Category: Assignment No. 1

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Where did my Guts come from?

With it’s glamorous curves, intricate mechanics and gorgeous engravings of endless flowers and angels what’s a harp and it’s frame without its strings? All forty seven strings of guts, wires, and nylons. Despite the harp’s scarcity among orchestras, the same harp that appears in the many fairy tales of our childhoods and stories of national treasure hunts can be traced back to as early as 3000 BC being one of the oldest instruments in recorded history. First originating from the Egyptian bow and arrow, the aesthetics and the mechanics of the harp have long since changed. One of the greatest features of this grand instrument that underwent great change are the strings.

Some of the earliest harps that were made are known to have had strings of “possibly hair and plant fibre” and only eight to ten strings on each harp unlike the harps with forty seven today. Aside from the improvement of the actual instrument’s structure and mechanics, the growth of knowledge and understanding in the production of the actual strings has come a long way. A harp can be forever constant, but its strings are ever changing. No two strings are ever the same and once one breaks, it must be replaced. Through the journey it took for the harp strings of today, harp makers began to question and innovate on many factors; how sound volume could be created best and with what materials, how much tension and length each material needed in order to create a certain pitch. These questions led harp strings to change from common natural resources to more sophisticated materials and processes of production over a span of 5,000 plus years.

From 3000 BC to around 1500 BC the harp moved traveled into Asia from Egypt acquiring new features of pitch bending and different types of string. During this time Egyptians had already discovered how to create gut strings from animal intestines specifically sheep. The earliest appearance of these gut strings date back to as early as 1350 BC. Gut strings are what make the harp have its round and mellow sound. This is extremely impressive because the process of making gut strings is extremely strenuous.

Creating inspirations of sweet harp music, the instrument soon found its way into Europe around the ninth century. By this time the strings had been through many types of harp frames, double action, triangle, etc. Material for harp strings began to change to metals such as copper and brass. A lot of the strings nowadays still use these types of wire strings, specifically in the lower register of the harp. Wire strings in the ninth century created a deeper sound than gut strings and was used predominantly in Celtic music.

Fast forward to the early nineteenth century with now having both wire and gut strings on the harp around the 1940s the nylon strings were added. This is located in the highest register of the harp, giving a bright and light sound to this instrument. Back then europeans used extremely thin metal strings for the high register notes but nylon was made mainstream after its discovery in the 1930s.

Over the span of these years what makes harp strings the strings they are now are not only the days it takes to manufacture strings, but also the past origins of knowledge used to create the string, the ears of the musicians to get the strings at the right thickness and the practice of the string makers to make the string perfect. With the harp being one of the oldest recorded instrument in all of history, we are able to see its transformation over centuries worth of time. Looking at this from a new perspective, the harp strings sitting in my practice room didn’t just come from the company I ordered online from. They trace back to the factory that manufactured it, which then traces back to the people that were taught this practice in Europe, which then traces back to all the musicians and mechanics that made changes to improve this product from harp makers tracing all the way back to the early recorded days of the instrument, in Egypt. That’s wild.

Sources:

http://www.internationalharpmuseum.org/visit/history.html

https://manufacturing.dustystrings.com/blog/inside-shop-making-harp-strings

http://harp.wikia.com/wiki/Harp_Strings

What’s in a String?

http://harp.wikia.com/wiki/Harp_Strings

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Rosin???

Who would’ve thought that rosin played such an important role in playing a stringed instrument? Rosin is the main source of sound when playing a stringed instrument. You might think – isn’t it the bow or the strings of the instrument? Well, without rosin, the bow wouldn’t produce sound when in contact with the strings. Rosin provides a layer of sticky powder that grips the strings to produce sound. The main ingredient of rosin is pine sap, which is extracted from pine trees (obviously).

Image result for pine sap
Pine sap

According to Jim Early, this process of making rosin stays true from more than 70 years ago, using the same tools as the one Pop Sherman. Although the formula and materials have been tinkered around with, the basic techniques remain unchanged. First, he prepares the molds, which usually comes in either rectangular or circular shape boxes and stopped with rubber strips. Then, he mixes Sylvaros, a type of undefined rosin, with beeswax and other “secret ingredients in a pan to heat. As it heats, the texture becomes thicker and stickier and must cool down a little before pouring. When the mixture partially cools, he slowly drizzles the right amount to each mold. After each mold has been filled, he lights each one with a torch. The hot flame helps get rid of more bubbles and keeps the cake crystals clear. Bubbles in the cake would be the maker’s worst nightmare. Also, the type of wood it’s being burned with contributes to the appearance of bubbles. According to Jim Early, sap gum wood releases fewer bubbles than other woods. An interesting quote from Early: “A cake of rosin should spend its useful life not on the shelf but in an instrument case, where a needy player can reach it.” Rosin often gets left unused, and it’s such a waste. I have not gotten to the point where I was able to finish an entire cake of rosin – I want to reach that point one day.

