The celebration of a long awaited weekend (sigh!) has been rather mute, not the speakers on the comp though In the midst of my favourite habit of killing time by brutal stabs in its back, I went back to my tried and tested pasttime of listening to BBC Radio 3 – Late Junction with the obvious hope of listening to something new. And I didst not hope in vain
In case I haven’t said before (which is likely to be the case, given my recent elevation in the Musicaloud Org chart as a MOLE, Master Of Lethargy & Ennui) BBC Radio has been an amazing hunting ground to discover classical and folk artists, and Late Junction is an amazing program for world music lovers to tune in and listen to music from all over the world.

Jadid Ensemble is the find of the week for me. From listening to Vandals on the station’s programme on thursday, a google search took me to their website and a youtube link (which has since been on an infinite loop as I type). The infusion of elements from various cultures, a dash of Arabic and a shot of Indian flavour (I thought), makes for an eclectic cocktail of musical genius.

The 5 piece band comprising of guitarist Glenn Sharp, flautist Pau Cheneour, violinist Olivia Moore, percussionist Adam Warne and double bass player Gavin Barras have concocted a rich melody through their debut album Sigh of the Moor (Fans of Salman Rushdie I wonder). Personally, I really enjoyed the seamless fusion of various elements into one album, and that has to do with the wide explorations and research the above said artists have done. The infusion of instruments like oud, saz and neys helps preserve the authentic indigenous flavor yet retaining its global outlook. You can buy their songs from their website, itunes, amazon and all that jazz. But before that if you would like some help in your decision-making check the video below. You can thank me later!

Happened to attend this fusion concert in Kolkata couple of days back called Melange 2010, involving Trilok Gurtu, Ustad Nishat Khan, Larry Corryell and a few other master instrumentalists. There was a lot of good music played, but my favourite part was Trilok Gurtu coming to the front of the stage with what looked like a speaker box, sat on it, and introduced it to the audience as being a South American musical instrument called Cajón. An instrument, which he jocularly referred to as capable of being employed as a stool, tea table or bookstand among others.

Cajón is the Spanish for “box”, and that’s exactly what the instrument originated as. Right from the 16^th century African slaves in the Americas, specifically Peru, were fashioning box drums out of fish crates. Cubans had been transforming small dresser drawers into box drums for a long time. Over time these jug instruments got refined to make it part of popular folk music. In the late 19^th century cajón started being associated with the Afro-Cuban song/dance genre called rumba, and other Afro-Peruvian styles.

A typical cajón is a cuboid, of which five sides are made out of half to three quarter inch thick pine or other white wood. The sixth surface, which is the striking side, is made out of a thin sheet of plywood. This side is called the tapa. A sound hole is cut out on the side opposite the tapa. The top edges are left loose so that they can be slapped against the box. The modern cajóns sometimes come with a lot of screws to adjust timbre, or with stretched cords across the tapa. Apart from the cuboid, cajón has also started coming in trapezoidal and tubular forms. To play the cajón one normally sits on the box positioning the tapa between his legs.  Standard usage involves slapping the surface with hands. Some artists (like Trilok Gurtu in the concert) also use their feet for added expressions.

While cajón is today an integral part of Cuban and Peruvian music, the instrument has also started gaining popularity with music outside of these regions, especially in a lot of acoustic music settings. In the 1970s guitarist Paco De Lucia was presented a cajón by master percussionist Caitro Soto, and Paco went on to introduce it in flamenco music. Today you can hear cajón playing in pop music or even rock music. Here are a few videos of the simple yet fascinating instrument, including one from Melange 2010 (forgive the low quality of the video).

Piano instinct. Guitar soul. This is how the makers of the Harpejji describe it. The result of a piano student getting frustrated with the limitations that the instrument presented when compared to a guitar, the first working prototype of harpejji was completed in 2003. In 2008 a model was given to a man with a bent for such innovative instruments, Dream Theater’s Jordan Rudess and he has been using the instrument since then in his concerts. It won’t be long before Indians get exposed to more of the harpejji, as a few days back the maker personally delivered one to another person who is heavily into such new age instruments, A R Rahman.
For Timothy Meek, development of harpejji was a long-drawn evolutionary process. Starting to play keyboards in 1987, his search for an instrument that would negate the limitations of the keyboard led him to the Chapman Stick, a string-tapping instrument developed by Emmett Chapman in the 70s. Purchasing the Stick in 1998 Meek found that the Stick did address the problems he faced with the keyboard, but had a few problems of its own. Next stop was Dr. John Starrett of University of Colorado, Denver, who had invented and patented something called a Starrboard which was conceptually closer to what Meek had in mind. Getting a prototype from Dr. Starrett, Meek set about working on it, ironing out the rough edges until he had a satisfactory working model towards the end of 2003. Further improvements, and four years later, Meek incorporated Marcodi Musical Products LLC with his musician friend Jason Melani to market the instrument he christened harpejji, after arpeggio which in Italian means harp-like.
At first glance the harpejji would come across as an oversized surfboard. With 24 strings, the instrument allows playing new chord intervals that are impossible to cover on a guitar or a piano. While a pianist would find the ability to produce organic sounds and expressions of real strings and double the octave range endearing, guitarists would be impressed by the increased flexibility provided in compositions by the ability to use all 10 digits, and the facility to cover guitar and bass portions simultaneously.
We leave you with a few videos of the fascinating instrument. You can buy or get more details about the instrument here. Looking forward to more of harpejji in days to come. (Rahman did incidentally use it in the soundtrack for Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours which came out after this article was published, in the song for which he got the Oscar nomination – If I Rise. You can see the music video here.)

