My first cool thing is Indian in nature but actually comes from an American made movie. I love the movie "Eat Pray Love" with Julia Roberts. If you haven't seen it or read the book by Elizabeth Gilbert, I recommend it. This video is off the soundtrack of the movie. Not to spoil anything (I mean if you read the back of the book or DVD case it will tell you this), Elizabeth Gilbert visits Italy, India, and Indonesia. The song I have picked is from when Elizabeth Gilbert was in India. The song is performed by Uppalapu Shrinivas, a famous Indian mandolin player. While the mandolin is a rather modern instrument, U. Shrinivas is a student of the Carnatic musical tradition of Southern India and so his music still has a very traditional sound. Though I am not a very good meditator I really enjoy this kind of music.
My second video of cool stuff today is a gamelan group playing jazz. The gamelan originating from Indonesian culture (Java and Bali). In this video a group from the University of MARA Institute of Technology is playing a jazz piece on gamelan. I thought this video was cool because it combines an instrument that has a very Eastern tone with jazz (which tonally is very Western). Also I thought it was cool that this art form is being preserved at the university level through student participation. As we have discussed with other cultures it is essential to have the younger generations on board in order for a culture or aspect to survive the test of time.
Since I am doing these blogs early I'm not really sure if this instrument is covered in class. This video is "Fisherman's Song at Dusk," played on the Chinese guzheng or zither. This instrument is an 18 plus stringed instrument with moveable bridges that is plucked. It is very cool to watch the performer in this video especially when she bends pitches, etc. The bending of pitches and slides that are found throughout this video is common of eastern cultures and their music. Hope you enjoy.
Eat Pray Love is great! Awesome background. The zither is definitely an instrument worth looking into-- it's very complex and interesting. I'm really fascinated by the scalar system of eastern cultures!
Hi Chloe. Yes, we'll be covering the Chinese Zheng in class--tomorrow, as a matter of fact. Also, just to clarify--the gamelan isn't a single instrument, but an entire percussion orchestra. We'll see you soon!
Eat Pray Love is great! Awesome background. The zither is definitely an instrument worth looking into-- it's very complex and interesting. I'm really fascinated by the scalar system of eastern cultures!
ReplyDeleteHi Chloe. Yes, we'll be covering the Chinese Zheng in class--tomorrow, as a matter of fact. Also, just to clarify--the gamelan isn't a single instrument, but an entire percussion orchestra. We'll see you soon!
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