We often hear of the phrase “rosin flying into the air” when seeing someone’s playing. The amount of rosin placed on the bow is crucial also. If there is too much rosin on the bow, the grip would be too tight and you might create a scratchy sound. If there is too little rosin, then the bow will be too slippery on the string and the sound will be too “fluffy.” Also, it has been said that it’s more productive to apply little amounts of rosin to the bow hair everyday, rather than applying a lot at once and not rosin for few days. This is because it will allow the rosin usage to be more evenly distributed rather than chunks at a time.

Usually, darker rosins tend to be stickier and softer – more ideal for cellos and basses. It is usually better suited for the lower strings. On the other hand, lighter rosin is less sticky and harder, which would be better suited for violins and violas. With this being said, any rosin – except for bass rosin – is typically interchangeably used for any instrument.

There are endless types of rosin aside from just dark and light – from gold to silver to amber to copper. This is definitely something I would want to dive deeper into for a better idea of what to use.

Frankly, this is my first time learning about the process of making rosin and the various types of rosin. I always knew that it was made from pine sap, but never dug into the behind-the-scenes process. I’ve always wanted to explore the different types of rosin to find various rosin-string combinations, to find the right sound and resonance for my instrument. I never really cared about the rosin I used honestly, but I think it can really make a big difference. After researching and understanding more about the creation of rosin, I think I am more intrigued to discover and play around with the options I have.

Fun fact, we usually scratch the brand new rosin before using it because the surface is too smooth and doesn’t stick to the bow hair as much.


Sources:

https://www.wqxr.org/story/what-does-rosin-actually-do-violin-bowsh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosin

How to Choose the Right Rosin For Your Stringed Instrument
Sticky Business: How Rosin Is Made

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The Victory of the Valve

Centuries ago, when the horn’s main purpose was merely to signal different hunting strategies in the great outdoors, the thought of it becoming a regular member of the orchestra was utterly blasphemous. Who would want the uncivilized, brash calls of the hunting horn to intrude on the serene melodies of the orchestra?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmQv67CmPf8

Well, through a long process of technological modifications, the horn achieved the ability to express the chromatic melodies of its counterparts. This was due in large to the invention of the valve in 1818, an advancement still present in the instruments played by professionals today.

The Natural Horn

Before going into detail about the process of inventing a valve system for the horn, it is first important to understand its previous form. In the early 1800’s, most of the European horn players played what we today refer to as the “natural horn.” The term “natural” simply implies that the horn player could only produce the notes of the harmonic series that was available to him or her in that specific key of tubing. The harmonic series (or overtone series) is a recurring pattern of notes that exist in the natural world. It begins with a fundamental note, and is followed by a series of partials each doubled in frequency (Bernstein, “Harmonic Series – Explained”).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TlQryUBz3E

The natural horn was in a circular form and had a bell on one end and a mouthpiece on the other (think, for instance, the apple post horn emoji 📯). Different slidable lengths of tubing, known as “crooks,” may be added to the instrument in order to change the key in which the horn sits in. It was discovered by Joseph Hampel that by altering the right hand’s position in the bell, the notes of the harmonic series could be altered chromatically (Tuckwell 26). In the year 1800, Joseph Vandenbroek, a member of the Paris Opera Orchestra, published a treatise on the horn, all based off of Hampel’s discoveries (Tuckwell 28). This hand-stopping technique, along with the introduction of tunable crooks, greatly expanded the possibilities for horn repertoire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upsUkKyo6dQ

The Horn’s Rise in Popularity

Composers such as Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven took a liking to the natural horn and began implementing ways to unify horn section writing (first and third horns play in a higher register, while second and fourth horns play in a lower register). But as the popularity of the horn increased, composers were largely limited with the music they could write for the natural horn (Gregory, “The Horn in Beethoven Symphonies”). The range of available notes was considerably low, and not every audience member was in favor of the bright color of the hand-stopped pitches.

Technological Experiments

In order to make the process of changing keys more feasible on the horn, J.B. Dupont invented an omnitonic horn in 1815 in which every crook was built into one moveable slide (Gregory 29).


Dupont Omnitonic horn, c. 1818 (Tuckwell 36)

Yeah, that’s a lot of tubing. Clearly, this instrument was extremely heavy and in some cases still required the player to change mouthpiece position. Callcott, born in 1801, tried to popularize a “radius French horn,” but it, too, was very cumbersome (Tuckwell 38).


Radius French horn, Callcott (Tuckwell 38)

The Valve–At Last!

