Starting to do webbing

I have been thinking of a search strategy. I have never had much luck finding information about this topic via Google searches. I am going to look for books, of all the sweet things. I have looked in books before but mostly I've only found books with musical scores in them and they are not so analytical. The video and audio I've found is all instructional or for pure entertainment. I am going to check the public library and University Library. I may also check some of the UL's databases. I'll search for "cowboy music" and "cowboy yodel" and "yodel" for starters. I might also go to the Eiteljorg museum. They host western music groups sometimes so there might be someone there who can help me. If all else fails, I may try to email a cowboy yodeling singer. There are piles of them on the Internet.

Trying to start webbing..or something

I am working on organizing my thoughts but it's not working so well. I tried to map it out but I only got as far as one ring out from the main idea. Then I did a KWL chart. That helped some. It's not such a linear topic for me. I tried out a couple of the search tools on Annette's site, but I am a litle worried by how much trouble it is to find information on this via regular search tools. I hope I have more luck when I start looking in more academic places.
I've also been listening to recordings of cowboy and cowgirl music, and a new question occured to me: How do I know if real cowboys and girls really did yodel? For all I know, with the information I have right now, it's just the Hollywood cowhands who yodel. I think that answering that question may be the place to start. I am working hard at following the steps but I am antsy to get to the Wiggling part.
My plan is to begin looking at the University databases for information on whether or not real cowpunchers yodel(ed).

8Ws Context

I think I've been doing the "Watching" behaviors about this topic for a long time. I explore music in an attempt to learn more about the world around me. Sometimes I'll just browse a library's collection and pick up random things like prison work songs or music from Brazil or Judy Garland's hit songs. That's how I first discovered cowboy music. We call it "cowgirl music" in our house, though there aren't as many recordings of women singing cowpuncher tunes. I share the interesting stuff I find with people who might appreciate it, especially my brother. We discuss what we find and share our observations.
As for Wondering behaviors, when I was considering topics for this project, I did think of some other things I'd like to know more about: hobo culture, early French film (yes, I just read Hugo Cabret!), some nature topics, especially acorns or owls, monkeys and apes. I have a lot of ongoing interests that I find myself without the time I'd like to explore them. I've always wanted to know more about cowboy and cowgirl music, though. I like the Hollywood stuff as well as the more authentic songs. I'm also curious about yodeling and how it came from the shepherds of Europe to the cowhands of the American West. In the future, I may use a Venn Diagram to compare the two but I have my topic narrowed quite well just by my curiosity.

Wondering about Yodeling

I am thinking of doing my project about yodeling. What I've always wondered is, what is the connection between cowpunchers and goatherds? Well, there's the herding. So what purpose does yodeling actually serve in the task of managing itinerant livestock? What makes yodeling different from regular singing in that context? Is it true that cowboys sing to keep the herd calm?

I've wondered about this before, and done a bit of looking around, but never found a lot of answers. I did a quick Google search, just to see what comes up when one searches for "why cowboys yodel" and I mostly found information about specific yodeling western singers. I'll be thinking of this more in the next few days.

First Post

Just wanted to get something in here to see how it works. I am starting this blog to fulfill an assignment. Not sure about the topic just now. Some sort of inquiry project.