RaftingCanadian

Percussion instruments are played by being struck or shaken. They are perhaps the oldest form of musical instruments. Some percussion instruments play not only rhythm, but also melody and harmony.

The two major categories are membranophones, which add timbre to the sound of being struck, such as drums, and idiophones, which sound of themselves, such as the triangle.

The tambourine is both membranophone and idiophone.

Most percussion instruments have a distinct tone; even drums are tuned. However, a distinction is usually made based on whether the instrument can play a definite pitch or not.

The timpani, xylophone, vibraphone, bell, tubular bells and glockenspiel all play a definite pitch. The snare drum, bass drum, cymbal, triangle, maracas, claves, castanets, tom-tom, timbales, cowbell, washboard and wood block do not in general. However, some percussionists tune drum heads to specific pitches when recording albums or in preparation for specific composer requirements. Gongs can be tuned or untuned – the most familiar type of gong in the west, the chau gong (sometimes called a tam-tam), is untuned. Tuned cymbals exist but are rare.

The general term for a musician who plays percussion instruments is percussionist. Drummer refers to a musician who primarily plays drums including the drumset and hand drums. A timpanist is a musician who primarily plays timpani. Marimbist generally refers to a solo artist who plays the marimba.

See 'drum' section for the list of drums.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

Dr. Jeff Gardere, host of the New York radio show Conversations with Dr. Jeff, says that almost any place is a good place to flirt. From grocery stores to laundromats to the post office, there is a range of options. "Church is an excellent place for flirting, absolutely the best place," he says. "You're there to celebrate life and the praising of the Lord, so what better place to open yourself to someone else. I recommend it to all my clients. I tell them 'Go to church if you want to find a good woman.'"

But the radio show host warns against office flirtation. "Flirting in the office can be dangerous, and therefore it must be very innocent, more complimentary than anything else," he says. "But anything else and anywhere else is fair game .

Everyday situations offer freedom from the pressures of formal dating. "I think if you're at the park, at the cleaners or at the mall" Toya Dixon says, "those are the best times to meet and flirt. It's casual and it's a great time to be friendly with no preconceived motives or hidden agendas."

Other venues that are conducive to flirting are social conferences, cultural events, concerts, after-work affairs, picnics, museums, libraries and business and professional conferences. Places such as airports, casinos, train stations, fitness centers, jogging paths, and parks are perfect spots for flirtation. And according to some Sisters, home improvement stores and car washes are prime locations for flirting with men.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

The gottuvadhyam is a Carnatic string instrument originating from southern India. The most common use for it is a solo instrument in Carnatic music. It is also know as a gottuvadyam, chitravina, gettuvadyam, chitra vina, or mahanataka vina

The form of the gottuvadhyam is similar to that of the Saraswati veena. Its 21 strings makes it a complicated instrument, and this is not helped by its lack of frets. Due to the fretless nature of the gottuvadhyam, it is one of the instruments closer to vocal standards.

6 main string pass over the top of the instrument and these are used for the main melody. There are also 3 drone strings and 12 sympathetic string that run parallel and below the main melody strings.

The tuning of the gottuvadhyam is in some ways similar to that of the sitar, and in other ways similar to the Saraswati veena. It certainly does have its own quirks though. It is played with a slide in a manner similar to a lap steel guitar. A plectra is commonly used with the right hand to pluck the metal melody strings while a cylindrical block made out of hardwood, steel, glass or Teflon held by the left hand is used to slide along the strings cause the pitch to vary.

The literal translation of gottuvadhyam is “block instrument”.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

Although single people are engaged in the flirting game, there is a fierce debate regarding whether married people should participate. Some experts say that flirting with other people is a necessary component of a healthy relationship. But others consider flirting while married synonymous with cheating.

Flirting with other people when you're married is okay," says Dr. Gardere, the author and radio host. "Flirting is a healthy thing because instead of keeping your sexuality caged up inside where it may be expressed in dangerous ways or extramarital affairs, it allows you to make someone else feel good and it makes you feel good. I encourage married people to flirt as long as they keep it at the flirtation stage."

But Dixon, a single executive, and many others strongly disagree. "If you're married, flirtation is an affair. Lust is an emotion, not an action. It's right up there with adultery. Being unfaithful includes anything that you wouldn't do in front of your spouse," she says. "So instead of flirting with someone else, you should flirt with your spouse. They'll love it."

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

Origin of the Santoor
Description of the Santoor
Tuning the Santoor
Playing the Santoor

Origin of the Santoor

The Santoor most likely originated in Persia. The Persian word, Santoor, is said to mean a hundred strings. It is believed that traveling musicians spread the Santoor across Europe and Asia. Instruments of the santoor style are known from Turkey, China, Greece, Germany, and Hungary among other countries. The Indian Santoor is the oldest known string instrument of India. While it had originally been part of the classical music in Persia, it was a highland folk instrument in India. During the Vedic period the strings were made of dried grass, these were later replaced by gut strings and today the Santoor has metal strings.

Description of the Santoor

The Indian Santoor is a flat shaped instrument in the form of a trapezoid. The wider side, and therefore longer strings, has the bass notes. The narrow side, with shorter strings, has the high pitched notes. The strings are arranged in courses. Each course has three strings. String tuning pegs are found on the right side of the santoor. There is one tuning peg for each string. This allows each string to be tuned individually; although, all 3 strings in one course are usually tuned to the same note. The courses run over movable wooden bridges. The Bridges do not run down the middle of the soundboard; rather, they alternate left-right-left-right down the soundboard. Because of this the courses’ playing surfaces are raised, alternately right-left down the soundboard. These raised playing surfaces are struck or stroked with light wooden hammers.

Tuning the Santoor

Place the santoor in front of you with the wide side near your waist. This is the playing position. Set the bridge on the first course 8 inches in from the right side. On the next course, set the bridge in 10 inches from the left side. Now move to the last course and set the bridge in 4 5/8 inches from the left side. The bridge for the second to last course is set 4 ½ inches in from the right side. You can now line up the remaining bridges. When you are finished the bridges will be in two rows, a left row and a right row. Remember, the courses alternate from right to left over the bridges. The first three strings are tuned to E. Tune from the longer strings (bass notes) to the shorter strings (pitched notes).

