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The Duduk (pronounced doo-dook) is
considered the most "Armenian" of all folk instruments because of its Armenian
origins and its ability to honestly express the emotions of the Armenian people.
It has a 1500 year history and is native to Armenia although there are variants
played in Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. The duduk reflects the passion,
celebration, and suffering of Armenia. The soulful sound of the duduk has recently been in the World Music spotlight thanks to musical artist
Peter Gabriel. Gabriel has integrated duduk into his recordings including the
soundtrack to The Last Temptation of Christ and Us. Armenian duduk master Djivan
Gasparyan has also recently recorded with guitarist Michael Brooks. The
duduk is typically played in pairs with the lead duduk playing the melody and
the second duduk playing a sustained pitched called the dam. The dam is a tonic
drone that serves as a constant counterpoint to the melody. The player of the
dam, called damkash, maintains this drone by using a circular breathing
technique. This procedure involves inhaling through the nose and storing the air
in puffed up cheeks while maintaining lip pressure on the reed. The duduk
is also typically accompanied with a dhol, the double-sided Armenian drum. The
dhol is known for its upbeat Armenian dance rhythms. However, even when the
duduk is playing songs of lament the gentle touch of the dhol provides a
suitable background.
The Sarangi is the
chief bowed instrument in the classical music of North India. It is composed of
one piece of wood and features a goat skin sound table and no frets.
The Erhu The Chinese 2-stringed, vertical fiddle has a history of more than 500 years. It started to be popular in Southern China during the Sung Dynasty (960-1279 AD), which gave it another name "Nan-hu" (the word "south" pronounced in Chinese as "Nan"). Erhu is still the most popular bowed instrument in today's Chinese music. An erhu is quite different from a western fiddle. There is a vertical post with a fingerboard which goes through the sides of a resonator at its base. This resonator is covered with a piece of stretched snake-skin (python), which results in a unique "whining" tone color of the instrument. The bow for the erhu is placed between its two strings. Traditionally the two strings are made of silk, although metallic strings are used as well. The player of an erhu usually sits, and the erhu is placed on his left upper thigh in front of his left hip. The instrument is played by moving the bow horizontally through the two vertical strings. Erhu's range spans about three octaves. It has some of the qualities of a violin, but having a more nasal tone. Erhu is capable of producing a gentle but firm tone.
The Uilleann pipes differ from Traditional Bagpipes in the method by which the reservoir is filled with air. In the traditional bagpipe the player blows directly into the bag through the mouthpiece. The bag reservoir of the Uilleann pipes is inflated by pumping a bellows. It is believed that the bellows was introduced sometime around the end of the 17th or beginning of the 18th century. The term "Uilleann" translates as elbow; which refers to the player pumping the bellows with his/her elbow. Today Uilleann Pipes are also known as Irish Pipes. _________________________________________________
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