Musical Instruments Critic Blog

Children’s Musical Instruments To Make

March 29th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Part of anyone’s responsiveness to music comes from childhood exposure to harmonious sounds. From the first school years, children are taught to make their own musical instruments, which they play afterwards. This helps kids understand how sounds are created while they acquire some fundamental experience about the way music works. Teaching children how to make musical instruments develops creativity and stimulates imagination. Let’s see some concrete examples of how to make children’s musical instruments and show how to relate it to musical creations.

Xylophone activities are easily integrated in a craft lesson. Let’s see how we can help children make a nice musical instrument. Take eight glass jars and gradually fill them with water. Pour little water in the first one, and fill the last to the brim. Afterwards ask the children to add tempera to each jar, following the rainbow colors. When you’re ready, ask the kids to softly hit the jars with a stick and notice the various sounds the improvised xylophone will make. Thus you will not only help children make a musical instrument, but will be able to actually prove the sound difference.

One other fun activity designed for children to make their own musical instruments is the creation of a bonko. Explain to the kids what a bonko is and how it is used in various parts of the wold. The general term is: stamping tube, but names vary according to the country that uses it. You will need several tin cans, with both edges carefully cut. Only one of the cans should be left with a bottom. Bind the cans together with adhesive tape paying attention to the possible sharp edges. An adult should absolutely watch over the children’s musical instrument making, so that they don’t injure themselves.

Once the cans are bound together all that’s left to do is actually play this instrument. Ask the kids to put a towel on the floor and hit the bonko following a certain rhythm. They can get their own beat by bonking faster or slower, hardly or softly. When children are entrusted with the making of their own musical instruments, they learn the sense of responsibility, without even realizing it. Encouraging children to make musical instruments of their own, out of card boxes, strings, rubber, jars or any other materials, helps them improve a native skill that may prove crucial in their adulthood.

The Four Classes Of Musical Instruments

March 29th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

The musical instruments had a big influence over the human evolution over time, they appeared long before writing or any other cultural element. At first, instrument sounds were used primarily for communication between people and later they evolved in an act of cultural or religious ceremonial. Nowadays, the classification need characteristic to our society led to a study of the musical instruments, and this curiosity resulted in what we know as the four classes of musical instruments.

The first in the four classes of musical instruments are the chordophones that produce sounds by using one or several vibrating strings. It is in this category that many include the well known guitars, harps and violins. But when it comes to the musical bow or the piano, also called a keyboard or percussion instrument, musicians are more reluctant to include them here. The chordophones can be divided in two primary groups: the ones that have a resonator, and the ones without the resonator. Unlike the guitar and the violin the piano can be played even without the resonating casing.

The second group of the four classes of musical instruments are the aerophones, consisting of any instrument that produces sounds by vibrating a mass of air without the using strings or membranes. The most important feature is that the instrument doesn’t have to vibrate by itself. The bullroarer is an aerophone instrument that doesn’t contain the air inside, another example is represented by the wind instruments like the sirens that appeared on the medieval ships. The musical instruments that contain the air inside are more widely known: trumpets, flutes and oboes.

Next category from the four classes of musical instruments are the idiophones, which are percussion musical instruments. They don’t use any vibrant material such as string or membrane, the instruments vibrate by themselves. There are four sub-groups in this class, the struck idiophones (the marimba, wood block, singing bowl or triangle) they vibrate when being hit with the hand or a stick.

The other forms are very rare: they can be plucked idiophones (the Jew harp), blow idiophones extremely rare, the Aeolsklavier is a good example here, and the last: friction idiophones like the singing bowl or the glass harmonica. The concept of the four classes of musical instruments are based on the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme and include as a last category all electronic tone synthesizers, vacuum tubes that produce tones by using transistors.

Hand Held Musical Instruments

March 22nd, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

The origins of hand held musical instruments go deep back in the history of mankind; they existed long before writing or any other cultural element appeared. Music goes beyond words, since you can use it to express a feeling more profoundly than you would do in words. Many hand held musical instruments survived in time, but I will only refer to those that are present in almost every culture in the world, despite local and insignificant variations.

Among all hand held musical instruments, the guitar is the most well known, it’s practically part of the popular culture; from the classical to electric ones the guitar is an emblem for every type of music that appeared in the world in the last hundred years: folk, blues, country, jazz and rock are all represented by the same appreciated instrument. Guitars are musical instruments from the lute family. The first version appeared in the 13th century, and in the 15th century they were widely spread in Spain.

In less than a hundred years, this hand held musical instrument invaded France. Little by little, guitars sailed to Africa and America along side with the Spanish and Portuguese sailors bringing joy to the ships crew in those long trips over the oceans of the world. Now, the guitar is the basis for most of our modern music, sometimes used in solo, without even being accompanied by orchestra. It’s just the singer and the guitar used that accompanies voice.

Another highly appreciated hand held musical instrument is the harp; it has always been associated art, being considered a classical instrument. Its history is vast when compared with that of the guitar, its origins go deep in the time of Babylon and Mesopotamia over 4000 years ago, some suggest this instrument origins goes to a hunting bow but this can’t be told for sure. Primarily it served in the religious service of the various cultures where it appeared.

The harp is one of the hand held musical instruments that made history in the ancient times, it was found on the paintings of an Egyptian tomb, it was also found in Greece and Iraq (in 2900 BC). The harp only reached Europe in the 8th century, brought by the conquering Muslims in Spain. With such a heavy and impressive tradition, it’s no wonder that it maintains its role within most present-day orchestras. One thing is for sure, hand held musical instruments are as old as mankind, and they will remain part of our heritage for good.

