Friday, June 17, 2011

Exotic Instruments Add Spice To Musical Arrangements

By Rosa Wade


Exotic instruments add a flare and a flavor to many types of musical arrangements. They can make a piece more authentic to its time or place. They can be used to create a sound not achievable with a standard repertoire of instruments. Three examples include the oud, the saz and the hurdy gurdy.

Pictorial representations of the oud have been found to be over 5000 years old. It is believed to have been invented by the grandson of Adam of the Bible. The oud is a stringed instrument used in Middle Eastern and North African, such as Egyptian, music.

The oud appears throughout Mesopotamian history. It has been a part of the musical tradition of virtually every ancient civilization in the Middle East and Mediterranean. The modern oud is somewhat different from its ancient orgins. It also varies region to region but it does have some defining features. It does not have a fretted neck. It has eleven strings. Perhaps most remarkable is its body. It has a bowl shaped back which allows for resonance.

The saz is also referred to as the baglama. Cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, Central Asia and the Near East use it in their musical traditions. It is most often found in Turkey where it is the most common folk instrument.

The saz is a seven stringed instrument with three main parts. These are the bowl, the neck and the sounding board. The parts may be made of spruce, mulberry wood, juniper or beech.

The hurdy gurdy is known by several names, one of them is the wheel fiddle. It creates a sound similar to that of a bagpipe. This sound is made when a cranked wheel rubs against its strings. This rubbing makes a constant, even pitched sound. This instrument's style varies by its region. There isn't a standardized design. The two main body styles are the bowl and the conventional guitar.

The hurdy gurdy has a strong tradition in Eastern Europe, primarily Hungary, Ukraine, Poland and Belarus. Folk Festivals often feature it along with folk dancing.

Exotic instruments help to expand musical and cultural horizons. They offer a way to learn about musical history and apply it to create exciting modern pieces. All types of music have been and will continue to be influenced by these exotic pieces. Read more about: exotic instruments




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment