Latin percussion

coming of Jesus for his church. He described how the groom would leave for days to prepare a home for his bride and only his father would know when is the right time to pick up his bride. In the Bible, it says that Jesus is preparing a home for its bride the church and only the father known when he is ready to lift up the church. Las Bodas is like a letter saying that the bride (the church) is waiting for its groom(Jesus) to come and take her to her new home (heaven). This song is in a verse-chorus form where the chorus is repeated twice and the tempo of the song is also slow like Inexplicable. The instruments in this song include an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, a drum set, and the congas. By having the congas gave the gospel song a Latin flare that made it very unique and beautiful since most slow tempo songs don’t usually contain congas. This time, Angel himself sang this song and it was amazing how he had such a control in his voice to go from a high note to a lower one. Las Bodas is the song that gave me the chills and that I can listen to all day long. After Ester and Angel performed more amazing songs another singer named Angel Figueroa performed in the concert. Figueroa is also a Puerto Rican singer but he is much younger than Angel, he is around his mid thirty’s. Figueroa does not play any instrument but he has an amazing voice, it is very strong and thick. Figueroa chooses to perform a faster tempo song that was highly syncopated and used a lot more…

The marimba, a popular percussion instrument, has not only a rich sound, but a rich history. The instrument, which has a name that means “wood sounder” in African languages and “the goddess” in Guatemalan creates it’s sound with wooden bars and metal resonators. The first idea for marimbas came from Africa.“The xylophone was taken to Latin America by African slaves…”(“Marimba”, Encyclopedia Britannica) Calabashes, or a type of gourd, were replaced in Latin America by resonators made of metal.…

The African Djembe was said to be created in the 12th century; it’s considered one of the most versatile and boundless drumming instruments on the earth (Drum Africa). A Guinean drum that is played throughout Africa that is known to resemble the figure of a woman with it’s round upper half, small waist, and large lower half is called the Djembe drum. This unique drum was created by Blacksmiths from the caste Manlike in Guinea; with its exclusive sound spectrum the djembe produces a strong…

As the school year progresses, Thomas Jefferson's extra curricular programs continue to display their hard work for the students enjoyment. During the boys’ basketball game on January 4th, against Westminster High School, TJ’s drumline did just that, bringing the audience musical enjoyment in an unconventional way: by using buckets. After months of continuous practice, the drumline, led by band teacher Robin Johnson, was ready to perform a few songs as a halftime show. In preparation for events…

The earliest form of music that came into our world was called the Drum-Based Percussion instrument (Hollis). These instruments of rocks and sticks were used in religious ceremonies that were known as representations of animals (Hollis). It is known that by 4000 BCE the Egyptians created the Harps and Flutes, and also by 3500 BCE instruments called Lyres and Doubled-Reeded Clarinets has been founded and created (Hollis). Almost all of the Indians and Africans had been using some of these…

Steel drum music has the ability to move an audience like no other type of music. From the first note, the songs exude a happiness from within each pannist. Even with the slower pieces, you can close your eyes and imagine yourself in a tropical surrounding. The AISD concert, conducted by CJ Menge, which took place April 14, 2012 certainly did not disappoint. The concert was performed in Austin, Texas and featured steel drum bands from seven middle and high schools in the area. The first piece,…

It is hard to picture the Beatles without Ringo or Led Zeppelin without Bonham. These drummers many not be front and center, but they are the back bone to the band. And without the Drum set these drummers would have never been. Jazz or Rock n Roll or Pop music wouldn’t be the same without the invention and evolution of the drum set. The drum set took over a century to become what it is today. The drum set is an American instrument and through its development it has reflected the way America has…

orishas during the ceremony. These three drums are Iya (mother), dedicated to the Orisha Yemaya, Itotele (father) dedicated to Oshun, and Okonkolo (baby) dedicated to the orisha Chango. Iya is the largest drum, followed by Itotele and finally Okonkolo is the smallest. Each of these drums are made sacred by going through a specific consecration ceremony which may only be attended by males who have had their hands wash to play the drums as well as the Babalawo (male priests of Ifá). Although one…

Melissa Hirokawa, who is the owner of Living Spirit Therapy and a board-certified music therapist, sings to a woman who is in end stage Alzheimer’s. The woman with Alzheimer’s, named Dorothy, starts to react to the music almost immediately. Dorothy starts to smile, and even sing and dance with the music being sung to her. This is an example of stimulative music, because the upbeat tempo of the song encouraged Dorothy to dance and move around. Sedative music, however, is a key part in helping…

was a struggle but I willingly joined because if I was not hauling up a synth to the band room, who would? My boyfriend Will thrust the registration form in my hand the day he received an extra copy. My brain rushed through all the possibilities in marching band. The experience had a euphoric essence in my mind when I envied over my new friends. But I had two concerns: The first being that I’m not a very skilled or experienced musician, and my other concern was the cost and time commitment.…