World Music Adventures

Radio

Radio Show: The Healing Power of Music

andrewsalamanca June 6, 2016 24 Comments 81236 Views

I am happy to present my first radio appearance titled “The Healing Power of Music” on the talk show Mind, Body, Spirit. In this episode, we discuss quite a few fascinating topics, all revealing the amazing power of music, its important role in holistic education, health, and our daily lives. I even play a few original pieces of music on Ukulele and Darbuka/Dumbek. Here you can find a brief summary of topics that we dive into deeper during the discussion. I invite you all to check out the show by following the link below. Enjoy!

Mind, Body, Spirit: The Healing Power of Music

HOLISTIC EDUCATION

Role of Music as a Fundamental Element in a Holistic Education
Long-Term Benefits of Learning a Musical Instrument
Effects of Musical Training on Learning Abilities
Effects of Music on the Mind and Body
Incorporating Music Into the Classroom (for teachers)
Music Education as a Tool for Social Change

MUSIC AS MEDICINE

Ancient Musical Traditions
Indigenous Use of Music for Healing
Modern Music Therapy Applications

Peru

The Marinera Festival

andrewsalamanca May 8, 2016 dance festivals, Peru Comments are off 42983 Views

Every year in January, Trujillo is the host of Peru’s National Marinera Competition. The Marinera is a Peruvian coastal dance that is commonly referred to as the “Peru’s national dance.” Though the origins of the Marinera are unclear, the dance has ties to the “Zamacuenca,” the “Mozamala,” and the “Chileña.” This style of dance has existed for centuries in Peru and in earlier times was referred to as the “Chileña.” When Peru entered into war with Chile in 1879, the dance was patriotically re-named as the ‘Marinera’ in honour of the Peruvian navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru).

Marinera Dancers, Plaza de Armas, Trujillo, Peru

As the first festival in my South American travels, it was an exciting introduction to Peruvian culture. I remember passing by the Grand Chimu Coliseum watching the countless pairs of dancers gracefully rehearsing their routines outside on the street as the competition neared its final stages. I was thrilled to get inside and see the show. The only problem was: the competition was likely sold out well in advance. So I showed up with a few friends on the last day of the festival. After some street negotiations and a less-than-legal hand stamp, we found ourselves inside the packed coliseum.

We arrived during the friendly group presentations as a celebration of the last day of the festival. We were greeted by a blaring brass band and a barrage of dancers on the Coliseum floor. After some careful searching, we found “our” seats.

The Marinera is an incredibly intricate dance of courtship. It is seduction in its most elegant form. In the northern variety of the dance found in Trujillo, the man wears a suit with a large-brimmed, straw-colored sombrero and sometimes accompanied by a poncho. The woman wears a beautiful, ornate dress with a long skirt that she uses to seduce the man. Both carry white handkerchiefs which are characteristic of the dance and enhance the seduction.

As the music begins, the partners start the dance gazing into each other’s eyes. A twirl of the handkerchief and they begin their flirtacious advances. The man often flirts with many hat tricks and tap steps while the woman tempts him to come closer by twirling her skirt. One dancer will gracefully “chase” as the other evades, both often making spiraling circles around each other, first at a great distance, then at sometimes coming together nearly touching lips, only to separate and continue the game of seduction. The dancers never touch.

There are 3 varieties of the Marinera: Marinera Norteña (North), Marinera Limeña (Lima), and Marinera Serrana (Highlands). Each variety is distinct in both the dance and musical movements. The Marinera Norteña uses a military brass band while the Marinerea Limeña often has an ensemble of guitars and a cajon (wooden box drum).

No matter what style is your preference, Trujillo is the proud capital of the Marinera. If you happen to find yourself there during the last week of January, you will certainly be in for a treat.

Instruments

Pipa

andrewsalamanca May 5, 2016 Comments are off 24895 Views

Early History

The Pipa (琵琶) is a 4-stringed lute with nearly 2,000 years of history in China. The instrument first appeared in China during the Wei dynasty (386-534 C.E.), introduced along ancient trade routes connected with Central and West Asia. It is a relative of the Arabic Oud, an ancient pear-shaped lute, and it is the predecessor of the Japanese Biwa, the Vietnamese dan ty ba, and the now obsolete Korean Bipa.

The two characters, pi (琵) and pa (琶), originally referred to two finger techniques, pi (琵) “to play forward,” and pa (琶) “to play backward.” It is also known that Pipa (琵琶) used to refer to any plucked string instrument of ancient times. The Xiantao, a plucked instrument that dates back to the Qin Dynasty (222-207 B.C.), is considered to be one of Pipa’s predecessors. It features a round body and a straight neck.

By the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 C.E.), the instrument became known as the Qin Pipa (秦琵琶) and it featured 4 strings and 12 frets. In the Western Jin Dynasty (256-316), the Qin Pipa was named after a great scholar, Ruan Xian, who was one of the “Seven Sages of Bamboo Grove.” Due to his great mastery on the instrument, it has become known as Ruan while the Pipa referred to a new version in the same family of instruments.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasty (420-589 C.E.), a plucked string instrument called the Oud or barbat, arrived via the Silk Road. This instrument became known as the Hu Pipa, hu meaning foreign in Chinese. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), foreign music was appreciated and adopted by the royal court. A fusion of the earlier string instruments with the foreign Oud eventually lead to the Tang Pipa.

The Tang Pipa originally was played horizontally and plucked by using a large wooden plectrum. The Japanese Biwa. descendant of the the Pipa, still maintains this position and playing technique. The Tang Pipa was larger than the modern Pipa, had 4 or 5 silk strings, and less frets. During the mid-Tang and Song dynasties (960-1279), the fingernails were used to play the instrument in an upright position.

Pipa players from the Nanguan style, popular to the southern province of Fujian and Taiwan, play the instrument horizontally and with a small plectrum. It should also be noted that the Nanguan Pipa maintains the earlier pentatonic system of frets and is generally a dark blue color, similar to early the Tang Pipa.

Modern Pipa

Surprisingly enough, the Pipa, an instrument with many centuries of history, has only evolved into its modern form during the 20^th century. Three major innovations made in the 20^th century distinguish the modern instrument from its ancestor.

The first and most significant innovation was regarding the tuning system. Prior to the 20^th century, the frets on the Pipa were arranged for a pentatonic scale. This meant the intervals, or spaces, between frets were longer or shorter than each other. The instrument was also limited to play only in a few keys.

In the 1920s, Liu Tianhua (刘天华), Pipa and Erhu virtuoso, experimented with new designs that would revolutionize the instrument. Liu Tianhua is credited with inventing the chromatic pipa. He increased the number of frets ( 2 on the neck and 5 on the body) and arranged the notes for a chromatic (12-note) scale. This resulted in a Pipa with equal temperament, a system of tuning in which every pitch is separated by the same interval. The chromatic pipa could now be in all 12 keys making it suitable for playing both Chinese and Western repertoires. It was not until the 1950s, that his experiments were further developed and his innovative designs lead to a standardized, modern version.

The second innovation lead to a drastic transformation in the Pipa’s playing style and sound. Pipa players eventually started wearing fake nails, often made of turtle shell or plastic, fastened to the fingers with cloth tape. The nails offered greater volume and attack. The nails also allowed players to develop new techniques leading to an evolution of playing style.

The third innovation replaced traditional silk strings, that were low in volume, with nylon-wound metal strings. The metal strings were much louder and had a brighter sound than the silk strings. The switch to metal strings, along with the use of fake nails enhanced the power and the musical expression of the instrument.