What I have noticed about musicians who are outside of the Cajun tradition (didn't grow up their whole lives listening and playing the music) is that they tend to want to play chord change "patterns" instead of just listening to the tune and accompanying with the appropriate chords. This includes musicians in Louisiana who are not "Cajun" musicians. They want everything to neatly fall within even numbered measure patterns. But, I have noticed that MANY folk styles have odd numbered phrases and uneven change patterns (Acadian, French, Irish)...it is not just a feature of Cajun folk music. But the majority of the commercial music--country, rock, pop--is very square and even in their chord change patterns.

People around here (southwest Louisiana) do both of the things you asked about--sometimes they "even the phrases out" and "square things up" so that everything is very symmetrical and easy to follow. This group of people are more the "modernists" who view the old tunes as sort of "illiterate" and "uneducated" and think they need to somehow correct what wasn't done right "way back then when they didn't know any better."

The old timers and the "traditionalists" will more likely "stick to their guns" as you put it. It doesn't bother them in the least bit that things are uneven--usually they aren't even aware of this. They just PLAY and listen and follow the lead...whether it is a vocal, accordion, steel or fiddle. Sometimes each lead has a slightly different timing on the changes!

Personally, I like a lot of the "abnormalities" and I think it is part of the spice of the Cajun sound. I don't want it to always sound square and symetrical. Some of the most interesting effects, IMO, come from the asymmetrical qualities of Cajun music phrasing. On the other hand, I don't see anything wrong with writing new music that IS symetrical, it's just I have heard the older tunes "crooked" so long that anything else sounds "incorrect."

As to a theory why--
If a man was singing and playing accordion, he has to breathe...so he might finish the verse on the accordion and take a measure to breathe before singing. Many times the changes just follow the words and sometimes words are added in different verses...Chere Alice for example--the changes are different between the first and second verses. I think people just did what they felt and did not necessarily follow any rules. They just played and sang whatever they heard in their head and hearts.

As Boozoo Chavis said--"you follow me...if I'm wrong, then you wrong."

I see it as a problem that goes beyond any specific genre. I believe it has a lot to do with the way we learn music these days. I've run into many people who learned off of records, tab, etc., and it becomes carved in stone how something is played. Take a blues tune that ad libs before going to the change, for instance. There's a lot of musicians that have a hard time doing that. They have a hard time feeling what's going on and rely on a set pattern. Seems to me, not just Cajun, but any genre needs to get back to playing as an ensemble, able to play off each other. Eye contact! Eye contact! Eye contact!
Just an opinion.
Steve

If you change all those little things that make cajun music, cajun music and folk music, folk music then it seems to me you have something else altogether. IMHO!! You know what mean?

Thanks
Yes, I've often quoted that quote from Boozoo. I agree with all of your sentiments b.t.w. It's strange though that vocals are often standard length but instrumentals are more variable, as if we notice the saymmetry more when words are attatched to the music. I learned Delton Broussard,s version of Boozoo's Leona Had a party a while back and have always been struck how i have to keep on my toes regarding the other musicians when playing it because my solo is 10 bars long not 8. The vocal is 8 bars. I also heard the western swing version of that song recently which is probably the original one and I must say both are great!

Thanks
Yes, I've often quoted that quote from Boozoo. I agree with all of your sentiments b.t.w. It's strange though that vocals are often standard length but instrumentals are more variable, as if we notice the saymmetry more when words are attatched to the music. I learned Delton Broussard,s version of Boozoo's Leona Had a party a while back and have always been struck how i have to keep on my toes regarding the other musicians when playing it because my solo is 10 bars long not 8. The vocal is 8 bars. I also heard the western swing version of that song recently which is probably the original one and I must say both are great! No I am wrong I am talking about Dance all Night , not Leona Had a Party

Pogoyo:

Is that P O, po, Y O, G yo yo?

If so, I'd like to order some Hasitall.

Cory

You got the right Pogoyo chere! But I drank all the Hasitall.

I have friends who are avid collectors of old Missouri tunes. They often modify the measures of songs so they can be used for square dancing etc.

My own choice it to listen to a song and do it the way I think it sounds best. Usually it is the odd phrasing or strange tunings that attracted me to the song in the first place. I believe this is how it was been done historically. That is also why regional styles developed. Since local musicians shared music and techniques they tended to evolve a similar style.

Unless you are trying to learn or demonstrate a particular person or style there is no reason not to do it the way it sound best to you. Chances are that is how the musicians you are trying to copy did it.

RPr

I guess I have to go with the gut feeling, sometimes you feel like playing exactly how it is on the vinyl and sometimes you feel like being Peter Frampton, all in all, it's a feel, you're making music, if everyone played The Back Door the same way I think the song would have becoming quite booring over the years. It's all about a flavor of life !!! imho !!

I think you are wrong there my man. I prefer the original version of the Back Door and never get tired or bored listening to it. But hell I never get bored listening to Cajun music.