Depending on where in the world you’re from, or when you existed, you may or may not have heard of Ziryab – the legendary musician and taste maker. The original pop star or influencer if you like. For those who don’t know, Ziryab was the most famous musician at the court of Cordoba in the…
Why are Bagpipes Scottish?
Let’s face it. Bagpipes are an acquired taste. They don’t sound pretty and understandably a lot of people find them hard to listen to. Other people love them and they’re a symbol of national pride for many Scots. This would lead you to believe that the Bagpipes are Scottish, right? Wrong. There is a lot…
Taarab – a history of the Swahili Coast’s unique Music genre
Click here to go to Taarab playlist Welcome to the tropical paradise island of Zanzibar – the ‘Spice Island’ – just off the coast of Tanzania. Monsoon winds have brought seasoned traders from distant lands to do business on the island. They come from as far afield as the Arabian peninsula, India and even China….
The history of slide Guitar – from Hawaii to the Delta Blues
The story goes a bit like this…early one morning in the late ‘80’s (and I mean 1880’s), a lone teenager walked down the railway tracks outside Honolulu. He carried with him a regular Spanish Guitar, which had probably arrived on the island via Mexico but it could have equally been brought by Portuguese, American or…
When was yodelling invented?
Yodelling. The sweet sounding, “variations upon the tones of a jackass”, (according to Sir Walter Scott.) What is it and why do we do it? The Collins dictionary defines it as, “the practice of singing with an abrupt change in register from the chest to falsetto.” Basically, switching between your chest voice (low pitch) and…