Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Fast Facts About Unique Medieval Instruments

By Douglas Etri


Got a lot of free time? There are lots of ways to wake the life within you. But are you willing to use the right side of your brain (creative side) instead of choosing to sit there for hours in front of your pc or tv? Do not waste the time doing idling things. Life is short and the world has many things to offer. Studying how to play medieval instruments for instance.

You may exclaim that these medieval instruments are of no way exciting in this day and times. You are right, these "old" stuff seem to be overly out-of-place and too not special in the time where electronic instruments and voice digital editing seem to be predominant. If you are following the same line of thought then you are absolutely wrong. Even today, there are still several instruments dating back from the medieval times that are played along with the modern instruments. The tambourine for example, or the cymbals. Or even the fiddle which is almost always present on medieval-themed films.

Learning how to play these old-timer musical instruments would also be more exciting if you can learn some little-known tidbits concerning the dark ages. This would not only increase your understanding about the medieval history, but to allow the natural curiosity of the Dark ages to grow inside you. Through this, music appreciation as well as the advocacy to spread the magic of the medieval music even to these modern times will be realized.

Fun tidbit number one: Did you know that the human voice is proven to be the oldest medieval musical instrument in musical history? This would be due to the fact that our forefather did lack the time for merriment, as they were occupied tending to their lands. For this reason there was no need for music. Some historians credit the deep baritones of the Christians monks in popularizing hymns and chants spreading all the way through the lands of Christian Europe, Asia and North Africa. And along these lines we now have Gregorian chants to live by.

Interesting fact number two: Have you ever wondered if the romantic tales of the court and the superhuman tales of knight were genuine? If not, who might have the imagination to weave them so enthrallingly? They are called the troubadours and the minstrels. The troubadours are known to recite Occitan lyric poetry. Their female counterparts are called trobairitz. The minstrels on the other hand are performers on the court or palaces. Their tongues are the bearer of spellbinding tales about dragons, knights and courtly love, which may have happened in real life or just pure imagination.

Interesting fact number three: The oldest church organ is said to be used to as back as the 8th century. We should not forget the fact that the symphonies and the melodies we now have evolved from the simple hymns plucked or stroked from these medieval instruments. Paying tribute to these "pioneers" need not only command our devote understanding, but in making sure they will last through time as well. When buying make sure to buy them from a trusted salon so you can have parts or repair for maintenance value whenever you need them.




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