Melodeon.net Forums

Discussions => Other Free Reed Instruments => Topic started by: Roger Hare on November 19, 2017, 08:35:29 AM

Title: Whatever it is, it ain't free-reed...
Post by: Roger Hare on November 19, 2017, 08:35:29 AM
Strictly speaking, off-topic, but someone here is bound to know...

I had an instrument described to me in the pub last night - played by Julie Fowlis on the R2 folk
programme. The description made me think it was probably a portative pipe organ. I had a look
when I got home. Here it is:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05mk7f1 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05mk7f1)

Is it a portative pipe organ does anyone know? I'm not absolutely sure because the ones I've
seen previously:

1) Have the longer pipes protruding above the top of the 'box'
2) Are held and played at right angles to the body.

Ta.

Roger
Title: Re: Whatever it is, it ain't free-reed...
Post by: Lester on November 19, 2017, 08:37:12 AM
1) It is free reed
2) It is a Shruti Box (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shruti_box)
Title: Re: Whatever it is, it ain't free-reed...
Post by: John MacKenzie (Cugiok) on November 19, 2017, 10:54:45 AM
Yes. they are used by several people in Scotland, Siobhan Miller, and Emma Spiers, are two I know.
Note for Squeezy, that's spears, not spires ;)


SJ
Title: Re: Whatever it is, it ain't free-reed...
Post by: Prestidigitator on November 19, 2017, 10:57:57 AM
1) It is free reed
2) It is a Shruti Box (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shruti_box)

Coo! That was quick - less than two minutes! Thank you very much!

Roger.

Looking at the Wiki entry, it seems they also have a Streb version.
Title: Re: Whatever it is, it ain't free-reed...
Post by: Tone Dumb Greg on November 19, 2017, 11:10:53 AM
It's an Indian instrument related to the harmonium. I suppose, if you strapped a shruti box and a harmonium back to back and worked out a way to operate the bellows (impossible?), you could have an accordion on which the right hand was a PA keyboard and the left hand was a melodeon bass.
Title: Re: Whatever it is, it ain't free-reed...
Post by: Lester on November 19, 2017, 12:24:11 PM
1) It is free reed
2) It is a Shruti Box (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shruti_box)

Coo! That was quick - less than two minutes! Thank you very much!

Roger.

Looking at the Wiki entry, it seems they also have a Streb version.

And there are Shruti apps available for both iOS and Android
Title: Re: Whatever it is, it ain't free-reed...
Post by: malcolmbebb on November 19, 2017, 02:04:38 PM

This appears similar (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY2izR3fN_U), but has a full keyboard. I thought Shruti boxes normally had just a few chords & drones.
Title: Re: Whatever it is, it ain't free-reed...
Post by: squeezy on November 19, 2017, 02:15:43 PM
Yes. they are used by several people in Scotland, Siobhan Miller, and Emma Spiers, are two I know.
Note for Squeezy, that's spears, not spires ;)


Don't worry ... there are plenty of other words that Scottish people pronounce wrong as well  ;) >:E
Title: Re: Whatever it is, it ain't free-reed...
Post by: squeezy on November 19, 2017, 02:20:04 PM

This appears similar (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY2izR3fN_U), but has a full keyboard. I thought Shruti boxes normally had just a few chords & drones.

A shruti box just has valves you can open and close to produce different drones.  The ones with a keyboard are Indian style lap harmoniums.  The bellows on these differ from those found on accordions in that they only push (having a sprung valve on the pull) and they fill up a mid chamber, from which the pressure can sutstain continuous notes (a bit like the way the bellows fill the bag which supplies constant the air for Northumbrian pipes)
Title: Re: Whatever it is, it ain't free-reed...
Post by: John MacKenzie (Cugiok) on November 19, 2017, 02:47:32 PM
This.  https://www.shrutibox.co.uk/  is a Shruti box. You just open and close the external valves in a relevant key, and sing over it. The more accomplished amongst them, can manipulate the valves while singing, to augment the notes.


Sir John
Title: Re: Whatever it is, it ain't free-reed...
Post by: Pierre-Emmanuel on November 19, 2017, 07:20:03 PM
This.  https://www.shrutibox.co.uk/  is a Shruti box. You just open and close the external valves in a relevant key, and sing over it. The more accomplished amongst them, can manipulate the valves while singing, to augment the notes.


Sir John

Here's a great example of that : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThsStP1qkuc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThsStP1qkuc)
Title: Re: Whatever it is, it ain't free-reed...
Post by: Pete Dunk on November 19, 2017, 07:37:49 PM
My favourite shruti box player is Jackie Oates and here it it used to great effect in a song called Past Caring (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZAXhHz1zJg).
Title: Re: Whatever it is, it ain't free-reed...
Post by: triskel on November 20, 2017, 12:52:20 AM
The first time I heard a shruti box being played, outside the Indian tradition, was by the Irish singer Nóirín Ní Riain at a singing session in Dublin in the early '90s, and I remember a wag commenting on her "electric handbag" at the time...  ::)

I think she's inspired a few more singers to take it up.

The portable Indian harmoniums started out as European designs in the 19th century, and they're hugely popular in Indian music.
SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal