Percussion guitar music Nr. 1/3 - Berimbao
Percussion Guitar Music
is based on African and Afro - Cuban rhythms and by imitating archaic percussion instru¬ments.
KALIMBA
is the name of an African " thumb - piano ". Wooden tongues of different lenghts are attached to a wooden sounding box. The tongues are plucked with the thumb. The kalimba - sound is imitated on the guitar by inserting a handkerchief underneath the strings next to the Bridge, thus damping the strings. The ratling drone of the bass - kalimba is effected by touching the two bass strings after having crossed them. One of the traditional music arts of Ghana makes use almost exclusively of bells- the
KANGOGI.
Gentle guitar harmonics are used to weave the tissue which characterizes this music. This piece, composed symmetrically, leads into the middle part with typical Afro 6/8 rhythms and ends with the same binary measures which comprise the opening pattern. The
BERIMBAU
was first brought to Brazil by slaves from Angola in the 15th century. lt resembles an archers bow with a metal string. A hollow calabash is attached to an arched piece of wood as a sound - body. The sound is produced by striking the string with a thin wooden stick. Vartiations of tone and timbre are produced by pressing a flat, smooth stone against the string in different positions. To achieve the sound of the berimbau on the guitar, the strings are struck with a thin stick, while the fingers of the left hand serve the function of the stone.
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Jürg Kindle Percussion Guitar Music N°1/3 Berimbao
Steve Marsh, Classical Guitar Magazine, January 2002
Jurg Kindle is a Swiss composer, guitarist and percussionist and has written several works for the guitar. Berimbao is subtitled 'Percussion Guitar Music No.1, Quartet No. 3. This 'percussion' series is based on AFrican and Afro-Cuban rhythms and attempt to imitate ancient percussion instruments; the other two quartets being based on the Kalimba (an African 'thumb piano') and the Kangogi (African bells). Berimbao resembles an archer's bow with a sound 'body' attached and a metal string, which is struck with a thin wooden stick; this sound is duplicated by the guitarist in the bass part occasionally striking the string with a stick. This composition is in one long movement, which gradually builds up the excitement by using various rhythmic configurations between the parts making this into a very entertaining and exhilarating work. This is good fun for everyone concerned players and audience alike - and deserves many performances. At the suggested tempo, an ensemble would need to be of around the grades 6-7 standard to make it work. The presentation is excellent with separate parts for each player.
