The steel drum instrument holds the spirit of Trinidad and Tobago’s musical tradition. Even though the steel drums are not widely known, the instrument is rapidly growing in popularity throughout the world. This unique instrument has an interesting history; as well as a huge impact on Caribbean music today. Trinidad and Tobago made the steel drum their national instrument because it embodies the essence of ancient African roots with national heritage. The steel drums allow the natives of the island nation to connect with national tradition and to spread national pride.
This steel instrument has an extensive past. The steel drum, also known as the steel pan, was invented during the 1930s. The music of the steel pan originates from the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The concept of the instrument, however, roots from the time when British colonial authorities banned African drumming. The people of Africa began to produce music from bamboo sticks, which they banged the ground to create a mellow sound on the ground. This instrument was called the "Tamboo Bamboo.”
Based on common belief, the steel pan was invented by a man named, Winston “Spree” Simon. It is said that Winston “Spree” Simon created the steel pan by simply founding a dent in his garbage can. As he began to knock out the dent with a hammer, he suddenly realized each blow with the hammer created a different pitch. After this realization, Winston continued to bang dents into the garbage can of various shapes and sizes until he made scales of notes. Soon, Winston was able to note scales and rhythms on his garbage can. Garbage cans were scarce. The garbage containers were not only hard to come by but the material was not suitable for long playability. This brought an obst...
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...and Tobago culture. The steel drums are tools to express Calypso and Soca music. During Panorama, conventional bands are required to play up to 8 minutes of Soca or calypso music. Small bands are only required to perform up to 6 minutes of the either genre.
The steel drum instrument is very important aspect of Trinidad and Tobago culture. This instrument is a tool for Trinidadians and Tobagonians to express and share native musical traditions. During Carnival and Panorama, natives have the ability to celebrate their cultural values by the use of the steel drum. The steel drum embodies the spirit of ancient African roots and national heritage. Steel drums are still fairly new; however, they have been rapidly growing in popularity throughout the world. The steel drums have not only impacted all of Trinidad and Tobago but it has impacted all of Caribbean music today.
Puerto Rican music was the ultimate expression of the “Areito” (indigenous artistic traditions) combined in a unitary fashion, oral narrative, dance and music. By the end of the fifteenth century, the Taino Indians had already developed musical instruments used in their ceremonies, religious rituals and daily life. Some of the instruments used during the “Areito” was the “Güiro” and “Maracas” which are still in use as part of the musical traditions. It is unclear whether the Puerto Rican folk music contains elements of
The spirit of resistance is a powerful force in reggae music. In this essay I will explore the ways that resistance is manifested in reggae music and describe examples of indigenous resistance in Jamaica and Mexico. A strong example of indigenous resistance can be found in the Maroon communities of Jamaica. The Maroons were a thorn in the sides of white plantation owners and an inspiration and expression of freedom and autonomy to the Africans. The history of the Maroons describes a group of diverse people who bonded together beyond the fringes of the colonial system to form their own autonomous nation.
This is the festival of the general population living in the Cuban field, where the agriculturists tunes sound with the connivance of run of the mill instruments as the tres, the laúd, the güiro and the guitar.
Samba can be heard all throughout Brazil. It is a musical genre accompanied by song and dance that includes an ensemble of percussion instruments and guitar. The puxador (lead singer) initiates the samba, sometimes singing the same song for hours at a time. The responsibility of keeping thousands of voices in time with the drum section rests on his shoulders. Gradually, the other members of the escola (samba group) join in, and with a whistle from the mestre de bateria (percussion conductor) - the most exciting moment of the parade occurs as the percussion section crashes in. The surdos (bass drums) keep the 2 / 4 meter, while caixas (snare drums) and tamborins accent the second beat. This percussion ensemble, referred to as the 'bateria', often i...
Music comes in many shapes and forms, and has been a magical element of inspiration and encouragement throughout time. The art of music derives from many different things, such as culture and traditions. One such type of music is mariachi music, deriving from Mexican culture and traditions. Mariachi music is often an upbeat rhythm, consisting of a band of up to six to eight violins, two trumpets and a guitar. Unlike modern music and other music bands alike, mariachi bands lack in numbers when it comes to band size. Though they are small, their music brings great significance and life to the places they perform and the people that they touch with their joyous music. In this paper, I will be comparing the culture and style of mariachi music to twentieth century modern music.
Percussion instruments are by far the most dominant of the four major instrument families. There are many different types of cymbals and drums, which are ...
Sublette, Ned 2004. Cuba and its music: from the first drums to the mambo. Chicago.
