Video published by Daniel’s Music Foundation here on YouTube (link is external)
Talkin’ Music with Gerry: Episode 3 (Friday, April 23, 2021)
[00:00:00.00]
[Upbeat Music/Guitar Strumming – Talkin’ Music with Gerry Theme Song]
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[00:00:00.54] A treble clef surrounded by a swirl of colorful notes.
Text: Talkin’ MUSIC with GERRY.
[00:00:10.75]
GERRY POWERS: Well, hello again, everybody. Welcome back to Talkin' Music with Gerry. I'm Gerry Powers, the Artistic Director for Daniel's Music Foundation.
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[00:00:20.71] Gerry smiles.
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GERRY: In the past two episodes, we've talked about sound and how we measure the frequency of musical notes in hertz. Humans can hear sounds between 20 and 20,000 hertz. Bigger animals can hear below our hearing range, and smaller animals can hear above our hearing range.
[00:00:39.23]
GERRY: We learned that we measure the loudness of sounds in decibels, and how humans hear sounds starting at 0 dB, or 0 decibels. We also talked about protecting our hearing by covering our ears when we are around loud sounds, like ambulance sirens. And how we have to be careful about listening to our loud music on our headphones because that can hurt our hearing.
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GERRY: We then listened to the string section of the orchestra. And we learned about their sounds and their ranges. Then we heard a musical piece with those instruments to see if we could identify them.
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GERRY: Today, we're going to learn about another section of the orchestra called the woodwind section. And then we'll listen to two more musical pieces to see if we can identify the new instruments we're learning about.
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GERRY: I mentioned to you last time that there is another instrument in the string section of the orchestra that's used, namely the harp. Let's look at this wonderful instrument now.
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[00:01:37.30] Floating over a misty forest.
Text: The Harp
[00:01:38.79] [HARP MUSIC]
[00:01:41.15]
GERRY: The harp's origins may be found in the sound of a hunter's plucked bowstring.
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[00:01:46.86] Archers fire.
[00:01:47.11] [TWANGING]
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GERRY: The oldest documented references to the harp are from 3000 BC in Mesopotamia and Egypt. King David was a harpist.
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Illustration of ancient city
Text: 3000 B.C.
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Map of Middle East and the words “Mesopotamia” and “Egypt” in black text
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[00:01:58.47] Painting of King David.
Text: King David Playing The Harp By Gerardn von Honhorst
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GERRY: The harp is mentioned in old epic stories.
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[00:02:02.91] Homer book cover “The Illiad & The Odyssey”
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GERRY: It's even mentioned in the Bible, and harps even appear in Egyptian wall paintings.
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Two open pages of the bible
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[00:02:09.22] Images of various types of harps: Wooden harp with a base shaped like a hull of a ship; mosaic of woman playing ancient harp made of 2 pieces of wood and 6 strings.
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GERRY: Many were played in vertical positions and plucked with the fingers of both hands. But Mesopotamia also had horizontal harps.
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Images of various types of harps (continued): Cave wall carving of man playing harp; stone carving of woman with harp; Egyptian wall painting of 3 women with musical instruments including a harp; photo of 3 women plucking the strings of koto (traditional Japanese string instrument with a horizontal wooden box as a base).
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Photo of woman playing harp by the beach at sunset
Text: The Frame Harp
[00:02:21.04]
GERRY: Frame harps, which are mostly confined to Europe, have a body and neck that are set at an angle and are connected by a column, a pillar, or a forepillar that braces against the tension of the strings. The double action pedal harp that was invented in about 1810 is the predecessor for the modern harp that we know.
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[00:02:46.99] Photos of the various people playing harps.
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Photo of frame harp with pedals
Text: 1810; Double Action Pedal Harp
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GERRY: The modern harp that we know has 47 strings and seven pedals. It has an extremely large range, from C1 to A flat 7, which is almost seven octaves. The modern harp that we know is the second largest instrument in the orchestra.
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Photo of man playing large harp with floral designs on the frame
Text: The Modern Harp - 47 strings, 7 pedals
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Close-up photos of women with harps
Text: The harp has an extremely large range, C 1 - Ab 7
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Photo of piano keyboard
Text: C 1 - Ab 7, Almost seven octaves
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Photos: Various musical instruments, such as drum, trombone, French horn, double bass, violin cello, clarinets, trumpet, harp, and timpani; Close-up of harp strings; Woman’s fingers plucking strings of the harp
[00:03:10.29]
GERRY: The harp structure is a set of strings stretched over a frame. The harpist plucks or strums the strings to produce the notes. The sound of the harp is often dreamlike, almost like a fairy tale.