“The horn from hell” – that’s how a critic expressed his views on this instrument. Time magazine has listed it in its “10 most annoying sounds” list. As you have guessed correctly we are talking about the Vuvuzela. It is going to remain an indelible memory of this year’s edition of FIFA World Cup.

No one is sure about how Vuvuzela originated even though a musician called Freddie Maake claims that he invented the horn in the 70′s. Also the Nazareth Baptist Church came out with a demand to ban the horns at the stadiums as they consider it as their own and part of their rituals. The church uses a metal version whereas the Vuvuzelas seen in the stadium are made of plastic. The origins of the Vuvuzela can be traced back to the “Kudu” horn which was used to summon distant villagers to attend community gathering.

A Vuvuzela generates a pitch of B flat below C. An anonymous musician has written a concerto in B flat for Vuvuzela, more details are here. Here is a video wherein a Vuvuzela orchestra member demonstrates the proper usage the instrument.

The possibility of Vuvuzela becoming a regular instrument seems to be very remote. But it has definitely caught on the imagination or rather gathered the ire of the millions of soccer fans around the globe. So much so that Youtube recently introduced a new button to its videos. The button, denoted by a soccer ball icon, on clicking introduces the now-familiar vuvuzela drone to any video that you are watching. Not that I have seen it improve anything I watched as yet! The sound of an individual Vuvuzela has been compared to that produced by a flatulent elephant through its posterior. But the collective sounds of the Vuvuzelas resemble the hum of a million bees. Its incessant beehive buzz is posing serious headaches to the broadcasting companies covering the tournament. Accusations of ear damage and even viral infections have been made against the instrument. But the South Africans seemed to be unfazed and are blowing their own hellish trumpet.

Below is the concerto I had spoken of earlier. Though musically there isn’t a lot to it, it does sound way better than how the instrument sounds over a World Cup match!

Virtuoso Pamelia Kurstin performs and discusses her theremin, the not-just-for-sci-fi electronic instrument that is played without being touched. Songs include “Autumn Leaves,” “Lush Life” and David Mash’s “Listen, Words Are Gone.”

The theremin, the first electronic instrument ever invented, was on the brink of historic oblivion when it was rescued from obscurity by director Steven Martin’s classic 1994 documentary Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey . And while a few brave souls have sought to master this temperamental instrument since then, none have done so with more sly effervescence than Pamelia Kurstin.
From the rock-steady composure she assumes behind the instrument (necessary lest her breathing drive the sensors out of tune), one might presume a shrinking conservatory personality, but a quick glance at the MySpace page or website of the self-described “bird-punching rollerskating thereminist” will quickly dash any of these quaint notions. Far from being a quirky curiosity, however, Kurstin is a sensitive, emotional stylist capable of coaxing sublime melodic content out of an instrument usually doomed to B-movie sci-fi soundtracks. (And her walking bass imitation is pretty cool too.)
Born in Los Angeles, Kurstin currently resides in Vienna, and performs with acclaimed eccentric rockers Barbez, among many others. Her latest solo CD, Thinking Out Loud, was released in 2007 on John Zorn’s legendary Tzadik label. She’ll bathe your dog and give you a haircut (“if you’re daring,” she warns) in exchange for a six-pack.

Today, we bring to you an instrument whose glimpse we had given in one of our earlier posts. The Xaphoon or Bamboo Sax is a single reed wind instrument that was invented during the 1970s by Hawaii based instrument maker Brian Wittman. Since Wittman stays in Maui, Hawaii from where he acquires the bamboo for making this instrument, it is often referred to as the Maui Xaphoon. Measuring only over a foot long (12.5 inches), the Xaphoon has a chromatic range of 2 octaves. Although it looks like a flute, the sound of a Xaphoon is more similar to a Saxophone or a clarinet (and hence the name Bamboo Sax).

