The Little Rockers Club Featured Instrument for March 2010
The tambourine or Marine (commonly called Tambo) is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal
jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an
instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at
all.
The Little Rockers Club Featured Instrument for January 2010
Castanets are percussion instrument (idiophone), used in Moorish, Ottoman, ancient Roman, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American music.
The instrument consists of a pair of concave shells joined on one edge
by string. These are held in the hand and used to produce clicks for
rhythmic accents or a ripping or rattling sound consisting of a rapid
series of clicks. They are traditionally made of hardwood, although fibreglass is becoming increasingly popular.
In practice a player usually uses two pairs of castanets. One pair
is held in each hand, with the string hooked over the thumb and the
castanets resting on the palm with the fingers bent over to support the
other side. Each pair will make a sound of a slightly different pitch. The higher pair, known as hembra (female), is usually held in the right hand, with the larger macho (male) pair held in the left.
Castanets are often played by singers or dancers. Contrary to popular belief, castanets are not commonly used in flamenco
dance, except for two specific forms: the zambra and the siguiriyas. In
fact, Spanish folk dance is the style typically performed that
incorporates castanet use. Escuela bolera, a balletic danceform is also
accompanied by castanets. The name (Spanish: castañuelas) is derived from the diminutive form of castaña, the Spanish word for chestnut, which they resemble. In Andalusia they are usually referred to as palillos (little sticks) instead, and this is the name by which they are known in flamenco.
The origins of the instrument are not known. The practice of
clicking hand-held sticks together to accompany dancing is ancient, and
was practiced by both the Greeks and the Egyptians. In more modern times, the bones and spoons used in Minstrel show and jug band music can also be considered forms of the castanet.
When used in an orchestral setting, castanets are sometimes attached to a handle, or mounted to a base to form a pair of machine castanets.
This makes them easier to play, but also alters the sound, particularly
for the machine castanets. It is possible to produce a roll
on a pair of castanets in any of the three ways in which they are held.
When held in the hand, they are bounced against the fingers and palm of
the hand; on sticks, bouncing between fingers and the player's thigh is
one accepted method. For a machine castanet, a less satisfactory roll
is obtained by rapid alternation of the two castanets with the fingers.
The Little Rockers Club Featured Instrument for December 2009
The bass guitar[1] (also called electric bass,[2][3][4] or simply bass; pronounced /ˈbeɪs/, as in "base") is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb (either by plucking, slapping, popping, tapping, or thumping), or by using a plectrum.
The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and scale length, with four, sometimes five, or six strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass,[5] which correspond to pitches one octave lower than those of the four lower strings of a guitar (E, A, D, and G).[6] The bass guitar is a transposing instrument, as it is notated in bass clef an octave higher than it sounds (as is the double bass) in order to avoid the excessive use of ledger lines. Like the electric guitar, the electric bass guitar is plugged into an amplifier and speaker for live performances.
Since the 1950s, the electric bass guitar has largely replaced the double bass in popular music as the bass instrument in the rhythm section. While the types of basslines
performed by the bass guitarist vary widely from one style of music to
another, the bass guitarist fulfills a similar role in most types of
music: anchoring the harmonic framework and laying down the beat. The
bass guitar is used in many styles of music including rock, metal, pop, ska, punk rock, country, blues, and jazz. It is used as a soloing instrument in jazz, fusion, Latin, funk, and in some rock and heavy metal styles.
The Little Rockers Club Featured Instrument for November 2009
The piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Classical music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal.
Although not portable and often expensive, the piano's versatility and
ubiquity have made it one of the world's most familiar musical
instruments.
Pressing a key on the piano's keyboard causes a felt covered hammer to strike steel strings. The hammers rebound, allowing the strings to continue vibrating at their resonant frequency.[1] These vibrations are transmitted through a bridge to a sounding board that couples
the acoustic energy to the air so that it can be heard as sound. When
the key is released, a damper stops the string's vibration. See the
article on Piano key frequencies for a picture of the piano keyboard and the location of middle-C. Pianos are percussive. According to the Hornbostel-Sachs method of music classification, they are grouped with chordophones.
The word piano is a shortened form of the word pianoforte, which is derived from the original Italian name for the instrument, clavicembalo [or gravicembalo] col piano e forte (literally harpsichord with soft and loud). This refers to the instrument's responsiveness to keyboard touch, which allows the pianist to produce notes at different dynamic levels by controlling the speed with which the hammers hit the strings.