Playing the Santoor

The Indian Santoor is usually played while seated, with the instrument in front of you. It can also be played while standing if it is placed on a dulcimer stand (sold separately). While playing, the wide side is closer to the player and the shorter side is pointed away. Both hands are used to play the strings. The strings can be gently hammered, or stroked. With skill and practice one can glide the strikers on the strings. The tones will differ depending on where the strings are played. The tone closer to the bridges is different than when played away from bridges. Another variation to the hammered play is to have the palm of one hand muffle the playing of the hammer in the other hand.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

Jazz originated from New Orleans, America in the 20^th century. Its unique sound was created from the fusion of African American music styles with Western techniques and theory. Some of the musical elements that help define jazz are:

• Syncopation

• Call and response

• Swing

• Poly-rhythms

• Blue notes

• Improvisation

Overview

Its combination of styles can be attributed to many sources including:

• New England's religious church hymns

• Western Sahel

• West Africa

• Hill-billy music

• European military bands

After its inception throughout African-American communities in the early 20^th century, the jazz style spread during the 1920s, influencing many other styles.

Jazz, with its strong association with the blues, evolved while black musicians migrated into the cities. It was a time when there was still enslaved Africans in south U.S.

Many of the instruments played in dance bands and marching music during the turn of the century became the core instruments of jazz. Using the 12-tone western scale, these included:

• Brass

• Reeds

• Drums

Improvisation

The jazz genre can vary a lot and can encompass a wide variety of music. One of the key elements of jazz is improvisation. Improvisation was an element in African-American music ever since the early style of music developed. It is similar to the call and response element found in African-American and West African expression of culture.

This improvisation element changed with time:

Early folk and blues music was often based on a call / response pattern, with improvisation of an element of the lyrics and / or melody.

Dixieland jazz had musicians taking turn to play the melody, while other musicians would improvise a counter melody.

Swing lead to big bands playing arranged sheet music and individual soloists performing improvised solos. Musicians would not stick strictly to the original, but would try to incorporate a common theme or motif to tie the music together.

There are big differences when you compare jazz to the classical music form. In a classical form, the control is in the composer's hands with musicians playing music as it is written. The jazzform places more control in the musicians hands with the melody, harmonies and even time signature varying from the original.

Due to the varying nature of improvisation, jazz typically sticks to one tempo with no rubato. The leader will set the tempo and this tempo is kept for majority of the piece.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

A bullroarer or turndun is an early sophisticated ritual instrument of music and means of communicating over extended distances.

It consists of a longish piece of cord fixed to an oval piece of wood or other suitable material which usually is thicker in the center, and sharpish at the edges.

The cord is given a slight initial twist, and the roarer is then waved in a large circle in a vertical plane. The aerodynamics of the roarer will keep it whirling even after the initial twist has unwound.

It makes a characteristic roaring vibrato sound with notable modification from both Doppler effect and the changing speed of the roarer at different parts of its circuit.

By modifying the expansiveness of its circuit and the speed given it, the modulation of the sound can be controlled, making the coding of information possible. The low frequency component of the sound travels extremely long distances, especially on the wind.

This instrument has been used by numerous early and traditional cultures in both the northern and southern hemispheres but in the popular consciousness it is perhaps best known for its use by Australian Aborigines (it is from one of their languages that the name turndun comes).

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

As the term "jazz" has long been used for a wide variety of styles, a comprehensive definition including all varieties is elusive. Some enthusiasts of certain types of jazz have argued for narrower definitions which exclude many other types of music also commonly known as jazz.

There have long been debates in the jazz community over the boundaries or definition of “jazz”. In the mid-1930s, New Orleans jazz lovers criticized the "innovations" of the swing era as being contrary to the collective improvisation they saw as essential to "true" jazz. From the 1940s and 1960s, traditional jazz enthusiasts and Hard Bop criticized each other, often arguing that the other style was somehow not "real" jazz. Although alteration or transformation of jazz by new influences has been initially criticized as “radical” or a “debasement”, Andrew Gilbert argues that jazz has the “ability to absorb and transform influences” from diverse musical styles.

Commercially-oriented or popular music-influenced forms of jazz are have long been criticized. Traditional jazz enthusiasts have dismissed the 1970s jazz fusion era as a period of commercial debasement. However, according to Bruce Johnson, jazz music has always had a “ tension between jazz as a commercial music and an artform ”.

Gilbert notes that as the notion of a canon of traditional jazz is developing, the “achievements of the past” may be become “...privileged over the idiosyncratic creativity...” and innovation of current artists. Village Voice jazz critic Gary Giddins argues that as the creation and dissemination of jazz is becoming increasingly institutionalized and dominated by major entertainment firms, jazz is facing a "...perilous future of respectability and disinterested acceptance". David Ake warns that the creation of “norms” in jazz and the establishment of a “jazz tradition” may exclude or sideline other newer, avant-garde forms of jazz.

One way to get around the definitional problems is to define the term “jazz” more broadly. According to Krin Gabbard “jazz is a construct” or category that, while artificial, still is useful to designate “a number of musics with enough in common part of a coherent tradition”. Travis Jackson also defines jazz in a broader way by stating that it is music that includes qualities such as “ 'swinging', improvising, group interaction, developing an 'individual voice', and being 'open' to different musical possibilities”.

Where to draw the boundaries of "jazz" is the subject of debate among music critics, scholars, and fans.

For example:

• Music that is a mixture of jazz and pop music, such as the recent albums of Jamie Cullum, is sometimes called "jazz".
• James Blunt and Joss Stone have been called "jazz" performers by radio DJ's, and record label promoters.
• Jazz festivals are increasingly programming a wide range of genres, including world beat music, folk, electronica, and hip-hop. This trend may lead to the perception that all of the performers at a festival are jazz artists – including artists from non-jazz genres.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

What is a Hurdy Gurdy?
The Hurdy Gurdys Ancient Roots

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What is a Hurdy Gurdy?

The hurdy gurdy, known in France as the vielle a roue or vielle for short, is an ancient instrument which is undergoing a modern renaissance in Europe and America. First, to dispel a popular misconception: the hurdy gurdy was not played by the organ grinder or his monkey. They used a large music box operated by a crank. Today's hurdy gurdy is roughly the same as those built in the middle ages. It has three to six strings which are caused to vibrate by a resined wheel turned by a crank. Melody notes are produced on one string, or two tuned in unison, by pressing keys which stop the string at the proper intervals for the scale. The other strings play a drone note. Some instruments have a "dog", "trompette" or "buzzing bridge" A string passes over a moveable bridge, which by a clever movement of the crank in the open hand, can produce a rasping rhythm to accompany the tune by causing the bridge to hammer on the sound board. The instrument is held in the lap with a strap to hold it steady. The case can be square, lute back, or flat back with a guitar or fiddle shape. Forms of the vielle a roue existed not only in France, but in Germany, Italy, Britain, Russia, Spain and Hungary.

An interesting related instrument is the Swedish nyckelharpa which was developed around the sixteenth century. It has keys and is played with a short bow. It is enjoying a revival of interest and new custom made instruments are now available.

