Re: [MMM] Cimbal a Koncovka a Slivka....

also called a cimbolum. it is a version of the hammer dulcimer.
The basic design goes back to the sumerian as Monz might point out.
Used quite a bit in rumania too.
i play one of these, especially in my shadow plays as the extra large strings
produce enough volume to equal my vibraphone and marimba.
basically a piano you have to strike with hammers held in your hand.
to get even for your book find, i got mine at a thrift shop for $70.
Some come with a pedal which mutes the strings.
What i dislike is that it is quite heavy and even before my back troubles would usually take two people to move it.
It does take care of that piano like sound though and far more portable

daniel_anthony_stearns wrote:
>
> One of the instruments you hear quite a bit in gipsy bands in
> Slovakia but not much in a lot of the gipsy jazz you hear here in
> the states, is the Cimbal (no interpunctuation, so that's a
> long "a"). Its sound is kind of a cross between a dulcimer and a
> clavichord or something, and it's really quite a wild virtuoso
> instrument, not a malcontent at all... anybody here familiar with
> it ?
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It3oFjILNJg > <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It3oFjILNJg>
>
> Another very simple, but very effective, overtone Slovak Koncovka:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAJu5g5BMoU > <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAJu5g5BMoU>
>
> Also when I was in Slovakia way up near the boarder with Poland, is
> was not uncommon to have little folk festivals starting before 7 in
> the morning where full-blown intoxication had been achieved by noon
> and the festival's more ambitious participants roamed the streets for
> and open pub or kolyba where they could bring in their instruments
> and cheap Borovicka a Slivka and carry on as long as the patrons and
> the practitioner's remaining senses would allow, check it:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0grUwULYWU > <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0grUwULYWU>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmoNJrZf3nk > <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmoNJrZf3nk>
>
> The first one if earlier in the day, and the later at full ripeness--
> check the guy trying to saw the contrabass in half� I love these guys!
>
> http://www.myspace.com/danstearns <http://www.myspace.com/danstearns>
>
> -- Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island <http://anaphoria.com/index.html>
The Wandering Medicine Show
KXLU <http://www.kxlu.com/main/index.asp> 88.9 FM Wed 8-9 pm Los Angeles

All of these rock!! Thanks Dan!!

-Carl

At 01:04 PM 3/17/2007, you wrote:
>One of the instruments you hear quite a bit in gipsy bands in
>Slovakia but not much in a lot of the gipsy jazz you hear here in
>the states, is the Cimbal (no interpunctuation, so that's a
>long "a"). Its sound is kind of a cross between a dulcimer and a
>clavichord or something, and it's really quite a wild virtuoso
>instrument, not a malcontent at all... anybody here familiar with
>it ?
>
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It3oFjILNJg
>
>Another very simple, but very effective, overtone Slovak Koncovka:
>
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAJu5g5BMoU
>
>Also when I was in Slovakia way up near the boarder with Poland, is
>was not uncommon to have little folk festivals starting before 7 in
>the morning where full-blown intoxication had been achieved by noon
>and the festival's more ambitious participants roamed the streets for
>and open pub or kolyba where they could bring in their instruments
>and cheap Borovicka a Slivka and carry on as long as the patrons and
>the practitioner's remaining senses would allow, check it:
>
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0grUwULYWU
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmoNJrZf3nk
>
>The first one if earlier in the day, and the later at full ripeness--
>check the guy trying to saw the contrabass in half… I love these guys!
>
>
>http://www.myspace.com/danstearns

Dan,

{you wrote...}
>One of the instruments you hear quite a bit in gipsy bands in Slovakia but not much in a lot of the gipsy jazz you hear here in the states, is the Cimbal...

Seconding the nice postings of these. Being of Hungarian extraction, the cimbalon is a sound I've heard all my life, both in recordings and occasional live settings. I almost bought one once to do some heavy practicing, because we should remember that it has also crept into Western classical music, one of the most famous examples being the extended (and solo) part in Kodaly's "Hary Janos". There are a few percussionists around that have added that to their arsenal, and make guest appearances when orchestras program the work.

A close spin-off of this was Harry Partch's use of felt-padded sticks for playing on the Harmonic Canons in both "And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma" and the subsequent work, "Delusion of the Fury".

The latter of which may very well be staged live in 2007. More news as I can get it...

Cheers,
Jon

Yes, Czech word is Cimbal (with long a) too. Isn't it called Hammer Dulcimer?
Milan
daniel_anthony_stearns wrote:
> One of the instruments you hear quite a bit in gipsy bands in > Slovakia but not much in a lot of the gipsy jazz you hear here in > the states, is the Cimbal (no interpunctuation, so that's a > long "a"). Its sound is kind of a cross between a dulcimer and a > clavichord or something, and it's really quite a wild virtuoso > instrument, not a malcontent at all... anybody here familiar with > it ? -- No virus found in this outgoing message.
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