Introduction - Love Music Festival

Introduction
Creaking Tree String Quartet
The Creaking Tree String Quartet is a quartet of string instruments. The players are:
Brian Kobayakawa - Double bass
John Showman - Fiddle
Brad Keller - Guitar
Andrew Collins - Mandolin
© Eve Harrison & Love Music Festival
Background activity - discussion
Picture of
the quartet
2 mins
Class
Any
Do you know which instrument is which? Draw a line from the player and instrument
name to the picture.
String Bands
The Creaking Tree take their line-up from the String Bands of the 1920s and 1930s,
which mainly played country and bluegrass music. Funnily enough, all instruments in the
band are string instruments! Instruments common in a string band are fiddle, bass fiddle,
banjo, guitar, mandolin and double bass (or washtub bass!).
Background activity - discussion
None
5 mins
Class
Secondary
Quartets
A quartet is a group of 4 instruments that play music together.
Each instrument will have a separate part or role.
Can you think of any other types of quartets? What instruments do they have in them?
The Creaking Tree quartet are all string instruments.
Do the instruments in the quartets you’ve found have anything in common?
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Background activity - research & discussion
Computers with internet
access or reference books
5 - 10
mins
Class
Primary
Wash Tub Bass
Brian doesn’t play wash tub bass in The Creaking Tree String Quartet but he has played
one in a band called Bluesberries!
Brian says: “It’s really hard! And it makes your hands hurt. I’d like to build one someday.”
Can you find out how to play the wash tub bass? They usually only have one string, so
how do you change notes?
What could you use instead of the upturned wash tub to make a resonating sound
chamber? Could you design your own bass? If you’re interested in making instruments
out of house-hold materials you are not alone! Jug bands of the 1920s were all based
on this. Sväng, one of the bands coming to Scotland with Love Music Festival are
influenced by this approach too. Maybe your class could make its own jug band? How
many different sounds do you think you could make? Which materials do you think
would make the best sounds?
Extra information:
If you’d like to take this further check out the Percussion resource for Jonny Axelsson,
another artist you will hear at Love Music Festival.
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Activity 1. Band line-up
Research
• Print-out of tables
• Reference books / computers
& internet access
20 - 30
mins
Groups of 3 - 6
Any
Here are 3 facts about the fiddle & guitar - can you find out 3 for the bass & mandolin?
Try to find out:
1. Where it’s played
2. What style it plays in
Fiddle
3. How it’s played
Bass
It’s played in Europe, China, the Middle East and
America. It originated in India.
It can be played in many different styles Baroque, Classical, Jazz, Folk, Pop, Rock and
Roll…
It has four strings and it’s played with a bow
or sometimes the strings are plucked. The box
makes the strings vibrate and the sound is made
louder by the hollow body of the violin. You can
change the pitch by pressing down on the strings.
Guitar
Mandolin
It’s played all over the world.
It can be used in Pop, Rock, Jazz, Classical,
Bluegrass, Flamenco…
It has six strings and they can be made from
nylon or steel. They are strummed or plucked. It
has a neck and a body. You can play it standing
up or sitting down. You can change the pitch by
pressing down on the strings. There are different
types of guitar like electric, acoustic and classical.
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Activity 2. The Bluegrass Rhythm Concept
Discussion & listening
Love Music Festival
Jukebox
5 - 10
mins
Class
Any age
A lot of bands you may listen to have drums in them. As we’ve already noticed, The
Creaking Tree String Quartet only have string instruments, however their music is
extremely exciting, driving and very rhythmic.
Have a listen to Brady Jenkins on Love Music Festival Jukebox... I bet you can’t help
moving to it!
Primary
Which part of your body did you tap first? What about the person sitting next to you - are
they tapping their foot, nodding their head, wiggling their shoulder, tapping their finger,
waving their arms? Maybe you should all just have a dance?
One main reason for this is the strong influence of bluegrass music. Andrew, the
mandolin player in The Creaking Tree String Quartet explains:
“All of the percussion is created by combining the unique percussive qualities of each
instrument to blend and create the effect of having a drum kit. In this way, all instruments
are equally responsible for the overall groove, including the lead instrument at any given
time.”
Watching Film
Film: The Bluegrass
Rhythm Concept
10 mins
Class
Any age
Watch the film called “The Bluegrass Rhythm Concept”. The Creaking Tree String
Quartet will take you through how they make one rhythm out of several instruments, like
a drum kit.
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Activity 3. DIY Bluegrass Rhythm
Practical Rhythmic
• Percussion Instruments
(drums, shakers, woodblocks)
• Audio: Rhythm Samples 1 - 8
30 - 60
mins
Groups of 4
Confident Primary / Secondary
Taking this bluegrass rhythm idea from the quartet, you’re going to put together your
own rhythm in a group of 4, using your bodies or instruments.
1. Choose your rhythm for your group. There are 8 rhythm samples for this activity, the
higher the number the more complicated the rhythm. Listen to both versions of each
rhythm to choose - you could also make up your own.
2. Choose your roles - one person for bass drum, one for woodblock, one for shaker. The
fourth person has a different job later; help out the group for now by counting the beat. All
the rhythms are in 4.
3. Listen to the separate parts version of your rhythm. Clap your rhythm - bass drum first,
then woodblock, then shakers.
4. Try to put all these together with the fourth person helping to count the beat or clapping
4 regular beats. Make sure you are all playing at the same speed... don’t rush!
5. Now try putting your rhythms on your instrument - find one which sounds closest to your
role.
6. 4th person - well done for keeping the beat! Now comes your special role: you will be
the soloist. Whist the other 3 keep their rhythm going, you are going to play over them.
You can play anything you like. Choose a drum or another instrument that you feel
comfortable with. Often the soloist likes to show how fast they can play… but start simply
and build up. The rest of the group need to stay steady to help you.
Record and upload your performances to our Glow Sharing Space and listen to what
others festival-goers across Scotland have come up with.
Extension:
a) You could use either percussion or melody instruments to do this and really find your
Bluegrass band sound.
b) Make up your own rhythms for each person in your quartet and put them together as
above. Make sure you think about the role of each rhythm, eg one person is putting the
bass drum rhythm in, one person adding something for the snare drum.
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