The origins of the hurdy gurdy are unknown but one theory says that when the Moors invaded Spain they brought with them many stringed and bowed instruments. There is no proof that the vielle a roue was one of them, but the possibility exists that something similar arrived in Spain at that time and dispersed throughout Europe along the pilgrim's roads.

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The Hurdy Gurdy's Ancient Roots

The earliest known form of the vielle a roue was called an organistrum and bore little resemblance to the modern one. It was so large that one person turned the crank and another played the keys. The wooden keys were arranged in various ways depending on whether secular or religious music was to be played. The organistrum was only capable of playing slow melodies and simple harmony because of the hard key action. It's main use was in the medieval church. The first mention of the organistrum was in a construction manual by Odo of Cluny, which was discovered in the twelfth century and possibly written in the tenth century. There are also other depictions dating from the twelfth century. During the thirteenth century, the organistrum was redesigned to be playable by one person, which encouraged use by blind and itinerant musicians. The improved key action with drone accompaniment made it ideal for dance music. It was adopted for popular and folk music of the day, and use in the church diminished. Even the name organistrum had died out by the fourteenth century. In France, it was known as a symphonia until it was abandoned for popular music in the late fifteenth century. One can surmise that, at this time, the name changed to vielle a roue, which is still used today. The vielle was used only for folk music by peasants and street musicians. It was known all over Europe by about 1650 but remained a peasant instrument for the next one hundred years. By this time the design had standardized to the size and shape familiar today.

The Vielle a Roue's Rebirth

Although the vielle a roue was mentioned frequently as a beggars instrument in the early seventeenth century, it appeared occasionally at the royal court along with the musette (bagpipe), providing music to accompany the new pastoral plays. Gradually, courtly diversions about the Arcadian idea of rural bliss gained favor at court. Shepherds and milkmaids were portrayed passing away pleasant hours together. During the reign of Louis XIV, 1660 to 1715, Arcadian pastimes greatly increased because the king enjoyed them and all his court followed suit. Music for the vielle a roue and musette were written by popular composers such as Vivaldi in the baroque period and later by Mozart. Many aristocrats became accomplished performers on these instruments.

During the mid-seventeenth century, writers like Jean Jacque Rousseau castigated the corruption and lax morals at court. He advocated a return to the simple rural life where virtue and integrity came naturally with the hard work of the peasant life. He also encouraged the display of sentiment and emotion to further enhance the delicacy of one's character. His ideas gained favor at court but became twisted. The simple life continued to be portrayed in pastoral plays by highly decorated persons impersonating rural folk playing traditional instruments but behaving as no peasant would.

During the vielle a roue's favor at court, Paris instrument makers started to make elegant instruments with fancy inlay and carving. The mechanism was built into guitar and lute bodies, giving the instrument a better tone. Many fine instruments were manufactured during this period.

This renaissance of the hurdy gurdy continued until the reign of Louis XV was over in 1778. The next king, Louis XVI, was rather puritanical and did not participate in the diversions of the court. The amusements continued under Marie Antoinette but her tastes changed to the neo classical. She abandoned her milkmaid roles for Sappho with her harp. The hurdy gurdy had no logical place in this type of entertainment but it did not disappear entirely from the court scene until the French Revolution. At this time, it simply was left to the streets where it had always been. Use of the instrument for more than a beggars tool gradually retreated into central France in the areas of Auvergne, Berry and Limousin, where the tradition has remained to this day.

After the French Revolution, around early 1800, the peasants began to leave the place of their birth and migrated to Paris to find work. They typically became first water carriers then coal carriers. Many set up store fronts in conjunction with the coal business, where they sold wine from their native areas. By the 1850's, there were many homesick peasants in Paris. They gathered at the wine shops, sitting on benches and wine barrels, to drink, dance and play the familiar old folk tunes on the hurdy gurdy and cabrette (bagpipe).

About 1880, the diatonic accordion began to be added at these sessions, and gained in popularity rapidly because it was easier and less troublesome. The hurdy gurdy had to be tuned carefully and was subject to constant problems from dampness. Originally, the diatonic accordion played a simple melody line but about 1890, a chromatic model was developed which could play a fast melody with runs and grace notes. Starting about 1850, the bagpipe was often played without the drone because of the conflict with the new chromatic music. The hurdy gurdy was not so versatile playing this music, so it's use decreased while the accordion increased in popularity.

The small groups of homesick peasants dancing traditional dances gradually grew larger as more people became interested. By 1910, the dances had grown so large in Paris that large halls were built to accommodate as many as 400 dancers. The instrumentation had changed solely to chromatic accordion and drones cabrette. A whole new style of music and dance was created by the changing times. The polka, mazurka, waltz and musette are some of the creations of that period. The new dance and music gradually trickled back to central France where traditional music was still played and the hurdy gurdy was still appreciated. This time the accordion did not displace the hurdy gurdy, but was merely added. The cabrette, hurdy gurdy and accordion are still playing traditional music in this area today.

The term hurdy gurdy was not coined in England until the eighteenth century. The instrument still occurred as a street instrument in many places throughout Europe till about the twentieth century. During the eighteenth century a variation of the vielle was developed. The Lira Organizzata was a hurdy gurdy with a bellows and organ pipes inside which were operated by the crank and keys respectively. The pipes had a very high squeaky sound. These instruments are being made today and are enjoying a revival of interest.

In the early 1960's France showed an enormous interest in American folk songs and singers such as Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger. In a few years, when this material was digested, something new was needed. French musicians noted how the Irish and English were reviving their own ancient and beautiful folk traditions and were reminded of their own traditional songs and instruments. This rekindled interest has now swept France and is the rage of Paris.

There are many new records of both traditional and modern music which feature the hurdy gurdy. Classes in vielle a roue, cabrette, bagpipe, dancing and accordion are very popular. Fifteen years ago, one had to go to Switzerland to get a hurdy gurdy. Now there are more than 50 makers in France. The instrument is now being investigated by the latest research methods. You can get an electronic hurdy gurdy in bright green or candy apple red. By the addition of electronic pickups and other gadgets, the hurdy gurdy is joining rock and roll, jazz and other music. It has been chromatic for years but the drones have to be turned off to play modern music. Now there are electronic drone changers which can instantaneously change the key of the drones, making the instrument much more versatile. There are many groups writing new material for the hurdy gurdy. The current fad is to syncopate the buzzing bridge in a jazz rhythm. Ireland, England, Italy, Spain and Hungary are a few of the countries where musicians are adapting the vielle to their newly composed music.

