Horse Fiddles
March 14, 2010 7:41 PM Subscribe
The etheric, tectonic tones of Tuvan throat signing are familiar to every world music aficionado.
While the singing style itself is captures the spotlight, the Igil, a sort of half-violin, half-banjo , is the traditional accompaniment of the steppe musician.
John Pascuzzi of A Single Thread combines the finger-and-bow work of a classical violinist with electronica and a traditional Igil to produce haunting, dark, gripping, arrangements that really rock.
John Pascuzzi of A Single Thread combines the finger-and-bow work of a classical violinist with electronica and a traditional Igil to produce haunting, dark, gripping, arrangements that really rock.
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones recently toured with Alash, here is one concert.
posted by zombieApoc at 8:00 PM on March 14, 2010
posted by zombieApoc at 8:00 PM on March 14, 2010
Thanks for the post, clarknova! I've long admired the Mongolian string instruments: they have such a warm, rich sound.
I hate the term "world music", but that's another story. No big deal.
Tuvan and Mongolian throat singing, previously, previously and previously.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:33 PM on March 14, 2010
I hate the term "world music", but that's another story. No big deal.
Tuvan and Mongolian throat singing, previously, previously and previously.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:33 PM on March 14, 2010
I can't stand it either, but you know exactly what it means.
posted by clarknova at 8:42 PM on March 14, 2010
posted by clarknova at 8:42 PM on March 14, 2010
Tuvan throat signing
Practiced by deaf Tuvans. ;-)
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:05 PM on March 14, 2010 [2 favorites]
Practiced by deaf Tuvans. ;-)
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:05 PM on March 14, 2010 [2 favorites]
Very nice. Even the larynx video. THAT was unexpected.
posted by salishsea at 10:00 PM on March 14, 2010
posted by salishsea at 10:00 PM on March 14, 2010
Wow, John Pascuzzi has some great stuff. I would love to see him pair his electric-Igil with other instruments, rather than a drum machine. The drum machine detracts from the cool tones.
posted by Maztec at 10:39 PM on March 14, 2010
posted by Maztec at 10:39 PM on March 14, 2010
Very nice. Even the larynx video. THAT was unexpected.
I had the idea of doing that after I had a laryngoscopy. I wish I'd thought of it before. I could have been the first kid on the internet.
posted by clarknova at 11:15 PM on March 14, 2010
I had the idea of doing that after I had a laryngoscopy. I wish I'd thought of it before. I could have been the first kid on the internet.
posted by clarknova at 11:15 PM on March 14, 2010
It sounds great a cut above a lot of world music + rock/techno fusions, but unfortunately it seems like exposure to all the inferior versions has kind of ruined me for it. Wish this was the normal quality on offer.
It's like blues, I can recognise the talent of original bluesmen, but I never got into it maybe because the sound of the blues has been so played out by cheesier musicians by the time I came on the scene.
posted by Not Supplied at 2:03 AM on March 15, 2010
It's like blues, I can recognise the talent of original bluesmen, but I never got into it maybe because the sound of the blues has been so played out by cheesier musicians by the time I came on the scene.
posted by Not Supplied at 2:03 AM on March 15, 2010
Saw this last night and figured I'd explore it today; damn, now my day's shot going through the links...John's doing some cool stuff! "When she flies" has some nice things going on in it.
[MINOR RANT]
But I DO agree about the drum machine...deciding that I hate most drum machines, the only exception possibly being a tabla machine. Sheesh, why do so many talented musicians seem to think there has to be some sort of percussion line going to give their performance a rhythmic structure?
With folks out there like Zoë Keating, Tim Nelson, or Todd Reynolds doing what they do WITHOUT a drum machine, you'd think we'd see more folks trying to get away from it. Oh, well...
[/MINOR RANT]
I'd love to hear him combine his Hang drum work with the igil ... but that's just me.
posted by aldus_manutius at 7:31 AM on March 15, 2010
[MINOR RANT]
But I DO agree about the drum machine...deciding that I hate most drum machines, the only exception possibly being a tabla machine. Sheesh, why do so many talented musicians seem to think there has to be some sort of percussion line going to give their performance a rhythmic structure?
With folks out there like Zoë Keating, Tim Nelson, or Todd Reynolds doing what they do WITHOUT a drum machine, you'd think we'd see more folks trying to get away from it. Oh, well...
[/MINOR RANT]
I'd love to hear him combine his Hang drum work with the igil ... but that's just me.
posted by aldus_manutius at 7:31 AM on March 15, 2010
flapjax at midnight stole my comment. Well played, flap.
posted by Doohickie at 7:33 AM on March 15, 2010
posted by Doohickie at 7:33 AM on March 15, 2010
With folks out there like Zoë Keating, Tim Nelson , or Todd Reynolds doing what they do WITHOUT a drum machine, you'd think we'd see more folks trying to get away from it. Oh, well...
I'm sorry, I don't see any Igil in those links. Please try again.
posted by clarknova at 10:10 AM on March 15, 2010
I'm sorry, I don't see any Igil in those links. Please try again.
posted by clarknova at 10:10 AM on March 15, 2010
I'd love to hear him combine his Hang drum work with the igil ... but that's just me.
