The Native American flute is the third oldest known musical instrument in the world, with bone flutes dating back over 60,000 years. The first instrument found were drums, then varies whistle were made. Over time, the instrument evolved with many different materials and shapes. And these difference and changes reflect the culture of that time. Virtually, flutes were used all types of hardwoods and softwoods in history. They had many different configurations, 2, 3, 4,5,6,7 or 8 holes. The flute we used in class is 6 holes, and we also saw many different flutes in class, someone smaller, someone larger, someone with 3 holes, etc. The oldest flutes we have were made from wing bones of a Griffon Vulture [1] and a Whooper Swan [2], as well as one …show more content…
This reed has a natural join that serves as a sort of barrier that helps create a chamber. These flutes are kind of easy to make and have a significance influence on modern flute. The oldest existing Native American flute is the Beltrami Native American flute [4]. It was collected by the Italian explorer Giacomo Costantino Beltrami on a journey through present-day Minnesota in 1823. This flute made of a single piece of Western Red Cedar (Gatliff, 2007). About in 1825, people found the Hutter Winnebago flute, shown in picture 5. [5]. The flute were used for many reasons, usually for courting, ceremonies, and tribe activities. Flutes were used for entertainment, encourage people and spirit ceremonies; many of these songs still exist today, like we learned in class, The Rabbit song, Standing Elk song etc. Here is an interesting story about flute usage of courting. When the man successful with the flute in courting purposes in the Cherokee Nation, the women would break the flute in half because they believe did so to prevent him from playing it for anyone else. “The Hopi Tribe had flute societies that performed powerful prayer ceremonies with their
The head joint of the Western concert flute contains the mouthpiece, lip-plate and the blow hole. There are no keys on the joint of the flute. The mouthpiece consists of the lip-plate and an oval hole in the center of the plate. Lip-plates are also commonly referred to as embouchure plates. Larger blow holes will produce deeper, richer tones, while small blow holes produce sharper,
Adolphe, the hero for the first part of the story, was born in Brussels on November 19, 1814. His father, Charles Sax, was Belgium's chief instrument maker and he was intent on passing the trade on to Adolphe. But, much like the history of the sax, Adolphe encountered many accidents to hinder these dreams. Adolphe wasn't a graceful boy and was prone to accidents like nearly drowning, falling down stairs, and the occasional fire in father's workshop. None the less by his teens he was showing exceptional skill at instrument making. In Belgium there was a convention every year, the Brussels Industrial Exposition. At fifteen Adolphe submitted a clarinet and two flutes of ivory (1830). Before he was twenty he had created a new fingering system on the soprano clarinet and redesigned the bass clarinet. Bass clarinets, beautiful and boisterous instruments, were once unreliable and unplayable instruments. Adolphe turned the monster into an elegant, regal low wind that (gasp) played in tune. But he was turned down from first place, not because of quality, but age. On the bias of age, judges roasted Adolphe, claiming he would not be appreciative of the honor at such a young age. Not appreciative of their conclusion, he turned to Paris.
The next logical step in this evolutionary chain was as sure as a spoiled child’s demands. Now that I have what I want I want more of it. Thus came the psaltery (diagram 2). The psaltery was a great leap fourth from the monochord. It was a small trapezoid shaped box with many strings stretched over it. However unlike the monochord the psaltery did not have movable bridges to change the pitch while playing and furthermore these bridges were much more like the bridges of modern string instruments. The psaltery was played by picking the strings (which were obviously tuned to different pitches) with the fingers or with a pick. This was an extremely popular instrument in the Middle Ages but as the music got more complicated and simple accompaniment wasn’t enough it was soon swallowed by progress.
Native American music has many different musical styles. Within every Native American tribe there is a variety of musical styles and instruments. In response to the research that I have conducted, there are three main musical styles that are going to be my point of focus. The Sioux Grass Dance, the Zuni Lullaby, and the Iroquois Quiver Dance are the principal methods which contribute to Native American music.
The way it is created is what brings man to believe that it has been around a while. “The didgeridoo is made from irregular eucalyptus tree branches or trunks, such as the stringybark and the woolybutt, about 3.25-5 feet long and has a conical bore that is hollowed by termites” (What is 1). Then it is completely sealed and the mouthpiece, made of beeswax, is molded on. Some of the designers will paint different tribal symbols and colors (usually bright colors) all along the sides of the horn to give it a more native look. The pitch of the didgeridoo depends on the length and shape it is made into. It is supposed to replicate the sounds of earth or nature. “The Aborigines would go out into nature and listen to these sounds and would try to play these sounds with as much accuracy as possible with the didgeridoo” (1).