Meanwhile, the hurdy gurdy has come to the United States, no doubt in the hands of traveling Frenchmen. It is said that around 1850, there were a few hurdy gurdys being played in New Orleans. There is mention of one in New York about around 1940. There is an early California dance tune discovered in Watsonville, California, which is actually a French tune called La Valso-vienne. No one knows how it originally arrived from France. A friend of mine remembers a man coming to town with his hurdy gurdy back in the Oklahoma oil days. Any information on the use of the hurdy gurdy in the United States which anyone would like to share with us is welcomed.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974), also known simply as Duke (see Jazz royalty), was an American jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader.

Many regard Duke Ellington as the most important figure to emerge from the U.S. jazz scene in the twentieth century, although Ellington himself might have quibbled with the description, as he was reluctant to describe his work as anything more specific than "music". The word jazz was too narrow for Ellington, a man whose greatest compliment was to describe others who had impressed him as "beyond category".

Indeed, Ellington has proved to be enigmatic, slipping through the easy classifications of biographers. Musicians run into much the same kind of problem when dealing with Ellington's compositions. Musically, he wore many hats, and he could never settle on just one.

Through the ranks of Duke Ellington's Orchestra passed some of the biggest names in jazz, including Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams, Bubber Miley, Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Barney Bigard, Ben Webster, Harry Carney, Juan Tizol, Sonny Greer, Otto Hardwick, Clark Terry, Jimmy Blanton, Lawrence Brown, Ray Nance, Paul Gonsalves, Wellman Braud, and William "Cat" Anderson.

Many of these musicians played in Ellington's orchestra for decades, and while most were noteworthy in their own right, it was Ellington's musical genius that melded them into one of the most well-known orchestral units in the history of jazz. His compositions were often written specifically for the style and skills of these individuals, such as "Jeep's Blues" for Johnny Hodges, and "The Mooche" for Tricky Sam Nanton. He also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, such as Juan Tizol's "Caravan" and "Perdido", which brought the "Spanish Tinge" to modern big-band jazz.

Ellington was one of the twentieth century's best-known African-American celebrities. He recorded for many American record companies, and appeared in several films. Ellington and his orchestra toured the whole of the United States and Europe regularly before World War II. After the war, they continued to travel widely internationally.

Early life

Duke's father, James Edward Ellington, born in Lincolnton, North Carolina on April 15, 1879, was the son of a former slave. He moved to Washington, D.C. in 1886 with his family. Ellington was born to J.E. and Daisy Kennedy Ellington at 2129 Ward Place NW (the home of his maternal grandparents) in Washington D.C. J.E. made blueprints for the United States Navy; he also worked as a White House butler for additional income. Daisy and J.E. were both piano players, and at the age of seven or eight Ellington began taking piano lessons from a Mrs. Clinkscales who lived at 1212 Street NW (the address erroneously, but commonly, given as his childhood home).

In his autobiography, Ellington claims he missed more lessons than he went to, feeling that the piano was not his talent. Over time, this would change. Ellington sneaked into Frank Holiday's Poolroom at fourteen and began to gain a greater respect for music. Hearing a mentor play the piano ignited Ellington's love for the instrument and he began to take his piano studies seriously.

He began performing professionally at the age of seventeen. Instead of going to an academically-oriented high school, he attended Armstrong Manual Training School to study commercial art. Three months before he was to graduate, he left school to pursue his interest in music. He never made broad claims for his piano playing, saying that many Washington piano teachers were better. The British pianist Stan Tracey has countered this by claiming that Ellington 'had chops', but often chose to focus on the melody that sprung from a number rather that show off his technical ability.

Early career

Duke Ellington began his artistic career as a sign painter in Washington, D.C., but by 1923 he had formed a small dance band known as The Washingtonians (which included drummer Sonny Greer), and had moved to New York City. Shortly thereafter, the group became the house band of the Club Kentucky (often referred to as the "Kentucky Club"), an engagement which set the stage for the biggest opportunity in Ellington's life. In 1927, King Oliver turned down a regular booking for his group as the house band at Harlem's Cotton Club; the offer passed to Ellington and was accepted. With a weekly radio broadcast and famous clientele nightly pouring in to see them, Ellington's popularity was assured.

Ellington's band by now had become a large orchestra and the ranks had been filled by many men who would become famous in their own right. Trumpeter Bubber Miley was the first major soloist, an early experimenter in jazz trumpet growling. Miley is credited with morphing the band's style from rigid dance instrumentation to a more "New Orleans", or earthy style. An alcoholic, Miley had to leave the band before they gained wider notoriety, and died in 1930 at the age of twenty-eight. Johnny Hodges joined the orchestra in 1928 and stayed until his death in 1970, except for two brief sabbaticals. Hodges became the band's undisputed leading soloist, the king of romantic alto saxophone ballads with his swooning, creamy style remaining influential for years.

Barney Bigard, formerly a member of King Oliver's band, was a master of New Orleans jazz clarinet and stayed with the band for twelve years. Harry Carney was one of the original innovators of the baritone saxophone, winning each Downbeat magazine poll until the emergence of Gerry Mulligan. Carney, who also pioneered circular breathing, was the longest lasting member of the orchestra, joining in 1927 and remaining with the group until his death in 1974 (just several months after Ellington's). Lawrence Brown brought a buttery, elegant trombone style that conflicted with that of Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, who was the originator of many unique trombone stylings, most notably the plunger mute technique. Filling out the rhythm section* were Ellington's childhood friend Sonny Greer, who stayed with the unit until 1950, and guitarist Fred Guy.

The 1930s saw Ellington's popularity continue to increase, largely a result of the promotional skills of Duke's manager Irving Mills, who got more than his fair share of co-composer credits out of the deal. Ellington would finally break with Mills in 1937.

While their United States audience remained mainly African-American in this period, though the Cotton Club had a near exclusive white clientele, a 1934 trip to Europe showed that the band had a huge following overseas. At home, meanwhile, Mills arranged a private train just for the band, so that they would not have to suffer the indignities of segregated accommodations while touring the South.

Ellington in the 1940s

The band reached a creative peak in the early 1940s, when Ellington wrote for an orchestra of distinctive voices and displayed tremendous creativity. Some of the musicians created a sensation in their own right. The short-lived Jimmy Blanton transformed the use of the double bass in jazz, allowing it to function as a solo rather thana rhythm instrument alone. Ben Webster too, the Orchestra's first regular tenor saxophonist, started a rivalry with Johnny Hodges as the Orchestra's foremost voice in the sax section. Ray Nance joined in, replacing Cootie Williams who had "defected", contemporary wags claimed, to Benny Goodman. Nance, however, added violin to the instrumental colours Ellington had at his disposal. A recording of Nance's first concert date, at Fargo, North Dakota, in November 1940, is probably the most effective display of the band at the peak of its powers during this period.

