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Mandy Smith dissertation.pdf (33.06 MB)

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Abstract Header

“Primitive” Bodies, Virtuosic Bodies: Narrative, Affect, and Meaning in Rock Drumming

Smith, Mandy J
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9390-4273
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1589971850375113

Abstract Details

2020, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Musicology.
Oftentimes, we think of the concepts of the “primitive” and the virtuosic as being unrelated, contradictory, or even diametrically opposed. In rock drumming, however, the concepts can and do overlap. Consider the way that The Who’s drummer Keith Moon embodies the wild-man drummer stereotype of the Muppets character Animal in both his persona and his performance style while simultaneously executing complicated parts that require a high degree of technical proficiency. In this dissertation, I argue that rock drumming operates as a site where the concepts of the “primitive” and the virtuosic overlap. Before considering drumming’s relationship to each concept individually, I dive into drumming’s complex relationship to the body and embodiment, through which I develop a theory of rock drumming based on patterns of tension and release called the Tonic Beat Pattern Theory (henceforth “the Theory”). Each chapter demonstrates how the Theory can be applied through an in-depth analysis of a single rock song that sheds light on that chapter’s concept. The culminating chapter uses the Theory to demonstrate Keith Moon’s ability to embody “controlled chaos” in his drumming style. In any band, the drummer is the main driver of rhythm and groove. Drummers cause us to move, shake, twist, and mosh along to the music that gives meaning to our lives. Scholars have only begun to scratch the surface of uncovering the power of the drums and considering the moves that drummers make in their analyses. This dissertation offers a model of how to analyze the ways that drummers contribute to affect, narrative, and meaning in rock music. It begins to uncover why rock drumming matters.
Daniel Goldmark, PhD (Advisor)
Susan McClary, PhD (Committee Member)
David Rothenberg, PhD (Committee Member)
William Deal, PhD (Committee Member)
173 p.
American History; European History; European Studies; History; Modern History; Music; Performing Arts
drumming; drums; drummers; meaning in music; virtuosity; primitive; the body; music theory of drumming; rock music; musical affect; musical narrative; musical meaning; Keith Moon; The Who; John Bonham; Led Zeppelin; Neil Peart; Rush; Troggs; Steppenwolf

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Smith, M. J. (2020). “Primitive” Bodies, Virtuosic Bodies: Narrative, Affect, and Meaning in Rock Drumming [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1589971850375113

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Smith, Mandy. “Primitive” Bodies, Virtuosic Bodies: Narrative, Affect, and Meaning in Rock Drumming. 2020. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1589971850375113.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Smith, Mandy. "“Primitive” Bodies, Virtuosic Bodies: Narrative, Affect, and Meaning in Rock Drumming." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1589971850375113

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1589971850375113
507
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This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.