"CORDES EN FOLIE" >Page 1, 2,3, 4
Musical Instruments and Styles Paula: Pierre, you play the hurdy gurdy. What exactly is a hurdy gurdy? Pierre: The French name is the vielle, because hurdy gurdy is also the name of an organ and people get very confused. It’s a string instrument about a thousand years old, which first appeared in France and Spain. Basically it’s a string instrument with a lute or guitar body shape with a keyboard, a wooden wheel, which is the bow of the instrument which you turn with a wooden crank, and there’s different types of strings like melodic strings and others that are drones giving a continuous bass, and a special rhythm string as well. It’s a kind of acoustic synthesizer in a way because you can play all the registers like melody, harmony, and rhythm.
André: A one-man orchestra! [laughing]
Paula: And Andre, you have a background in flamenco?
André: Yes, I played flamenco guitar for many years. I still do; I was just involved in a
few flamenco shows in Vancouver, so I have a strong interest there. I play also the oud
which is a Middle Eastern lute so I played with some Middle Eastern bands in Montreal,
and I played percussion in others so I am involved in other groups playing different
instruments but those are definitely my strongest points.
Paula: Steve, how did you become involved with Cordes en Folie?
Steve: My background before that was mostly alternative pop. I played with bands in
Vancouver like Bob’s Your Uncle and Red Herring.
Paula: It’s an interesting leap that you’ve made.
Steve: I just felt I had to move from drum kit into more expanding kinds of stuff. I saw
Andre play one night and I thought ‘This is great; this is exactly what I am looking for,’
and started to study with him and continued listening to North African, Arabic, and all
kinds of Middle Eastern stuff.
Paula: Do you have a previous background in Middle Eastern percussion?
Steve: I started studying Middle Eastern rhythms about seven years ago. I also grew up
in a musical environment; my grandfather was a violin player playing Hungarian gypsy
music, so I was always into that sound of the east which I really liked, so it was natural to
graduate from drum kit to doumbek or darbuka.
Next page Musical Goals >Page 1, 2,3, 4
Previous Features
