Overview
Pluck them, bang them, shake them up, and blow into them -- these instruments from around the world produce every type of joyful noise. They range from wood temple gongs to water drums to stamping tubes, and with a variety of gourds you can have an orchestra! Best of all, there's no need for a woodworking shop or specialized equipment. Simple household tools, easy-to-find items, and even "junk" from the garage will do the trick -- but what you'll end up with aren't those toy cigar boxes with rubber bands. These instruments are the real thing. Tips on choosing your gourd, cleaning it thoroughly, sealing it, and even decorating and playing the finished instrument will assure that you're making beautiful music.Start with basic drums: gather gourds of different sizes, turn them over, arrange them in a line to become a tuned set, and get a rhythm going. Vary the sound by holding them against your chest, or by putting metal rings on your fingers while you tap. Shake rattles that range from a Mesoamerican Indian rain stick to the popular African shekere strung with a loose-fitting net of beautifully colored beads or other hard objects. Scrape and rub: when one rough surface touches another you get the rhythms of a Caribbean guiro. The stroking of a stick against notches in the side of a hollow resonator makes the instrument's sound. How about a small piano to play with your thumb? Try the gorgeous tones of the kalimba. Tiny metal tongues on a spring produce the melody; make it big or small enough to play as you walk.
Friction drums, with a skin that vibrates, can wail or roar -- depending on how much pressure you use! A Brazilian cuica makes a series of fun-sounding squeaks and squawks, and a version from the lvory Coast is an important part of ceremonies and rituals. Plus, you can fashion a kazoo, a musical bow, an Indian sitar, harps, and more, from Central and South America and the Far East -- even the familiar banjo and guitar. In addition to learning everything from making a drumhead to tuning the instrument, you'll also delve into the history of each type of drum and see photographs of hundreds of instruments, both contemporary and ancestral -- many of them actually being played in their traditional settings.
Synopsis
Pluck them, bang them, shake them, and blow into them! These instruments—from wood temple gongs to water drums and stamping tubes—produce every type of joyful noise. Make a fun “gourd orchestra” of rattles, like a Mesoamerican Indian rain stick and African shekere; a Caribbean guiro; a gorgeous mbira or thumb piano; and friction drums that wail or roar. There are instruments from near and far, from the unusual to the familiar banjo and guitar. Tips on choosing, cleaning, and sealing a gourd, and decorating and playing the finished instrument, help to create beautiful music.
Library Journal
Historically, ethnic groups in many countries have used a great number of musical instruments made from gourds. In North America these instruments are used mainly by percussionists. Most of the step-by-step projects in this book by gourd artists Summit and Widess (The Complete Book of Gourd Craft) are for percussion or stringed instruments such as the Latin American guiro (gourd scraper) or the spike fiddle. There are also a few from the wind family, such as the fipple flute. These are legitimate musical instruments made from traditional materials, and they are fully playable as well as being beautifully crafted. Highly recommended for general crafts as well as ethnomusicology collections. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\