Since its invention Wittman has made over 40,000 Xaphoons manually. Making a Xaphoon is quite a long and tedious process. Since the bamboos from which the Xaphoons are made have different dimensions, mass production is nearly impossible. The bamboo is cut and dried for six months before the production. Then the mouthpiece is cut out in a parabolic shape and the windpipe is carved skilfully. Another reason that makes the production of this instrument unique is that the tuning is done by the instrument maker based completely on his own judgement without using any measurements. Mineral oil and varnish are then applied to give a finishing touch. An impressive video of the production process is available on the official Xaphoon website.

The Xaphoon became so popular worldwide that it was impossible to fulfil all the orders in the traditional way. Hence, in 2000 an injection moulded Xaphoon called the pocket Sax was created. The pocket Sax is a much more portable and affordable instrument and is generally used by beginners to get a hang of the instrument. With some colours added, the instrument looks even cooler. The Cobalt Blue Pocket Sax appears dark until held in light and in a proper arrangement creates a perfect jazzy ambience.

Just like the Hang Drum, the Xaphoon has not yet found its way into popular music despite its beautiful soothing sound. A story goes that Simon and Garfunkel used a Xaphoon during one of their Australian concerts. Paul Simon also featured the instrument prominently during his 2006 U.S. tour. Mark Stuart who plays Xaphoon with Paul Simon is the most celebrated Xaphoon player of all. Former U.S. president Bill Clinton, who is himself a saxophone player, was apparently impressed by the Xaphoon when it was played at a TED conference in 2007.

It is said that the Xaphoon is one of the easiest wind instrument to learn and it produces a wide variety of sounds. Also at $50, the pocket sax is highly affordable. So the next time you feel like learning an exotic instrument do place an order for the Xaphoon.  Unlike the usual, we leave you today with the audio files of some classics played on the Xaphoon. Also check out a Scottish Fusion band playing a Bollywood number on the Xaphoon. Enjoy!

Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘El Condor Pasa’ on the Xaphoon

The Beatles – When I’m 64 on the Xaphoon

Pink Panther Theme

Scottish Fusion Band “Highland Baja” playing “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”

Appearance can sometimes be deceptive. This instrument here that looks like a miniature flying saucer or two cooking pans put on top of each other would seem like some traditional percussion instrument that produces gong-like sounds. It has however been invented as late as 2000 A.D. after an extensive research on gongs, Ghatam, cow bells, drums and other percussion instruments. You will really appreciate the research that has gone into the making of this instrument after you have heard its melodious sound. Few percussion instruments that I know of produce sound as sweet as this one.

The Hang [pronounced ‘Hung’] was created by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer of the PANArt Company in Switzerland in 2000 and was first displayed at the Frankfurt music fair in 2001. The hang consists of two steel pans with nitride surface that are attached to each other. The top side [called the ding side] contains eight tone fields which together form the tone circle. This circle surrounds a central dome called the Ding. The other side is called the Gu side which is a plain steel pan with a hand sized hole in the middle for sound resonance. [For the techies: it is a Helmholtz resonator; remember the tuning fork and resonance tube experiments of your schooldays]

There are many ways to invite the Hang to sound: with fingertips, thumbs, and the heel of the palm – and a mix of all three. Most of the time, the Hang sits on the player’s knees, but you also could play it on a drum stand. Players can let their hands and their feelings discover how to play.

If you have a Hang you can put it under the rain and you will listen the symphony of the gods! it make a exact time song and it’s so deep.

- Joan Oench

The Hang is produced only in Bern, Switzerland and hence is a very difficult instrument to obtain. The creators only by the PANArt company which is a small company and hence produces a very limited number per year. You have to either go to Bern and obtain one yourself or write a letter to the company for obtaining one. It is not just a simple letter but more like an SOP for obtaining a hang. If they don’t like you, you may have to wait for a long time to get it.

The instrument being so rare and so young has not been used much in mainstream music. However, it sounds do fantastic by itself that it does not need the company of an orchestra for one to appreciate it. We have shown here a few videos that will give you a sneak preview of this fantastic instrument. Soon we will be back with another such rare and lovely instrument. Until then, enjoy!

Randy Granger gives an introduction to the Hang (beware of his bad jokes! )

Biddle de duddle de doo!

In 1968, the Scottish musician Donovan released a hit single called The Hurdy Gurdy Man. The name of the song was inspired by his friend Mac Macleod’s band Hurdy Gurdy. Neither the song nor the band had anybody who played a hurdy gurdy. However, the repeated reference to hurdy gurdy in the song did help revive an almost forgotten musical instrument and it was used by a lot of contemporary musicians in the days to follow.