trumpet or flute. It was the right hand corner that filled in the material during the rhythmic
One of the least known contributing factors was that of the Great Highland Bagpipe. The Highlanders for centuries used oral traditions to pass information down their lineage. One tradition that was held very sacred to the Highlanders was the story of the bagpipe. More so was the tradition of playing bagpipes. In order to keep the musical notation accurate, they developed a notation called Canntaireachd which is an oral form of note executions. These executions, when translated in playing on the pipes, are performed to the full extent of precision. The family that has given more to piping than any other is the MacCrimmons who were Hereditary pipers to the MacLeods. Archibald Campbell, who was an avid piper and historian, compiled a book called The Kilberry Book of Ceol Mor, in which he compiled many manuscripts.. Another painstaking process to keep the spirit of bagpiping alive, The Kilberry Book is in essence the classical music of piping, as Archibald Campbell states in his introduction. “The word Piobaireachd means literally pipe playing or pipe music, but for 150 years at least, it has been used as a name for a classical music of the character with which this book deals, and it will be so used as convenience sake, throughout the following notes” (Campbell 6). Campbell also expressed that the person who has one of the greatest effects is Joseph Macdonald of Kilmore who wrote a treatise around the year 1760, when he traveled to India. He called the treatise The Complete Theory of the Scots Highland Bagpipes. Unfortunately, he died on the trip to India. Although he died, his brother got the manuscript and published it for him. Joseph also compiled Original Terms and Traditions that were taught by the “Piping Masters.” Campbell recalls upon the traditions of the bagpipes in Joseph Macdonald’s book. He quotes Joseph Macdonald's thoughts “Joseph Macdonald begins his treatise with a list of ‘the
Call-and-response: A solo voice alternating with a chorus or singers. The effect may also be applied to instruments.
The Japanese sho is an aerophone that was introduced in the 19th century and is mainly constructed out of wood and metal. Its unique building elements play the biggest role for shaping its particular timbre, which is noticed quite easily when placed within a group setting. The sho typically consists of 15 reeds and 17 slender bamboo pipes, which are connected to the metal reeds to produce a warm and resonant timbre when played (. This specific instrument is well-known in Japan for making an appearance in gagaku (ancient Japanese imperial court music and dances). My main research objective is to explore the origins of the sho, the different materials used in its construction, and the reasoning behind the instrument’s placements in different
The saxophone was created by Antoine Joseph Sax, but more popularly regarded as Adolphe Sax in 1846. The Saxophone is the most recent woodwind instrument to have been produced and accepted into music. In 1814 Adolphe Sax was born in Dinant, Belgium. At a young age he learned from his father, who retained his own instrument crafting shop how to make instruments himself. He studied the Flute and Clarinet at the Brussels conservatory in Belgium, and in 1840 Adolphe decided he would make an instrument to cover the middle range of military band music. He wanted a sound similar to the Clarinet, but also with the Brass tone of the Trumpet. He made it a hybrid using a Clarinet mouthpiece, and key work resembling the Oboe’s. In 1842 Adolphe moved to Paris to finish creating the instrument that was soon be appropriately named, the “Saxophone”. He finished making the Saxophone in 1845, and it was soon picked up by several French Orchestral Composers in 1846. Thereafter the Saxophone was being played in many small ...
Instruments used in band have not always been the way they are today. Each instrument has evolved and changed overtime to become the way we know them today. Several common instruments in band like the clarinet and snare drum have very different histories and ways they came to be. The clarinet is actually considered a newer instrument compared
After years, instruments started looking more and more like the guitar. The first instrument that started to look like the guitar was around in the 1200s-1300s. It was found in Mediterranean Europe. Sources refer to this as this as the guitarra latina. Two of the earliest forms after the guitarra latina are the lute and the vihuela. The lute is a small instrument that is shaped somewhat like a pair. It had twelve strings and a very short neck. The vihuela is shaped more like a guitar. It is larger and also has twelve strings (Chapman).
1. Flute: The flute is made in the form of an open cylindrical air column about 66 cm long. Its fundamental pitch is middle C (C4) and it has a range of about three octaves to C7. Sound is produced from a flute by blowing onto a sharp edge, causing air enclosed in a tube to vibrate. The modern flute was developed by Theobald Boehm who experimented with it from 1832 to 1847, desiring to give it a bigger tone. He finally produced a parabolic (bowl-shaped) head joint attached to a cylindrical body with open-standing keys and finger pads to cover large finger holes. Since then, other minor improvements have been made. The modern flute usually has a range from middle C (C4) upward for about three octaves. In Europe flutes are often constructed of wood; silver is commonly used in the United States.
...te. In old times, most flutes were made of bamboo, which allowed even common people to play it. By covering the holes and blowing through the side hole while moving the fingers flexibly between the six holes, a sound will be produced that is leisurely and mellifluous like sound from far away. This always reminds people of a pastoral picture of a farmer riding on a bull while playing a flute
The flute is an aerophone instrument that belongs to the woodwind family. This instrument dows not use a reed unlike other members of its family. Sound is produced by the flow of air from its opening. Flutes are one of the earliest known instruments. The flute history goes back to about 900 B.C. in China. When flutes were first made they were made from a small animal's femur bone or wood. One of the first flutes were about 18.7 cm long, had three holes and was created from a mammoth's tusk several centuries ago in Ulm. The transverse flute was the most common in China around this time, it reached the European area by 1100 A.C. The traverse flute was used in the German military as a fife. Today flutes are made of metal and has more keys added to improve its pitch. in the 1800's flutes became more advanced, starting with four keys and having more than eight keys or tone holes. No matter what flutes were made of they always were tube-like with holes lined along it. There are various types of flutes, they come different sizes and series of tones. The piccolo, recorder, alto flute and the bass flute are just to name a few kind of flutes. This instrument plays a popular role in music today such as concert bands and orchestras.