Finally, after much trial and error, Heinrich Stolzel and Friedrich Bluhmel were issued a joint patent for a valve system on April 12, 1818 (Tuckwell 42). Originally, their invention consisted of two piston valves. One of the valves lowered it by semitone and the other by a whole tone. If used together, a note could be lowered a whole minor third. Now, the horn could perform in four different keys without a crook change or right hand movement.

https://gph.is/2AmePHo

This new way of considering the build of horns truly changed the course of the instrument’s future. Later versions of the valve developed, including the vienna valve, and the more common rotary valve (Tuckwell 47-49). But without the Stolzel-Bluhmel patent in 1818, these innovations could have been entirely nonexistent.


An early piston valve (Tuckwell 42)

The invention of the valve changed the future of this instrument—and every brass instrument, for that matter. It largely expanded the possibilities for composers and players alike by allowing a greater range and facility of the instrument. This revolutionary musical technology can definitely be seen as a “victory” because of its continual use in the orchestra today, after years of trial and error. By understanding this process from limited hand-stopped horn playing to chromatically limitless valve horn, one might gain some curiosity as to how we might be able to improve the current forms of the instruments played in the modern orchestra, and perhaps cause a new sort of “evolution.”

Sources

Bernstein, “The Harmonic Series – Explained”

Fitzpatrick, Horace. “The Valveless Horn in Modern Performances of Eighteenth-CenturyMusic.” Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association, vol. 91, 1964, pp. 45–60. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/765964.

Gregory, Robin. The Horn. Faber and Faber, 1961.

Gregory, Robin. “The Horn in Beethoven’s Symphonies.” Music & Letters, vol. 33, no. 4, 1952, pp. 303–310. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/729742.

Tuckwell, Barry. Horn. Schirmer Books, 1983.


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From Nay to Yay: The Journey of the Meme-Worthy AirPods

Once upon a time, I vowed to never get AirPods. This week, I grabbed the last box off the shelf at the Apple store so I wouldn’t have to wait for the restock. I got AirPods, and it’s been “mildly life-changing” (as my friend described so accurately). 

Even saying that aloud to myself sounds absolutely dramatic, but it’s true. Gone are the days when I would do burpees with a phone in my hand at the gym. Gone are the days when I would blast my YouTube videos on my Alexa while blowdrying my hair. Gone are the days when I would have to lean ridiculously close to the iPhone speakers during a call with a friend (while multitasking, of course). I know it is only the end of January and I have only had them for three days, but this is hands-down my favorite purchase of 2019. 

My feelings summed up in a short iMessage exchange

AirPods were introduced in Apple’s Keynote event in September 2016. With features like 24-hour battery life, its magnetic charger-case and clear playback quality, the company claims that AirPods are “magical headphones [that] use advanced technology to reinvent…providing a wireless audio experience not possible before”.  

The initial reactions to this release were less-than-ideal. Feeling underwhelmed and skeptical, a large group of people claimed that AirPods are ugly and would easily be lost without the cord. Memes began to emerge and quickly spread across social media platforms, making fun of their appearance and wireless feature. 

Despite overwhelming amounts of hilarious tweets and comments, they did not seem to stop AirPods’ performance on the market. After the AirPods officially dropped in December 2016, the sales were at an impressive 16 to 18 million in 2017 . Even though Apple’s annuals sales report has not been released yet, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo estimates that the company sold between 26 to 28 million pairs in the year of 2018. With an anticipated release for AirPods 2 this year, he further claims that sales would likely quintuple over the next couple years. That is absolutely insane. 

With the AirPod’s stellar performance, it’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that there was a time when AirPods weren’t part of popular culture, when people were afraid to look stupid walking down the street with them (hence the “Courage” tweet). 

However, given the company’s history, it is definitely not surprising how the reception for the AirPods went from nay to yay.  Apple has been known for revolutionizing the electronic industry when it rose to become the world’s first trillion dollar company with the iPod. With Apple’s fearless approach to technological advancement and design changes, it’s understandable why something as different as AirPods would be negatively received at first. I was surprised to learn its history traced way back in 2011, when former Apple Designer Jorge S Fino filed a patent for earphones that could work with or without wires. How was he able to predict that such a feature would have such roaring success?

Considering all the different success factors that the AirPods may have, being the product of a  trend-setting company perhaps plays a significant role. After all, Apple did manage to convert me into a huge advocate of these darn things. 

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‘Pro Tools’ as a Film Scoring Technology

One early afternoon, Amber settles down at the library and opens up her email tab; the top thread reads “Reminder: Film Music Draft due tomorrow”. She immediately opens up Pro Tools (audio production software) and delved into her scoring session. As a student film composer, she has been working with audio production softwares such as Logic Pro and Pro Tools for a few years now, producing brilliant music; yet many film composers have been utilizing the audio technology without fully understanding its history and all the endeavors that have gone into creating and continuously perfecting these audio production softwares. When did musicians and engineers conceive of this idea? How did this technology come into existence? Why was this important to the development of the film scoring industry? Moreover, how did this invention influence the way film composers create music today?

