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When someone thinks of steel drums, they think of the Caribbean. Wheeler Matthews is a steel drum maker from Beaufort, S.C. He discusses his inspirations for wanting to create steel drums, and how...
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One of Conway’s many fascinating shops is Jennings Chestnut’s shop, where he makes mandolins, and other musical instruments. Jennings discusses making instruments, and the inspirations behind his...
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Have you ever wondered how the violin came to play such an important role in the history of classical music? Well, it starts with singing. The invention of opera, in late 16th century Florence, marks...
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The modern oboe most likely originated in France in the 1600's. The word oboe, which is the instrument’s name in both English and Italian, comes from the French name, hautbois, meaning “high wood,” or...
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Have you ever wondered how the violin came to play such an important role in the history of classical music? Well, it starts with singing. The invention of opera, in late 16th century Florence, marks...
Audio
The members of the modern violin family are the violin, viola, cello, and double bass. These instruments are descendants of various kinds of medieval fiddles—fiddle, by the way, being an older word...
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During the 1920s, the sound of "rumba" music took over Cuba. Rumba was great to dance to, as it was played with many types of percussion instruments. The congas stood out as rumba's major percussion...
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Campana: A cowbell used in Cuban music. It is sometimes attached to another instrument called the "timbales."
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Claves: Two sticks used to make a simple rhythm in Cuban music such as rumba. It is used in many other forms of Latin American music as well.
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Guiro: A scraper sometimes used in Latin jazz. The Cuban and Puerto Rican form is made from a notched gourd and played with a stick.