Jazz Band, Jazz Band, What do you
Say?
Mark Weakland, Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.
| Page 1: Supporting text for teachers and parents helps to broaden and deepen children's understanding of the important role of drums throughout history in many cultures. |
|
Drum,
Drum What
do you say? What
do you say When
the drummer plays? |
|
Rhythm
is everywhere.
Waves crash in rhythm on the beach, a cricket chirps steadily
through the night and your own heart keeps a lifelong beat. Long
ago, someone decided to create his own rhythm on an object he found.
Maybe a prehistoric man started by beating two sticks or
rocks together.
Later, people created rhythm instruments, like drums, from
wood, bone and skin.
|
| Page 2 |
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Drum,
Drum What
do you say? What
do you say When
the drummer plays? Slit
drum says, “Tunk,
tunk, tunk Tunk, tunk-a tunk tunk tunkity tunk.” |
|
A
slit drum is a type of drum that has existed for hundreds of years.
Wooden slit drums are made from a length of wood hollowed out
through a slit on one side.
Slit drums belong to a special family of instruments called
idiophones.
Idiophones are not phones for idiots!
They are instruments made from a material, such as wood or
metal, that makes a sound when it is struck. Some slit drums are
small enough to hold in your hand.
Others are so huge they sit inside a house built just for
them.
Slit drums are found in Africa, Asia and South America.
Drummers
in Africa use slit drums to communicate with one another.
By hitting the drum with a beater or stick, a drummer sends
out a signal of danger or warning.
The slit drum may say, “Watch out, an enemy is
approaching!” |
| Page 3 |
|
Drum,
Drum What
do you say? What
do you say When
the drummer plays? Skin
drums say, “Thump,
thump, thump Thumpity, thump, thump Thumpity thump." |
|
Skin
drums are not members of the idiophone family.
They belong to another family of instruments- membranophones.
The word membranophone is really two words stuck together: membrane,
which means skin, and phone,
which means sound.
A membranophone is a drum that makes a sound when you strike
or hit its skin.
Every time you hit the skin it vibrates; this vibration makes
a sound. Different
drum makers use different types of skins: goat skin, antelope skin
or even fish skin.
This skin is pulled tightly over a body of wood or metal.
Today, many modern drums use a synthetic or plastic skin.
Most drums are membranophones.
When a drummer plays a drum set, he is playing a type of skin
drum.
You might hear someone compliment a drummer by saying,
“Yeah, that drummer can really play those skins”! |
This book is looking for a publisher!
Please contact Mark Weakland at springwatermg@earthlink.net
