INDIAN MUSIC — DENSMORE 537 



after about 200 songs were recorded and I assigned catalog numbers 

 only to the records that had been transcribed in notation. The others 

 are studied but not sent to the Bureau. They may be almost like the 

 songs that are transcribed, or they may be "seconds" that, in my 

 opinion, are not worth preserving. 



A singer may want to hear songs of other tribes, and I always carry 

 a few discarded cylinders for that purpose. The type of melody 

 differs in various tribes, and the Indian listens attentively, as one 

 musician to a performance by another. I never use recordings in 

 this manner, however, if the original singer objects to that use of 

 his songs. Ordinary dance songs are sufficient for the purpose. 



It is unsatisfactory to ask an Indian to give an "audition" of a 

 song, to find out whether I want to record it. Strange as it may seem, 

 his first rendition is usually the best, and this should be recorded. 

 Instead of asking him to sing the song, I ask him to "go over it care- 

 fully in his mind until sure that he remembers it correctly." The 

 room is quiet and he "thinks" the song, or hums it under his breath, 

 probably tapping the time with one finger. A blank cylinder has 

 been put in place and when he signals that he is ready the recorder 

 is dropped and he records the song. It is many years since the old 

 men have sung the old songs and the record must be made while the 

 recollection is clear. A slight disturbance or delay might mean the 

 loss of the song. 



Psychology enters largely into the work of obtaining the old 

 Indian songs. The singer must always be kept at ease. This is 

 essential to success, and one must learn when to urge a singer and 

 when to let him relax. Care must be taken that the form of a ques- 

 tion does not suggest an answer. Through faulty questioning a per- 

 son could obtain astounding statements from an Indian, as he might 

 not understand the question or might be too polite to differ with the 

 questioner. 



An Indian may be willing to tell what is desired and not know how 

 to express it. Sometimes one will question an Indian for a long 

 time and the Indian will leave out the things one wants most to know ; 

 then he will suddenly give the whole information without realizing 

 it, or in reply to a seemingly casual question. One must be like a 

 lawyer examining a witness. Yet Indians become restive and irri- 

 tated if they feel that they are being questioned too closely. In my 

 own work, I try to have the Indian feel that we are friends, talking 

 over things in which we are mutually interested. In that way he 

 becomes interested in clearing up points that I do not understand, 

 and in the end I have the desired information. 



A reservation is like any small community, and each man is known 

 to his neighbors. On one of my first visits to the Red Lake Eeserva- 