Three-minute masterpieces flowed from the minds of Ellington, Billy Strayhorn (from 1939), Duke's son Mercer Ellington, and members of the Orchestra. "Cottontail", "Mainstem", "Harlem Airshaft", "Streets of New York" and dozens of others date from this period.

Ellington's long-term aim became to extend the jazz form from the three-minute limit of the 78 rpm record side, of which he was an acknowledged master. He had composed and recorded "Creole Rhapsody" as early as 1931, but it was not until the 1940s that this became a regular feature of Ellington's work. In this, he was helped by Strayhorn, who had enjoyed a more thorough training in the forms associated with classical music than Ellington himself. The first of these, "Black, Brown, and Beige" (1943), was dedicated to telling the story of African-Americans, the place of slavery, and the church in their history. Unfortunately, starting a regular pattern, Ellington's longer works were not well received; Jump for Joy, an earlier musical, closed after only six performances in 1941.

In 1951, Ellington suffered a major loss of personnel, with Sonny Greer, Lawrence Brown, and most significantly, Johnny Hodges leaving to pursue other ventures.

Revival of his career

Ellington's appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival on July 7, 1956, was to return him to wider prominence. The feature "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue", with saxophonist Paul Gonsalves's six-minute saxophone solo, had been in the band's book for a while, but on this occasion it nearly created a riot. The revived attention should not have surprised anyone — Hodges had returned to the fold the previous year, and Ellington's collaboration with Strayhorn had been renewed around the same time, under terms which the younger man could accept. Such Sweet Thunder (1957), based on Shakespeare's plays and characters, and The Queen's Suite the following year (dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II), were products of the renewed impetus which the Newport appearance had helped to create.

The late 1950s also saw Ella Fitzgerald record her Duke Ellington Songbook with Ellington and his orchestra, a clear recognition that Ellington's songs had now become part of the cultural canon known as the "Great American Songbook".

In the early 1960s, Ellington was between recording contracts, which allowed him to record with a variety of new artists. In 1962, he participated in a session which produced the "Money Jungle" (United Artists) album with Charles Mingus and Max Roach, and recorded with John Coltrane for Impulse, who also recorded Ellington and his Orchestra with Coleman Hawkins. Musicians who had previously worked with Ellington returned to the Orchestra as members: Lawrence Brown in 1960 and Cootie Williams two years later.

Last years

Ellington was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1965, but was turned down. His reaction: "Fate is being kind to me. Fate doesn't want me to be famous too young". He performed his first Concert of Sacred Music, an attempt at fusing Christian liturgy with jazz, in September of the same year. This concert was followed by two others of the same type in 1968 and 1973, called the Second and Third Sacred Concerts, respectively. This caused enormous controversy in what was already a tumultuous time in the United States. Many saw the Sacred Music suites as an attempt to reinforce commercial support for organized religion, though the Duke simply said it was "the most important thing I've done", perhaps with a touch of hyperbole.

Though his later work is overshadowed by his music of the early 1940s, Ellington continued to make vital and innovative recordings, including The Far East Suite (1966), "The New Orleans Suite" (1970), and "The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse" (1971), until the end of his life. Increasingly, this period of music is being reassessed as people realize how creative Ellington was right up to the end of his life. However, some critics, such as James Lincoln Collier, continue to dismiss Ellington's later work.

Duke Ellington was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969, and the Legion of Honor by France in 1973, the highest civilian honors in each country. He died of lung cancer and pneumonia on May 24, 1974, and was interred in the Woodlawn Cemetery, The Bronx, New York City.

Work in films and the theatre

Ellington's film work began in 1929 with the short film Black and Tan. He also appeared in the film Check and Double Check. It was a major hit and helped introduce Ellington to a wide audience! He and his Orchestra continued to appear in films throughout the 1930s and 1940s, both in short films and in features such as Murder at the Vanities (1934). In the late 1950s, his work in films took the shape of scoring for soundtracks, notably Anatomy of a Murder (1959), with James Stewart, in which he also appeared fronting a roadhouse combo, and Paris Blues (1961), which featured Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier as jazz musicians.

A long-time fan of William Shakespeare, he wrote an original score for Timon of Athens that was first used in the Stratford Festival production that opened July 29, 1963 for director Michael Langham, who has used it for several subsequent productions, most recently in an adaptation by Stanley Silverman that expands on the score with some of Ellington's best-known works.

Posthumous dedications

A large memorial to Duke Ellington, created by sculptor Robert Graham, was dedicated in 1997 in New York's Central Park, near Fifth Avenue and 110th Street, an intersection named Duke Ellington Circle. In his birthplace of Washington, D.C., there stands a school dedicated to his honor and memory: the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. The school educates talented students, who are considering careers in the arts, by providing intensive arts instruction and strong academic programs that prepare students for post-secondary education and professional careers. The Duke Ellington Ballroom, located on the Northern Illinois University Campus, was dedicated in 1980. Although he made two more stage appearances before his death, what is considered Ellington's final "full" concert was performed there March 20, 1974. Ellington is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first black greek letter fraternity

Stevie Wonder wrote the song "Sir Duke" as a tribute to Ellington in 1977.

The Ellington Orchestra itself continued intermittently as a "ghost band", led by Mercer Ellington (1919–1996), after his father's death.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

The mbira dzavadzimu is a musical instrument popular among the Shona of Zimbabwe for at least 1,000 years. It is often heard at religious rituals, in the royal courts and at social gatherings. The name means mbira of the ancestor spirits. The mbira is sometimes referred to as a thumb piano because of the way the instrument is played.

From 22 to 28 strips of forged metal of varying lengths are affixed to a hardwood soundboard and the whole piece is usually placed inside a large resonator made of a calabash (called the deze) to amplify the sound. In effect, there are two levels of sound amplification: first the soundboard and then the gourd. The metal keys on the instruments are curved upward at the loose ends, and are stroked with the two thumbs plucking down and the right forefinger plucking up. The sound is somewhat like a marimba, but with an almost harp-like effect.

The metal keys are arranged in three ranks for easy playing. The deze, or gourd, is strung with bottle caps or shells that shake in sympathy with the vibrations of plucked keys, producing a buzzing sound. Except for the sound distortions of modern rock, also created by amplification, albeit electronic, western music does not use a buzzing sound as part of the music. The buzz of the mbira is integrated into the music where the buzz tunes out other stimuli and allows the listener to hear the mbira rhythms. Beyond the music itself, the mbira represents the spiritual values of the Shona, their culture, religion and aspirations as a people.