Tamboo Bamboo was symbolic in the agricultural lay out of Trinidad and Tobago. The steel pan signified a new economic structure however, their social issues were the same, therefore the same anger that pounded the bamboo to the ground was now played out through the steel pan. This gave the steelpan players a stigma of being referred as worthless, low class and ruthless. due to this stereotype, they were shone by people of their own economic class. this was compounded by the clashes these steel bands had in the streets. It was not until 1949 when the coloured middle and upper class college boys participated in the steel band which played in parities, concerts and private functions for the upper class that caused them to change their perception of Pan and began giving them the respect they
Music plays a huge role in the structure of a society. It can have both negative and positive influence on cultures and communities. First, musical sounds and instruments can be a dividing factor between the people within the same culture. These opposing social and economic identities within these cultures can lead unnecessary animosity between the members. However, music can also be one of the forces that unite members of a culture and provide a sense pride for everyone. This makes it easier for people to display their identification to that culture.
Throughout the semester, various styles of music and the aspects of culture associated with these styles have been analyzed. Musical elements such as dynamics, texture, form, timbre, melody, instruments, etc., have been used to thoroughly explore each kind of music from different areas of the world, with an emphasis in music from Africa, India and Indonesia. These aspects of music go far beyond just music itself. Culture also plays a huge role in music and the accompanying musical elements. Each country and culture has a different style and distinctiveness that add to what makes the music of that certain culture unique. Music in Africa may differ dramatically from music in Indonesia or India not only due to those certain elements but also due to how it is interpreted by people and what it represents for those people. In addition to this, what one may consider music in one culture may not be music to another. These differences have been made apparent in the several demonstrations that we have been exposed to in class.
Mainly the West Africans used percussive instruments. These drums came in all sizes ranging from ten to twelve inches to ten to twelve feet. Their drums were made out of hollowed out logs and gourds with a tight skin over the hollow. They also used idiophones to make music. They used a variety of bells, castanets, gongs, and sometimes they made small xylophones or small pianos. Aerophones weren't as prevalent as the percussions or idiophones. Some explorers made small flutes, horns and trumpets from elephant tusks.
According to his review of A Guide to Latin American Music by Gilbert Chase, Charles Seeger describes Chase’s description of the music culture, “The quantitative distribution of more than 2700 entries, which include some multiple listing, is interesting” (Seeger, 1946, 304). Chase explains a plethora of countries in Latin America and their specific musical features. Furthermore, thanks to his detailed work, the reader can see how many common features can be seen. Firstly, a common feature among all genres is the use of aerophones. The aerophones used could include, panpipes of various varieties, flutes, trumpets (as seen at the Boogat performance in Ottawa) and many more. Another common feature among all the genres is a strong rhythmic presence. In essentially all Latin American music, a steady, metrical rhythmic quality can be heard keeping the music energetic and easy to follow. To keep the rhythm, another common feature to Latin American culture is the drum. Most commonly found in the Afro-Latin genre, as a result of influence from African culture, can be seen throughout Latin America. A popularized western form of this type of music, is that of mariachi. Finally, Latin American culture is known for its vibrancy in their music. The music is generally quite expressive of feelings, strong moral messages found in protest songs, and their colorful, elaborate
The influence that music has throughout the world is immeasurable. Music evokes many feelings, surfaces old memories, and creates new ones all while satisfying a sense of human emotion. With the ability to help identify a culture, as well as educate countries about other cultures, music also provides for a sense of knowledge. Music can be a tool for many things: relaxation, stimulation and communication. But at the same time it can also be a tool for resistance: against parents, against police against power. Within the reign of imported culture, cross cultivation and the creation of the so-called global village lies the need to expand horizons to engulf more than just what you see everyday. It is important to note that the role of music in today’s world is a key tool in the process of globalization. However, this does not necessarily provide us with any reasons that would make us believe that music has a homogenizing affect on the world.
Music is a form of communication, letting others knows what is going on in the country, political, social or economic and any other problems the people of the Caribbean faced. With so many different ethnic backgrounds in the Caribbean, they are people with Asians, Indians, and Africans descents. This created a language and culture barrier but each ethnic background shared a common link music. Music bridged the gap between the different ethnicities Music is part of everyone’s culture especially here in the Caribbean. Our culture is recognized worldwide for its music. The Caribbean has different genres of music such as calypso, reggae, dance hall, zouk and many others. Our music has roots in both African and European cultures. The drum rhythm comes from the African in...
Music has played a role in society since the dawn of man. Said to be the beginning of communication in early civilization, music and dance have influenced how we think, act and treat members of our own society. Song and dance is used in rites of passage ceremonies such as births, weddings and funerals throughout the world. Jamaican and Yoruba cultures have made many contributions to our society. The uses of this music as a vehicle for political issues, values, and beliefs have been used by many musicians from different cultures. I intend to discuss the Contribution of these two contemporary cultures music and their effect on society.