The hurdy gurdy is quite unique in its structure. Since it is considered to be a folk instrument, it does not have a standard structure and hence a lot of variants are available. However, the three key parts of the instrument are the strings, the wheel and the keys which are constant across all designs. The rosined wheel is rotated by a crank that moves against the strings similar to a violin bow. There are two types of strings in this instrument – the melody strings and the drone strings. The drone strings give a constant pitch to accompany the melody that is produced by the strings passing through the key-box. Because of the constant pitch created by the drone strings, many people often confuse it with a bagpipe. The keys are connected to the melody strings through tangents that create the notes of the melody. The unique structure of this instrument makes it a rare keyboard instrument on which one can bend notes.

The Hurdy Gurdy is nowadays considered to be a Celtic instrument. However, its origins maybe traced back to the middle-east. The earlier version of this instrument was called the Organistrum and it was played by two people with one turning the wheel and the other pulling the keys. Later the instrument was modified so that a single person could play the instrument by turning the wheel with his right hand and playing the keys with his right. The Hurdy Gurdy was quite popular in Europe during the medieval and Renaissance period. However, the instrument lost its noble patronage as it provided only a limited range of notes and new age music demanded polyphonic instruments. During the 18th century, however, French Rococo tastes for rustic diversions brought the hurdy gurdy back to the attention of the upper classes, where it acquired tremendous popularity among the nobility, with famous composers writing works for the hurdy gurdy. By the twentieth century, the instrument had again almost become extinct.

As mentioned before, the instrument came back into public consciousness due to Donovan’s song The Hurdy Gurdy Man. In contemporary times, a lot of musicians have used the Hurdy Gurdy, however, only rarely. Ritchie Blackmore, former guitarist of the band Deep Purple sometimes plays Hurdy Gurdy while playing for his band Blackmore’s Night. Metallica used a hurdy gurdy in their song Low Man’s Lyric from the album ReLoad which was played by David Miles. Sting played a hurdy gurdy accompanying Alison Krauss in the song You Will Be My Ain True Love from the Cold Mountain soundtrack.

Although this instrument has been used off and on in contemporary music, there are few well known dedicated players of hurdy gurdy. The most well known amongst them is probably Nigel Eaton who has released 10 albums as a hurdy gurdy player and also accompanied well known artists such as Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. To revive interest in the instrument, a group of enthusiasts has started the annual Hurdy Gurdy festival which takes place in UK during the months of April every year since 2007. We can only hope that their efforts would prevent it from getting extinct once again.

Melissa The Loud talks about Hurdy Gurdy and music.

A beautiful solo on the Hurdy Gurdy

Ritchie Blackmore Playing the hurdy gurdy

Donovan – The Hurdy Gurdy Man

It was one fine day in 1968 when a 15 year old Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, who was then learning the Sitar, stumbled across a Spanish guitar brought by a German student at his father Manmohan Bhatt’s music school. He set about experimenting with it, trying to modify its structure to suit Indian music. What resulted was an Indian version of the Hawaiian slide guitar designed to play Indian classical music, the Mohan Veena.

Most basically an archtop guitar, the Mohan Veena consists of 20 strings, three melody strings and five drone strings coming out of the peg heads and 12 sympathetic strings wound around respective tuning pegs set on a piece of wood by the side of the neck. It is played like a Hawaiian slide guitar, with the first two fingers of the right hand used to strike the string (a technique developed by Bhatt himself) with a metal or plastic wrap for the thumb, and the left hand for sliding with the help of a steel rod or slide.

Bhatt drew a lot of flak from the purists for what they termed as a dilution of traditional music, when he forayed into fusion music with the Mohan Veena. Nevertheless, he has managed to silence the critics with his immense success in the field, even winning a Grammy in 1994 for the album A Meeting by the River done with American slide guitarist Ry Cooder. Unknown to a lot of people, he has played in movies for A R Rahman in movies like Iruvar. The distinct sound of the Mohan Veena can be discerned especially in the interludes of the song Narumugaiye. There is a Mohan Veena solo version of Jana Gana Mana in Rahman’s album of the same name. He also scored music for a Hindi movie named Bawandar. Other famous players of the Mohan Veena include folk musician Harry Manx who studied as a student of Bhatt for five years, and Matt Malley, founder and bass guitarist of rock band Counting Crows.

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt’s elder son Salil Bhatt is an accomplished player of the Mohan Veena. Not to be outdone by his father, he went on to create his own version of the instrument, which he calls the Satvik Veena. While the shape and design are almost similar, Satvik Veena is an all-wooden instrument, tail-piece, tuning pegs and all, as opposed to the metal counterparts on a Mohan Veena. The tuning pegs are also concealed in a Satvik Veena, thereby keeping the tuning intact. And Salil with his Satvik Veena has already won a lot of acclaims all over the world. Talk about chip off the old block!!

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt’s solo version of Jana Gana Mana in Rahman’s album.

Harry Manx talking about the Mohan Veena and performing Reuben’s Train on the same.

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Mohan Veena), Salil Bhatt (Satvik Veena) and Doug Cox (Dobro) performing a piece from their album Band of Gypsies