Part three of my series on musical instruments, the idiophones:
In 2011, scientists proved something most of us already knew: some people simply cannot dance*. One particular subject, a post-graduate student identified only as Mathieu, was utterly unable to synchronize his movements to a regular beat. He even failed to recognize when someone else was moving in time and, thus, he became the first person to be diagnosed as ‘beat deaf’. I find it fascinating that, although reporting he has never been able to find a beat, Mathieu professes a ‘lifelong love of music and dancing’. I wonder what he hears! Is all music reduced to an ambient wash, or does it explode unnaturally in fits and starts? Perhaps, like the compensatory hearing of a blind man, he has a heightened appreciation of timbre or harmony. Pulse plays such a vital role in the structure and organization of music, yet we tend to take it for granted. Playing with idiophones is a great way for children to feel the pulse of music and develop their own internal clock.
Continue reading “Taking The Pulse Of Music – Instruments Part 3” »
Last year, two flutes found in a German cave were dated from between 42,000 and 43,000 years old, making them the oldest musical instruments yet discovered. Made from mammoth ivory and vulture bones, they are thought to have helped stone-age humans communicate and improve social cohesion (reasons for music-making which continue to this day). Presumably, these ancient flutes were pre-dated by another aerophone: the voice.
Aerophones are instruments in which a body of air is made to vibrate, and none is more fundamental than breath in the lungs. The air moves in and out of the lungs because the diaphragm muscle underneath changes their size, and thus their internal air pressure. As air flows through the trachea (windpipe) it can be made to vibrate the larynx (voice box), creating a simple pitch. Subtle changes in lips, teeth, tongue and palate turn this pitch into any one of the vast variety of vocalizations humans can produce. Learning to talk requires great control of breathing, pitch and volume – all vital to singing. In fact, the line between using your voice for talking and singing isn’t always clear. Speakers of tonal languages (Chinese, for example) alter the meaning of a words by changing pitch. Rappers ‘talk’, with heavy emphasis on the rhythm of the words. Having practiced with this instrument daily from birth, the voice is the perfect first musical instrument for children and all should be encouraged to sing. Of course, some will need more encouragement than others. I hated singing because the noises I made never matched those I heard in my head. Dorian, on the other hand, lives life like he’s in a stage musical. A visit to the toilet can be accompanied by an operatic rendition of ’I am going to the toilet’, sung twenty times…loudly. Not all children will be good singers, but all can learn about music through singing. Find some age-appropriate songs, pick up a guitar, dust off your piano or pick out a CD and sing along with them!