HOMEGROWN MUSIC...AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS!

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

THE SPOONS

We couldn't close this first column without mentioning the spoons (yep, the ordinary kind you find in every kitchen drawer). Hold two of 'em back-to-back loosely in one hand with your index finger between the handles ... and let their bowls rattle together as you beat the spoons against your knee or between your other hand and the knee.

Interesting effects can also be obtained by playing a set of spoons in front of your open mouth as you change the size of the mouth cavity (sort of the way you do when you play the jaw harp). In another sense, the spoons are a lot like castanets ... and I have a friend who sometimes switches off to a set of, handcarved wooden spoons, in addition to playing all sorts of metal ones. Each set has a sound all its own.

LET'S GET STARTED!

Quentin says a tub bass can be put together in as little as 15 minutes and I know it doesn't take even that long to get started playing one. The other instruments described here don't require any construction at all. Remember, too, that there are still further possibilities: Anything that will produce a sound becomes a musical instrument when it's played rhythmically.

So what are you waiting for? A whole summer's worth of bluegrass hoedowns, old-time fiddlers' conventions, plain ordinary picnics, long evenings after the chores are all done, and other get-togethers will be here before you know it.

You don't have to be a professional to get in on this kind of music. The fun part is just the gettin' together (emphasis on the "together") with other musicians and "jamming". Give everybody a chance to come up with a song for the group to try ... and the older and the more familiar some of those tunes are, the better. Even Oh Suzanna or I've Been Working on the Railroad can be a real thrill again when you play 'em on your own homegrown instruments.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print