I chose to talk about this instrument because not only is it taken straight from African culture (Babatunde Olatunji used on in the Drums of Passion album because of its cultural significance), but it has also had a direct impact on music as a whole. The mbira is an early representation of the concept that the length of a certain material is indirectly proportional to frequency at which it vibrates (i.e., longer means higher pitch). The mbira was essentially the precursor to modern keyboard instruments.
What I also find really cool is that people are still coming up with ideas for simple instruments like this one all the time. The guy in this video fashioned his own keyboard instrument out of various lengths of PVC piping, which he uses to play a medley of popular music. On an even simpler level, in the drum closet, we have a set of boomwhackers, which are just plastic tubes of different lengths that sound different pitches when hit.
For more information on the mbira, visit the following sites:
http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/textm/Mbira.html
http://www.nscottrobinson.com/mbira.php
That is SOOOO amazing. The way that it is pitched perfectly is extraordinary. I love how it is so "Primitive"/simple yet seemingly advanced in its own particular way.
ReplyDeleteThe PVC instrument could have easily been a ridiculous looking novelty, but the way its creator (and later the guy from the audience) made it into a visual spectacle with easily recognizable music created an experience for the crowd. You can hear how responsive the crowd is to the songs and how the performers feed off that energy, which is ideally how all performances should be.
ReplyDeleteNice PVC Pipe Video! haha I also really agree with your statements about it above. there is something special about making music with anything, you don't need a flashy instrument or a musical background, you can just play your heart out. That ties also into Kristin's Stomp video as well. Just a bunch of people jamming on crazy objects
ReplyDeleteThe PVC pipe video is just awesome. I agree with Stephen that the crowd was really responsive. I think it's important that performers connect with their audiences. You might as well be playing to a wall if your audience isn't receptive. I like this.
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