The Little Rockers Club Featured Instrument for October 2009
The harmonica, also called harp, blues harp, french harp, and mouth organ,[1] is a free reed wind instrument which is used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country music and rock and roll.
It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips
over individual holes (reed chambers) or multiple holes. The pressure
caused by blowing or drawing air into the reed chambers causes a reed
or multiple reeds to vibrate up and down creating sound. Each chamber
has multiple, variable-tuned brass or bronze reeds which are secured at one end and loose on the other end, with the loose end vibrating and creating sound.
Reeds are pre-tuned to individual tones, and each tone is determined
according to the size of reed. Longer reeds make deep, low sounds and
short reeds make higher-pitched sounds. On certain types of harmonica
the pre-tuned reed can be changed (bending a note) to another note by
redirecting air flow into the chamber. There are many types of
harmonicas, including diatonic, chromatic, tremolo, orchestral, and
bass versions.
The Little Rockers Club Featured Instrument for August 2009
The saxophone (also referred to simply as sax) is a conical-bored transposing musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax
in 1841. He wanted to create an instrument that would both be the
loudest of the woodwinds and the most versatile of the brass, and would
fill the then vacant middle ground between the two sections. He
patented the sax in 1846 in two groups of seven instruments each. Each
series consisted of instruments of various sizes in alternating transposition. The series pitched in B♭ and E♭, designed for military bands,
has proved extremely popular and most saxophones encountered today are
from this series. A few saxophones remain from the less popular orchestral series pitched in C and F.
While proving very popular in its intended niche of military band music, the saxophone is most commonly associated with popular music, big band music, blues, early rock and roll, skajazz.
There is also a substantial repertoire of concert music in the
classical idiom for the members of the saxophone family. Saxophone
players are called saxophonists.
The Little Rockers Club Featured Instrument for July 2009
A keyboard instrument is an instrument that is played by
pressing the keys of a keyboard. In a keyboard, the notes are arranged
with naturals (usually white notes) forming the main body of the
keyboard, and sharps and flats (usually black notes) placed in cuttings
into the upper half of the naturals.
The ways in which the sound is made varies a lot:
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the word Clavier was used in Germany
to mean any kind of keyboard instrument. Often, the naturals were black
and the sharps and flats were white (see picture of harpsichord below), but
the layout was exactly the same.
The development of electronic instruments in the 20th century has brought about many different types of electronic keyboard instruments. These include the ondes martenot and the synthesizer.
Nowadays, people often talk about a keyboard meaning an electronic keyboard (e.g. “He plays the keyboard”). This word is sometimes pluralized as "keyboards".
The Little Rockers Club Featured Instrument for June 2009
The drum is a member of the percussion group of music instruments, technically classified as a membranophone.[1]. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead
or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either
directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement
such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll".
Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments,
and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of
years.[1] Most drums are considered "untuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs [2].
Sound of a drum
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type, shape and construction of the drum shell, the type of drum heads it has, and the tension of these drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. Take, for example, the modern Tom-tom drum. A jazz drummer may want drums that sound crisp, clean, and a little on the soft side, whereas a rock and roll
drummer may prefer drums that sound loud and deep. Since these drummers
want different sounds, their drums will be constructed a little
differently.
The drum head has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of
drum head serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound.
Thicker drum heads are lower-pitched and can be very loud. Drum heads with a white plastic coating on them muffle the overtones of the drum head slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drum heads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more. And drum heads with perimeter
sound rings mostly eliminate overtones (Howie 2005). Some jazz drummers
avoid using thick drum heads, preferring single ply drum heads or drum
heads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or
coated drum heads.
The second biggest factor affecting the sound produced by a drum is
the tension at which the drum head is held against the shell of the
drum. When the hoop is placed around the drum head and shell and
tightened down with tension rods, the tension of the head can be
adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower.
The type of shell also affects the sound of a drum. Because the vibrations resonate
in the shell of the drum, the shell can be used to increase the volume
and to manipulate the type of sound produced. The larger the diameter of the shell, the lower the pitch. Maple produces a wholesome sound while mahogany
raises the frequency of low pitches and keeps higher frequencies at
about the same speed. When choosing a set of shells, a jazz drummer may
want smaller maple shells, while a rock drummer may want larger birch
shells.
