Musical Instruments Research Articles

CULTURAL CONTINUITY OF UTTARAKHAND'S RAMLILA

Ram is the center point of the value concept of Indian wisdom" (Ramchand 2024: 169). Ramlila is an integral part of Indian culture and traditions, through which the life and ideals of Ram are presented in a dramatic form. This performance is very important from religious, social and cultural point of view. The tradition of Ramlila holds a special place in Uttarakhand, where it is a symbol of cultural heritage and community participation. The traditional form of Ramlila in Uttarakhand is full of localness, which is celebrated as a cultural festival in open spaces of villages, towns and cities, government land or buildings and the land of the staging committee. About 44 male and 18 female characters play an important role in the staging of Ramlila. The characters for the performance are usually selected from the local community, who display the traditional art of performance. The roles of the characters, traditional costumes, and the use of local musical instruments make this event even more special and picturesque. These performances show the inclusion of religiosity and customs, which gives the audience a unique experience of spirituality and entertainment. Technology and modernity have also influenced the form of Ramlila performance, such as the inclusion of modern sound and light arrangements, digital technology, modern songs and music and contemporary contexts make Ramlila more attractive. These technological changes have played an important role in connecting the young audience. The dramatic inclusion of contemporary problems and issues also makes the performance relevant and entertaining. Ramlila organizing committees consider Ramlila not only a religious event, but also a means of promoting social unity and community spirit. Along with spreading moral and religious values, this event is also helpful in preserving regional traditions. In Uttarakhand, this event is working to keep people connected to their cultural roots from generation to generation. Uttarakhand's Ramlila is known for its historicity, staging style, cultural diversity, and community participation. It is a wonderful example of harmony between tradition and modernity, where a confluence of traditional culture and modern presentation is seen. The study of Uttarakhand's Ramlila provides an opportunity to understand its historicity, staging style, cultural neutrality, community participation (especially in the context of women's participation), and the balance between tradition and modernity. It is not only a religious and cultural heritage, but also a living tradition, which accepts the change of time and maintains its relevance and originality as well as carries out the process of change and continuity.This is a part of the research work done under the ICSSR funded program "Comparative study of the history of Ramlila staging and contemporary styles of presentation in Uttarakhand and social impact assessment of women's participation".

Exploration of molecular mechanics mechanism of muscle contraction in musical instrument performance

This study focuses on the molecular biomechanical mechanisms of muscle contraction during musical instrument performance. Through systematic investigation of 120 musicians from different instrument groups (30 each in string, keyboard, wind, and percussion sections), using fluorescence resonance energy transfer, single-molecule tracking techniques, and high-precision electromyography systems, we analyzed molecular motor movement characteristics, calcium signal dynamics, and cross-bridge cycling mechanisms during performance. The research revealed significant differences in molecular mechanical parameters among different types of instrumentalists: the string group demonstrated the highest cross-bridge cycling rate (458 ± 35 s−1) and fastest calcium signal response (τon = 1.2 ± 0.1 ms); the keyboard group showed the highest ATPase activity (42.3 ± 3.6 μmol/min/g) and the highest proportion of strongly bound cross-bridges (35.8 ± 3.2%). Performance proficiency significantly correlated with molecular mechanical parameters (r = 0.856, P < 0.01), indicating that molecular-level adaptive changes are fundamental to skill improvement. Based on these findings, we propose molecular biological strategies for optimizing practice methods, including intermittent training patterns based on ATP supply characteristics, progressive loading schemes considering calcium signal adaptation periods, and preventive measures targeting molecular motor fatigue patterns. The results provide new perspectives for understanding the biomechanical mechanisms of musical instrument performance while offering theoretical foundations for improving performance levels and preventing occupational injuries.

Coupling of Limit Switch Sensors and Stepper Motors with Acoustic Feedback for Positioning of a Cartesian Robot End Effector in the Study of Musical Instruments

This article discusses the innovative application of a Cartesian robot manipulator with acoustic feedback for calibration and precise positioning of a string-excitation element in investigating stringed instruments. It describes an experiment in which an acoustic guitar string is automatically excited with different guitar picks. The robot’s end effector positioning system utilizes limit switches, acting as a mechanical sensor, which provides feedback to the linear actuators that are equipped with stepper motors. The authors detail the research challenges they faced and propose a positioning algorithm that makes use of a microphone as an acoustic sensor, improving the calibration of the end effector’s position.

