8 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 53 



songs and the singers at Waba'cing and Lac dii Flambeau the material 

 collected there would seem to represent an older culture than the war 

 songs of Odjib'we, a factor which adds interest to the result of the 

 test. 



Having shown, by analysis, the prominence of the minor third in 

 Chippewa music, and having indicated by reference to authorities its 

 prominence in the music of other uncultured races, it is shown also to 

 be approximately the average interval in Chippewa songs (Table 14). 

 In making this analysis all the intervals were expressed in terms of a 

 semitone and the average interval of progression was found to be 3.1 

 semitones, or one-tenth of a semitone more than a minor tJiird 

 (Table 13). 



In melodic analysis there remains the test to determine the pitch, 

 or musical ke}', of the songs, whicli depends for its accuracy on the 

 method of phonographic recording. As the phonograph best adapted 

 to field work at the present time is a machme operated by a spring 

 motor, it is impossible to obtain absolute uniformity of speed, but the 

 following method is used by the writer and gives results of reasonable 

 accuracy. The speed of the phonograph is adjusted to 160 revolu- 

 tions a minute, and the tone C, sounded by a pitch-pipe of known 

 vibration, is recorded on the blank cylinder, immediately preceding 

 the record of tlie song. When the transcription of the song is made, 

 the speed of the phonograph is adjusted so that the tone C on the 

 record corresponds with the tone as given by the pitch-pipe. As 

 the last tone is usually the lowest tone and also the tonic, and as 95 

 per cent of the songs were recorded by men, this table may be regarded 

 as indicating the range of voice among the Chippewa men. Most of 

 the songs are in the major keys of F, G flat, and G. An examination 

 of the songs as transcribed will show that many, perhaps a majority, 

 of the songs end on these tones, in the bass clef. 



In considering the rhythm of Chippewa music the instrumental as 

 well as the vocal expression should be observed, most of the songs 

 having been recorded with accom,paniment of the drum. Attention 

 is first directed, however, to the rhythm of the song, and the portion 

 of the measure on which the song begins. This indicates whether 

 the "attack" is direct and with emphasis or by a preparatory tone 

 (Table 15). Forty-two of the songs are transcribed in outline, 

 indicating the trend of the melody but not the length of the tones. 

 Sixty-three per cent of the remaining songs begin on the accented 

 part of the measure. This directness in beginning a song is shown 

 also by the fact that in most of the songs the rhythmic unit occurs 

 in the first measure and that the first tone is usually a high tone. 

 The interest of a Chippewa song frequent^ diminishes as the song 

 proceeds, and in some instances the closing measures contain char- 

 acterless phrases, repeated indefinitely. 



