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Always better with headphones

For this week's Tune of the Week I'm so happy to be playing with the amazing Tusa Montes all the way from the Philippines! Tusa is playing the kulintang, a traditional set of gongs from the southern part of the Philippines. The piece is called Tidtu, which uses a rhythm similar to the 3-side of Son Clave. According to Tusa, "Kulintang playing is about personal connection and self-expression, even if nobody is watching,” and is improvised on thematic material. It is imperative that a kulintang player be able to improvise within the parameters of a rhythmic mode through ornamentation, repetition, variations, etc. This emphasis on improvisation is part of the entertainment factor in kulintang performance, where the listener hopes to hear the unique style of each player, and where imitation of another player is considered repetitive and mundane.

This was a fun and interesting collaboration for me because while there was much that was unfamiliar to me (this style of music, the tuning system, tune type), there was much that was familiar and similar to Irish music, including the time signature, tempo, and the value placed on variation and individual style. For the first section I created my part inspired by the guaguanco/bell patterns found in many types of Latin music. For the second and fourth sections I took on the role of the dabakan drum (an accompaniment drum used in kulintang ensemble playing) and played a filled-in accent pattern built around the 3 side of the clave. For the third section, I used two patterns that I like to play when I accompany Irish reels. I’ve loved putting this together, and love that music can be such a bridge across cultures and countries. Thank you to my new friends Tusa Montes and Ryan Pearlta for making this happen!

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