Introduction to the special issue

Popular music constructs, negotiates, and circulates representations of the past, thereby conveying historical knowledge and contributing to our understanding of the past. In short, popular music writes and rewrites history. Building on the notion that history constitutes an interpretation of past events strung together via narrative, the issue examines the critical role of popular music in constructing and negotiating historical narratives. By analyzing musical examples through various disciplinary and interdisciplinary lenses and drawing from a range of geographical contexts, including Italy, the Netherlands, Nigeria, the Philippines, the United States, and Uruguay, this issue contributes to an understanding of how music narrates the past through lyrics, musical motifs, song structure, genre, sound effects, images, intertextual references, musical instruments, as well as performative practices acknowledging the body as a means of ‘acting out’ of or ‘singing history’. Ultimately, the contributions suggest that history is not a chapter that is closed once it has been written. Instead, the articles demonstrate that when writing and rewriting history through popular music, the past is continually (re)negotiated, actively informing our present and taking a vital role in shaping our future.

Etimologia e história da palavra “macumba”

The aim of this article is to describe the etymology of the word macumba in its various meanings. It is a polysemous word with multiple definitions recorded in Portuguese-language dictionaries. Initially, the article examines the inclusion of macumba in general, etymological, and specialized dictionaries (both religious dictionaries and those focused on Africanisms), showing how its various meanings have been described throughout history. Its primary meaning refers to a set of Afro-Brazilian religious practices, but other meanings include "witchcraft," "offering placed at crossroads," and "a certain percussion instrument," among others. Next, the article analyzes the earliest occurrences of macumba and macumbeiro in 19th-century journalistic texts, which indicate that the meanings "musical instrument" and "set of religious practices" emerged almost simultaneously. Finally, the study revisits etymological hypotheses and different meanings in light of these early occurrences. It proposes that the most probable etymological hypothesis is the convergence of multiple etyma, suggesting that each meaning may have an origin different from the others.

Characterization of chemically treated luffa aegyptiaca fiber-reinforced epoxy composites with varying bio-filler

In this investigation, Luffa aegyptiaca–reinforced epoxy composites with varying filler content were produced using the compression molding process to conduct physical, mechanical, and morphological (scanning electron microscope, SEM) analyses. Specimens were created by using L. aegyptiaca as reinforcement, L. aegyptiaca seeds as filler, and epoxy as the matrix for the experiment. The moisture, wax, hemicellulose, and lignin components of the Luffa fiber were removed using a 5% NaOH solution for chemical treatment. In this experiment, L. aegyptiaca seed powder (filler) with varying weight percentages (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) was used to enhance the characteristics of the composite. The physio-mechanical properties of the composite were assessed using tensile, flexural, impact, interlaminar shear strength, water absorption, and hardness tests whereas the composite’s morphology and elemental composition of materials was studied using SEM and EDAX analysis. After the experiment, mechanical properties, such as tensile strength, flexural strength, impact resistance, and hardness, increased by 18.36 MPa, 47.39 MPa, 12.98 kJ/m2, and 5.75 MPa, respectively, when 15 wt% L. aegyptiaca seed powder filler was added. The results of the SEM study revealed improved adhesion between the fiber and resin, thereby enhancing the mechanical properties of the composite for use in various industries, including aerospace, automotive, defense, marine, sports, and musical instruments.

UTILIZATION OF ART, CULTURE, AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURIST VILLAGES THROUGH POKDARWIS

Purwosari Village gained recognition with the Embung Puri Idaman tourist attraction, the only tourist village in East Ogan Komering Ulu Regency. Managed by the Pokdarwis (Tourism Awareness Group), formed in 2022, the site is now facing challenges, including a decrease in the number of visitors. The causes include limited tourism creativity and innovation, economic capital, suboptimal marketing, and low community cohesion. To overcome this, online cultural arts and marketing training programs were held to boost Pokdarwis creativity, attract more visitors, and provide educational value for tourists. This training used the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) approach and involved 40 participants, including Pokdarwis members, village officials, children, and village residents. The material provided includes training on the mini saron musical instrument, the bancakan weton procession, tourism management, and social media marketing. The results showed an increase in participants' knowledge from 11.5% to 75.5%, as well as an increase in creativity from those who only relied on nature and facilities as tourist attractions, now being able to play mini saron and understand the bancakan weton cultural procession. Interviews revealed that participants gained new motivation to promote local arts and culture, aiming to increase recognition and provide economic value for the village community.