To a westerner, the melody appears to be extremely repetitive, or at least cyclic, but upon closer listening there are minute variations, suggestive of the minimalist movement in western music (for example Philip Glass, et al). There seems to be no general consensus as to the tuning of the instrument. Indeed, mbira players have been known to change the settings at will. In recent years there seems to be a movement toward the western views of pitch, but traditionalists still cling to 7 or 5 notes to an octave without a tonic. The rhythms are intricate and to some extent seem to dictate the form of the melody (as in perhaps Carl Orff?)

Interest in the mbira has increased in the west and some musicians are experimenting with the sound, rhythm and modes of the instrument. Groups of western mbira players have developed their own fusion style of playing, that is neither totally African nor completely western.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

There's a lot out there about how we need to be heart healthy, but did you know that being heart healthy can also be a memory boost? Some of the very same steps you take to benefit your heart also work to benefit your brain.

We all know that exercise is a huge factor in heart health, yet most people don't realize it can boost memory. The heart is a muscle and as such it needs a regular workout to be strong. Exercise also helps with controlling cholesterol and improving circulation, both of which are heart positive.

However, exercise is also brain positive. The brain is the largest single user of oxygen among the organs in the body. Good circulation is crucial for the brain to get enough oxygen to function efficiently. Just as exercise helps improve circulation to the heart it also improves circulation to the brain. Exercise also releases chemicals in the brain which improve mood and other mental factors that can boost memory along with other functions.

We know that a good diet is also important for a good heart. Lowering bad fats and eating foods that are high in Omega3 fatty acids has a direct effect on the heart. Omega3's also contain an ingredient called Docosahexaenoic Acid or DHA which has been shown to help the body build healthy brain cells. It also stimulates the brain in a way that provides a memory boost and protects nerves from degenerating. In fact, studies have been done which show that mothers who take DHA supplements during pregnancy and while breastfeeding tend to have children with higher IQ's.

Along with Omega3 it is also a memory boost to eat foods that provide good antioxidants. Antioxidants protect both the heart and the brain by eliminating from the body particles called free radicals. Free radicals damage healthy cells. They are believed to be a contributing factor in diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's and dementia. Eating foods high in antioxidants like fruits, vegetables and whole grains can provide protection to both the heart and mind.

While a heart healthy lifestyle may go a long way toward being a memory boost, it is not the only thing you can do to help your recall. The mind also requires that you keep it active. Doing activities that stretch your mind and require you to work at recalling will also boost memory.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

The Vichitra Veena is a string instrument that is plucked with a pick or plectrum. It has four main strings, 3 drone and rhythm strings and 11 to 13 resonating strings. As it has no frets, it is played with a slide. It is found predominately in Hundustani music.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

This article will review the use and potential of using mnemonics tactics to increase and improve memory capabilities and better memory in general. In many studies it has been shown that mnemonics have three fundamental principles underlying the use of mnemonics are imagination, association and location. By using mnemonics there is a good chance of improving your memory. These three principals, association, imagination and location can be brought to work together, and you can use these principles to generate powerful mnemonic systems.

Working together, the principals of association, imagination and location can be used to generate powerful mnemonic systems. Hopefully once you have absorbed and applied these techniques you will understand how to design and apply these principles to your own field to design your own powerful, sophisticated recall systems. Lets start by a short review of the principals involved.

Association is the method by which you link a thing to be remembered to a method of remembering it. Although association techniques are different and use the same principals, you should try and use what you know works best for you, thus it is suggested that you implant your own associations rather than adopting a foreign system. You can you association by doing these following things; tying or linking a thing to be placed on top of the associated object, penetrating into each other, Merging together, Wrapping around each other, Rotating around each other or dancing together, Being attached to the same color, smell, shape, or feeling

Imagination in memory is used to create the links and associations needed to create effective memory techniques, imagination is the way in which you use your mind to create the links that have the most meaning for you. There is a natural difference between people since images that created will have less power and impact on you, because they reflect the way in which we think. The more strongly you imagine and visualize a situation, the more effectively it will stick in your mind for later recall. Mnemonic imagination can be as violent, vivid, or sensual as you like, as long as it helps you to remember what needs to be remembered.

The third principal and the last one is location. Location provides you with two things: a coherent context, this means that you have a context into which information can be placed so that it hangs together, and a way of separating one mnemonic from another: e.g. by setting one mnemonic in one bus seat, I can separate it from a similar mnemonic located in the back of the same bus. Location spices up your memory and provides context and texture to your mnemonics, and protects and prevents them from being confused with similar mnemonics. Setting one mnemonic with visualizations in the stadium in Milan, Italy and another similar mnemonic with images of a stadium in London, England allows us to separate them with no danger of confusion.

So using the three fundamentals of Association, Imagination and Location you can design images that strongly link things with the links between themselves and other things, in a context that allows you to recall those images in a way that does not conflict with other images and associations.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

Rudra vina also known as the bin (been), appears to be one of the oldest styles of vina. Such evidence is readily seen in elements of its construction, and from its depiction on the walls of ancient temples. This instrument is basically a bamboo stick with two gourds attached. It has frets which are set into wax. This instrument is quite rare nowadays.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

Santosh Prem, a teacher at Malet Lambert School, claims that “the difference between a genius and a "normal" person is that the former "accidentally" acquired the critical combination of the appropriate environment, motivation and learning technique to excel in his particular field.” Literally it means that every student has the same potential to excel and succeed in studying without having any exceptional inborn gift.

One of the most vital components in this “genius formula”, which significance is underestimated both by teachers and students is acquiring and harnessing of ‘Learning How to Learn’ skill. “This is probably the one skill that was never explicitly mentioned in all the years that you've spent in school. But it's the one where there's the most reward for the smallest investment.”

Indeed, knowing how to learn is a universal skill which every learner can make good use of for self-education in future life. Learning how to learn is a critical starting point in studying, which promotes students’ success in the whole course of education. This drastic know-how forms not only the basis of successful learning, but develops a peculiar learning style of the person.

Some learners choose more methodical approach to learning and try to dive into the essence of processing data, breaking it into logical units in order to memorize large blocks of information in parts. Meanwhile, other approach to learning less structurally, relying heavily on loci memory improvement technique, which involves making associations between facts and visualizing things.

Thus, every learning style is unique and it is impossible to elaborate a set of standard learning strategies and methods which can be utilized by every learner. Hence, I offer you to get acquainted with the following learning techniques and experiment with some of them to see if they work for you.

