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The Development of Steel Drums by Victor Epand

The world of music, songs and artists is graced by beats of drums, whose lilting tunes can enliven drooping spirits and rejuvenate frayed nerves. Complimenting the vocal music culture has emerged the instrumental music. Steel drums form an integral part of the instrumental music genre, which has successfully carved a niche for itself.

The soul pondering instrumental music has win hearts and has proved to be a pleasant gift for one and all. The history of steel drums is long and interesting. It was invented in the land of Trinidad around the time of Second World War.

The steel drums were invented to bridge the gap between the upper and poor classes. As upper class banned the lower class instruments, the lower class would simply replace it with another new instrument.

Earlier the instruments were devised by cutting varying lengths of bamboos. A by product of cultural gaps between the rich and the poor, steel drums have emerged with the musical quality of both the classes.

The early 1930s saw a great evolution in the history of steel drums with metal beating drums. The first pitched metal drum was made out of small metal containers, which were convex in shape. But with time it evolved to a great extent and now it is constructed from a 55 gallon barrel. Steel drums are a recently re-invented addition to the world of musical instruments.

Steel pan music reached new heights in the 19th century when a steel band got the opportunity to perform in common wealth celebrations. This gave steel drummers a new international exposure and gradually it became an established art form, revered by music lovers across the world. Steel drummers are adapting themselves in a varied number of ways to suit different tastes.

Instrumental music can broadly be categorized into the following types

Vocal supported instrumental music
Western instrumental music
Oriental classical music

Instrumental music has been very popular from ancient times. The different traditions of instrumental music have been as followed

Andalusian classical music
Arab classical music
Gagaku, Gamelan
Classical Korean

The world of music is full of fun and thrills. So, be ready to sway every heart and soul with the lilting tunes of steel drums that are definitely going to jazz up the musical world.

With steel drums you can churn out almost everything ranging from buoyant pop tunes to hip hop music. Steel drums can churn out almost every type of music old, straight, alternative, orthodox as well as modern.

Characteristics of steel drums

Steel drums generally have a very high tempo.
It follows repetitious beats.
Steel drums are a product of western cultural scenario.
It produces high decibel sound.
It provides greater versatility to drummers.
It is capable of producing chromatic range of notes and tones.

Steel drum beats can actually transport you to a new different world of music and acts as a rebellion against established social norms. It can cast a hypnotic spell on its listeners.

Steel drummers have now sprung up in endless number of countries from Japan to Sweden. In fact, many national organizations have also started accepting steel drums as the accepted notion worldwide.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, and synthesizers. You can find the best marketplace for guitars, drums, and synthesizers at these 3 sites: guitars, bass guitar gears , drums, steel drum , and synthesizers, keyboards.

Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/The-Development-of-Steel-Drums/238357

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The Theremin by Joe T

Thereminists and theremin enthusiasts have a tough time being anything other than perpetually fascinated and enamored of our favorite electronic instrument. For myself, the magic factor encompasses a) It’s elegant simplicity †there’s a wonderful video segment of the late Dr. Robert Moog, wide-eyed and smiling, saying that if you look inside Theremin’s early instruments â€there’s nothing there!†b) You’re not touching anything when you play! c) Playing gives rise to a level and quality of concentration that is entirely unique to the experience; d) The Theremin is so sensitive to external conditions that we ascribe behavior to it †this anthropomorphism eventually imbues it with a full-blown personality (or is it just me?); e) regardless of the type of music or sounds you produce, spectators are immediately enthralled.

The theremin has been used with full orchestras, electronic ensembles, for movies, TV, rock and roll records, and countless other ways. The one subject rarely, if ever, touched upon (and again, maybe it’s just me ): the theremin has got to be the silliest instrument ever created. It’s essentially a box with two antennae that makes noise corresponding to the slightest movement. A theremin produces only a single, continuous tone. That’s all.

To be fair, all musical instruments are totally surreal. It’s just that we’re so used to the sight of them, that we take their appearances for granted. Whether you pluck, strum, hit, blow, bow or spit, the physical movements that instruments require are downright bizarre. That said, the movements demanded of a thereminist are the most bizarre of all. Your two arms are moving in strangely coordinated opposition; the left arm moves up and down, the right arm move backward and forward. To many who witness it, it strikes them as the electronic equivalent of rubbing your tummy and patting your hand and vice versa.

The sight can be both intriguing and a bit creepy due to the attitude and stance of the player. Some thereminist’s mouths move in very strange ways. Others adopt what’s been referred to as the â€tai chi†stance and their bodies do move in a fluid back and forth pattern. The weirdest aspects tend to be the facial expression. For those familiar with the video footage of Clara Rockmore, she looks almost half asleep while her magnificent hands take focus. Other players display a more glazed-over, deer-in-the-headlights stare that can be very disconcerting. Still others bring to their presentation style the look and stiff movement of an incredulous zombie. Ultimately, there’s no escaping it; you look like you’re a bug-eyed weirdo who’s sculpting the air and swatting flies.

In virtually every theremin-centric forum on the web, topic threads are being tied into knots. While in some way all thereminists seem to agree that the instrument is suited to just about any musical style, the arguments over what type of music should be played and even what constitutes music go on and on and on. Theremaniacs speculate/argue/elucidate/pontificate and generally engage in huge hubbubs of this sort. Is experimental noise any less artistic than playing classical music? Is playing traditionally notated music denying the theremin it’s true birthright as an instrument that must never be bound by established forms?

Oh well… silly debates for a silly instrument. Every instrument ever invented has been used in every conceivable way. Playing a cymbal with a fiddle bow may have caused a stir way back when, but no one’s still fretting over it. We live in a time when all of the artistic rules governing every medium have already been broken. The theremin is here, like all other tools in all of the arts, to be used, abused, revered and reviled and put to whatever purpose the artist can devise. The only standards that are valid are those the artist stipulates.

Kip Rosser has been playing the theremin for ten years, delighting and intriguing his audiences with a wholly original mix of demonstration, comedy, performance art and first-rate musicianship. He is also a member of both the Martian Radio Orchestra and the Electro-Music Chamber Orchestra. For photos, music samples, animations, reviews and upcoming appearances, please visit: http://www.performancekr.com/theremin.html.

Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/The-Theremin/294682