Exploring a digital music teaching model integrated with recurrent neural networks under artificial intelligence

This study proposes an intelligent digital music teaching model based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks to enhance personalized assessment and feedback in music education. Within this teaching model, the music evaluation module employs a three-layer Bidirectional LSTM (Bi-LSTM) combined with an attention mechanism, effectively capturing the long-term sequential features of Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) music to support the assessment of students’ musical performances. In comparative experiments with multiple models, the three-layer Bi-LSTM achieved a final accuracy of 91.9%, significantly outperforming other models and validating the advantages of deep network structures in complex tasks. Further comparisons of precision, recall, and F1-score demonstrated that the average values for the three-layer Bi-LSTM model reached 0.87, 0.854, and 0.86, respectively, showcasing superior classification accuracy and stability. A usability survey indicated that both piano teachers and students rated the overall satisfaction, teaching effectiveness feedback, user experience, teaching engagement, and ease of use of the model above 4.0, highlighting its excellent applicability and potential for broader adoption in teaching practice. This study provides a novel approach and practical reference for AI-driven personalized music education.

The Associations Between Computational Thinking and Learning to Play Musical Instruments

This paper explores the association between computational thinking (CT) skills and learning to play musical instruments. While CT has often been linked to programming and STEM fields, its application to non-digital contexts remains underexplored. The two studies presented here address this gap. In the first, a quantitative study (N = 91), self-report questionnaires were filled out by young adults with varied musical backgrounds, who also undertook CT tests. We found a strikingly positive association between musical experience and CT performance, with some nuanced associations based on the characteristics and experience of music playing. In the second, qualitative study (N = 10), interviews were conducted with high school students who are highly experienced in music performance, aiming at identifying CT skills they use while learning to play musical pieces. The analysis revealed that they employ a wide range of CT skills, and that the manifestation of these skills differs by the stage of learning. These two studies complement each other, hence this paper sheds important new light on the associations between CT and the field of music education.

Enhancing audio signal segmentation for musical instruments with refined MFCC-based features

Enhancing audio signal segmentation for musical instruments with refined MFCC-based features

The social context of the hurdy-gurdy in England, 1700–1900

Abstract A musical instrument is not just an object made to sound; rather, it functions within a social context that imparts meaning to its status and sound. This paper uses material from digitized English newspapers, satirical sketches, paintings and documents of the period to set out the social context for the hurdy-gurdy in England in 1700–1900. Hurdy-gurdies have strings that are sounded by a disc that is turned by a crank held in the player’s right hand. Some strings are drones whereas others are depressed by keys played by left-hand fingers. Hurdy-gurdies differ from mechanical barrel organs (sometimes also called hurdy-gurdies). Between 1700 and 1900, the hurdy-gurdy was partly an instrument of streets and other open spaces, and mainly appealed to those in the lower socio-economic classes. It was played by itinerant French and Italian children and adults, but also by English people. The names of 43 English players have been discovered. Across England, hurdy-gurdy players feature in reports of crimes, accidents, fairs, sporting gatherings and parades. Hurdy-gurdy players were important to public-house culture because they provided music for singing and dancing, and brought custom to the publican and tips for players. In contrast, the upper and middle classes heard the hurdy-gurdy played at concerts and masquerades in fashionable London gardens and theatres. Porcelain figurines of romanticized, peasant hurdy-gurdy players, manufactured at all the famous English potteries, were valued for their sentimental and erotic associations. In England, in 1700–1900, people of all ages and from all regions and social classes would have known about and heard the hurdy-gurdy.

Adaptation to sentences and melodies when making judgments along a voice-nonvoice continuum.

Adaptation to constant or repetitive sensory signals serves to improve detection of novel events in the environment and to encode incoming information more efficiently. Within the auditory modality, contrastive adaptation effects have been observed within a number of categories, including voice and musical instrument type. A recent study found contrastive perceptual shifts between voice and instrument categories following repetitive presentation of adaptors consisting of either vowels or instrument tones. The current study tested the generalizability of adaptation along a voice-instrument continuum, using more ecologically valid adaptors. Participants were presented with an adaptor followed by an ambiguous voice-instrument target, created by generating a 10-step morphed continuum between pairs of vowel and instrument sounds. Listeners' categorization of the target sounds was shifted contrastively by a spoken sentence or instrumental melody adaptor, regardless of whether the adaptor and the target shared the same speaker gender or similar pitch range (Experiment 1). However, no significant contrastive adaptation was observed when nonspeech vocalizations or nonpitched percussion sounds were used as the adaptors (Experiment 2). The results suggest that adaptation between voice and nonvoice categories does not rely on exact repetition of simple stimuli, nor does it solely reflect the result of a sound being categorized as being human or nonhuman sourced. The outcomes suggest future directions for determining the precise spectro-temporal properties of sounds that induce these voice-instrument contrastive adaptation effects.

