iSnare.com - Free Content Articles Directory
Authors Contents [Advanced Search][Add OpenSearch][Job Search]
Distribute your articles to thousands of article sites for only $2 and below! Read more...

Index  Entertainment
 

Fiction And Folk - Making Filk Music Together

 
[ Contact the Author] [ Send to a Friend] [ Article Publisher] [Make PDF] [ Print] [ Bookmark & Share]
 
Read our Terms of Service before reprinting this article. The submitter specified above has claimed the rights to this article.
Madison Lockwood

The word "Filk" is a combination of "fiction" and "folk." Filk music originated as songs composed by dedicated film or TV fans, usually relating to science fiction and fantasy programming. The word originated in the '50s in an article about the practice of science fiction fans singing self-created songs while meeting at conventions geared for the sci-fi and fantasy fan.

While the practice goes back to the fifties, it has developed a genre and following that continues to this day on the Internet and at social gatherings attended by "filkers." By the late seventies there were weekend conventions focused solely on filkers and filking. Websites and events have formed around what has become a cultural phenomenon and while there may be no established stars working in the genre, there are award programs for "Excellence in Filking" and a Filk Hall of Fame.

Today the world of filking remains essentially true to its origins: science fiction and fantasy fans singing together at gatherings. They are drawn from the worlds of Star Trek, Battlestar Gallactica, Star Wars and games such as Dungeons and Dragons. Song topics can cover any aspect of the sci-fi world: computers, homesteads on Mars, space battles and time travel. Those gatherings may be completely devoted to filking today and may include an entire range of talent, from highly accomplished musicians to the amateur science fiction fan who only wishes to raise his or her voice.

Through email lists and websites, filkers have opened up lines of communications and organizations that reach into other countries and continents. The concept of the musical product had expanded somewhat, although not without debate. Songs of an anarchic or nonsensical bent dealing with familiar social phenomena have been referred to as filk tunes; there has been an ongoing discussion among purists as to whether or not Weird Al Yankovic qualifies as a filker. A good resource for Filk FAQs and other websites can be found at http://www.electricpenguin.com/filking/columns/filkfaq/.

Filking can also be identified as simply the social network that has evolved around the original practice. The electronic tools at hand for maintaining that network are part of the current definition of the filk community. The websites with songs, lyrics and musical tools posted are an important part of the community's binding. It's also fair to say that openness characterizes the filker movement, or community, or organization. It's not your ability to sing that qualifies you, it's your enthusiasm for the process and perhaps your appreciation of the disassociation with social norms that the songs represent.

Filking remains, for the most part, the folk music of the science fiction and fantasy fan set. Some songs are bawdy, many are parodies of original mainstream works, and nearly all are performed on acoustic instruments to the uniform applause of other gathered filkers. There are CDs out there these days and a plethora of MP3 files to be found on many Internet sites. There are perhaps eight gatherings a year held around the nation that are dedicated exclusively to filking.

There is another form of purity to the art form, other than its unique music. It is far enough off center that no one has found a way to build a business model for it and filking remains the personal creations and sole property of filkers.

Important NoticeDISCLAIMER: All information, content, and data in this article are sole opinions and/or findings of the individual user or organization that registered and submitted this article at Isnare.com without any fee. The article is strictly for educational or entertainment purposes only and should not be used in any way, implemented or applied without consultation from a professional. We at Isnare.com do not, in anyway, contribute or include our own findings, facts and opinions in any articles presented in this site. Publishing this article does not constitute Isnare.com's support or sponsorship for this article. Isnare.com is an article publishing service. Please read our Terms of Service for more information.

Madison Lockwood is a customer relations associate for http://www.apollohosting.com She helps clients understand how a website may benefit them both personally and professionally. Apollo Hosting provides website hosting, ecommerce hosting, & VPS hosting to a wide range of customers.

Article Tags: fantasy [See Dictionary], science [See Dictionary], songs [See Dictionary]
Got a question about this article? Ask the community!
Article published on January 10, 2007 at Isnare.com
 
Rate this article:

Channel Surfing Across The Internet
Submitted by: Madison Lockwood

The advent of broadband, high speed Internet access in millions of homes has introduced the use of video over those networks as a mainstream digital reality and led to the creation of phenomena such as YouTube...

More Players On Movie Download Field
Submitted by: Madison Lockwood

Two major retailers have moved into the online movie sales business WalMart and Amazon...

Now You Can Have Commentary With Your Opera
Submitted by: Madison Lockwood

Something like 3% of all adults in this country attends the opera, according to the National Endowment for the Arts...

The Front Page On World Of Warcraft
Submitted by: Madison Lockwood

First came computer games Then came DSL, and broadband online access, followed very closely by computer games where you can play with other real people sitting in front of other real computers, somewhere else in the real world...

Wii And Playstation3: The Latest Battle Of The Gaming Consoles
Submitted by: Madison Lockwood

It seems almost like a Christmas ritual: there's a Next Big Thing in the video game world almost every holiday season...

Digitizing Those Old Records And Tapes
Submitted by: Madison Lockwood

Everyone who was old enough to be listening to music pre-CD has a collection of grooved vinyl records and magnetized tape cassettes stashed somewhere...

Movie Buffs On The Internet
Submitted by: Madison Lockwood

Films, film series and film stars all have warranted websites dedicated to them by fans There seems to be a level of cooperation among film studios and fan sites - at least, the responsible ones...