Here you go.
posted by sciencemandan at 12:21 PM on March 15, 2010
Here you go.
posted by sciencemandan at 12:21 PM on March 15, 2010
I hate the term "world music", but that's another story. No big deal.
I think it's a useful term, if too generic. Music from non-Western cultural traditions can't be fit into categories like "classical", "pop" or "jazz", but then again saying "world music" is kind of like saying "other".
posted by DecemberBoy at 1:23 PM on March 15, 2010
I think it's a useful term, if too generic. Music from non-Western cultural traditions can't be fit into categories like "classical", "pop" or "jazz", but then again saying "world music" is kind of like saying "other".
posted by DecemberBoy at 1:23 PM on March 15, 2010
I think it's a useful term, if too generic. Music from non-Western cultural traditions can't be fit into categories like "classical", "pop" or "jazz", but then again saying "world music" is kind of like saying "other".
Yeah, that's a big part of the problem I have with the term. It presupposes that non-Western music should be classified as "other". Why would that be, exactly? Doesn't it strike you as odd, and/or a sort of *colonialist* way of thinking? Doesn't it simply continue a worldview that is outdated and rather distasteful? There's *us* (what? white people from the US and Europe? That's what we're talking about, right?) and *other*. That's stupid. "World music" is just a stupid term. Meaningless.
And as far as needing categories apart from jazz and classical and whatnot, what's wrong with "Tuvan music"? Or "Mongolian throat singing"? Or "Cambodian rock"? Or "juju", "jaipong", "cumbia", "mariachi" or any number of the thousands of categories and genres and styles that exist all around the planet? I mean, if you say "world music" instead of just going ahead and saying "Tuvan throat singing", why not say "American music" instead of saying "jazz"? Because "jazz" is more specific than "American music". "American music" could also mean blues, zydeco, country & western, rockabilly, etc. You'd call jazz "jazz" in order to be more specific, to be exact and let people know what you're talking about. By the same token, why use this enormously generic "world music" term at all?
Also, consider your "pop" music example: there's no shortage of "pop" music from countries all around the world. there's Brazilian pop, Chinese pop, Japanese pop, Lebanese pop... "Pop" is not a category unique to "Western" music. For that matter, neither is "classical". Gagaku is the classical music of Japan, Mahagita is a classical music of Burma (now Myanmar), p'ansori is a classical music of Korea.... there's "classical" music all over the world: it's not unique to Europe.
The world is just too big and varied for a term like ""world music" to mean anything at all. At that point we should just use the term "music".
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:09 PM on March 15, 2010
Yeah, that's a big part of the problem I have with the term. It presupposes that non-Western music should be classified as "other". Why would that be, exactly? Doesn't it strike you as odd, and/or a sort of *colonialist* way of thinking? Doesn't it simply continue a worldview that is outdated and rather distasteful? There's *us* (what? white people from the US and Europe? That's what we're talking about, right?) and *other*. That's stupid. "World music" is just a stupid term. Meaningless.
And as far as needing categories apart from jazz and classical and whatnot, what's wrong with "Tuvan music"? Or "Mongolian throat singing"? Or "Cambodian rock"? Or "juju", "jaipong", "cumbia", "mariachi" or any number of the thousands of categories and genres and styles that exist all around the planet? I mean, if you say "world music" instead of just going ahead and saying "Tuvan throat singing", why not say "American music" instead of saying "jazz"? Because "jazz" is more specific than "American music". "American music" could also mean blues, zydeco, country & western, rockabilly, etc. You'd call jazz "jazz" in order to be more specific, to be exact and let people know what you're talking about. By the same token, why use this enormously generic "world music" term at all?
Also, consider your "pop" music example: there's no shortage of "pop" music from countries all around the world. there's Brazilian pop, Chinese pop, Japanese pop, Lebanese pop... "Pop" is not a category unique to "Western" music. For that matter, neither is "classical". Gagaku is the classical music of Japan, Mahagita is a classical music of Burma (now Myanmar), p'ansori is a classical music of Korea.... there's "classical" music all over the world: it's not unique to Europe.
The world is just too big and varied for a term like ""world music" to mean anything at all. At that point we should just use the term "music".
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:09 PM on March 15, 2010
I can't stand it either, but you know exactly what it means.
Indeed. See comment above!
And thanks again for the post, clarknova.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:55 PM on March 15, 2010
Indeed. See comment above!
And thanks again for the post, clarknova.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:55 PM on March 15, 2010
Used to be that world music meant music with hand drums drums played by people who don't speak English. Any other instruments were fine too as long as you hit skin with skin.
And, browsing the stores and labels that use it as a genre, it still seems to mean that. Not a helpful term and one that still propagates a colonial attitude but still....
...dammit, I KNOW what you mean too!
posted by salishsea at 10:29 PM on March 15, 2010
And, browsing the stores and labels that use it as a genre, it still seems to mean that. Not a helpful term and one that still propagates a colonial attitude but still....
...dammit, I KNOW what you mean too!
posted by salishsea at 10:29 PM on March 15, 2010
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posted by griphus at 7:46 PM on March 14, 2010