Interestingly, film music (soundtrack) as we know today was primarily performed live at movie theatres up until the 1930s– the advent of music synchronization to celluloid made it possible for film music to be a part of the viewing experience without the live accompaniment of the instrument ensemble. Since then, composers such as Max Steiner and Alfred Newman have been finessing the narrative power of music by creating impressive scores. This process, though, has made the director-composer collaboration a bit cumbersome: the director would either have face-to-face discussions and live experiments with the composer in front of a piano, or fully entrust the composer with the task of creating effective music for his or her film.

The Fi Hall of Fame: A Brief History of Film Music

Thanks to UC Berkeley graduates Evan Brooks and Peter Gotcher, Pro Tools was first launched in 1991 as an audio editing software. Pro Tools was indeed very much limited by computers’ hard drive capacity at the time. Therefore, as computers became more and more powerful, the audio editing software gained true advantage given that its multi-track system allowed more and more tracks to be edited at the same time.

However, without proper input, Pro Tools would only serve as an editing software; i.e, composers would still have to book an orchestra to play their music, and then transfer the recording into Pro Tools for the sake of editing. As a result, the advent of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) and virtual instruments allowed composers to experiment with numerous options of sound textures and effects in real time by connecting the MIDI keyboard to their computer and pressing the keys to play the selected virtual instrument . What does this all mean? Well, it means that the process of film scoring has been improved in two significant ways:

  1. Directors no longer need to meet up with composers on a regular basis in order to discuss the progress of the music.
  2. Composers now have a choice to either render their music through the audio production softwares, or continue to record live musicians as composers did before.

Moreover, companies began to create expressive virtual instruments by programming customized features such as attack, vibrato, and frequency range in order to further imitate the sound of real instruments, granting composers the freedom to create a score with just the MIDI keyboard and an audio production software (such as Pro Tools) without the complications of recording a real orchestra.  

After she recorded herself playing the violin part on the MIDI keyboard through Pro Tools, Amber decided to add some expression to the MIDI output by fiddling with the vibrato settings. As she was using a MIDI knob to adjust the amount of vibrato that came out from the string section, a strange thought occurred to her, and she wondered: “What would have happened if Wagner had Pro Tools to play with?”


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The Real Book

Useful or Useless?

Any jazz musician knows exactly what the Real Book is. They probably own one or two; stashed in a corner collecting dust. Here’s the story of why the Real Book was created, and why it is so essential and useless at the same time.

In the late 1940s, the first compilations of common popular repertoire for gigging musicians, called Fake Books, were created. These books were born from Tune-Dex cards, (pictured below), which offered a melody and a crude version of the chord changes to popular songs. The idea was that musicians could carry around these cards so that when they got a request they didn’t know, they could just find the index card and read the tune. 

https://blog.library.gsu.edu/2010/10/13/popular-music-tune-dex-cards/

However, carrying around an unorganized mess of 3×5 cards to every gig clearly was not convenient. So, bootleg books containing copies of Tune-Dex cards, organized in alphabetical order, began to circulate. The compilations were called “Fake Books” because they allowed musicians to “fake” their way through songs they didn’t know.

Around 1975, a group of unnamed students at the Berklee College of Music decided to create something like Fake Books, but more accurate and containing music that was relevant to jazz musicians. They probably wanted access to a collection of new charts by people like Chick Corea and Steve Swallow. So they went to work transcribing lead sheets for their favorite tunes and writing them out by hand in what became known as the Real Book. The book was an immediate success. 

It’s important to note that none of the artists whose tunes were included in the Real Book were paid for their work. Was this legal? Definitely not. The Berklee musicians apparently looked into legitimizing the Real Book, but realized doing so would be nearly impossible and extremely expensive. So, versions of the Real Book were sold illegally until 2003, when the Hal Leonard Corporation legitimized most of the charts from the original real book and sold a version that was actually legal. There are now several volumes, transposed versions, and bass clef versions of the Real Book. You can also buy the “Real Christmas Book,” or even the “Real Country Book”….

It’s hard to imagine anyone would complain about the Real Book. Any jazz musician should be thankful that somebody else already did the work of transcribing the chords and melody of the standard jazz repertoire, right? Plus, if you don’t know many tunes, you can show up to a jam session and just read from your handy Real Book. As great as this may sound, the fact is, if you show up to a jam with a Real Book at any point past high school, you will be immediately shunned and your quality of musicianship will probably be questioned. This reaction may just be the product of battling egos and “jazz boys” trying to prove that they know more than other “jazz boys.” However, widespread disrespect for the use of Real Books is a legitimate position to hold.

