Yet it would literally blow your mind to know that in the far reaches of all the Earth, there are in existence, uncountable different kinds of flutes, the sounds of which are beyond the imagination.
This Note section of my blog will as time progresses, be detailing many of these flutes. Indeed, in this blog I will make you believe a flute to be as powerful as thunder.
Hand percussion is by far my favourite of all percussive styles, not least for its immensely expressive nature and all round versatility.
Ever since my first pair of Bongos I have been researching endless kinds of hand percussion.
Yet in truth, I have been searching this past decade for one particular kind of drum that would provide every characteristic I desired.
I was looking for a wooden box, yet also an Udu jug… I was looking for a snare yet also a thumping bass… I was looking for portability yet also presence… basically I was looking for the Ktak.
Here is my invention, the Kalimbawu.
It gets its name by borrowing the term “Ba wu” from the Chinese flute of that name, meaning “him” and “her”.
Whilst not a reed instrument, the metal tongues of the Kalimba do resemble the shape of the Bawu flute’s reed. Also as I will explain, the Kalimbawu features two voices, one male and one female.
If that’s not an excuse, the word just works!
The Kalimba, also referred to as a “thumb piano”, is a modern variant of the African Mbira, developed by Hugh Tracey and which features a Westernised tuning system.
Call it what you will, what I call the Keytoi is actually a divine messenger of God, born from the heart of a Child.
Once upon a time the Melodica was only found in toy stores, or fairly selective music shops. It was by no means seen to be a professional instrument, not in any way.
It was however embraced rapidly by the Reggae communities and in time became a hallmark of their music.
It was here and then whence stage pianists became interested in the possibility of a more academically encompassing Melodica, with a greater scope for novelty accompaniments and indeed teaching.
Once the guys at Hohner became aware of the interest, they set themselves a little side project, just to test the waters… of a performance grade Melodica.
Hohner released a couple of these “scouts” onto the market… they watched… and waited… looking for any sign of a cultural rustling.
And when it came… it came from the top.
Originally a lounge Pianist, yet forever intimidated by its inconvenience of size, expense and formality, I found myself in a passionate love affair with a new instrument.
Invented in 1972 by Brian Wittman, a Hawaiian musician, guru and gentleman, the Xaphoon®, more popularly known as The Pocket Sax, is a Trumpet sized Saxophone, that not only fits in your pocket, but whence the dedication and mutual embrace is spoken, will turn your mind inside out as it screams the blue soul of a real Saxophonist.
There are many.
Most notably the Suzuki Sub30 which actually incorporates an extra ten reeds into the same 20 reed infrastructure, acting as silent “sympathetics”, only sounding when the player instructs them through embouchure.
Yet whilst it was my frustration with an instrument’s limitations that led me to this decade long investigation, it would soon come to pass that this very disposition of the Blues Harp’s design would be the very thing that solves my paradox.
All my life I have taught people a blessed miracle of music, that whence the passion of creativity resides within one, an orchestra can be painted from a pallette of only three colours.
That is to say, music is not the art of playing as many notes as possible as quickly and as loudly as possible… it is the art of creating masterpieces out of only the air, or thus from a flute without even any holes.
Enter… The Big Six.
Some could argue the Xaphoon to be much like a Ukulele, in that its size deems it flawed by design. Yet there are many Ukulele players who are obviously not dissuaded by this, indeed myself occasionally included.
No, the Xaphoon is not flawed. It is however, very difficult to master. Oh, this is not to say the average novice will be unable to enjoy it, no, this is to say that the average professional Xaphoonist would have spent ten years perfecting it.
The difference between a Xaphoon and a Pocket Sax…? Bamboo die hards aside… depends how good you are.
First things first. I know what you are seeking. The sound of a Sax in your pocket. Yet you fear it to only raspberry, much like a Kazoo. This is a common misconception, seeded by poor examples of play, by amateurs trying too hard, as if to make a baby iron a suit.
