The Ritual of Music Making
For many of our designed things the origin stories go like this: something is found; it is used for a task; that thing is refined for that task. This iterative process evolves over time. Many music instruments evolve this way and derive from hunting tools and related activities. In early Mesoamerica, bones were hollowed out and used as flute-like wind instruments. Sometimes these sounds were used to get the attention of animals and others.
Our relationship to the instrument is a beautiful combination of discovery, refinement, and the act of ritual and communal activity. At some point, the "musician" may have made sounds to warn enemies. The "musician" may have also warded off spirits.
Our modern, commercial nature of music creation has shifted us away from past sound-making activities. Some past communities have defined their relationship to specific music instruments as an inherently spiritual process. The tanbur, for example, is a lute-like instrument, and is imbued with unique meaning within the Ahl-e Haqq religion1, a religious practice within Iran and Iraq.
"Tanbur is an embodiment of various aspects of the Ahl-i Haqq religion. It secretly holds the divine message of the presence of the divine... It is greeted by kissing in the Jam and when approached in general. It heals illnesses, and is hung in the best part of an Ahl-i Haqq’s home as a sacred icon with a constant purifying effect."2
Khorshid Dadbeh - Tanbour Solo
In studies of ritual, the role of social activity can enforce meaning. As stated in the book, "Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions", the effectiveness of the "activity lies in its ability to have people embody assumptions about their place in a larger order of things."3 I wonder how this relates to modern musical, ritual, activities. Are such things still a part of our musical lives?
Questions:
Does your music practice include any ritual activity?
Has the meaning within your process changed over time?
There are interesting ways artists are defining their creative process. Some of their practices focus heavily on the creation of custom tools. We will take a look.
I will be giving workshops on music software development during the summer of 2023. Inquire for more information: estevancarlos@gmail.com or visit estevancarlos.com.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarsanism
The Social Life of Musical Instruments Author(s): Eliot Bates Source: Ethnomusicology , Vol. 56, No. 3 (Fall 2012), pp. 363-395
Bell, Catherine. Ritual . Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.