Aimee Nolte, a jazz educator whose youtube channel has over 100k followers, sums up a few of these reasons in the video below. She mentions that if you want to learn a song, it’s much more likely to stick if you learn it by ear instead of relying on the lead sheet. If you’re always faking it, you’re never really learning anything. Plus, books are heavy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMiCg8sDQh4

Furthermore, even in the newest versions of the Real Book, the chords are often wrong. For example, if you’re familiar with jazz harmony, try listening to Herbie Hancock’s Dolphin Dance and comparing the chords you hear to the chords on the lead sheet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB2Z2DY17yQ
http://www.guitarcats.com/realbook-jazz-standards/dolphin-dance

Close……

The Real Book has its down sides, but we must not forget the lasting and widespread impact it has had on jazz. It will always be a great reference to start with when learning a tune, and its a great backup when you’re on the spot. As an article in jazzadvice.com states, “the book is like a pair of training wheels for your improvising.” Just remember that at the end of the day it’s always better to learn a tune by ear.

Sources:

  • https://officialrealbook.com/history/
  • http://www.bassfrontiersmag.com/the-real-book-a-history-commentary
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD0e5e6wI_A
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20160403035705/http://www.personal.psu.edu/bdk4/PREHISTORY.pdf
  • https://www.jazzadvice.com/why-you-shouldnt-be-a-real-book-player/
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMiCg8sDQh4
  • https://blog.library.gsu.edu/2010/10/13/popular-music-tune-dex-cards/
  • http://www.guitarcats.com/realbook-jazz-standards/dolphin-dance
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“The Flute As You Don’t Usually Hear It!”

My blog post is about using the flute in ways you don’t usually hear it.

A common theme throughout the history of music is the way the flute is used in new and innovative ways that you don’t usually hear it. From the transformation of wood to metal, from vertical flutes to horizontal flutes, from 1 key to 20+ keys, etc., the flute has become very versatile and composers are using this to their advantage to create new sound effects to add to their works. This is especially true in the last 50 years, but it can even be dated back to Tchaikovsky being the first prominent composer to use the flute for new sound effects such as flutter-tonguing in his ballet The Nutcracker. There have been so many composers and flutists experimenting with what the flute can do and pushing its boundaries that today, it can sound completely unfamiliar to non-flutist in contemporary pieces. 

One of the most influential people in contemporary flute composing is Robert Dick. Robert Dick was a classically trained flutist who started experimenting with what the flute can do. Today, he is known as the father of the contemporary flute. He made the flute more known for extended flute techniques. Some examples include: Singing and playing, Circular breaking, Breath tones, Alternate fingerings, multiphonic, flutter-tonguing, key slaps, whistle tones, and jet whistle effects.

I want to share an example of several of these extended techniques demonstrated in a short piece by Ian Clarke. Ian Clarke was another very influential classically trained flutist who started experimenting with the flute and he wrote some of the coolest pieces in our repertoire. One of the pieces I included as a media link is his piece called “The Great Train Race,” subtitled “The Flute as You don’t Usually Hear It!” Ian Clarke uses the flute’s extended techniques to make the flute sound like a train. He starts off telling the performer to use a residual tone while tonging very fast. (This makes the flute sound like a train “chugging” along). This is achieved by the breathy noise of the flute that is left over when a proper tone is purposefully not formed. Also found in this piece are explosive harmonics, multi-phonics (two notes at once, achieved by new fingerings that Ian Clarke discovered), circular breathing, and singing while playing. The piece is highly entertaining. I also included another highly entertaining piece by Ian Clarke called “Zoom Tube.” This uses the flute in even more ways that I haven’t discussed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJUMsRic2U4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-_J0sJ2ZjI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObUREzucuW8

I think that the flute is one of the most experimented-with instruments because it’s different from other wind instruments because you don’t blow directly in it, but across it so there is a lot of manipulation with the lips you can do to achieve different results. And another reason the flute is so experimented with is because of the large open-hole keys. There are so many odd fingerings and sounds you can achieve by only covering the holes a little bit, such as glissandos.

In conclusion, When you think of the flute, you probably think of a very pretty, melodic, bright instrument (or perhaps a harsh, shrieking, annoying instrument) but nowadays, the flute is becoming increasingly known as one of the most experimented with and versatile instruments. There are a tremendous amount of cool things you can do with the flute that you don’t normally hear and I think that we will continue to see new composers and flutists pushing the instrument past it’s normal realms.

