Dear Composer,

We have developed a theory for a new style of Polka music.  It will take you less than 5 minutes to read.  Thank you for your time.

THE NEW POLKA/ MARCH

Composers for The New Polka/ March must know, feel, and act upon the facts that

A.    The New Polka/ March will become the most powerful political force in the world 1

B.    The New Polka/ March will have a new sound that will become a new style of Polka music 2



1 A Powerful Political Force

The New Polka/ March with its songs of God, family, and country will become the most powerful social force on earth because it will awaken and inspire heroes who are the most powerful force in society.  Heroes are predisposed to work, sacrifice, or even, fight and die to protect society.
   
Also, the New Polka/ March will become a powerful force in society because its Binary Beat is the fundamental rhythm of the universe.  Without Binary the universe and modern civilization will collapse.  It dominants our mind and body.  It is the beat of our heart, the discharge of our nervous system, the contraction of our muscles, the peristalsis of our digestive system, the respiration of our pulmonary system. It is the answer to decisions that change our lives, Yes or No.  It is the beat of all social, economic, and ecological systems.  To understand this revolutionary idea we need to know that

The Polka beat is simply, one... two.  Or, more precisely, it is 0...1.   Mathematicians would call it a binary beat.   You see, when humans walk, march or run, the leg becomes a pendulum.  It moves forward and back to its starting point, or 1, 0.  And, when humans walk, march, or run at a fixed pace they use the Binary Beat.  In other words, two actions of equal duration.   Now, the binary rhythm is all around us and exists abundantly in nature.  It is the thermonuclear pulse of a star.  It is the ripple of a wave.  It is the beat of your heart. It is the electrical discharge of our brain. It is the earth's progression and recession as it travels around the sun.  It is the down and up bounce of a ball.

The difference between nature and civilization is that gravity, or inertia, diminishes the action until the ball stops.  In civilization, humans fix the beat.  If people thought a bouncing rubber ball was useful, they could make it bounce up and down indefinitely.  Modern civilizations use the Binary Beat to sequence, align, transmit and create power.

One of the first people in recorded history to use the Binary Beat were the Greeks. They used it as a timing device to align their new tactical weapon, the phalanx.  The Greeks called their new invention the March.  In fact, the March is Polka's big brother.

Then, as civilization advanced, people used the Binary Beat to create clocks, radio, television, computers, internal combustion engines, and pulse jets.  These inventions are the muscle, heart, and brain of modern civilization.

·        clocks measure time (mechanical oscillators)

·        radio and television generate RF frequencies (electronic oscillators)

·        computers sequence data processing (electronic oscillators)

Once again, all of these inventions were created by human intelligence using two pulses for a fixed duration, or the Binary Beat.  Remove human intelligence or any one of these inventions, and modern civilization will collapse. 

To explain the binary nature of these inventions let's examine radio waves. Every radio station has an electronic device called an oscillator.  This device creates an electrical current that races up and down a long wire inside a radio tower.  Now, accordion to Michael Faraday, if an electrical current moves inside a wire, the wire becomes magnetic.  James Maxwell theorized that if we move the current back and forth inside the wire fast enough, we can broadcast this magnetic force over great distances.  Heinrich Hertz proved Maxwell's theory.  Marconi broadcast the human voice across the Atlantic ocean.

    Up, down... tick, tock... compression, combustion... yes, no... one, two.... 0, 1... let's March... let's Polka.

    Therefore, we can say that

·        Rhythmically, the Polka/ March is not only the fundamental of but also the most powerful beat in the universe and in modern civilization because it has a Binary Beat.

·        Melodically, the Polka/March will appeal to everyone because it is logical, has no incongruous notes, and appeals to a natural sense of beauty

·        Lyrically, God, family, and country are the most powerful sentiments for heroic men and women because they will sacrifice their life for those values.

Together, these 3 concepts form the most powerful political force on earth.

http://worldwidepolka.com/Leonidas.jpg

 Leonidas and 300 Spartans

"Go tell the Spartans, you who pass us by,

That we, obedient to their laws, here lie."

To see what those 300 heroes might have looked like, click

Here

 

To hear the Binary Beat, click

Here

 

And, finally, but, importantly, we must realize that The New Polka March will appeal to everyone, everywhere because

1.     The binary beat is fundamental to the universe, to civilization, and to the human psyche. Wherever people walk, run, or march, they will understand the beat immediately.

