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Ancient Instruments & Music

Here's an extended version of Rainbow Voice from the same film, featuring a male virtuoso this time.
WARNING: If you are listening through headphones, take care - the harmonics are quite piercing at times.

Another awesome piece featured in the Baraka soundtrack.
 
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There was a discussion re overtone or throat singing on another thread. Can't remember which one now but oldrover & me were attempting it. There's 'how to' vids on youtube. I've found I can get overtones emerging & although they're not very loud they're definitely there.

The best ones imo are the mongolian ones. Some of the whistling flute-like overtones they get are quite amazing.
 
I love the mbira. Exotic, transfixing and relaxing.

From the wiki:
Various kinds of plucked idiophones and lamellaphones have existed in Africa for thousands of years. The tines were originally made of bamboo but over the years metal keys have been developed. The mbira appears to have been invented twice in Africa: a wood or bamboo-tined instrument appeared on the west coast of Africa about 3,000 years ago, and metal-tined lamellophones appeared in the Zambezi River valley around 1,300 years ago

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Stella Chiweshe sings.


Several mbira songs introduced to explain their meaning. 41 minutes of pure pleasure.
 
The Kora

From West Africa - a cross between harp/lute, with 21 strings. Evidence that it could date from the 14th century.

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One of the top current players Madou Sidiki Diabate from Mali. He's the 71st generation of Kora players in his family.

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Odd instrument, but a beautiful sound.
 
Yeah, weird looking things but quite angelic sounding. Some players can get into quite mesmeric trance-like syncopated grooves.

I saw a couple of kora players years ago which turned me on to it. Dembo Konte was one of them. They played most of the gig sitting on the floor but on the last number they rose & played standing up with the bulbous resonator in their crotch & the pole sticking out - very phallic. They had big smiles on their faces.
 
The Kora

From West Africa - a cross between harp/lute, with 21 strings. Evidence that it could date from the 14th century.

From memory, this was one of the few remnants of oral history preserved in the family of Alex Haley, the author of Roots: a fiddle was referred to among the family as a “ko”.

maximus otter
 
This is a great film of a day in the life of now deceased kora man & griot Alhaji Bai Konte, shot on location in Brikama, Gambia, narrated by Taj Mahal. Not sure of the year but looks maybe 70s. The afore mentioned Dembo was his son, and also features in the film as well as other family members. I think he's dead too.

Griots were oral historians as well as musicians

This group of Mandinka preserve and propagate genealogical and historical information through song and story, and are a source of immense pride and identity to the Mandinka people.
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There was a discussion re overtone or throat singing on another thread. Can't remember which one now but oldrover & me were attempting it. There's 'how to' vids on youtube. I've found I can get overtones emerging & although they're not very loud they're definitely there.

The best ones imo are the mongolian ones. Some of the whistling flute-like overtones they get are quite amazing.

Not sure if it's the same thing but I managed to do something similar when I was singing in the car one day. It sounded like I was able to make two separate voices. My daughter was in the car with me and we were both amazed when it came out, so I tried and was able to do it again.
It was about three years ago now and I forgot all about it.
Today I was trying to sing along to Maiden's "Aces High" and nearly blew up my head trying to hit the final scream.
 
Thanks to all for contributing some great sounds to this ancient music thread. Much appreciated.
 
I like the revolving bell - produces a sort of 'leslie' effect.
 
Very interesting piece of information from a talented musician friend of mine. He has a Russian flute that plays the harmonic series (i.e. there are no fingerholes - you play different notes by blowing at different velocities, like an old-style trumpet. If you want an idea of what kind of scale that makes, think of a traditional fanfare). You can then shift the whole register down a semitone by sticking your finger in the end. The total of these registers is... The gypsy scale! He reckons that the scale originates from the available technology.
 
Not sure if it's the same thing but I managed to do something similar when I was singing in the car one day. It sounded like I was able to make two separate voices. My daughter was in the car with me and we were both amazed when it came out, so I tried and was able to do it again.
It was about three years ago now and I forgot all about it.

WOW.....
Just re-read this old post of mine tonight because I noticed someone had liked it. Forgot all about that "two voice" thing.
At the same time I'm reading the post I've got Rick Beato on YouTube doing a "What makes this song great" video on Metallica's "Enter Sandman". At the end of it, guess what he notices? Something I've never noticed in nearly 30 years and can only be heard by isolating the vocals - James Hetfield sings one little bit in this "Tibetan throat singer" style, as Beato says, "it's like two voices".
o_O
Just to clarify, it's not a harmony with him literally double tracking his vocal, it's one part where he sounds like he's doing two voices at one time.
 
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WOW.....
Just re-read this old post of mine tonight because I noticed someone had liked it. Forgot all about that "two voice" thing.
At the same time I'm reading the post I've got Rick Beato on YouTube doing a "What makes this song great" video on Metallica's "Enter Sandman". At the end of it, guess what he notices? Something I've never noticed in nearly 30 years and can only be heard by isolating the vocals - James Hetfield sings one little bit in this "Tibetan throat singer" style, as Beato says, "it's like two voices".
o_O
Just to clarify, it's not a harmony with him literally double tracking his vocal, it's one part where he sounds like he's doing two voices at one time.
In throat singing, prominent overtones (harmonics) are produced, giving more than one recognisable note at the same time. This technique is found in a variety of song styles all around the world. It's also possible on certain musical instruments.
 
Ancient/modern. I really like this. Korean girl Luna Lee playing a kind of weird zither called a gayageum - a traditional instrument dating from the 6th century she's using in a more modern way - amplified, distortion etc.

There's quite of few of hers on uchoob. She's done a great rendition of Jimi's version of All Along the Watchtower as well.

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Ancient/modern. I really like this. Korean girl Luna Lee playing a kind of weird zither called a gayageum - a traditional instrument dating from the 6th century she's using in a more modern way - amplified, distortion etc.

There's quite of few of hers on uchoob. She's done a great rendition of Jimi's version of All Along the Watchtower as well.

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That came up in my suggestions too. I'm sure she posted it ages ago. I think she may have re-uploaded it.
 
Very interesting piece of information from a talented musician friend of mine. He has a Russian flute that plays the harmonic series (i.e. there are no fingerholes - you play different notes by blowing at different velocities, like an old-style trumpet. If you want an idea of what kind of scale that makes, think of a traditional fanfare). You can then shift the whole register down a semitone by sticking your finger in the end. The total of these registers is... The gypsy scale! He reckons that the scale originates from the available technology.

This video starting at 2:59 would appear to vindicate this theory. She's doing overtone singing, which works on the harmonic series. When she switches between two fundamentals a semitone apart, see what scale emerges... Watch the whole thing anyway, it's mind-blowing.

PS here are some related threads:

Earliest Musical Instruments Found
Ice Age Musical Instruments
 
^ You know it's some serious warblins when a leotard is the armour of choice.
 
The haunting gemshorn, an ocarina made from a cow's horn. Something about this instrument is very evocative to me. I can picture people playing these in time immemorial.

 
The haunting gemshorn, an ocarina made from a cow's horn. Something about this instrument is very evocative to me. I can picture people playing these in time immemorial.

Mind=blown. I thought ocarinas were small string instruments, like little lutes.
 
Ocarina means 'little goose' and it's a kind of non-straight flute.

First I heard of ocarinas was when some guy kicked off online when his was stolen from his car. His original complaint became a meme so I can't even find it under the huge heaps of humour it has inspired!
Or maybe the whole thing was a joke, I dunno.

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