Cool Stuff number 2!!!

The Bomba DrumThe Mariera

The berimbau

 

After watching the videos about South American bands in class, I wanted to see what other kinds of drums were used in Argentinian music. I noticed one of these drums and wondered what it was. This is a bombo or bass drum from Argentina. It is made of a hollow log, and the drumhead is made out of animal skin such as goat or sheep. Unlike most drums, the bombo drumhead is not smooth; it still has the fur on it. The bombo is played with mallet, which is used to hit either the drumhead or the rim of the drum. I think it is quite interesting that the drumhead of the bombo is furry instead of smooth.

 

I also looked into other string instruments from South America, and I found this: the berimbau. The berimbau is a single string instrument from Brazil. It is made from a wooden bow and a steel string; both are attached to a gourd, which is essentially a resonator for the instrument. At first glance this simple device doesn’t really look like an instrument at all. You have to agree, for a musical instrument it does look strange. It is played by using a small stick to hit the string and produce sound. A small pebble is used to change the sound of the berimbau by holding it against the string. The gourd can be covered or uncovered to produce various sounds as well. .

 

As most of you probably know by now, I love dancing. So I wanted to learn more about South American dances, as the ones I have seen always look like so much fun!  This is the Marinera. It is the national dance of Peru and is danced by couples. Handkerchiefs are used as props in the dance: dropping the handkerchief to get attention, flirting etc. The dance is very romantic and elegant and is supposed to resemble courtship. The women don’t have specific costumes; they just wear traditional clothing that corresponds to their town. Surprisingly, it is deemed unacceptable for the women to wear shoes while performing this dance. I think this would be an extremely enjoyable dance to learn.