Instruments de musique
"Each show has it's own color, rythm and musical atmosphere. I don't decide ahead of time which instrument I will use for a story, or whether music is even necessary. It's the story itself which chooses whether or not it needs to be orchestrated in order to be understood. The music is always serving the story, and not vica versa. »
The udu is an African percussion instrument not to be confused with the Ghatam from India. It can be played with both hands and fingers. When struck quickly, the large center hole will lake a low bass note.
The Rik or Rekk is a type of tambourine used in classical Arab music. It is usually made of a wodden frame, jingles and a thin, translucent skin mad of fish or shark skin.
The conch is also known as the "seashell horn" or "shell trumpet". It's a wind instrument made from the shell of very large sea snails. It is one of the most ancient musical instruments known to mankind.
The senza or kalimba is also known as the thumb piano. It is a traditional African instrument. it's body can be made of wood or coconut shell on which are attached thin tuned metal strips made to resonate with two thumbs.
This is an 'acautic' senza. By alternately playing it in and out of water, it can create otherworldly sounds and a larger choice of harmonics tha it's land bound model.
The Tanpura, tambura or tanpuri is a long necked plucked string instrument found in various forms of Indian music. It does not play melody, but rather supports and sustains the melody of another instrument or singer by providing a continous harmonic bourdon or drone.
The ocean drum is a percussion instrument that can produce soothing sounds similar to those made by the ocean. Attached to the frame are two membranes. Inside metal beads roll around like water rolling over the shore. Different speeds produce different sounds. the larger the drum, the deeper the tone.
The cuica is a Brazilian friction drum with a large pitch range. A small wooden stick is attached to the skin. When rubbed with a wet cloth, it produces a sound similar o a voice. The note can be varied with the other hand by changing tension on the head of the drum. Cuica is Portuguese for a type of small opossum which is known to make a high pitched sound.
I use a lot of smaller percussion and wind instruments(but no less important or amusing) such as the kazoo, castanets, jaw harp, shaker, penny whistle, cymbals...Etc.
My drum is a native American drum from Canada made from Caribou skin. Indigenous people through out Turtle Island refer to the beat produced by the drum as the heart beat of Mother earth. It is used in many sacred ceremonial practices.
L'Autoharp est une variation nord-américaine de la cithare autrichienne. Elle est jouée dans la région des Appalaches pour accompagner la musique folk, country ou bluegrass.
The Shruti Box is an instrument that traditionally works on a system of belloxs and is used to provide a drone for Indian classical music. Adjustable buttons allow tuning.
A rainstick is a long hollow tube partially filled with small beans or pebbles. When the stick is upturned, the pebbles fall to the other end of the tube, making a sound reminicent of rain falling. In certain cultures, it is used as a chromometer. The person holding it is the only one allowed to speak, but only for the duration of the sound;
The gourd water drum is made up of a large gourd filled with water on which is placed an inverted half gourd. The inverted gourd can be played with sticks or hands. The instrument is present in many cultures such as Western Afirca, Asia and the Americas
The Hang is a modern instrument created in Switzerland. It's creation was inspired by many different percussion instruments coming from as many different cultures such as the gong, gamelin, drum, ghatam, belle and steel drum.
The jingle bell is a percussion instrument made up of many small bells (or in some cases sea shells). I often tie them around my ankles which allows me to creat a distinctive sound every time my feet hit the floor.