2.     The lyrics are universal.  Heroes will understand and love the words of God, family, and country immediately.

3.     The melody will have immediate universal appeal because it follows the natural harmonic patterns found within an octave.

I will describe some of the Beat  music that exists today so that composers can understand the magnitude of change that The New Polka/ March will have upon society.

Beat music means that the beat dominates the song.

Polka/ March and Jazz/ Rock are Beat music.


THE MARCH

As you know, the March was developed to keep soldiers in step during combat.  The Greeks theorized that an army in step could deliver a powerful blow to the enemy.  And, they were correct.  Essentially, the March has a simple, repetitive 1, 2 beat.  This beat matched the steps that the soldiers were taking. The arrangements, instrumentation, melody, and lyrics merely support and accentuate the beat.
   
However, the Greeks soon discovered that March music not only kept their armies in line but it brought unity to their homes and communities.
   
For centuries, Europe and America continued the Greek tradition by playing March music in Central Park on Sunday afternoon and in parades.  These concerts and parades stirred the people to patriotism for their country and pride in their community.  In fact, John Philip Sousa, the King Of March music, was a household name.

THE POLKA

The first Polka bands copied the arrangements and instrumentation of Marching bands. In fact, the first Polka bands looked identical to Marching bands. The only difference between a Marching band and the first Polka bands was that Polka bands double timed the beat (duple time).  They "double timed" the beat so that people could skip around the floor.

To hear one of those glorious marching Polka Bands, click HERE    Then, start marching around the house.

Polka bands copied this "skip step" from Marching bands.  You see, Marching bands not only have the famous "1, 2 step", but they also have the equally famous "skip step" which permits people who are "out of step" to get back "in step".  Every soldier is familiar with the "skip step".

Therefore, to musically create the Polka, bands

  1. double timed the 1,2 beat of march tempo.
  2. alternated the beats between the bass drum and the snare drum

In other words, on the first bass drum beat, dancers take a "full step" (left foot).  Then, on the snare drum beat, dancers "skip".  On the second bass drum beat, dancers take a "full step" (right foot). Then, on the snare drum beat, dancers "skip".  Or,

Just skip around the floor to the music, and you're doing the Polka.

The Polish added the rim shot to the snare drum which created an even sharper, more accentuated sound.

Frankie Yankovic added a rhythm banjo to create a metallic up tempo sound, double accordions to weave beautiful harmonies around the melody, and, most importantly, an amplified organ to create a majestic, cathedral tone.  This majestic, new sound appeared in his beautiful Blue Skirt Waltz which became very popular.
   
The Polish added amplified bass guitar and drums to give the beat power, double trumpets to weave penetrating brass harmonies, bellow shaking accordion to create up tempo, and intricate drum and cymbal patterns also to create up tempo.  The Polish also worked out a single and triple beat pattern on the bass drum, along with rim shots on the snare, to create the unique and peppy Polish hop step.
   
To speculate why the Polka evolved from March music, especially in America, we could say that Europeans loved the March and wanted to dance to it.  Later, they changed the arrangements from large March style brass bands to smaller 5 piece dance bands which included the newly invented accordion.  Yankovic adored the Polka and wanted to make it heavenly.  And, the Polish, especially in Chicago, added power to Polka music to compete with Jazz/ Rock which was pulling their children away from Polish culture.  In fact, during the 1970's Polish style Polkas were so powerful that thousands attended Polish Polka festivals.  Even today, Polish style Polkas have a very upbeat, contemporary American sound.

JAZZ/ ROCK

Early Jazz bands also imitated Marching Bands (When The Saints Go Marching In). 
 

In fact, the Binary Beat is the dynamic that gave early Jazz/ Rock its appeal.  
 

However, Jazz/ Rock deviated from March tempo and the Binary beat when it adopted a "Back Beat" syncopation.  
 

In other words, Jazz and Rock don't go Boom, Boom.  They go Boom pa, Boom pa.
 

This deviant Back Beat is the salient characteristic of Dixieland Jazz, Rag Time, Swing, etc.

This rhythm is related to the movement performed during sexual intercourse.  Whereas, the Polka/ March is related to the movement of marching, walking, running, biking.  This explains why the first Jazz/ Jass bands were popular in brothels, strip joints, and Speak Easys.  In fact, the original meaning of the words, "Jazz" and "Rock and Roll", were sexual. 

In other words, you could say, "Let's have sex, Baby".

Or,

You could say, "Let's Rock and Roll, Baby".

Or,

You could say, “Wanna Jazz wit me, Baby?”

They all mean the same thing.


In the Roaring Twenties, after World War I, these Jazz bands completely deviated from Marching bands and began experimenting with incongruous sounds, such as, the "flatted 5th", or Boogie Woogie, to create sound oddities.  Their promoters hoped to capture people's attention, the way Picasso and Dali were capturing attention at art galleries. Like P.T. Barnum, these promoters knew that in a decaying society, freaks produce profits.

   
The Big Band era still retained the "back beat", "flatted 5th ", and other "shock" elements but duplicated instruments to increase volume at the huge ballrooms that were attracting people in the 30's.  In reality, the first Big Bands were Marching bands and Polka bands.  Swing bands, or so called, Big Bands, copied the multiple instrumentation of Marching bands.

After the Second World War, newly invented amplifiers solved the volume problem. And, three hairs with mind penetrating steel strings - lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar, and drums - could blow you brains out in Yankee Stadium.
 

Musically, therefore, Rock is Jazz.  But, in order to attract the growing number of bewildered people flocking into our huge metropolises, Rock became freakier then Jazz.
   
Today, we know that Rock music is a billion dollar business that appeals to the emotionally disturbed, the mentally deranged, the alienated, the ignorant, and the out right stupid members of our society.  We also know that it uses the media extensively to create the hype and mass consciousness necessary to sell their product.  Coincidentally, modern art also uses the media for the same reason, namely, to persuade the witless that Picasso and Stravinsky are art treasures.
 
Who, in the 1920s, would believe that a band of men

·        would call themselves the "The Dirty Filthy Krud Band".

·        would sing with shrieking, falsetto voices a four note song entitled, "Kill The Police"?

·        would paint their faces and dress like women?

·        would destroy a Bible on stage?

·        would thrust their pelvis in mock sexual intercourse?

·        would promote sex, drugs, and violence? 

Each year, the side show gets freakier and freakier.  Perhaps, someday, the Indian Rubber Man, the Two Headed Boy, Peewee the midget, FlameO, the tattooed lady, and the Bearded Lady will form a Rock band and call themselves The Freaks.

We also know that those who are destroying world economies through finance and government manipulation are also destroying Western Civilization with their media, music, and art.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2 The New Style of Polka

Having reviewed the development of several types of beat music that impact our society, I will present my theory for a new style of Polka music that appeals to heroes.  Presently, Polka music is the music of European ethnic groups.  Even the Polka Mass is ethnic.

However, as society changes and ethnic groups melt into the fabric of America, the time has come for a dramatic change in the Polka idiom.  Except for the powerful Binary Beat, composers for The New Polka/ March will experiment with new instrumentation, new arrangements, new melodies, and new lyrics, just as Tchaikovsky in his 1812 Overture used the roar of cannons and the chime of bells to create one of symphonic music's most inspiring moments.  In their songs, composers for The New Polka/ March will focus on the heroes of our society.   The New Polka/ March will become Hero Music.

With this in mind, composers for The New Polka/ March will develop

·        new instruments whose chromatic scales were derived from, perhaps, the rumble of war machines with their sounds of battle, shouts of victory, and cries of death and dying.  Or, instruments to conjure visions of the sublime.

·        melodies that capture the sanctity and majesty of a church with its hymns, prayers, and adoration.  The warmth and security of a home with laughter and love.  The respect for our country with its rivers, lakes, mountains, forests, fields, factories, cities, and monuments to freedom, equality, and justice.  

·        lyrics that extol the virtues of monogamy, parenting, work, sacrifice, eternal love, loyalty, obedience, cleanliness, good health, law and order. 

·        beautiful voices to sing these inspiring songs.  

