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History percussion instruments in asia
History of the percussion family
History percussion instruments in asia
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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction 1
2.0 History of the Instrument 2
3.0 Instrument Overview and Nomenclature 3
4.0 How it is Played 5
5.0 Styles and Traditions 17
6.0 Social Aspects and the Future of the Instrument 18
7.0 Glossary 20
8.0 Bibliography 22
1.0 Introduction
This essay seeks to address a variety of aspects pertaining to the North Indian percussion instrument the Tabla with a primary focus on the nomenclature, notation, and styles used by Hindustani musicians throughout history. As the foundations of North Indian Classical music are highly complex, it is crucial to understand the basic systems and principles that are held, before making coming to conclusions regarding music styles and cultures. Once these aspects have been addressed we can then consider the position the instrument plays culturally in its own context as well as the impacts it has and position it plays in the greater environment. The vocabulary used will be important throughout the essay; words in italics are included in the glossary on page 11 for the convenience of the reader.
2.0 History of the Instrument
The origins of the tabla as an instrument have never been assuredly agreed upon. In mythology, it has been said that the drums were a creation of the Lord Shiva based on cave drawings which date back to 200 BCE. Another alternative could be that the instrument stemmed from Persian influences, developing from the tabal, a drum set originating in Persia which functions similarly to the tabla. Others believe tales that the sounds of the Indian phakawaj were not diverse enough for musicians of the time, so the drum was split into two ...
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...b, Robert S. Solo Tabla Drumming of North India. India: Motilal Banarsidass, 1993. Print.
Neuman, Daniel M. “The Social Organization of a Music Tradition: Hereditary Specialists in North India”. University of Illinois Press. Vol. 21, No. 2 (1977): 233-245. JStor. Web. 20 April 2014.
Maitra/Gurtu. Liner Notes.Tabla Tarang: Melody on Drums. Smithsonian Folkways. 1996. CD.
Sharma, R.P. How to Play Tabla. Naveen Shahdra Delhi: Better Books, 2007. Print.
Subramanian, Lakshmi. ‘”Accompanist’ as ‘Star’ Performer”. Economic and Political Weekly. Vol. 41, No. 14 (2006): 1307 – 1309. JStor. Web. 20 April 2014.
“Tabla Gharanas”. India Heritage. Web. 20 April 2014. http://www.indiaheritage.org/perform/music/h-i-ta-g.htm
Wegner, Gert-Matthas. Vintage Tabla Repertory: Drum Compositions of North Indian Classical Music. New Delhi: Munshirah Manhartal Publishers, 2004. Print.
Over the course of history, music has developed from a personal, academic pursuit to an extension of a global marketplace and an attribute of this global community. In order to better address this conversation and the surrounding idea, Feld utilizes the platform he has developed to pose the argument that music has long been cultivated as a means of communication and interaction. This relationship is developed and analyzed as a case study in this article, which happens to be in discussing a traditional lullaby first developed in the Solomon Islands, which was in turn recorded by a European pop group that sold millions of copies of a rendition of the song. Furthermore, the article goes to show the trend of music to be redistributed and developed in the sense that it is later reused by a popular jazz musician in Europe. Feld then begs the question about the nature of the redistribution of music and whether this facilitates a hybridization of music or an alienation and artistic degradation of the original work for the indigenous artists.
Beck, John. Encyclopedia of Percussion. 2nd ed. New York: Taylor and Francis Group, LLC, 2007. Accessed May 15, 2014. http://books.google.com/books?id=8U83AgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false.
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.
Burkholder, Peter J., Donald Jay Grout, Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western Music. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 2010. Print.
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.
Burkholder, J. Peter, Donald Jay Grout, and Claude V. Palisca. A history of western music. 8th ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2010. Print.
Music has shaped the lives of people throughout history. Even in its earliest forms, music has included use of instruments. One of the oldest musical instruments known is a variation of the flute; the original flute is thought to date back nearly 67,000 years ago. Tonight we are going to move throughout the eras with a history of instrumental music. This concert will begin with the Renaissance Era and continue through time until we have reached modern instrumental music.
Miller, Terry, and Andrew Shahriari. World Music: A Global Journey. New York, London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2006.
A lot of the orchestral percussion instruments originated in Asia Minor. Sometime during the 15th century when people were moving east they carried there instruments with them, some of those instruments just happened to be percussion instruments. Crusaders carried back drums they had found in the Middle East during the crusade. (Jason)
“How Musical is Man?” was published in 1974. This book was written by John Blacking, a musician turned social anthropologist. His goal in writing this ethnography, and several other papers during this same time period, was to compare the experience of music-making that takes place within different cultures and societies throughout the world. In this book, he discusses and describes the musicology of the Venda people in South Africa. Though he does go to Africa to research and learn about the Venda people and their music, he specifically states that his book is “not a scholarly study of human musicality” (ix), but rather it is a summary (written from his point of view), which is both expressive and entertaining, of several different issues and ideas that he has seemingly been contemplating for some time.
These ragas, along with the rhythms played by the percussionist, convey the particular “tranquility, natural beauty, and spirituality” of Indian music and are the very backbone of its expression (Wright 432-433). Raga has a much richer meaning beyond its melody. Bailey (115) notes that the music theory behind raga stipulates specific emotions, “the deities with which they are associated,” and even the appropriate times they should be performed.3 Tala is cyclic in nature and may be linked to the spiritual importance of reincarnation within Hinduism (Wright 433). The sitar is a “North Indian stringed instrument related to the lute, consisting of two gourds connected by a teakwood neck with 20 movable frets, six or seven main playing strings, and 11-13 sympathetic strings on separate bridges” (Rain 116). The tabla are two drums played in accompaniment to the sitar, one of which will produce one sound, while the sound of the other is influenced by the amount of force with which it is struck (Wright
"Music is a common experience and a large part of societies. In fact, anthropologists note that all human communities at all times and in all places, have engaged in musical behaviours. Music as a mode of human activity is a cultural phenomenon constituting a fundamental social entity as humans create music and create their relationship to music. As cultural phenomeno...
Arnold, Denis, ed. The New Oxford Companion to Music. Vol. 2. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1983.
Burkeholder, Peter J. et al, A History of Western Music, New York, W.W. Norton & Company Ltd, 2010. 626 -632
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.