tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38519501.post7908229847012097067..comments2024-03-28T21:49:02.667+00:00Comments on History is made at night: What is it?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38519501.post-82553304077101758302009-01-23T10:49:00.000+00:002009-01-23T10:49:00.000+00:00You can hear some fantastic Gnawa from Essaouira's...You can hear some fantastic Gnawa from Essaouira's guimbri master, Mahmoud Guenya. This is how the instrument can be played:<BR/><BR/>http://snapcrackleandpops.blogspot.com/2008/09/el-maleem-mahmoud-guenya.html<BR/>http://snapcrackleandpops.blogspot.com/2008/11/heres-another-fantastic-cd-of-gnawa.html<BR/><BR/>Gnawa music is a ritual music traditionally played at all night ceremonies called Lillas. The ceremony is designed to induce a trance like state through music and ecstatic dancing. I've never been to a Lilla, but at last year's Essaouira festival, the atmosphere around some of the smaller stages where the more traditional Gnawa musicians played was more like a punk gig than a religious ritual...wild dancing, many people singing along, gangs of Moroccan kids chanting at each other across the medina squares. It's been a long time since I went to a gig in this country that had such a level of audience participation!Mr Tearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00245874711568171519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38519501.post-75983117275494827312009-01-20T21:52:00.000+00:002009-01-20T21:52:00.000+00:00Thanks for that - the tubular neck takes some gett...Thanks for that - the tubular neck takes some getting used too, but I like the sound. I found a clip that showed somebody playing it, the trick is to pluck the strings while tapping out a percussive rhythm on the sound box:<BR/><BR/>http://fairtradeculture.com/blog.php/2007/08/01/guenbri-maker/.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17026835814805695527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38519501.post-48223691814659688502009-01-15T19:29:00.000+00:002009-01-15T19:29:00.000+00:00Coming across some more stuff via google, I found ...Coming across some more stuff via google, I found a description of arab musical instruments here http://www.al-bab.com/arab/music/instruments.htm, and by the looks of it, it seems you have got yourself a:<BR/><BR/>Guenbri, ginbri, or hajouje,<BR/><BR/>"A deep three-stringed wooden bass instrument, sometimes with an added wooden resonator. Fretless, with a long cylindrical neck and a sound box covered with skin. In Morocco, often used by Gnawa musicians."<BR/><BR/>Of the instruments listed on that page, this one seems most likely, sharing factors as bass sound, fretless and tubular neck, as you said. <BR/><BR/>Might be a Sintir/Gimbri, but they have a rectangular body.<BR/><BR/>Or a Lutar?<BR/><BR/>http://www.azawan.com/tachelhit/schuyler/img/lutar.jpg<BR/><BR/>http://www.atlasofpluckedinstruments.com/africa.htm<BR/>Some more pointers here perhpas.<BR/><BR/>Hope this got you any further.<BR/><BR/>Good luck, and have fun exploring it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com