30th June 2012 at St Ethelburga’s, London EC2 (Desert Rose gig).

The Mouth Bow consists of a string held taut by a flexible stick and scraped with a bow. The musician holds the instrument in their mouth, which acts as resonator. Sound can be altered by changing the shape of the mouth. The bow is played at an angle above the horizontal. This Mouth Bow is played by the Xhosa people and called an Umrhubhe. It is smaller than Musical Bows like the Uhadi. Here is one being played: www.flickr.com/photos/kmlivemusic/7560971102/.

Mouth Bows are assigned the number 311.121.11 in the Hornbostel-Sachs classification of musical instruments ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbostel-Sachs ), indicating:
3 = Chordophone. Instruments where the sound is primarily produced by the vibration of a string or strings that are stretched between fixed points.
31 = Simple Chordophones. Instruments which are in essence simply a string or strings and a string bearer.
311 = Bar or Stick Zithers. The string bearer is bar shaped.
311.1 = Musical Bows. The string bearer is flexible (and curved).
311.12 = Heterochord musical bows. The string is of separate material from the bearer.
311.121 = Mono-heterochord musical bows. The bow has one heterochord string only.
311.121.1 = Without resonator.
311.121.11 = Without tuning noose.

Tags:   Musical Instrument Hornbostel-Sachs Chordophone Umrhubhe Mouth Bow South Africa Desert Rose St Ethelburga’s

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30th June 2012 at St Ethelburga’s, London EC2.

Part of "Listen to the World" series.

Country: South Africa. Style: Africa & World Fusion / Sufi.

Lineup: Lynne Holmes-Genief (keyboard/MD/v), Yusuf Ganief (v), Ncebe Gongxeka (v/ musical bow [uhadi]/mouthbow [umrhubhe]/ kudu horn [uphondo lweqhude]/kalimba/endongo/talking drum/raft rattle), Farah Jawitz (v/clarinet), Michaela Holmes (v), Sisonke Godlo (djembe).

Desert Rose are from Capetown. Lynne Holmes founded a music company with this name in 2000. She has worked with Yusuf Ganief since 2008, and the collapboration has evolved into this group. Gainef is of Javanese/Malaysian and Scottish descent and brings a Sufi influence to the group (which often performs in ecumenical religious settings). They sing in Arabic, Xhosa and English. Ncebe Gongxeka plays a wide range of instruments including Xhosa ones (Uhadi, Umrhubhe, Uphondo Lweqhude) and ones from other parts of Africa and elsewhere. When I heard that the company had produced an album called Deep Relaxation Music and that there would be a laptop soundtrack accompaniment, I was a bit worried. However, their music was far from the New Agey mood music I feared.
More information: www.desertrosemusic.co.za/.

Tags:   World Music South Africa Desert Rose Umrhubhe Mouth Bow Listen to the World St Ethelburga’s

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30th June 2012 at St Ethelburga’s, London EC2 (Desert Rose gig).

The Musical Bow consists of a string held taut by a flexible stick and scraped with a bow. Many Musical Bows have a resonator attached to them. This one played by the Xhosa people is called a Uhadi and has a gourd resonator. Traditionally played by women the bow is held vertically with the gourd above her breast. Here is one being played (by a man): www.flickr.com/photos/kmlivemusic/7560972750/.

Musical Bows are assigned the number 311.121.211 in the Hornbostel-Sachs classification of musical instruments ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbostel-Sachs ), indicating:
3 = Chordophone. Instruments where the sound is primarily produced by the vibration of a string or strings that are stretched between fixed points.
31 = Simple Chordophones. Instruments which are in essence simply a string or strings and a string bearer.
311 = Bar or Stick Zithers. The string bearer is bar shaped.
311.1 = Musical Bows. The string bearer is flexible (and curved).
311.12 = Heterochord musical bows. The string is of separate material from the bearer.
311.121 = Mono-heterochord musical bows. The bow has one heterochord string only.

Tags:   Musical Instrument Hornbostel-Sachs Chordophone Uhadi Musical Bow South Africa Desert Rose St Ethelburga’s

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30th June 2012 at St Ethelburga’s, London EC2.

Part of "Listen to the World" series.

Country: South Africa. Style: Africa & World Fusion / Sufi.

Lineup: Lynne Holmes-Genief (keyboard/MD/v), Yusuf Ganief (v), Ncebe Gongxeka (v/ musical bow [uhadi]/mouthbow [umrhubhe]/ kudu horn [uphondo lweqhude]/kalimba/endongo/talking drum/raft rattle), Farah Jawitz (v/clarinet), Michaela Holmes (v), Sisonke Godlo (djembe).

Desert Rose are from Capetown. Lynne Holmes founded a music company with this name in 2000. She has worked with Yusuf Ganief since 2008, and the collapboration has evolved into this group. Gainef is of Javanese/Malaysian and Scottish descent and brings a Sufi influence to the group (which often performs in ecumenical religious settings). They sing in Arabic, Xhosa and English. Ncebe Gongxeka plays a wide range of instruments including Xhosa ones (Uhadi, Umrhubhe, Uphondo Lweqhude) and ones from other parts of Africa and elsewhere. When I heard that the company had produced an album called Deep Relaxation Music and that there would be a laptop soundtrack accompaniment, I was a bit worried. However, their music was far from the New Agey mood music I feared.
More information: www.desertrosemusic.co.za/.

Tags:   World Music South Africa Desert Rose Uhadi Musical Bow Listen to the World St Ethelburga’s

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9th June 2012 at Kings Place (Downstairs Foyer), London N1 (Aluá Nascimento & Alba Cabra gig).

The Berimbau is a Brazilian musical bow. It is 4 or 5 feet long, made of wood with a single steel string. A hollow gourd attached to the bottom end of the bow acts as a resonator. The instrument is held against the abdomen, leaving the hands free to strike the string with a wooden stick (and perhaps play a second instrument like a caxixi). The Berimbau is played in capoeira and candomblé music.

Berimbaus are assigned the number 311.121.211 in the Hornbostel-Sachs classification of musical instruments ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbostel-Sachs ), indicating:
3 = Chordophone. Instruments where the sound is primarily produced by the vibration of a string or strings that are stretched between fixed points.
31 = Simple Chordophones. Instruments which are in essence simply a string or strings and a string bearer.
311 = Bar or Stick Zithers. The string bearer is bar shaped.
311.1 = Musical Bows. The string bearer is flexible (and curved).
311.12 = Heterochord musical bows. The string is of separate material from the bearer.
311.121 = Mono-heterochord musical bows. The bow has one heterochord string only.
311.121.2 = With resonator.
311.121.21 = With resonator attached.
311.121.211 = Without tuning noose

Tags:   Musical Instrument Hornbostel-Sachs Chordophone Berimbau Musical Bow Brazil Alua Nascimento Alua Nascimento & Alba Cabral Kings Place

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