My surfing tradition is that I have to surf new year's morning. I mostly decided that this was a tradition because the surf was really good on 1/1/2005 and I've always been free that morning.
I always think about tradition in the context of playing music. For a while I've dabbled/been a dilettante playing music of the arab world on the Oud. I'm not Arab, so it's always been very clear that I'm playing the music of a culture that isn't mine, that I didn't grow up in -- I'm learning the music as an outsider. But I grew up in the US, with our hegemonic culture of mass media. If I I were to try to play "my" folk music -- well, I didn't learn any songs on guitar from my grandpappy. So if I set about learning bluegrass or old time or something, I would be looking for instruction on youtube or whatever, just like I have with arab music. I would also be learning it as an outsider.
The two halves of my family came to the US in the 1880s and 1950s from different parts of europe. We don't really, as far as I can tell, have centuries-old tradition, we have US culture, i.e., mass media and entertainment. Sometimes I see people like me try to pretend they are part of this long tradition, and it feels a bit artificial and try-hard to me.
I always think about tradition in the context of playing music. For a while I've dabbled/been a dilettante playing music of the arab world on the Oud. I'm not Arab, so it's always been very clear that I'm playing the music of a culture that isn't mine, that I didn't grow up in -- I'm learning the music as an outsider. But I grew up in the US, with our hegemonic culture of mass media. If I I were to try to play "my" folk music -- well, I didn't learn any songs on guitar from my grandpappy. So if I set about learning bluegrass or old time or something, I would be looking for instruction on youtube or whatever, just like I have with arab music. I would also be learning it as an outsider.
The two halves of my family came to the US in the 1880s and 1950s from different parts of europe. We don't really, as far as I can tell, have centuries-old tradition, we have US culture, i.e., mass media and entertainment. Sometimes I see people like me try to pretend they are part of this long tradition, and it feels a bit artificial and try-hard to me.
