLE lot about the world of music -- not only its history, but the structure of the musical elements as well as the lyrics. We discussed the fusion of African and European influences into rock music and what each of those elements were (heavy rhythms, syncopation, modality, monophony, melodic leaps, etc.)

Dr. Salting was witty and funny, so the classes were a lot of fun! He played an amazing gospel / doo-wop song (I forget the title) that, surprisingly DID hold some of the same "rock" elements as Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (just like he said!) We discussed several artists from the "Golden Age" of Rock; Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, etc. and how, with the plane crash that killed Holly, The Big Bopper, & Richie Valenz, the music really DID die that day (the fall of the rock era)...