Percussion – Making Music

July 20, 2020August 20, 2021

The Udu

Introduction

In this Museum of Amazing Musical Instruments Mat the Hat introduces the Udu

And if you’re wanting to do an activity whilst you’re visiting the museum, there’s an accompanying quiz for each minstrument and web links to explore.

The Udo

This is the udu – a musical clay pot. How do you do, udu?

Udu pots originally came from Nigeria, Africa, but today they are made all over the world. The musical clay pot is popular in India, where it’s called a Ghatam.

In the Igbo language of Nigeria the word Udu means a vessel, but I think it’s also like the sound the instrument makes – ooo doo!

This udu is made of clay and has tiny grains of iron embedded in the clay to help improve the sound of the drum. You play it by covering the holes in the side or the top. If you bounce your hand over the hole, you make the ‘oooo’, if you place your hand you make a ‘doooo’.

Udu clay pots are a wonderful example of how something from the home becomes a musical instrument. Before they were made with a hole in the side, udu vessels would be placed under ground to store water or milk in order to keep the contents cool. They could be described as the world’s oldest refrigerator!

The udu is a quieter drum that’s nice to play on your own or with other softer sounding instruments. Some players put water inside the drum, which changes the pitch.

Link

Here are some other videos you can watch to learn more about the Udo, how is is played and made.

An Amazing Udu solo by Rakitha Wickramaratne

African Udu – women perfuming a Song of Thanks Giving

Making Udu pots in Nigeria

Indian Ghatam women’s ensemble

To see what the Big Drum Adventure is all about have a look at Mat’s website.

http://wherestheone.co.uk/big-drum-adventure.html

Learning Resources

To download files right click on the links and then select either:‘

Save Target As’ (PC)
‘Download Linked File’ (Mac

Museum introduction

Udu Museum Script, Links and Quiz

July 20, 2020August 20, 2021

The Yantra

Introduction

In this Museum of Amazing Musical Instruments Mat the Hat introduces the Yantra.

And if you’re wanting to do an activity whilst you’re visiting the museum, there’s an accompanying quiz for each minstrument and web links to explore.

The yantra is a gentle and melodic drum, and is my musical partner to the Hang drum. The notes ring loud and pure.

The yantra is a tank drum – it is made out of an old propane gas tank. It’s been cut down to this lovely shape, but you can still see the letters underneath. It was made by a man called Jason who lives in Newburgh, Fife, in central Scotland. How do I know that – because I asked him to make this drum especially for me!

The yantra is a really sturdy drum, one that anyone can play with any sort of sticks – it’sindestructible and a great drum to take to a party! I don’t even need a case for it.

Some people call drums like this a tongue drum because the musical notes are made by playing each of these tongues that have been cut into the body. Each of the tongues is tuned to a different note on the scale of F major. The yantra is a tuned drum that I can play with any other instrument, but I especially like to play it with my Hang because the notes are similar. In music, this is because the scales that the two instruments play are related – D minor and F major.

The yantra drum get’s it’s name because yantra is the Sanskrit word for a mystical diagram that is important to members of the Hindu religion. The tongues on the drum look like a picture that you might meditate on. I think it’s rather beautiful!

Links

Here are some other videos you can watch to learn more about the Udo, how is is played and made.

Yantra Wikipedia

Tank drums

How to make a tank drum

To see what the Big Drum Adventure is all about have a look at Mat’s website.

http://wherestheone.co.uk/big-drum-adventure.html

Learning Resources

To download files right click on the links and then select either:‘

Save Target As’ (PC)
‘Download Linked File’ (Mac

Museum introduction

Yantra Museum Script, Links and Quiz

July 20, 2020August 20, 2021

The Berimbau

Introduction

In this second Museum of Amazing Musical Instruments Mat the Hat introduces the Berimbau.

And if you’re wanting to do an activity whilst you’re visiting the museum, there’s an accompanying quiz for each minstrument and web links to explore.

