Wind instruments

looking for a Neapolitan ethnic musical instrument

6 replies 3,238 views

Started by

ScalaQuaranta

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Opening post by ScalaQuaranta

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536
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torino

hello everyone,

tthis morning (Friday, August 21, 2015), around 11:00 AM, I happened to catch a glimpse of a report on UnoMattinaEstate (or so I believe) quite distractedly: the reporter Francesco Paolantoni, through the streets of the historic center of Naples, was illustrating the various characteristic street performers. In particular, he interviewed a man selling strange wind instruments (they seemed self-made with recycled materials to me) but they played and were even in tune. The timbre produced is essentially the introductory theme of the piece "'NA TAZZULELLA 'E CAFE'" by Pino Daniele. These musical instruments have a name, one that is also quite familiar but which at this precise moment, right now, I cannot remember. Does anyone among you know it?

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Reply 3 by Kappa

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146

I haven't seen the program, but the typical instruments of the Neapolitan song are: Mandolin, Guitar, Colascione, Triccheballacche; to these are added drums (Tammorre) and tammurrielli, caccavella or Putipù, and other instruments often of artisanal manufacture.

I don't know if what you are looking for is in this list.

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Reply 5 by Silbermann

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109
City
MI

As far as I know, the Neapolitan orchestra uses wind instruments such as the clarinet, the recorder -or the shawm- and the horn

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Reply 6 by Marzapane

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210

I made a mistake on the WEB, for example the Neapolitan tarantella features wind, string, and percussion instruments as in the Taranto tradition but introduces indigenous popular instruments (the puti-pu, the scetavajasse, lenacchere) and foreign ones (the triccabballacco), prioritizing the rhythmic component.

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Reply 7 by ScalaQuaranta

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536
City
torino

thanks for your input, guys!

but among the instruments mentioned, the one featured in the report is not there.

i can't remember the name (it's on the tip of my tongue) but I can describe what it looks like:

it has an approximately conical shape (the ones in the report, I believe, were made of cardboard); I believe that on the base of the cone

a membrane was stretched to which a small rod (about 5-6cm) was attached; on the side of the cone, there was a nozzle (like a straw) protruding;
by blowing into the nozzle, the membrane begins to vibrate and, by acting on the stick

(which modifies the tension of the membrane), the pitch of the produced sounds varies.

from what I understand, the sound production principle is that of a homemade vuvuzela:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbb5_Q-JZPc

(the membrane-tensioning stick was not included here).

thanks again and.... if the name of this instrument comes to mind, give me a... whistle! ;-P

ScalaQuaranta

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