Making Gourd Musical Instruments: Over 60 String, Wind & Percussion Instruments & How to Play Them

Summit, Ginger, Widess, Jim

ISBN 10: 080691369X / ISBN 13: 9780806913698

Published by Sterling, 1999

About this Item

Seller Inventory # Abebooks580385

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Making Gourd Musical Instruments: Over 60 String, Wind & Percussion Instruments & How to Play Them
• Publisher: Sterling
• Publication Date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080691369X
• ISBN 13: 9780806913698
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

“Actual instructions on gourd transformations into spike fiddles, water drums, and even xylophones are included.”—Booklist. “Highly recommended for general crafts as well as ethnomusicology collections.”—Library Journal. “Get this Book!”—Whole Earth.

Reviews

The authors introduce readers to make-it-yourself musical instruments. There is an amazing wealth of information here, covering not only how-to's and history but also extending into the social sciences and even science. We learn that pigeon flutes (crafted gourds attached to the birds' tails) were first mentioned about A.D. 1041 A.D. and that drummers are highly respected in India. Actual instructions on gourd transformations into spike fiddles, water drums, and even xylophones are included, along with a few photographs. But all the erudition tends to drown out the craft aspect, since instructions are sandwiched within the narrative text, and photographs are less than optimal. Nonetheless, a book that patient crafters will appreciate. Barbara Jacobs

Historically, ethnic groups in many countries have used a great number of musical instruments made from gourds. In North America these instruments are used mainly by percussionists. Most of the step-by-step projects in this book by gourd artists Summit and Widess (The Complete Book of Gourd Craft) are for percussion or stringed instruments such as the Latin American guiro (gourd scraper) or the spike fiddle. There are also a few from the wind family, such as the fipple flute. These are legitimate musical instruments made from traditional materials, and they are fully playable as well as being beautifully crafted. Highly recommended for general crafts as well as ethnomusicology collections.
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