Xylophone Research Articles

Cultural Reproduction of Javanese Gamelan Creation

This research aimed to find out the cultural reproduction of Javanese gamelan c reation. Gamelan is an Indonesian orchestra composed mainly of tuned percussion instruments such as bamboo xylophones, wooden or metal chimes, and gongs. This reserach consisting of life attitude, work ethos, and skill of craftspeople in creation of Javanese gamelan . Cultural reproduction practice occurs in family, school/art institute/home industry environment and gamelan industry center community. This study employed naturalistic inquiry, describing the cultural reproduction of Javanese gamelan Creation naturally; the informants of research consisted of E m pu (master craftsman) who produces gamelan, gamelan craftspeople, Javanese gamelan art figure, and Javanese gamelan users. The result of research revealed that life attitudes the E mpu and the gamelan craftspeople had were: awareness of giving service to God, faith in God, being loyal to their job, submitting to the fate with gratitude, never being desperate, and having noble character. The work ethos of E mpu and craftspeople included: hard work, high togetherness, carefulness, tolerance, high sense of belonging to the job, and mutual help. Meanwhile, gamelan creation skill included: membesot , menyingi , menempa , membabar , and melaras . Life attitude, work ethos, and skill of gamelan creation occurred through parents’ socialization from one generation to the next or from E mpu to craftspeople in home industry. In industrial center community, gamelan gave Wirun villagers an identity as tough and reliable Empu and craftspeople. Keywords: Cultural Reproduction, Life Attitude, Work Ethos, Gamelan.

GYILEAS AGENRE IN DAGAABALAND, GHANA

The gyil (Xylophone) is a tuned idiophone, the principal instrument for Dagaabas for both religious and social ceremonies. This paper examines the place of gyil genre in Dagaaba culture. This study unveils the rich cultural traditions of the Dagaaba people of Winneba and Kasoa in the Central Region of Ghana; an anthropological documentation formed an important part of the study. The contextual meaning of the composition used in this study was based on Akuno’s (1997) theory on social functions. Thirty-nine Dagaaba gyil folk songs were collected from traditional performers, through purposeful and snowball sampling techniques. Songs were recorded, transcribed and analysed for dominant traditional musical features. Rhythmic and melodic accuracy of the transcribed songs were ascertained by play backs using FINALE notation software. The focus of this paper is therefore based on the Origin, Contextual Setting, Organology, Construction as well as the linguistic analysis of some selected songs

Modified Wood of Black Locust - Alternative to Honduran Rosewood in the Production of Xylophones

Rosewood in the Production of Xylophones A. Danihelova, M. ƒulik, M. N¥mec, M. Gejdo2 and Z. Danihelova Department of Fire Protection, Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, Technical University in Zvolen, T.G. Masaryka 24, 960 53 Zvolen, Slovakia Technical University in Zvolen, T.G. Masaryka 24, 960 53 Zvolen, Slovakia Department of Physics, Electrical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, Technical University in Zvolen, T.G. Masaryka 24, 960 53 Zvolen, Slovakia Department of Forest Harvesting, Logistics and Ameliorations, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, T.G. Masaryka 24, 960 53 Zvolen, Slovakia The Institute of Foreign Languages, Technical University in Zvolen, T.G. Masaryka 24, 960 53 Zvolen, Slovakia

Reviews

Reviews

A Change in Fashion/Full Tilt/Somewhere xylophones

A Change in Fashion/Full Tilt/Somewhere xylophones

Central African Republic: Music for Xylophones

Central African Republic: Music for Xylophones

Xylophone music from Ghana

Xylophone music from Ghana

How to Make a Tsonga Xylophone

How to Make a Tsonga Xylophone

Two curious resonated xylophones from Nigeria

Two curious resonated xylophones from Nigeria

Review article on the book: AFRICA AND INDONESIA: THE EVIDENCE OF THE XYLOPHONE AND OTHER MUSICAL AND CULTURAL FACTORS by A. M. JONES (pp. I-VIII, 1-233. Illus. Tables. Index. Pub. E. J. Brill. Leiden, 1964. Price: 36 Guilders).

This book falls into two studies, the one is on the similarities between the music, the tuning and the scales of the xylophones used in Africa and those used in Indonesia; the other is devoted to expounding a solution to explain these similarities.

The African Xylophone

The African Xylophone

ETHNOLOGY AND GENERAL: Africa and Indonesia: The Evidence of the Xylophone and Other Musical Factors. A. M. Jones

ETHNOLOGY AND GENERAL: <i>Africa and Indonesia: The Evidence of the Xylophone and Other Musical Factors.</i> A. M. Jones

Xylophones and Colonists - Africa and Indonesia: the Evidence of the Xylophone and other Musial and Cul. tural Factors. By A. M. Jones.Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1964. pp. viii, 248; maps and plates.

Xylophones and Colonists - Africa and Indonesia: the Evidence of the Xylophone and other Musial and Cul. tural Factors. By A. M. Jones.Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1964. pp. viii, 248; maps and plates.