Perhaps, The New Polka/ March would appear as a band composed of large muscled, barrel chested musicians dressed like Police Officers called The Thin Blue Line Polka Band.  Their Top Ten tune is I'll Protect You. And, their motto is, "Your Last Defense Against Chaos."
   
Or, as aggressive, patriotic officers from the various branches of the military playing their hit song, A Place Called Home.  Suddenly, they stop in the middle of the song, face the American flag, play a trumpet solo cut from the National Anthem, and read an excerpt from the Gettysburg Address.  The band's name is The Armed Force Polka Band.
   
Or, as The Truth Polka Band holding up a Bible as they sing their hit song, The Place Where I Worship.
   
Or, as the Family Values Polka Band singing their hit song, Mom And Dad, while their 16 year old son lifts a 300# weight that depicts God, family, and country and smashes it into an effigy of Sex, Drugs, and Violence.
   
Or, as the Righteous Boys Polka Band, switching into straight March tempo as the dancers form columns and march around the floor, stamping their feet heavily, like the old circle two step, and saluting the national flag, the state flag, a church flag, a family flag and a Polka flag, which stand on the stage by the band.
   
Or, as the Until Death Do We Part Polka Band, playing a medley of Waltzes about eternal love while a beautiful bride and groom, a little flower girl and boy at their side, dance and purely and lovingly embrace on stage.
   
As you can see, we're talking power, real power.  And, for heroes, those songs and symbols are overwhelming.  Heroes will work, sacrifice and, if need be, they will die for those ideals.

Therefore, to bring heroes together and teach them the joy and strength of

·        marching in step

·        being with their kind

The New Polka/ March will sponsor

1.     dances

2.     parades

  1. concerts in the park

Also, we will sponsor a Polka Outreach to 

1.     religious campuses

2.     military academies

  1. state, national, and local patriotic and religious celebrations.  

The symbolic and psychological impact from these activities will be profound.

Furthermore,

The New Polka/ March will appear at Sunday concerts in the Park and parades of marching people; Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and 4th of July celebrations; Sunrise Services on Easter morning or midnight remembrances on New Year's Eve; christenings of ships, dams, buildings, memorials, monuments, and babies; openings of sporting events, theater productions, and galleries; matters of state, business, and community.

We must understand that mankind has four basic drives: Sex, Food, Self-Preservation, and Preservation Of The Species, or Heroism.  For that reason, Heroes are genetically predisposed to watch over their neighbors and family.  Heroes are predisposed to defend God, family, and country.  Heroes are predisposed to believe in God.  Heroes are deeply religious.  Interestingly, deeply religious people tend to be heroic. 

The New Polka/ March will follow the traditional form of music:

1.     It will be logical

2.     It will have a congruous sequence of notes

3.     It will appeal to our natural sense of beauty

Explanations of logical, congruous, and natural

1.

A melody played by a cat walking across a piano is not logical because the cat did not think about the song.  A cat is not capable of thinking.

2.

The notes in the chord, F, A, C, F, are congruous because they follow the natural harmonic pattern in an octave.  They are very pleasing and beautiful. An octave is the progression or sequence of notes that keep recurring in nature.  This natural sequence of notes was discovered by the Greek mathematician, Archimedes.  To hear a song played in a natural octave click HERE.  Notice that the rhythm in this sequence of notes is Binary.  It goes Boom, Boom, Boom.

However, the sequence of notes, F, A, C, D, Eb, are incongruous because they do not follow the natural harmonic pattern in an octave.   They are not beautiful or pleasing.  To hear a song played in this pattern click HERE.  To hear a more professional rendition of this pattern click HERE.  Notice that the rhythm is not binary.  Rather, it is Back Beat syncopation.  It goes, Boompa,  Boompa,  Boompa.  

3.

The phrase, natural sense of beauty, could become the topic of a Subjective Opinions debate.  But, it is not. Every normal, healthy person who is close to nature can tell the difference between a beautiful girl and one that is not; a beautiful picture and one that is not; a beautiful song and one that is not.  Every normal, healthy human being who lives close to nature has a natural sense of order, symmetry, and beauty that enables them to choose that which is beautiful and that which is not.  That instinct is genetic.

Things that are Natural are disciplined, orderly, symmetrical, intelligent, prudent. They are instinctively pleasing and beautiful.