i
https://wp.vcu.edu/extendedtechniquesontheflute/discovering-and-defining-what-extended-technique-on-the-flute-is/?TSPD_101_R0=5c4425ac2af60d97a74f83d02ce378fei8100000000000000007dd83aacffff00000000000000000000000000005c526e69000d1bdbc4https://helenbledsoe.com/?cat=18http://www.helenbledsoe.com/ETWorkshop.pdfhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Clarke_(flautist)http://robertdick.net/about/

https://helenbledsoe.com/?cat=18

http://www.helenbledsoe.com/ETWorkshop.pdf

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Clarke_(flautist)

http://robertdick.net/about/

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The Violin Bow

To us violinists, the bow is arguably as important as the violin itself. Without the bow, the only way to make a melodic sound on the violin is by plucking the strings, and while that can be fun sometimes, I don’t think an audience nor the righthand index finger of the soloist would be very pleased by the Tchaikovsky violin concerto entirely in pizzicato. Indeed, the bow is a valuable piece of technology. The bows we have today are able to deliver the tone and technique needed to play Tchaikovsky’s works, but bows were not initially born with these capabilities. What the majority of violinists are using now is known as the modern bow; prior to this there were two other categories of bows: the classical bow and the baroque bow. And even before the first baroque bows, there existed the bow in its earliest form.

Early Bows

When thinking of early forms of violin bows, people tend to first think of baroque bows. But the baroque bow didn’t just pop out of nowhere; even before the baroque bow, there was an initial model that accompanied early stringed instruments. The shape of these bows was more comparable to an archery bow than the violin bows we have today due to their convex structure (2). Tension of the hair was not a consideration as the hair was attached on this stick directly with no way of tightening or loosening it.

https://youtu.be/zNvPJ2Fuzns

This video demonstrates the main use of early bows: to produce sound on an instrument for rhythmic accompaniment. Notice the length of the bow: it is much shorter than the modern bows we use today. At first glance, they look awkwardly short, but their length was enough to serve their purpose. These early bows were most commonly used to accompany vocal music as the rhythm section since they were viewed as of lesser importance than singing.  

The Baroque Bow

The invention of the Baroque violin during the 16th century was created due to a demand for something new. Initially, older bows that were designed for rhythm instruments were used on the baroque violin, but as Italian composers such as Arcangelo Corelli began to compose for the violin as a solo instrument, there became a need for longer bows to produce a more singing sound. The lengthening of the bow set off a chain reaction of multiple constructional modifications, such as added height to the top of the bow, which helped balance the bow and made it possible to comfortably use the full length. Initially, the tension of the bow hair was changed by how much pressure the player put on it with their thumb, but this idea of hair tension was played around with until a system was developed where the bow hair could be loosened or tightened by a screw. Typically made from snakewood, the stick started out as convex but as time went on, convex shapes decreased in popularity as straight/concave shapes became the norm. Other than these general changes, there was no standard model for the baroque bow because of the wide range artistic choices bow makers of this era made. Both ends of baroque bows were decorated and designed to fit the aesthetic ideals of the maker.


This is an example of the ornamentation on baroque bows: near the frog, the screw has been decorated with multiple circular shapes, and the tip is shaped in an upward swoop. The wood used for this bow is also easily identifiable as snakewood due to it’s scale-like pattern. (Image by CJS Steven Violin Supplies).

The Classical Bow: A Time of Transition

During the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries was the age of the classical bow. However, the “transitional bow” would be a more proper name for this bow as bows made during this period were “open to all influences” and ever evolving (1). Similar to the reasons for the development of the Baroque bow, the developments of the Classical bow were inspired by the changes in music composed for string instruments, as new solo repertoire was emerging that called out for advanced bowing techniques and a strong, soloistic sound. Giovanni Battista Viotti (considered a father of modern violin playing) was the Corelli of this age, as his compositions and performances emphasized the importance of the bow and created a need for a more capable piece of technology (4). During this transitional stage of bow making, the main advances revolved around strengthening the bow, including a strengthened stick (improved by John Dodd’s technique for cutting wood) and a metal underslide (added by Christian Wilhelm Knopf); these inventions both removing some of the Baroque bow’s weak points (3).

Pictured above is a classical bow before the addition of the metal underslide. The metal underslide was added overtop of the hair that is laid over the frog. (Image by Bridgewood and Neitzert).

The Modern Bow, Thanks to François Xavier Tourte

Prior to the era of the modern bow, there were numerous people that influenced the development of the bow. However, the majority of developments of the modern bow can be linked to one person: François Xavier Tourte. Nicknamed the “Stradivarius of bow making,” Tourte built off and perfected the advancements of classical bows by responding to the needs of the soloists of his day. He mathematically calculated the measurements of his bows and made them concave to ensure their balance and reactivity to the string; as a result, his bows were very responsive. His changes expanded the capabilities of the bow: from variety in techniques to range of dynamics, the capacity of the bow increased greatly. A few especially notable measurements that he adjusted were the size of the head and horsehair mounts, which he widened, and the length of the bow, which he slightly increased.


As if perfecting the structural measurements of the bow wasn’t enough, Tourte also set an aesthetic standard for the bottom of the bow. He popularized pearl underslides and pearl inlays, which are now standard in terms of decorations on the frog. (Image by Photo Bucket).