The Berimbau

The Berimbau is a musical bow from Brazil. Some bows shoot arrows, but this bow shoots musical notes! It produces a unique sound that’s both rhythmic and hypnotic.

You’ll never find a berimbau that’s been made in a factory – all the parts of this minstument either grow naturally, or are recycled. The big bow is made from the wood of the beriba tree and is strung with wire that comes out of a car tyre. The gourd slides over one end – in Brazil this part is called the cabaça.

The berimbau produces three tones – a low note, a high note and a buzz tone. You move the berimbau to and from your tummy to make a wah wah sound that brings the instrument to life.

Berimbau rhythms are called toques. You will usually find a berimbau played for a martial art called capoeira, which is a sport that is very popular in Brazil. The rhythms of the berimbau tell the capoeira players how to play, and everyone sings along.

You hit the berimbau with a stick called a baqueta, which is held with a caxixi in your right hand. Your left hand holds the instrument by balancing it on your little finger, which takes a little while to get used to. Your left hand also holds the dobrão, which is shaped like an old Portuguese coin.

The berimbau travelled to Brazil from Africa in the days of slavery. The African slaves were kept in terrible conditions and weren’t allowed to dance or have any sort of fun, so practicing capoeira and playing the berimbau had to be done in secret. Nowadays capoeira is popular all over the world – it’s a great way to keep fit and play music at the same time.

Pronunciation guide

Berimbau: beh-rim-bow

Capoeira: caa-po-wayra

Toques: toks
Cabaça: kabassa

Caxixi : caa-shi-shi
Dobrão: dobraow (as in a cat’s meeaow)

Link

Here are some other videos you can watch to learn more about the Udo, how is is played and made.

Berimbau solo

Capoeria in Brazil – fast style called ‘Regional’

Capoeria in Brazil – slower style called ‘Angola

To see what the Big Drum Adventure is all about have a look at Mat’s website.

http://wherestheone.co.uk/big-drum-adventure.html

Learning Resources

To download files right click on the links and then select either:‘

Save Target As’ (PC)
‘Download Linked File’ (Mac

Museum introduction

Berimbau Museum Script, Links and Quiz

The Udo

This is the udu – a musical clay pot. How do you do, udu?

Udu pots originally came from Nigeria, Africa, but today they are made all over the world. The musical clay pot is popular in India, where it’s called a Ghatam.

In the Igbo language of Nigeria the word Udu means a vessel, but I think it’s also like the sound the instrument makes – ooo doo!

The udu is a quieter drum that’s nice to play on your own or with other softer sounding instruments. Some players put water inside the drum, which changes the pitch.

Link

Here are some other videos you can watch to learn more about the Udo, how is is played and made.

An Amazing Udu solo by Rakitha Wickramaratne

African Udu – women perfuming a Song of Thanks Giving

Making Udu pots in Nigeria

Indian Ghatam women’s ensemble

To see what the Big Drum Adventure is all about have a look at Mat’s website.

http://wherestheone.co.uk/big-drum-adventure.html

Learning Resources

To download files right click on the links and then select either:‘

Save Target As’ (PC)
‘Download Linked File’ (Mac

Museum introduction

Udu Museum Script, Links and Quiz

June 29, 2020August 20, 2021

The Museum of Amazing Musical Instruments

Introduction

Mat the Hat is well know to our schools for his lively and engaging Big Drum Adventure that he has delivered with many of our pupils. Each week Mat has a special feature called the Museum of Amazing Musical Minstruments.

Mat introduces items from his own personal museum, a collection of amazing sounds and unusual ways to create music that he has built up on his travels around the world. So prepare yourself to step into the Museum, to be astounded by the marvelous, magnificent and mysterious musical Minstruments from as far away as Africa, South America and the Himalayas.

And if you’re wanting to do an activity whilst you’re visiting the museum, there’s an accompanying pdf with a quiz for each minstrument and web links to explore.