Negotiable instrument

facts of prehistoric musical cultures from images and archeological remains, our understanding is severely limited by the lack of written record. Instruments themselves were made out of perishable materials, and few have survived. Luckily, pictures show how instruments were held and played, and in what circumstances music was used. Surviving instruments reveal details of their construction. For example, archaeologists exploring the royal tombs at Ur, a Sumerian city on the Euphrates, found…

Within the first paragraph of Shooting Dad Sarah Vowell establishes her diametric relationship with her father. Vowell says she “never subscribed to Guns & Ammo,” “did not plaster the family vehicle with National Rifle Association stickers,” and always disliked “hunter’s orange,” which implies her father delights in these activities. She reveals her anti-gun stance, and shows the pro-gun stance of her father simultaneously. The historical term “a house divided” and the phrase “Civil War…

start I notice had me tapping my toes. I notice when the piece changed gears and calm was after the flutes had a solo part of their own. That was kind of the turning point. Also I had to give notice to the triangle player, even though he had a small instrument, the way he contributed was quite surprising. There was a long period of time he had to keep beat and pace with the rest which looked easy but I noticed he had to get into it himself with head bobs to keep himself in rhythm. I really took…

A Mariachi is a musical group that are originally from Mexico, consisting at least two violinist, two trumpets, a Spanish guitar, a vihuela, and a guitarrón. The word mariachi was considered to be derived from marriage, which is the French word for marriage, since mariachi often performed at weddings. Mariachi music as we know today is originated Jalisco, Mexico. Mariachi is sound, also known as son, is a mixture of Spanish, native and African traditions, which differs form region to region. The…

peers. When my sophomore year finished, I believed that it was time to try again; I decided to audition for the snare drum for my Junior year. This audition was far greater than the previous because I was accepted into Dumline, but it was not the instrument I yearned for.…

to participate in a dance off onstage during one of the breaks, something the whole band celebrated in camaraderie. A museum with all things country music, “Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum” held all kinds of pieces from various dresses and instruments of musicians from…

was their ability to arrange modern songs into a salsa format. It was a lively performance where many audience members danced along with the band, demonstrating the danceable feature of the music. The orchestra used many of the traditional salsa instruments, including timbales, conga drums, a cowbell, and a guiro. Mambo influences were also evident in the instrumentation. With the rise of big bands in the United States, the traditional flutes and violins were replaced with horns and saxophones,…

West African musical influences can be found throughout the rest of Africa and across the globe. These influences can be found throughout various genres of music, including jazz, blues, and electronic music. A modern example I discovered that demonstrates West African musical styles was M83’s Midnight City, an electronic song. Firstly, and prominently featured throughout the song is the synth pattern, or ostinato that is repeated through a large majority of the song. It is a simple four note…

the intro of the song it is just the brass, guitar, and drums playing for four measures until Aretha Franklin starts singing. The back-up singers and the piano’s entrance is about a half of a beat after Aretha’s entrance. At this point all of the instruments are in full swing. The brass has a solo about half way through the song; the saxophone having the melody and the trombone and trumpets playing the harmony. Also this solo is the loudest part of the entire piece, having to be at a fortissimo…

projector behind the performers had videos, and drawings displayed that was turned into amination, and it brought the drawings to life while making the story more entertaining. While the video would be playing in the back a performer would play their instruments to go along with the video. The cat was played with a clarinet, bird with a flute, grandfather was the bassoon, the wolf was played by the French horns, and Peter was played by the strings. The narrator would say a couple lines then…