The Sims Phenomenon
Submitted by: Madison Lockwood

In the world of video games, there are game categories such as shooters, adventure, action and role playing...

Second Life Is What You Make Of It
Submitted by: Madison Lockwood

Second Life (SL) is a privately owned, partly subscription-based 3-D virtual world, introduced in 2003 by West Coast company Linden Lab...

The Players In Internet Movie Downloads
Submitted by: Madison Lockwood

There are several online movie download services that have established themselves as real players in the instant gratification film niche...

The Expansion Of Official Fan Forums On The Internet
Submitted by: Madison Lockwood

The use of web pages built around entertainers has developed multiple facets What began as amateurs building web sites to gush over their favorite entertainer has developed into sophisticated use of the world's newest and biggest communications device...

Machinima - Gaming And Flimmaking Converge
Submitted by: Madison Lockwood

This word is a combination of the terms 'machine' and 'cinema' and it was created to describe an intriguing artistic form developed by computer gamers that also happen to be a new form of "modder"...

Television And The Net- Growing Together, Not Apart
Submitted by: Madison Lockwood

The old fashioned wall posters that featured TV and movie stars along with rock bands and that highlighted generations of teen-age bedrooms have been overshadowed, if not replaced, by fan sites on the Internet...

Music Fans And The Internet Converge And Flourish
Submitted by: Madison Lockwood

Virtually all established music artists maintain web sites – or their record company does it for them...

Audiobooks- Listening To Literature Online
Submitted by: Madison Lockwood

In a few short years, the amateur digital spewing phenomenon known as blogging has become an Internet fixture and has spawned a few explosive online successes (MySpace, YouTube) and more than a few bloggers whose opinions became valued professional resources...

Warcraft Tycoon's Handbook Review - A WoW Tycoon Honest Review
Submitted by: Carlos Castro

There are a lot of WoW gold guides out there, and they all have something to offer I have found through my experience that each WoW gold guide is a reflection of the style of the player who authored the guide...

Warcraft Wealth Review
Submitted by: Carlos Castro

Warcraft Wealth by Wayne Williams is another WoW gold guide that has been around for a while The package is 3 ebook guides and 2 video guides...

The Beatles Remasters: Stereo & Mono Box Sets in 2009
Submitted by: George Kane

I'm sure you've already heard a lot about The Beatles 2009 remasters They've got a huge amount of of hype considering that they are essentially re-releases of music that most people who are buying them already own...

Thrill of Bingo Hall and Comfort of Your Home
Submitted by: Georgina Thomas

Nearly everybody alive now has played the game of online bingo and this game is centuries old as well as has provided the low cost of entertainment for all the income brackets...

Increasing Popularity Online Bingo Sites
Submitted by: Georgina Thomas

Online bingo sites are growing popularity day by day Every day a new bingo site appears on the web world...

How To Watch The Nascars Awards Online
Submitted by: Julien Robins

If you are worried that you might miss the Nascar Awards Friday Dec 4th in Las Vegas, worry no more...

The Beatles Rock Band is a Good Way to Improve Singing & Drumming Abilities
Submitted by: Joshua J Jacks

I've been trying to improve my singing in various ways over the last couple of years and surprisingly I've found that one of the most effective ways to practice (and improve) is by playing The Beatles Rock Band...

My Nieces Birthday - Do I Get Her a Wii Game?
Submitted by: Michelle Hagita

It's that time of the year again It's the thing I stress on every year...

Great Parties Are EZ With Icebreaker Games and Lively Party Games
Submitted by: Elizabeth Chastain

The most exciting part about planning a birthday party for kids is usually the games After all it is the games that help get kids involved in the festivities, and introduces strangers to each other...

Lisa Lampanelli – the Queen of Raunch Comedy
Submitted by: Robert E. Finch

In a world full of men, Lisa Lampanelli has made a name for being outspoken and a comedian with no restriction...

The Beatles USB: The Beatles Stereo Remasters in MP3 & FLAC
Submitted by: James Randall Twist

The Beatles USB is the "digital debut" for The Beatles legendary music It is the very first release of their classic songs in the mp3 format which has become the main way many people listen to music now...

Ideas and Tips For a Great Ben 10 Birthday Party
Submitted by: Thor Hanso

Ben 10 is a cartoon action adventure television show on the cartoon network Ben 10 has become hugely popular among kids and has is now onto it's third season named Ben 10: Evolution...

Ways to Learn to Sing Better
Submitted by: Sarah J. Walthers

Everybody can sing but not all have nice voice Finding ways on how to learn to sing better is a common path that is done by people who loves to sing because no matter what level in singing you are there is always more we can discover in the world of art to improve our vocal abilities...

Learn How to Sing Blues Songs
Submitted by: Sarah J. Walthers

There are a lot of music genre, one of them is the blues songs Blues is a genre of music which was developed in earlier nineteenth century, but in recent years it came down to be associated with bad things like drugs and alcohol...

Learn to Sing With Confidence
Submitted by: Sarah J. Walthers

Every singer once in their life experienced having felt fear while performing on stage or in gatherings...

Isnare.com Footer Divider

© 2004-2009. Isnare Free Articles - An Isnare Online Technologies Free Articles Project. All Rights Reserved.   Privacy Policy