Video from Drumset Series

Video from Drumset Series

Track 8 from Saydisc "Percussion Around the World" - notes from Maureen Hanke.

Alwan Mizan is a piece of Arabic music.The Arabian Gulf is an important geographical and trading link between the Mediterranean and the Far East. It is an area of rich demographic diversity with a commensurate variety of music.

This piece of music features the bandir, a drum which originates from the Arabic region.
The bandir is a circular snare hand drum with a goat skin covering the sides of a wooden frame.
In this piece of music the beats are grouped into 9s throughout. ( in a music session everyone could try tapping the steady beat of 9 - it is quicker than you may think). The bandir often plays the first of each group of 9.

Track 1 from Saydisc "Percussion around the World" - notes from Maureen Hanke.

Vientos del Sur is an example of traditional music of the Andes. It features the Bolivian pipes, accompanied by the interesting percussion sound of the bombo. The bombo is the double-headed frame drum of Spain and South America.
In Vientos del Sur, the bombo plays throughout. The beats are arranged into groups of 6 and the bombo plays on the first of each group of 6.
This is the strong beat.

(In a music session note how the low pitch of the bombo gives a feeling of strength to the piece. Count the groups of 6 while you listen.)

Track 7 from Saydisc "Percussion Around the World" - notes from Maureen Hanke.

'Ansam' is an example of Arabic music. The Arabian Gulf is an important geographical and trading link between the Mediterranean and the Far East. It is an area of rich demographic diversity with a commensurate variety of music.

Ansam features the darbuka and dholak.The darbuka is a type of single headed goblet-shaped drum. It is made from pottery, wood or metal and can be played either under the arm or resting on the player's knees. The base is hollow and the skin is attached by nails or glue.The darbuka originates from the Arabic region and the dholak from North India.

The piece of music opens with a solo flute. At the end of the flute statement there is a pause and the rhythm is clearly stated. The piece unfolds as an improvisation over and around the basic rhythm.
It might be helpful to think of improvisation as the equivalent of talking in language development. Improvising means making up as you play, listening to what you are playing as you go. As the piece develops, the improvisations by the darbuka and dholak become increasingly elaborate and exciting: each skin adding its own colour to the piece. As you keep listening try tapping the rhythm throughout.
Throughout the course of the piece all the instruments have a go talking over the rhythm.

( in a music session everyone could tap the basic rhythm and two people with different drums could take it in turns to improvise.)

In this recording the players start their improvisation by playing the rhythm exactly, then they gradually change parts of it; first just a beat, then a couple of notes, then half a phrase etc. This way the music has a feel of unfolding.

Track 4 from Saydisc "Percussion Around the World" - notes from Maureen Hanke.

'Ubiquity' is a piece of South American music featuring congas, bongos and guiro. South America is known for its carnivals and dancing, both of which have been captured in this composition by Joji Hirota.
The guiro or scraper is often shaped like a fish in a school instrument collection. In South America it is made from the gourd of climbing plants.
Raised marks or frets are added which produce a distinctive sound when rubbed. Congas are also played with the hands and produce lower pitched sounds.
The music blends the sounds of congas, bongos and a guiro as they invent rhythm patterns around a steady beat. Every so often all the instruments unite to play the same rhythm pattern. It can be first heard at 1'03". There is a short silence and the piece continues.
The bongos are a pair of small single headed drums with wooden shells. The drums are joined horizontally and are of different sizes. In general they are played with bare hands.
Congas, by contrast, have a long tapered shell up to about 90cm deep. The heads are thick vellum nailed to the shell. Congas are also played with the hands and produce lower pitched sounds.

Track 2 from Saydisc "Percussion Around the World" (Also Track 1 from Saydisc "Listen To This! KS3) - notes from Maureen Hanke.

Amanecer Andino is a piece of Andean traditional music featuring the Bolivian pipes and the bombo drum.The bombo is the double-headed frame drum of Spain and South America.

The music is in two sections. You will hear the bombo and sticks start the piece playing a rhythm pattern that is repeated throughout the first section and can be heard just once to close the piece. A repeated pattern is called an ostinato.

Track 1 from Charanga / Saydisc / Christine Richards project - 'Religions of the World' (1'24") Call to worship at the Mula Gadha Kut Buddhist Temple, Sarnath. This piece features a bell and the chanting of monks. The learning track of the Track Explorer focuses on the sound of the bell.

One of two pieces by composer and musician Tobias Sturmer, written especially for a performance by pupils from Wandsworth at the Royal Festival Hall on 22nd March 2010.

This first piece provides a soft, calm introduction allowing all the performers to take their place on stage.

Although the music is newly composed, it is inspired by traditional Mandinka drumming rhythms from West Africa and uses many of the same structures, e.g. signals, bass drum accompaniments, call and response breaks etc. The music is easy to learn - picked up by our students within a couple of sessions - and appropriate for pupils in KS2 and KS3.

See Tobias Rhythm 1 - explanation for tutorial guide through the individual parts.

One of two pieces by composer and musician Tobias Sturmer, written especially for a performance by pupils from Wandsworth at the Royal Festival Hall on 22nd March 2010.

This first piece provides a soft, calm introduction allowing all the performers to take their place on stage.

Although the music is newly composed, it is inspired by traditional Mandinka drumming rhythms from West Africa and uses many of the same structures, e.g. signals, bass drum accompaniments, call and response breaks etc. The music is easy to learn - picked up by our students within a couple of sessions - and appropriate for pupils in KS2 and KS3.

See Tobias Rhythm 1 - performance to see how all the parts fit together.