Companies For Musical Instruments

March 21st, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Most people who work in the business industry know what it really means to have to choose between the various brands of musical instruments. But what should someone new to the music industry do to make sure he / she gets the proper musical equipment? There are many companies for musical instruments and I will try to present the most important ones that produce all types of items from the classical ones to those use in electronic music. The number of companies for musical instruments that are competing at the international level is significant, and you’ll see how it influences product quality.

One of the most well known guitar producers is Gibson Guitar Corp. They are highly appreciated by many famous musicians, for instance the legendary Les Paul is sold at $1,500. The company also produces various instruments like pianos or amplifiers under different brand names; the fact that a guitar is not 100% Gibson makes the price drop. Some even consider that it also brings a small rebate in quality. However, buying a Gibson instrument that is sold under a different brand is a good alternative for someone who doesn’t have the cash to buy a guitar made entirely by one of the biggest companies for musical instruments.

Kaman Corporation is a guitar producer that provides satisfying quality at a decent price. The curious thing is that this company’s main activity consists in producing military equipment like helicopters and trucks. And though guitar production comes second it doesn’t affect their being one top company for musical instruments. Then, there is the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, offering a large variety of musical instruments. Yet, they definitely make themselves noticed with the guitars, particularly the electric ones like the Stratocaster and Telecaster. Fender Company for musical instruments also produces jazz, classical and lower-priced guitars, which explains its success on the market.

Yamaha Corporation is the leading player in companies for musical instruments producers top, they are designing almost any type of instrument (synthesizers, pianos, electronic keyboards, wind and percussion based instruments, violins, guitars and any other string musical instrument). The company is the largest producer for video and audio home equipment, including a line of professional instruments. Following close in the market supremacy race comes the Baldwin Piano, Inc, one great piano producer, that also acquired fame thanks to its wonderful piano concerts. Regardless of whether you’re a professional or an amateur, you’ll be definitely satisfied with the standards offered by such companies for musical instruments.

First Nation’s Musical Instruments

March 14th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Music as the basis of all form of modern entertainment is deeply rooted in the national tradition of every country. I will take a very common example, by simply pointing to the ancient source modern music springs from. Among the first nation’s musical instruments was the flute, and its sound can still be heard in many countries. Beside the flute there were also rattles, drums and whistles. The local cultural influence finds manifestations in the various shapes and sizes of the first musical instruments of a nation.

The variety of cultures matches the great number of instruments specific to the different nations. But, in essence they are similar, it is only the local aspect that lays its imprint on their design. All first nation’s musical instruments were made of natural elements that were easily found, particularly wood and animal skin. For instance the stringed Apache instrument is one case of the first nation’s musical instrument, it was similar to a fiddle, and thus shared common features to other string instruments on other parts of the globe.

Then, let’s consider the very important and common drum. This primary first nation’s instrument marked all continents equally. It came in many shapes and sizes depending on the performed ritual. The interesting part of it is that the Africans for example used their hands to play it, whereas in some other parts of the world sticks were used. There were many types of drums from the small ones that were kept in hand to the much larger ones, around which people usually stayed as part of any ritual. This musical instrument was made out of wood and animal skin, or sometimes they were filled with water to get an echo effect.

Being a commonly found instrument, the drum had an essential role in every tribal community. We mention it as part of the first nations musical instruments because of the role it had in the religious and cultural lives of the early peoples. Another original drum was created from a deep hole in the ground covered with a proper material, the sound it created made the ground tremble. Drums were never played just by themselves they were accompanied by dancing or singing or any other ritual that needed the drum beat. Consequently, we use the same instruments as our ancestors but without the ritual function that originated them from the beginning.

Appalachian Musical Instruments

March 14th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

The origin of the harmonious Appalachian musical instruments go back to the times of the first colonists that settled in the Appalachians around the year 1700, many of the first who came were Europeans especially Scots and Germans. For the native people who cultivated land, music was a part of the sacred rites, and the Appalachian musical instruments served in land fertilization processes. When the colonists came from Europe they brought their musical instruments with them, this is why the Appalachian musical instruments are so related to their European versions.

The Appalachian musical instruments are very appreciated among those who love unique musical instruments. We could mention banjos, Jew harps, dulcimers, fiddles and mouth bows . There is the Dulcimer, an Appalachian musical instrument that has evolved from a German original one. At present no more than 1.000 dulcimers are to be found in the Appalachian region, these instruments differ one from another even in the same region, since their features depended on the mountain craftsmen. Their creators were free to reshape them or improve them in any way he wanted.

Most dulcimers are made exclusively by the indigenous people (hardwoods) and the resulting shape is at least very primitive. All in all this Appalachian musical instruments are a delight for every novice musician, it is an instrument that usually accompanies the voice, and over the last few years it has evolved into a solo version. If you want to find out more about the Appalachian musical instruments and particularly the dulcimer there are some books warmly recommended such as: Musical Instruments of The Southern Appalachian Mountains written by John Rice Irwin and In Search of the Wild Dulcimer by Robert Force and Albert d’Ossché.

Another popular Appalachian musical instrument is the Appalachian Banjo, this is a five string banjo that has its origins in Africa, people still love playing this kind of instrument and if you visit the region you will see to pockets of banjo players. Folk Appalachian musical instruments only prove what the intersection of cultures brings about. Their rhythms are very often source of inspiration for composers who are encouraged into giving a tinge of the exotic to their modern creations. All in all, modern art with folk inspiration may just prove to be one of the most interesting and beneficiary approaches for a country’s culture. The old and the new thus meet and mix.