Those things that are unnatural are chaotic, disorderly, undisciplined, irrational. They are instinctively unappealing and distasteful.


Interestingly,

Over two thousand years ago, Plato wrote in his Republic,

"The introduction of a new kind of music must be shunned because it imperils the whole State.  Music affect our most important political institutions."

Also:

"Through foolishness the people deceived themselves into believing that there was no right or wrong kind of music.  They believed they could tell good music by the pleasure it gave them.  Then, through their self deluding theories and irresponsible behavior, they infected themselves with a type of music that drove them to promiscuous behavior and a spirit of lawlessness."

And,

Two researchers, Gervasia M. Schreckenberg, a neurobiologist at Georgian Court College, Lakewood, NJ, and Harvey H. Bird, a physicist at the Fairleigh Dickinson University in Rutherford, NJ, devised an experiment to determine how different kinds of music affect the brain.

Their research was inspired by critics who charge that Rock music is ruining the brains of America's youth. These critics assertions were not scientific.  They were rooted in moral indignation.  But, the popularity of such beliefs intrigued the researchers.

The researchers discovered that Rock's rhythm is one of the culprits.  Their study indicates that some rhythms synchronize our natural biological rhythms and enhance their function.  Other rhythms disrupt that function. "Everything in life goes in a rhythm," says Schreckenberg, "All biochemical reactions are rhythmic.  If that system is disrupted by an arrhythmic beat, then it has detrimental effects."

For example, the constant onslaught of Rock music disturbs the theta rhythm of the hippocampus in the brain which is linked to memory and leads to short-term memory loss.  Additionally, when we learn something, the neurons all grow in that direction.  A constant diet of Rock causes erratic neuron growth which causes learning difficulties.

To hear the binary beat that gets those theta juices flowing, fosters orderly neuron growth, and helps the brain to learn efficiently, click

HERE

Before proceeding to the conclusion of this page, we should examine the idea of Who can we trust?

We must understand that typically the men and women who created civilization, such as, Archimedes, Madame Currie, Tim Berners Lee, Edison, Pasteur, Fleming,  Alexander, Aristotle, Spartans, Schweitzer, lived intelligent lives that were in harmony with nature and the universe.  They were not obnoxious, bedraggled, revolutionaries who tear down governments and uproot society.  Rather, they were pillars of society.  They were an inspiration to children and their community.  If this is true, then, henceforth,

we must examine not only a man's creations and ideas but also we must examine his personal life.

We must ask ourselves,  Is he clean?  Is he orderly and disciplined?  Does he live in harmony with society and nature?  If he does, then, we can trust him.  We can believe that what he creates is for the good of all.

With these facts, we can create Godly music.

Godly music is the music of the universe that surrounds us. We hear it every day.

Godly music is absolutely beautiful, absolutely good, absolutely truthful.

(Truthful means that it is real.  It is reality.  You can trust it.  It is genuine.  It's the way God made it.)

Godly Music

  1. rhythm that is binary
  2. melody that is logical
  3. notes that are sequenced to the natural harmonic pattern of an octave
  4. beauty that is natural
  5. lyrics that express heroic sentiments of God, family, and country

Think about this:

  • If the universe has an almighty force that compels all matter and energy to follow the laws of the universe; and
  • if the universe has a brilliant design that gives us the impression that an almighty and intelligent being created this universe;
  • then God's music must
  1. have the fundamental beat of the universe,
  2. follow the harmonic patterns of the universe,
  3. appeal to a universal sense of good, truth, and beauty, and
  4. sing about the almighty being who created the universe .

For that reason, we believe that the New Polka March is God's music.

And, for that reason, we can raise our heads and say,

God's With Us.

natural = nature = universal
 

The wonderful thing about this theory is that Polka and March music of today already have 3 of the 4 ingredients for Godly music.

Our musicians and composers simply need to add God, family, and country to the lyrics and work to perfect the other 3.

To conclude this page, we offer these words of hope and comfort for those who sit and wait,

We ain't dead yet!

It only takes one

There was a Joan of Arc

The world is entering an era of healthy, nature loving, technically gifted men and women who will create beautiful music that is congruous, logical, and deeply religious.  They cannot and will not tolerate chaos and disease.  They will reject the loud, dissonant, arrhythmic, vulgar music of today.

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