Titon and Nettle Summary

Titon's "Knowing Fieldwork" discusses what ethnomusicology is and goes into detail about the difference between knowing and understanding how research and field work is a key component in that difference.  Titon talks about how ethnomusicology is not a necessarily a scientific study of a culture's music; if it was strictly scientific the researcher would just want facts about the music to simply know about the music.  Therefore, transcriptions were the key piece and often the only sought after piece of research because it helped other to know the music.  However today ethnomusicologists go above and beyond knowing and try to understand the people and the culture behind the music. On this note, during their research, ethnomusicologists' field work is comprised of experiences and observations that involve interaction with a culture and people.  This method of research and type of fieldwork can be applied to our study of Native American music.  Transcriptions do not allow us to see the larger, over reaching picture behind the music.  In order for us to reach a better understanding of the music, we must draw upon interviews, observations and other forms of interaction with Native American people and culture that go along with our recordings and possible transcriptions.
Similarly, in Nettle's "Come Back and See Me Next Tuesday: The Essence of Field Work," Nettle expands on the issue of ethnomusicology fieldwork that was laid out in Titon's article.  He discusses aspects of culture that ethnomusicologists should attempt to collect and he talks about the methods and approaches to field work that ethnomusicologists should take when starting field work.  He mentions how field work methodology is typically individualized as there is no universal methodology.  There are five general stages of field work: collecting, preserving, being the observer, being the participant,  and making a specialized contribution.  These stages evolve as your relationship with the people evolves.  There is a major issue of outsider v. insider that arises when beginning field work, so it is important to develop a relationship with informants or consultants or teachers because field work is primarily interactive.