Protecting threatened species and music traditions

Musical instruments are indispensable to music traditions worldwide and often made from natural materials derived from species that are increasingly endangered. International trade threatens the survival of some of these species, as addressed by their inclusion in the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). However, CITES regulations can substantially impact music traditions and alone are insufficient to preserve trade‐relevant species from extinction, such as the pau‐brasil (Paubrasilia echinata), which is used for the bows of stringed instruments. Therefore, new CITES listings of species or species products used in the manufacture of musical instruments, or potential future shifts of CITES‐listed species to the strictest category, will require anticipation, preparation, and precautionary actions. In international species trade negotiations, it is crucial to target the protection of species and music traditions beyond trade regulations. We propose novel social–ecological pathways to address these challenges and reconcile conflicting stakeholder interests between species conservation and cultural conservation.

Adaptations, Code-Switching, and Novelty With Cultural Integrity: Musicians Performing and Learning Musical Instruments in Different Musical Traditions

The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry was to examine musicians’—who already have extensive training in a familiar musical style—intensive, hands-on, performance-based learning experience of different musical traditions based on the theoretical frameworks of bi-musicality and interactive constructivism. Through chain sampling, I conducted interviews with eight musicians from multiple countries. Participants had a shared experience of the phenomenon shaped by their roles, including an undergraduate music student, a music education doctoral student, a private music teacher, a retired music teacher, a higher education professor, a music therapist, a children’s community choir director, and a music producer. Following epoché, bracketing, horizontalization, and phenomenological reduction, three themes emerged: (a) adapting skills and knowledge from previous learning, (b) setting aside techniques that express cultural differences, and (c) exploring novelty intuitively through experimentation with cultural integrity. The three themes encapsulated the essence of musicians’ experiences across musical traditions as adaptations, code-switching, and novelty with cultural integrity. The findings of this study may suggest implications for how music teachers and students broaden their music experiences beyond their familiar style to encompass diverse musical traditions in their formal and informal music learning settings.

Smelly sounds: Intestine material, gendered labour, and infrastructures of craft in south India

This article deals with bovine-intestine material that female artisans use in crafting musical instruments in contemporary South India. It explores the material and how different people come closer to or keep distance from the bodily substance and the final artifact. Comparing urban and rural drum-making practices and use, the article moves beyond caste-centered narratives and analysis, and demonstrates how making and using of the drum and attitude toward the material entangled with multiple social and religious groups in the Tamil-speaking region of India. I use fieldwork and oral history interviews to enrich the very little documented drum-making practice. Drawing my analytical framework from the history of science and technology, science and technology studies, and sound studies the paper moves between the slaughterhouse, the makers’ workshop, and the users of the drum, the article reveals the material and spatial complexities involved in working with and understanding bodily substances.

Mojżesz i srebrne trąbki Izraelitów (Lb 10, 1-10)

In this article a fragment from the Book of Numbers - Numbers 10:1-10, in which Moses is ordered to make two silver trumpets [חֲצֹצְרָה], has been shown in the research perspective, taking into account, above all, the biblical and historical contexts, as well as archaeo-musicological one. Contrary to the mythologized stories about inventors/ first builders of musical instruments from various areas of the Mediterranean Sea, this fragment contains an original account of the origin of the aerophone (Numbers 10:1-2). Due to their limited melodic capabilities, the ḥǎṣōṣěrâ trumpets, like their Egyptian šnb prototypes, were not musical instruments in the strict sense. They were usually used by priests descended from Aaron and the Levites. Numbers 10:2-10 includes historically reliable technological data (Numbers 10:2) and a developed usage profile of the aerophone (Lb 10:2-10), which is largely reflected in the referenced comparative material from the Old Testament (warfare, sacral celebrations in Jerusalem).

Beyond ‘musicking’: the linguistic significance of the Atumpan of the Akan of Ghana

ABSTRACT The Atumpan, a talking drum central to Akan culture in Ghana, has historically functioned as a musical instrument and a speech surrogate for communicating messages, honouring dignitaries, and preserving oral traditions. In this article, I explore the evolution of the Atumpan’s communicative role in contemporary Akan society, particularly as it intersects with digital communication and globalisation. Using an autoethnographic approach and drawing on musico-linguistic theory, I analyse how the Atumpan’s significance has shifted from a functional speech tool to one more centred on symbolic, ceremonial, and performative meanings. This shift reflects a broader trend in which traditional instruments retain cultural authority but are reshaped by modern technological practices. The article offers insights into the enduring power of the Atumpan in a changing world, and explore ways in which they continue to shape cultural identity, while acknowledging the limitations posed by its diminished role in direct communication in the digital age.

