“Anyone can make music” – Anonymous

The Jamcam

Since starting CSM i have become increasingly interested in how music can bring people from all walks of life together, particularly in this day and age. And how much people love to play music weather they class themselves as ‘musicians’ or not.

I found it interesting whilst experimenting with the ‘Pinball instrument’ i designed last year how if you hand a person a conventional instrument E.g a Guitar they are likely to not want to play it particularly if they do not class themselves as a ‘musician’. However put a ‘game’ in front of them E.g a pinball machine with some bells which make different tones etc and hey presto their having fun making music and they didn’t even know it!

Due to our western society we are led to believe that there are those that can play music and those that listen. However i believe that anyone can be a musician and this is something that i want to work with!

So my new idea is ‘The Jamcam’ a place where people can meet and ‘Jam’, they dont have to be musicians, they dont have to have a conventional instrument all they need is a object to make some noise with and your away!

My experiments using Skype went better then i expected. The sound quality was higher then i had thought it would be. However i did experience some technical difficulties such as:

• When more then 1 instrument is playing in 1 room the sound does seem to cut out sometimes particularly if loud.
•  When more then 4 people join a convo and video is enabled Skype crashes. However when video is disabled more then 4 people can hold a audio convo.

It was particularly interesting how i and others noticed how the lack of video automatically changed your relationship with the experience. Made you focus upon the audio more rather then what you are seeing. Perhaps this is better? However the video does give the feeling of being ‘closer’ together and does enhance that feeling of all being in 1 room.

This is something that definitely needs some more development and research. I need to look into different platforms that this could possibly be held in which are more suitable. I am interested in perhaps creating a musical game which could be played over The Jamcam.

“I discovered that the most interesting music of all was made by simply lining the loops in unison, and letting them slowly shift out of phase with other.” – Steve Reich

“A good groove releases adrenaline in your body. You feel uplifted, you feel centered, you feel calm, you feel powerful. You feel that energy. That’s what good drumming is all about.” – Mickey Hart

Taiko Drumming

Today i experienced my first Taiko lesson, it was extremely powerful in many ways and amazing fun!

We didn’t quite sounds like those guys however we did learn several different sequences. It was quite amazing just how powerful Taiko drums are. When we were all play the vibrations the drums were putting out when hit was incredible i could feel it building up in my chest like thunder about to sound.

The movement involved in the whole performance was very interesting also. It made me very aware of my body and how i was moving around which is actually great practice for any performer looking to develop there on stage presence. It was also a great release to be able to hit the drum with such force and move your whole body into the hit.

We also shouted phrases during different parts of the piece which again was a release as we had to really get into shouting them loudly almost with anger.

It is of course incredible how Taiko works so well and so powerfully when played in such numbers as you can see from above. It really is a great group activity also encouraging group activity and dynamics and discipline.

Dave from The Gwent Music Service who took the lesson also teaches in school’s around Newport and he was sharing his experiences whilst he was there and he said how it really did seem to have a calming effect on the children that played and also helped them to really develop there skills to focus.

Taiko used to be used during war as a communication tool but also to motivate the troops and help to set a marching pace. And i imagine it was rather off putting for the other side to hear this mass of powerful drums coming towards you.

I have looked into Taiko being used for Music Therapy however i haven’t been able to find any information on it being used at all. I feel that with the right group of people Taiko drumming could be very beneficial in a music therapy environment, as it engages the whole body, voice to shout, body to move with actions and brain to think about the drumming patterns so it really is very motivational. It is also a great release after that session although i didn’t feel particularly angry or emotional before going in a really felt better then i did before i went in, it felt as if a weight had been lifted! Taiko being a group activity could really benefit also as it could teach social skills or help to build on them.

 

 

The only universal tongue – Samuel Rogers

Global Perspectives

Our first Global Perspective workshop involved us taking part in a Samba lesson which was not only great fun but allowed us to use many different rhythms and work together with them. It certainly got my brain working!

What i’ve got from watching some videos online of Samba drumming from all over the world is the energy and vibrance that comes with it.

There are many different ways that i could take this module and i’m beginning to see this now.

Rhythm is a part of each and everyone of us that are living from our heart beats alone.

However i think its important to remember that in our Western Society we are brought up to believe that some of us are musicians and some of us are listeners. We are not led to believe that we can all play music. Like it or not the hierarchy of musician and listener still exists today in Western society. It is however less present is other cultures in which people are brought up to sing/drum/dance from a extremely early age. (The Singing Neanderthals – Steven Mithen)

And this is very true, i saw this particularly whilst volunteering at the Prospect Hospice over summer. Some people wanted to sing along other wanted to be purely a listener nothing more.

It’s no secret that drumming can be a great release physically and mentally and it can definitely be used in many different and interesting ways from therapy, education, relaxation through repetition, team building etc.

I really enjoyed putting my written Samba piece into practice today. Despite it not sounding like what i thought it might (as i expected banging on a table just doesn’t give the same effect) it was a lot of fun and a good learning curve. Controlling a drumming session is not as hard as i’d first thought however getting the drums sounding how you want is!

I’m gonna have lots of fun with this:)