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Photo of harp
Text: Dreamlike, Like a fairytale
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Photos of various people playing the harp
[00:03:23.75] [HARP PLAYING ARPEGGIOS]
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GERRY: But to create this magical sound, there's a lot to keep track of for the musician-- 47 strings and seven pedals.
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Photo of forest
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GERRY: Let's move on to the next section of the orchestra, the woodwinds. The instruments in this family all used to be made of wood, which gives them their name. They are all basically narrow cylinders or pipes with holes, an opening at the bottom end, and a mouthpiece at the top.
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Photos: Four different woodwind instruments; cross-section of stacks of wood pieces; close-ups of woodwind instruments; racks of long pieces of wood on shelves; closeup of ends of woodwind instruments; close-ups of bottom end of instrument and mouthpiece.
Text: The Woodwinds
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GERRY: You play them by blowing air through the mouthpiece and opening or closing the holes with your fingers to change the pitch.
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Photos of orchestra musicians playing woodwind instruments
GERRY: Metal caps called keys cover the holes of most woodwind instruments.
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Photos: Close-up of keys on woodwind instruments; Musicians in orchestra playing woodwind instruments.
Text: Keys
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GERRY: The mouthpieces for some woodwinds, including the clarinet, oboe, and bassoon, use a thin piece of wood called a reed, which vibrates when you blow across it.
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Photos: Close-up of wooden section of instrument; Woman blowing into mouthpiece
Text: Reed; The clarinet
GERRY: The clarinet uses a single reed made of one piece of wood, while the oboe and bassoon use a double reed made of two pieces joined together.
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Photos: Wooden section of instrument; Close-up of two fingers holding 2 pieces of reed
Text: The clarinet uses a single reed; The oboe and bassoon use a double reed
GERRY: Just as with the stringed instruments, the smaller woodwinds play higher pitches, while the longer and larger instruments play the lower notes.
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Photos: Violin with bow; Woman playing clarinet; Man with double bass next to river; Bassoon
Text: Smaller instruments play higher pitches; Longer, larger instruments play lower notes
[00:04:35.07] [WOODWINDS PLAYING]
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[00:04:35.71] Looking up at a towering tree.
[00:04:37.75] [FLUTE PLAYING]
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Photos of various types of ancient flutes: plain wooden flute; colorful blue flute shaped like a lizard; Two bamboo flutes tied together with string near the mouthpieces; two dark-colored reeds with 5 holes each along the length of the reed; close-up of bamboo flute with intricate designs on either end.
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GERRY: Of all the instruments that make pitched sounds, the flute is the oldest and was originally made from wood, clay, ivory, or hollow reeds, like bamboo.
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Photo: Ancient flute made of bone; Cave drawings
Text: 35,000-year-old-flute, made of bone
GERRY: The oldest flutes, dating back more than 30,000 to 40,000 years ago, were found in a part of present-day Germany. Wow. It sure is exciting to know that music has been around for that long.
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Photos of modern flutes
Text: The modern flute was invented in 1832 by Theobald Böhm; The flute is about 2 feel long and weighs 1.13 pounds.
[00:05:06.34]
GERRY: The modern flute was invented by a man named Theobald Bohm. Modern flutes are made of silver, gold, or platinum. The flute is about 2 feet long and weighs a little bit more than 1 pound.
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Photos: Various musicians playing the flute; Man blowing into mouthpiece of a flute; Boy blows into a soda bottle filled with red liquid, with 5 other bottles of different-colored liquids filled to varying levels on a table in front of him.
Text: A flute player is known as a flautist or a flutist
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GERRY: The flute player, who is also known as a flautist or a flutist, plays the instrument by holding it sideways with both hands and blowing across a hole in the mouthpiece, kind of like blowing across the top of a bottle. The flute player's fingers open and close the keys, and the pitch changes.
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Photo of piano keyboard
Text: C 4 - D 7, Three and a third octaves
GERRY: The flute can play from C4 to D7, which is a little bit more than three octaves. The sound of the flute is airy, graceful, soft, silvery, and wind-like.
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Photos: Man holding a flute; Four musicians playing flutes on stage
Text: Airy, Graceful, Soft, Silvery, Wind-like
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[00:05:59.83] A bright green forest clearing.