Seven Principles of ‘Learning How to Learn’ Formula

• Connect everything you learn to a specific goal. Remember that you can learn anything if you have a clear cut goal, which will motivate your advance in studying. Trying to learn something reluctantly or under compulsion, is always difficult and usually doesn’t bring any fruitful results. You should create a desire and speculate over the reasons of your learning very carefully. Bear in mind that learning more implies earning more; consequently everything you learn can be transformed into your career success.
• You will learn faster if you structure and logically organize all information in hand. It’ll increase the effectiveness of memorizing and help you immensely in your studying. You can break the data into small chunks or make a general outline of what you are learning.
• Single out the most important points of new material. Use a ‘highlight strategy’, which implies processing of information, underlining its major points and brief summarizing.
• Learn how to make drafts and set out in writing all your thoughts. The main idea of drafting is stating and organizing of key information meaningfully and coherently on a sheet of paper.
• Take regular breaks. Always combine work with rest. Try to make a change of scene and look aside. Have some food or turn to some physical training. If you don’t want to interrupt your work, but still feels that learning in the same surrounding is unbearable, try to accompany your studying with background music or make some visual images that involve moving, interaction or color.
• Learn to budget your time wisely, to accomplish all your work in time and make use of every minute of your studying. Distribute your work rationally and establish priority of each task in hand. Plan your time in accordance with quantity of work you have. Never yield a temptation to postpone tasks of secondary importance. Remember if you violate your deadline once there is a great likelihood that you’ll do it again.
• Learning works more efficiently if you are relaxed and your mind is calm. Concentrate your attention solely on studying during your learning periods. Have an organized working place to avoid any distractions and don’t forget to give yourself rewards when you have completed some tasks efficiently.

Take risks and don’t be afraid to experiment with different techniques. Always remember that those who learn and do it constantly over their lifetime do much better in their career and have more advantageous position than those who stop on attained results and rest on laurels.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

Description the Veena

The Veena is a form of lute and as such, is classified as a chordophone. The Saraswathi veena is associated with Saraswati, the goddess of learning and the arts. Often it is simply called Vina, or Veena, with the "Saraswati" part being implied. It is one of the most important stringed instruments of India, primarily associated with the Carnatic Sangeet. Veenas are highly decorated with carvings and inlays. There are two forms; one that is played like the sitar (Veena Deluxe and Rudra Veena) and the other that is played flat with a slide (Vichitra Veena).

The Rudra Veena, also known as the bin (been), may be one of the oldest forms of Veena. This instrument may have evolved from a bamboo stick attached to two gourds. Such instruments are depicted on the walls of ancient temples. Only one of the toombas acts as a resonator. The latent second toomba near the top of the neck is used to assist the positioning during play. The 24 metal frets are held in place by wax formed along the sides of the neck. There are only 4 playing strings and 3 drone (thalam) strings. These Veenas do not have sympathetic strings.

The Vichitra Veena is similar in form, however the method of playing the Vichitra Veena differs from playing the other forms of Veena. The Vichitra Veena has no frets and is played with a slide, like a Hawaiian guitar. This Veena has 4 playing strings, 2 thalam (drone) strings and 11 sympathetic strings.

The Veena is carved of wood. It resembles the shape of the double toomba sitar, with two large wooden, or gourd, toombas. The more rare, and most expensive, are carved from a single block of wood. Most Veenas are constructed in three sections, the resonator, neck and head.

Playing the Veena

When playing the Veena, the slightly smaller toomba rests on the player’s left knee or thigh, and helps to support the instrument. The neck rests high on the upper arm. The resonator should rest on the floor. The fingers of the left hand pluck this instrument. The baby finger of the right hand strikes the drone strings while the other fingers work the main strings. Unlike playing guitar, the strings of the Veena are pressed between the frets and then pulled toward the lower edge of the neck. The degree to which the strings are pulled alters their tone. When describing the music of the Veena, Geetha Ramanathan Bennett said, "the essence and the greatness of Carnatic music lies in its delicate quarter-tones, graces, and sliding and slurring subtleties, which are not to be found in the music of any other part of the world."(www.geethabennett.com). Carnatic music, like the Hindustani music of north India, is based on ragas and talas (melodies and rhythms).

Tuning the Veena

Stand the veena upright on the large toomba. As you face the neck there are 7 tuning pegs, 5 to the left and 2 to the right.

Strings on left side top to bottom:

Main Strings		Drone Strings (thalam)
Pa	Sa	Sa	Pa	Sa
B	E	E	B	E

Main Playing Strings on right side, top to bottom:

Playing Strings
Sa	Pa	Sa
E	B	E

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

Music has the scientifically proved power to offer great health and stress relief benefits. It is an amazing stress relief tool because you can use it in your daily life activities and attain many stress relief benefits on your own. One of the utmost music advantages as a stress reliever is that it can be used while you go on with your regular activities so that it really doesn’t take time away from your busy schedule. Here you can find some of the  ways you can actually use music to relieve stress and improve your every day activities.

Knowing all the ways in which music acts upon your whole body, you probably already clearly see the ways music may be used as a powerful relaxation and stress management means. Apart from the many physical changes music may bring it is also especially beneficial in relaxation and stress management because it can be used in the following ways:

Music and physical relaxation

Music may promote tense muscles relaxation, enabling you to easily release some of the tension you carry from a stressful day or even from a longer period of time.

Music helps in stress relief activities

Music can help you get “into the zone” mood when practicing yoga, self-hypnosis and it can help you feel energized when exercising, help stress disappear when you’re soaking in the bath tub and be an important part of many other stress relief activities.

Music and a Meditative State

As stated earlier, music may help your brain get into a meditative phase, bringing wonderful stress relief benefits with it. For those who consider being quite shy and  intimidating, music can be an easier alternative.

Music to Promote a Positive Focus

Music, especially up beating songs, may take your mind off what stresses you helping you feel more confident and positive thinking. This practice helps you release the stress and may even keep you from getting as stressed and agitated over life’s small frustrations in the future.

Music and self-affirmations

The perspective you have on the world and the type of self talk you usually use may also have a profound effect on your stress level. This is why positive affirmations that create more positive self talk are highly beneficial.

Music with affirming lyrics may bring the double advantages of music and positive thoughts, helping you to be surrounded by positive energies and more often look at the bright side, leaving stressful events behind more easily.

These are some of the reasons that music relaxation is among the easiest and most effective forms of relaxation available, and music is such a great stress management tool.

Here are some of the effects music has on your body and mind, helping you explain the success of music therapy:

Influencing the brain waves

It has been scientifically proved that music with a strong beat may stimulate brain waves to resonate in sync with the beat, with faster beats bringing sharper focusing and more alert thinking, and a slower tempo promoting a calm, meditative mood. 

In addition, specialists have discovered that the change in brain wave activity levels that music may promote can also enable the brain to change speeds more easily on its own when needed, meaning that music can bring long lasting benefits to your state of mind, even after you have stopped listening. 