Most Recent Developments

In recent years, composite bows have entered the market, most commonly made out of carbon fiber and fiberglass. This has resulted in an increase in the accessibility of bows, as not every 5th grader who wants to play in school orchestra has parents who will buy them a bow sporting the same price tag as a used car. And while initially they were made as cheaper alternatives, higher end ones are now being made. Because their material can be manufactured, composite bow they have been growing in popularity due to Pernambuco wood shortages as deforestation in their natural habitat (Brazil) has caused these trees to become quite rare.  

Now What About the Future?

So, will there ever be a time when the current bow we have becomes a thing of the past? Based on the current dynamic of the violin world, I’d say not for a while at least. This is because the majority, if not all of the standard violin repertoire can be performed and properly executed with the current bow we have. Based on the trends of bow development in the past, new bows emerge whenever new music is composed or new instruments are created that require a bow with different capabilities become popular. For the bow we use today to be updated and replaced, there would have to be a significant modification to the violin or style of compositions that people are wanting to play. Given that the violin’s structure and demands of repertoire have been supported by the modern bow ever since Tourte’s modifications, I wouldn’t predict that to be anytime soon. But the field of music is ever changing, so who knows what the future may hold.

So… What?

Now that you (hopefully) have learned something about the development of the bow, you may be wondering, how does this relate to me? While I can’t speak for you, in terms of myself, learning the history of the bow has inspired me as a violinist to experiment with and work on different bow techniques that aren’t used as commonly in repertoire because the bows we have today have been developed to be extremely capable. As I practice, I have a goal in mind of growing closer to being able to utilize this technology at its full potential because now with the way the bow has been improved and developed, the potential of the bow depends on the potential of the artist. Practicing bow techniques can sometimes seem dull and uninteresting, but it’s all a matter of perspective. When new digital technology comes out, we all want to test it out and discover its features. So why not view the violin bow the same way? True, the model resting in your case at this very moment is not the same type of technology as the current iPhone or windows tablet. But think about it: have you already explored and perfected every technique the bow is capable of? Bowing exercises are only boring if you view them as simple repetitions. So go test out its features, aiming to see what you can discover through your practice and just how much you can accomplish with this piece of technology.

Sources

  1. European Violins: History of the Violin Bow http://www.europeanviolins.eu/en/history-of-the-violin-bow

2. Corilon Violins – The violin bow: a brief depiction of its history

https://www.corilon.com/shop/en/info/modern-bow.html

3. Basil De Visser Period Bows https://baroquebows.com/

4. A History of the Violin Bow https://animato.com.au/a-history-of-the-violin-bow/


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The Development of the Clarinet

         Compared to the other instruments like a violin or a flute, the clarinet is a fairly modern instrument. Even among the woodwind instruments, the clarinet is considered to be a very young instrument. The first instrument that resembled a clarinet was called a chalumeau, which was also a single reed cylindrical instrument but it played a little lower. It wasn’t until around the eighteenth/seventeenth century that the chalumeau begin development into something that resembled more like a clarinet with more tonal range. C. H. Denner (1655-1707), who was from Nuremberg, Germany is said to have been one of the earlier figures who tested with chalumeaus and started innovating various ways to improve upon it.

Chalumeau (image from fmasson)

          The new instrument, which was then called a clarinetto (due to it sounding like a trumpet), became much more relevant to the Western musical world. The clarinetto was basically an improvement to the chalumeau. It had two or three keys. Even though that might seem little, it helped to facilitate technical runs that might have been otherwise too difficult. It also had a louder tone quality and began to be used more and more in orchestras.  

         More and more improvements start to be made into the new instrument as the works for the clarinet gets more demanding. The clarinet was also seen to have potential for its beautiful tone to help color the sound of the orchestra better. Various works such as the Mozart clarinet concerto or the Stamitz concerto required solid technical proficiency which made various musicians and inventors to further develop the clarinet. Ivan Mueller, further improved the clarinet by introducing the thirteen keyed clarinet. The addition of extra keys would allow the player technical ease and the ability to produce more tone colors.

         This type of clarinet that was used in this time period is more related to the Ohler clarinet that is used widely today. It is known for its beautiful tonal focus. Due to that, it could be seen as inflexible as it is harder to manipulate the sound. The Ohler system is used more in Germany and Europe as it is the clarinet used in the Berlin Philharmonic and other European orchestras. Even though this system has a beautiful sound to it, the fingering is more complicated and could make technical works difficult.

