Tag: musical instrument
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Full Circle
Sieves, like the one shown, have been used for generations to aid the olive and almond harvests (just to name two examples of when it’s used) by straining dirt and other particles out from fruit that has fallen to the ground. When we see an antique sieve next to a tamburello, or Italian frame drum…
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Mixing It Oud
Last year when I was in Palermo, my cousin Silvana and I came across a shop in the historic center filled with various instruments. It wasn’t a music store… maybe a tailor shop? Anyway, the gentleman proprietor played mandolin for us. I took pictures of him and of all of the instruments I could. This…
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Marranzano: Sicily’s Jaw Harp
This musical instrument is played throughout the world. It’s known as a jew’s harp, jaw harp, mouth harp, or in Sicily, as a marranzano or marranzanu. Marranzano is played using breath, one’s oral cavity (mouth, teeth, lips, jaw), and a finger to pluck the reed that sits within the frame. The reed, in this case,…