Breathing and the heart rate

With alterations in brainwaves it appears another change in some of the body functions. Those driven by the autonomic nervous system, such as breathing and heart rate can also be damaged by the changes music may bring. Basically it means slower breathing, slower heart rate and an activation of the relaxation response.

This is why music and music therapy can help balance or prevent the harmful effects of chronic stress, strongly promoting not only relaxation, but overall health. 

A state of mind

Music is also considered to bring a more positive state of mind, helping to keep depression and anxiety at bay. This can be useful in preventing stress response from wreaking damages on the body and may keep creativity and optimism levels higher, bringing many other advantages.

Other music benefits

Music has also been discovered to have many other beneficial effects, such as lowering the blood pressure that can also reduce the risk of heart attacks and other health problems over time, boost the immunity level, ease muscle tension, and more. 

With so many benefits and such profound physical effects, it’s no surprise that so many people are seeing music more and more as an important instrument to help the body in staying or becoming healthy and strong.

Using music therapy

With all these advantages that music carries along, it would only come as natural that music therapy is growing in popularity. It is often found as part of stress management programs or used together with exercises and it is used in a large variety of health care settings with very good results in both short-term conditions and more serious long-term ones.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

The ukulele is a fretted, string instrument which is essentially a smaller, four-stringed version of the guitar. It is commonly associated with music from Hawaii, but was actually developed in Portugal. Ukulele strings are commonly tuned to A, D, F sharp, and B, respectively, with the lowest note being D (the A is a whole step below the B).

A Brief History of Ukuleles

When the Ravenscrag arrived in Honolulu on the afternoon of August 23, 1879, it was carrying 419 Portuguese immigrants from the island of Madeira to work in the sugar cane fields. It had been a long and hard journey of over 4 months and some 15,000 miles.

In celebration of their arrival, Joao Fernandes borrowed his friend's braguinha, jumped off the ship, and started playing folk songs from his native land on the wharf. The Hawaiians, who came down to the dock, were very impressed at the speed of this musicians' fingers as they danced across the fingerboard and they called the instrument "ukulele", which translates into English as "jumping flea". You see, that was the image conjured up by those flying fingers.

At least that's one of the stories about the origin of the name "ukulele". Typical to much of Hawaiian history, there are several accounts of how the ukulele got its name. Queen Lili'uokalani thought it came from the Hawaiian words for "the gift that came here", or "uku" (gift or reward) and "lele" (to come). Another legend says the instrument was originally called "ukeke lele" or "dancing ukeke" (ukeke being the Hawaiian's three stringed musical bow). The name, being mispronounced over the years, became "ukulele". Another theory comes from a story about Edward Purvis, an English army officer and the Assistant Chamberlain to the court of King David Kalakaua, who was very adept at playing the braguinha. Since he was small and sprightly, the rather large Hawaiians nicknamed him "ukulele", the whole "jumping flea" thing all over again. Still another version of the origin of the world "ukulele" is attributed to Gabriel Davian and Judge W. L. Wilcox (a member of a well-known island family). According to the story, the two men were in attendance at a housewarming party at the Wilcox home in Kahili, where Davian was playing an 'ukulele he had made himself. When one of the guests asked what it was called, Davion jokingly replied that, judging from the way one "scratched at it," it was a "jumping flea". Wilcox, who was fluent in Hawaiian, was asked for the Hawaiian translation and is supposed to have answered, "'Ukulele!".

Over the years, the "jumping flea" legend, the one where Joao Fernandes' fingers were jumping like fleas over the fingerboard, has become the most accepted, probably because that is the coolest story and Hawaiians just love a cool story.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K

Brief description

• The name glockenspiel is a German term meaning “bell play”, referring to the sound made of small bells.
• At the end of the 17th century steel bars started to replace the bells.
• In the beginning only a substitute for real bells, this arrangement of metal bars soon developed into a musical instrument in its own right and retained the name "glockenspiel".
• Like the xylophone, the glockenspiel is a great popular instrument among children. Even Carl Orff had used the glockenspiel from the 1930s for his Method of teaching children music.
• The instruments for children have a smaller size, are diatonically tuned and also have bars displayed upon a frame like a trough. The lower-pitched glockenspiels usually have short resonators chambers and are also known as metallophones.

Predecessors of the Glockenspiel

The instrument now known as the glockenspiel is a mixture between the fusion of two other different instrument types, the actual glockenspiel with real bells and the metallophone. The actual glockenspiel is made of a set of bells of different ranges. One or more musicians play a number of overlapping melodic sequences. The exact number of musicians required for carillon’s mechanical playing action truly depends on the size of the instrument.

In Germany the fixed bells playing in churches or town hall belfries is known as Beiern. There are many places where the sequence of notes is played by an automatic mechanism performed by a clockwork device. This type of music is still very much an active and exciting part of local tradition in many areas in Germany and a great tourist attraction. Smaller glockenspiels worked on the same notes sequence principle.

Coming from bells to percussion bars

• In China, bells were part of the orchestra as far back as 4.000 years ago. In the 9th century hemispherical, pear-shaped bells had already been popular among western monks. These instruments, named cymbala, had small, round bells made of bronze which were suspended from a rail and struck by one or two musicians.
• In the 14th century there were two types of glockenspiel – large instruments in church towers and smaller ones for playing at home.
• In the 17th century smaller glockenspiels started to become adapted with a keyboard that made it possible to perform more difficult musical parts.
• The first step to the glockenspiel used in nowadays orchestras was made by the Dutch in the 17th century. They replaced the unhandy bells with a row of percussion bars following the fashion of the metallophone from eastern Asia.

The glockenspiel as an orchestra instrument

The first composer that wrote music for the glockenspiel in the orchestra was Georg Friedrich Handel who included the piece in his oratorio Saul (1738). He used an instrument called carillon that had a range of two and a half octaves and had metal bells – or bars – that were played througha chromatic keyboard. The final sound was supposed to be like of metal hammers beating on anvils.

For his Magic Flute (1791) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had a glockenspiel which was basically the same as the one Handel had used. He used the glockenspiel to define Papageno, the bird catcher with his magic bells.

The Dutch idea of replacing the complicated bells with simple bars was widely embraced in the first half of the 19th century as it was a more practical asset. The result was the keyboard glockenspiel where the bars were struck by small hammers controlled by keys. This new instrument made it possible to perform parts which had previously been written in keyboard style.

Today the keyboard glockenspiel or the celesta invented in Paris in 1886 by Auguste Mustel is used to play older parts containing chords and mostly difficult glockenspiel parts.

In wind bands the bell lyre is used, as this is a portable version of the glockenspiel created for marching bands that was already widespread in Germany in the 19th century. Today this instrument is used in many countries, but mainly in the USA.

7 Jan 2005 by RaftingCanadian 1.1K