INSTRUMENTS THROUGH A CHANGING WORLD

 Instruments

In an ever-changing world of musical instruments, we see the introduction of new instruments and the evolution of popular ones. In the most recent American generation, your chosen school instrument arrives at your door, 5-10 business days later, shiny and sometimes met with enthusiasm. If you have ever owned an idiophone, aerophone, chordophone, or membranophone you’ve come to understand the amount of effort it takes to master and play these instrument. there is a responsibility required in ownership of any instrument, from the desire to practice and master to the discipline of cleaning and maintaining. In certain regions of the world, it’s not about the perfection of notes but the spiritual inspiration felt during the playing of these same notes.  Music is a journey accompanied by instruments not just in the physical realm but also encompasses a spiritual dynamic.

Here are two videos showing (above) the making and playing of a modern wooden flute vs (below) the humble equivalent made from a bone dated back to 10,000 BC. 

                                                      

MEMBRANOPHONE

Membranophone- instruments, typically drums, that use a vibrating stretched membrane as the principal means of sound production.

In the world of music, drums hold an array of roles ranging from a background beat to the sol tone of the ensemble. Drums haven't had a spotlight roll in western music as we have witnessed in recent years. Due to the nature of drums, they tend to play a supporting role to keep the rhythm. However, in other cultures the drums can be the only instrument in the entire group, using different sizes to create a diversity in tones. For a higher pitch a smaller drum is used and as the drum increases in size, the tone gets lower. This is represented in West African with the mandiani which originated from the djembe orchestra. The instrumental ensemble consists of 2-3 djembe drummers, a principle and a bass drummer (one djun djun, one song na drum and a bell.) The principle holds the same responsibilities as a conductor but uses their drum for breaks and musical cues such as improvisation and dancers. When dancers are introduced it can cause a shift in the musical tone but all of this is still controlled by the principle. The marriage of dancer and instruments in this orchestra, even as intense as it can feel sometimes, holds a social purpose, not a spiritual one. The drum goes even further than what I have stated here, upon further digging you will find a spiritual realm associated with the drums as well.

This video is a djembe ensemble but instead of in Africa they are playing in a Paris subway. 

CORDOPHONE

Cordophone- one of more strings stretched between two points.

Erhu

The variety of chordophones throughout the world of music is very astounding. From the simple erhu a double-strung fiddle to the 47-strings on a harp. A popular chordophone in western music is an acoustic guitar. As guitars progressed with technology an electric guitar was introduced coupled with its very own cord and speaker. This very popular instrument holds so much inspiration through a variety of genres. It can maintain its ground as the solo instrument to help enhance a singer or simply play the entire composition alone with just its stretched strings.

Harp

Oud

A chordophone that I patriotically found interesting comes from Arabia, the oud. It is made up of 11 strings, 10 are doubled up and a single 11th sting at the bottom plus a fret-less neck. What makes this chordophone so unique is its ability to play quarter-tones. If you are not used to this micro-tone sound, this instrument can come off as if it is out of tune. Chordophones can make a statement regardless of how many strings are stretched for playing

For Fun

This is a video of a rebound National Hammered dulcimer champion. 

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