         The system of clarinets that the rest of the world uses is called the Boehm system. The Boehm system was created by Theobald Boehm in the mid ninth-teenth century. The two main difference between the Boehm clarinets and the Ohler clarinet (or the German clarinets) are its tone and ease of technicality. Unlike the Ohler clarinets, the Boehm clarinets have a more flexible and lighter sound. You can say that the tonal ideas of the two clarinets were almost opposites. One with a more focused dark sound, and the other with a lighter sound. The keywork was also very different between the two. For the Boehm system, the both pinky would have four keys to make playing easier while the Ohler system had only two on each where there was a roller in the middle you had to slide with your finger if the piece required you to play the other note. It should also be noted that Michele Zukovsky, the former principal clarinet player of the LA Philharmonic, took almost a year to get acquainted with the Ohler system from the Boehm because of its technical difficulty.

Left is the German clarinet and the right is Boehm clarinet (image is from the-clarinets)

        All these little inventions and refinement helped to create the modern clarinet. Musicians faced challenges from the technical limits of the instrument which set off the development which would improve the clarinet in various ways such as bettering the tone, tuning, and key work. This would help them play what is required of them and to bring out their artistry and music making.

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The Instrument That Plays Without Being Touched

Throughout time, musical instruments have always been played with some part of the body. Whether it is creating vibrations from the lips like brass players do, creating vibrations with different types of objects in their hands like percussionists, or even just physical bowing strings, musical instruments have this physical attribution to it. Even the littlest touch like a piano still has some sense touching something to produce sound. As musicians, we associate people to their body parts and it becomes this cliche click that goes around in the music world. Brass players are going to have big, puffy lips, strings players are going to have calluses on their fingers, or even percussionists may always be tapping something. However what if the instrument does not require any type of physical touch? What if one can produce a sound by just moving their hands? This becomes a new, inventive category and the starting point for electronic musical instruments. In the 1920s, an instrument called the theremin was invented and became a major impact in the world of electronic instruments.

History

The theremin was invented in 1920 by a Russian physicist named Lev Termen or better known as Leon Theremin. He first discovered this by researching the density of gases. He then created a device to measure the density. He put in a meter to reflect the density as well as a whistling device that would change pitch according to the variation of densities. Theremin then discovered that his hands had an effect on the pitch because of the manipulation of the electromagnetic field. He played around with it until he could play a melody with it and told his fellow co-workers. He then went on the complete this project and constructed this instrument. The final product finished with having two antennas, one being placed vertically and the other being placed horizontally, connected to two different circuits. Both these antennas have an electrical field around. By using both hands, the right hand is able to manipulate pitch and while the left hand controls the volume.


https://www.carolinaeyck.com/theremin/
Leon Theremin playing his instrument.

Theremin Music

Most people probably have heard what a theremin sounds like but they just have not realized it. There are lots of old movies classics like “The Lost Weekend”, “Spellbound”, some science-fiction movies, or even recently a movie called “First Man” that displays the theremin in all sorts of ways. Albert Glinsky, author of Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage, describes it as “this squealing, wailing sound that sometimes goes along with the violins and creates this eerie sound”.  In Alfred Hitchcock’s “Spellbound”, the theremin was prevalent throughout the score of the film. In these two examples, the first one of displays the theremin in a very haunting way. The first example starts with this wavy, eerie sound fits this haunting mood of the movie. It fits the complements what is going on in the scene. The second example is the main theme to “Spellbound”. The interesting part about this one is that the theremin starts with the theme. It becomes first melodic sounding instrument one hears when listening to this movie theme. It is then contrasted by these long lines of the strings. This sound just becomes so refreshing to here after knowing what all these typical orchestral instruments sound like.

One of my favorite examples to display this great, unique sound actually comes from the soundtrack of “First Man”. “First Man” a movie that features the life of Neil Armstrong.There is a scene in the movie where he puts on music while in space and that song is called “Lunar Rhapsody”. “Lunar Rhapsody” is from a record called Music Out of the Moon and it features then famous theremin player Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman(who also played in “Spellbound). It was released in April 1947 and it became one of the best selling theremin records. “Lunar Rhapsody” features this “squealing” yet warm sound, soothing sound. The theme is so melodic and it shows off that the theremin is more than this sound effect.

In the end, what makes an instrument an instrument is the sound it can produce. It does not matter whether it is as physical like a drum set player or technical like a harp player. The theremin requires no physical touch and has been on many soundtracks or studio records that have been a profound impact on music culture. In today music world, Moog produces theremins that are well more advanced than the old ones and has become one of their best-selling instruments. It is interesting to see that it all started with project in a lab and it transformed to one of the most unique instruments today.


Sources

http://tuvalu.santafe.edu/projects/musicplusmath/index.php?id=29

“Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage” by Albert Glinsky, Bob Moog

http://www.thereminworld.com/Article/14232/what-s-a-theremin-

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-theremin-a-strange-instrument-with-a-strange-history/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNoR-SR5t1s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dawxnlRTgE8&t=0s&list=LLRr8TWpP-T8xAEzawPycdng&index=16

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvK0NkrZXxM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrDC_LuifkU