History
In the past drums have been used not only for their musical qualities, but also as a means of communication, especially through signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances. Throughout Sri Lankan history
drums have been used for communication between the state and the
community, and Sri Lankan drums have a history stretching back over
2500 years. Chinese troops used tàigǔ drums to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements[citation needed]. Fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers also used drums. They used an early version of the snare drum carried over the player's right shoulder, suspended by a strap (typically played with one hand using traditional grip).
It is to this instrument that the English word "drum" was first used.
Similarly, during the English civil war rope-tension drums would be
carried by junior officers as a means to relay commands from senior
officers over the noise of battle. These were also hung over the
shoulder of the drummer and typically played with two drum sticks.
Different regiments and companies would have distinctive and unique
drum beats which only they would recognize.
The Little Rockers Club Featured Instrument for May 2009
The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four, seven, eight, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen and eighteen string guitars also exist.
Guitars are recognized as one of the primary instruments in flamenco, jazz, blues, country, mariachi, rock music, and many forms of pop. They can also be a solo classical instrument. Guitars may be played acoustically, where the tone is produced by vibration of the strings and modulated by the hollow body, or they may rely on an amplifier that can electronically manipulate tone. Such electric guitars were introduced in the 1930s and continue to have a profound influence on popular culture.
Traditionally guitars have usually been constructed of combinations
of various woods and strung with animal gut, or more recently, with
either nylon or steel strings. Guitars are made and repaired by luthiers.
There are many brands of guitars, but some commonly known brands are
PRS, Gibson, Dean, Gretsch, Ibanez, Martin, Jackson, Schecter, and
Fender.
Acoustic guitars
An acoustic guitar is one not dependent on an external device to be
heard but uses a soundboard which is a wooden piece mounted on the
front of the guitar's body. The acoustic guitar is quieter than other
instruments commonly found in bands and orchestras so when playing
within such groups it is often externally amplified. Many acoustic
guitars available today feature a variety of pickups which enable the
player to amplify and modify the raw guitar sound.
There are several notable subcategories within the acoustic guitar
group: classical and flamenco guitars; steel string guitars, which
include the flat top or "folk" guitar; twelve string guitars and the
arch top guitar. The acoustic guitar group also includes unamplified
guitars designed to play in different registers such as the acoustic
bass guitar which has a similar tuning to that of the electric bass
guitar.
Electric guitars
Electric guitars can have solid, semi-hollow, or hollow bodies, and produce little sound without amplification. Electromagnetic pickups convert the vibration of the steel strings into electrical signals, which are fed to an amplifier through a cable or radio transmitter. The sound is frequently modified by other electronic devices or the natural distortion of valves (vacuum tubes) in the amplifier. There are two main types of pickup, single and double coil (or humbucker), each of which can be passive or active. The electric guitar is used extensively in jazz, blues, and rock and roll, and was commercialized by Gibson in collaboration with Les Paul, and independently by Leo Fender of Fender Music.
The lower fretboard action (the height of the strings from the
fingerboard), lighter (thinner) strings, and its electrical
amplification lend the electric guitar to some techniques which are
less frequently used on acoustic guitars. These include tapping, extensive use of legato through pull-offs and hammer-ons (also known as slurs), pinch harmonics, volume swells, and use of a tremolo arm or effects pedals.
Seven-strings were popularized in the 1980s and 1990s in part due to the release of the Ibanez Universe guitar, endorsed by Steve Vai. Other artists go a step further, by using an 8 string guitar with two extra low strings. Although the most common 7-string has a low B string, Roger McGuinnThe Byrds and Rickenbacker)
uses an octave G string paired with the regular G string as on a 12
string guitar, allowing him to incorporate chiming 12 string elements
in standard 6 string playing. in 1982 Uli Jon Roth
developed the "Sky Guitar", with a vastly extended amount of frets,
which was the first guitar to venture into the upper registers of the
violin. Roth's 7-string "Mighty Wing" guitar features an altogether
6-octave range. (of
The electric bass guitar is similar in tuning to the traditional double bass viol. Hybrids of acoustic and electric guitars are also common. There are also more exotic varieties, such as guitars with two, three,[16] or rarely four necks, all manner of alternate string arrangements, fretless fingerboardsstand-up bass), 5.1 surround guitar, and such. (used almost exclusively on bass guitars, meant to emulate the sound of a
Some electric guitar and electric bass guitar models feature Piezoelectric pickups, which function as transducers to provide a sound closer to that of an acoustic guitar with the flip of a switch or knob, rather than switching guitars.
