NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Chicken scratch

Chicken scratch (also known as waila music) is a kind of dance music developed by the Tohono O'odham people. The genre evolved out of acoustic fiddle bands in southern Arizona, in the Sonoran desert. These bands began playing European and Mexican tunes, in styles that include the polka, schottisch and mazurka ^[1]. Dance music is music composed, played, or both, specifically to accompany social dancing. ... Jump to: navigation, search Traditional basketmaking, 1916 The Tohono Oodham poo poo are a Native American tribe formerly known as the Papago who reside primarily in the Sonoran Desert of the southwest United States and northwest Mexico. ... The violin is a stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a fifth apart. ... Jump to: navigation, search State nickname: The Grand Canyon State, The Copper State Other U.S. States Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Governor Janet Napolitano (D) Senators John McCain (R) Jon Kyl (R) Official languages English Only State Area 295,254 kmÂ² (6th) - Land 294,312 kmÂ² - Water 942 km... Sonoran Desert wildlife Mountains in the Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the border between the United States and Mexico and covers large parts of the states of Arizona, California and Sonora. ... Polka is a type of dance and genre of dance music; it originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia, and is still a common genre of Czech folk music; it is also common both in Europe and in the Americas. ... The Schottische is a partnered country dance, Bohemian in origin, that is two short runs and a hop followed by four turning hop steps: step step step hop, step step step hop, step hop step hop step hop step hop. ... Jump to: navigation, search The mazurka (Polish: mazurek, likely named after Polands Mazury district) is a Polish folk dance in triple time with a lively tempo, containing a heavy accent on the third or second beat. ...

Chicken scratch, however, is at its root, an interpretation of norteño music, which is itself a Mexican adaptation of polka. Many chicken scratch bands still play polka songs with a distinctive flourish, and may also play the waltz or conjunto ^[2]. Chicken scratch dance is based on the "walking two step or the walking polka and the emphasis is on (a) very smooth gliding movement" ^[3]; dancers may also perform the mazurka or the chote, though no matter the style, it is always performed counterclockwise ^[4]. NorteÃ±o (literally meaning northern in Spanish, and also known as conjunto) is a traditional style of Mexican music that originated in rural northern Mexico in the early 20th century, a form of music based largely on corridos and polka. ... The waltz is a dance in 3/4 time, done primarily in closed position, the commonest basic figure of which is a full turn in two measures using three steps per measure. ... Tejano is also the name of Texans of Spanish origin. ...

Chicken scratch is usually played with a band including alto saxophone, bass, guitar, drums and accordion ^[5], though the original style used only percussion, guitar and violin, with the accordion and saxophone added in the 1950s ^[6]. Its home is the Tohono O'odham Reservation, Pima Salt River Reservation and Gila River Reservation. Jump to: navigation, search Saxophones of different sizes play in different registers. ... Jump to: navigation, search A Yamaha BB400S Electric Bass A bass guitar is an electric or acoustic bass - a stringed instrument similar in design to the guitar, but with longer scale and tuned lower in pitch. ... Jump to: navigation, search The acoustic archtop guitar used in Jazz features steel strings The guitar is a stringed musical instrument. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... A button accordion An accordion is a musical instrument of the handheld bellows-driven free reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as squeezeboxes. ... Jump to: navigation, search The violin is a stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart. ...

The term waila comes from Spanish bailar, meaning to dance ^[7]. The term chicken scratch comes from a description of traditional Tohono O'odham dance, which involves kicking the heels high in the air, which supposedly bears a resemble to a chicken scratching ^[8].

The most famous performers are likely the Joaquín Brothers and Los Papagos Molinas with Virgil Molina ^[9]. The Annual Waila Festival in Tucson, Arizona is well-known ^[10], as is the Rock-A-Bye Music Fest in Casa Grande, Arizona. Jump to: navigation, search Tucson (pronounced ) is a city and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States, located 135 miles (217 km) southeast of Phoenix. ... Casa Grande is a city located in Pinal County, Arizona. ...

References

"The Annual Waila Festival". Library of Congress: America's Story. URL accessed on June 21, 2005.
Means, Andrew. "Hey-Ya, Weya Ha-Ya-Ya!". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), The Rough Guide to World Music, Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1858286360
"Le chant des Indiens d'Amérique du Nord". La Médiathèque. URL accessed on June 21, 2005. (in French)
"Waila: Chicken Scratch". Pulse of the Planet. URL accessed on June 21, 2005.
"Accordion Music". Music of the Southwest. URL accessed on June 21, 2005.

poo June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 193 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2005(MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 193 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2005(MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 193 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2005(MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 193 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2005(MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Notes

^ Pulse of the Planet Pulse of the Planet also mentions cumbia as a more recent influence
^ Accordion Music
^ Pulse of the Planet
^ America's Story
^ America's Story
^ La Mediatheque
^ Means, pg. 594
^ Pulse of the Planet
^ Means, pg. 594
^ America's Story

Cumbia is a Colombian folk dance and dance music. ...

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