Літературні пригоди мексиканця в Україні (до питання про атрибутування популярного твору)

The purpose of the proposed investigation involves establishing the author of a popular Ukrainian poetic work in which the main character is a Mexican. Methods and techniques. To achieve this goal, general scientific methods were applied: analysis, synthesis, induction and literary methods: cultural-historical, biographical, textological, as well as the method of intertextuality. The totality of the listed methods constituted the methodology of the conducted research. The research evidence base was built on primary sources. The results of the work made it possible to identify one of the representatives of anancient foreign family, who became the protagonist of a popular poem known to every Ukrainian since childhood. H. Cherkaska announced that it had found the father of our hero – V. Aleksandrov. We analyzed his poem «Song about the Pumpkin» and refuted this opinion, pointing out the spread of an unreliable message in the information space. We found out the connection of Olena Pchilka to a Mexican based on the publication of the poem «Pumpkin Family». We discovered the absence of scientific materials about folklore records, in which the character carries out his family mission, goes around his relatives and is interested in their existence. We looked at the title and structure of song lyrics about pumpkins with the corresponding plot. Conclusions. The pumpkin is the main character of the Ukrainian folk song, whichhas two types of life. It belongs to the genre of written poetry, that is why it is read, memorized, recited and performed theatrically, in addition, it is an independent vocal-musical work, sung to the accompaniment of musical instruments. The existing melodic versions of the song «Pumpkin’s walking in the garden», representing the unity of national and regional poetry, appeared at the time when the formation of Ukrainian musicalethnography took place. They represent the unity of general poetic and regionalcomponents. There are three precedents related to a Mexican who responsibly approaches hisfamily duty. The name of the real author of «Pumpkin’s walking in the garden» is lost in the darkness of centuries, since the text was not recorded in writing by folklorists who began their activities only in the 50s and 60s of the 19th century. The pumpkin was glorified by the Ukrainian people, who preserved in oral form over the centuries the imagery of their thought, embodied in a humorous word that entertained and educated. Inspired by the theme of the folk work, V. Aleksandrov wrote the poem «Song about the Pumpkin» and used the first six lines of the poem in the beginning with a difference noticeable to the attentive reader. The text «Pumpkin Family» probably belongs to the folklore records of OlenaPchilka, which had no comments at the time of publication. The study of this fact requiresadditional sources, which may appear after the «Collection of works by Olena Pchilka» ispublished. All the listed works have the right to exist in the Ukrainian cultural space, subject to clarity in their reproduction. Instead, the inconsistency of names and texts was recorded. The revealed distribution in the information environment of the reasoning of H. Cherkaska about V. Aleksandrov as the author of the poem «Pumpkin’s walking in the garden» is unfounded.

The Role of Music Education in the Formation of Cultural Identity in the Modern World

The modern development of art education, which has been influenced by globalisation, demonstrates the relevance of studying music education processes, mainly because of the importance of musical art for the dialogue of cultures at the present stage. The article's purpose is to explore the role of music education in forming cultural identity in the modern world. A purposive sampling survey was used to achieve this goal. This method made it possible to study the opinions of teachers with experience in music education. The purposive sampling was also based on expertise, which resulted in the selection of 15 participants with different experiences in music teaching. The results indicate that ethnic culture in the music education curriculum has made it possible to teach students historical experience that supports an appropriate level of patriotism and contributes to the most common elements that influence the development of cultural identity: research on folk music, work on the study of musical history and the work of leading national composers, and the use of traditional musical instruments. The survey revealed that music education is highly effective in building cultural identity. The majority of respondents (60% of respondents) pointed to the particular importance of music education. Interactive learning, the project method, the immersion method, role-playing and dramatisation are used to develop cultural identity. The conclusions emphasise the importance of music education in the modern educational process, including the development of cultural competence.

Modelling bagpipes: numerical simulation exercise for distributed parameter system

Abstract Bagpipes are an ancient folk musical instrument, used as far back as ancient Greece. To this day, they are part of folk music in many countries and cultures. This paper deals with the modelling of the reed and melodic pipe (chanter) for bagpipes, focusing on tuning of the instrument. We present a theoretical model in the Geogebra software, which allows for qualitative simulating and visualizing the interaction between the reed blade and the air column of the pipe.