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Photo of oboe
Text: The oboe was invented in the Mid 1700s
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GERRY: The oboe was invented in the mid-1700s…
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Painting of guests in a ballroom
GERRY: …by two French musicians that played for the French court,…
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Painting of five musicians
Text: Michel Philidor, Jacques Hotteterre
GERRY: …Jacques Hotteterre and Michel Philidor.
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Photos of oboes
Text: The oboe is 25 1/2 inches long; It's made of wood
GERRY: The oboe is 25 and 1/2 inches long. It's made out of wood usually and weighs about 1.5 pounds. And it has metal keys covering its holes.
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Photos: Close-up of the mouthpiece of an oboe; Two musicians playing oboes
Text: The mouthpiece uses a double reed
GERRY: And the mouthpiece uses a double reed, which vibrates when you blow through it.
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Close-up photo of mouthpiece
[00:06:29.04]
GERRY: Here is a picture of a double reed.
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Photos: Various musicians playing the oboe
GERRY: The vibration of the reed makes the air inside the oboe move and then creates the sound. To play the oboe, you hold it upright, you blow through the double reed, and you use both hands to press down on the keys to open and close the holes and change the pitch.
[00:06:51.53]
GERRY: There are usually two to four oboes in an orchestra. And they produce a very wide range of pitches.
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Photo of piano keyboard
Text: The Oboe’s Range, Bb 3 - A 6, Three and a third octaves
GERRY: The oboe's range is quite large. It plays from E flat 3 to A6.
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Photo of a woman playing the oboe under a blossoming tree
Text: Haunting, Warm, Velvety-smooth
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GERRY: The sounds an oboe makes can be described as haunting, warm, velvety-smooth.
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Photos of musicians playing the oboe
Text: The sound of the oboe is very memorable; It's bright, clear, penetrating, keen, and insistent
GERRY: The sound of the oboe is very memorable. It's bright, clear, penetrating, keen, and insistent.
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Photos of various musicians playing the oboe in an orchestra
Text: That's the reason why the oboe gives the A 440 (Hz) note; The orchestra tunes to A 440 Hz
[00:07:24.50]
GERRY: And that's the reason why the first oboe player in the orchestra gives the A 440 note, so that the orchestra can tune to its right sound. Listen to this special A 440 that the oboe plays.
[00:07:39.74] [OBOE PLAYING NOTE]
[00:07:43.05] [ORCHESTRA TUNING]
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[00:07:53.52] Fallen trees in a forest.
Text: The Clarinet
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Photo of musicians in an orchestra
Text: The next instrument in the Woodwinds Section is
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GERRY: The next instrument in the woodwinds section of the orchestra is…
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Photos: Two woodwind instruments on a table: Clarinet and Oboe; Close-up of mouthpieces of the clarinet (wider mouthpiece with two knobs below it) vs. the oboe (very narrow, straw-like mouthpiece)
Text: Clarinet, Oboe
GERRY: …the clarinet, which can easily be mistaken for an oboe, except for the mouthpiece.
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Photos: Close-ups of the mouthpiece on a clarinet; Four different-sized clarinets next to each other
GERRY: As you can see here, the mouthpiece uses a single reed.
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GERRY: Clarinets come in a number of different sizes.
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Photo Bb clarinet
Text: Bb, Over 2 feel long, Weighs 3.7 pounds
GERRY: The standard B flat clarinet is just over 2 feet long. And it weighs about 3.7 pounds.
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Photos of different-sized clarinets and various musicians playing the clarinet
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GERRY: Some musical works make the clarinetist play different types of clarinets in the same piece. In the orchestra there are usually two or four clarinets. They play melodies and harmonies.
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GERRY: Clarinets have a beautiful, dark, rich sound in the lower notes. The upper part of the clarinet's range is resonant and bright. The clarinet is also played upright, blowing through the reed, and using your hands to change the pitches by opening and closing the keys with your fingers.
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Photos of musicians playing the clarinet
Text: Rich, Mellow, Round, Expressive
[00:08:57.12]
GERRY: Other words used to describe the sound of a clarinet are rich, mellow, round, and expressive.
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Photo of piano keyboard
Text: The Clarinet’s Range, Bb 3 - A 6, Three and a third octaves
GERRY: The range of the clarinet is from B flat 3 to A6.
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[00:09:11.05] A misty forest.
Text: The Bassoon
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Photos: Various photos and close-up shots of the Bassoon; Musicians playing the bassoon; Close-up photos of the mouthpiece on a bassoon
Text: The bassoon is made of wood; The bend; The bassoon’s pips is almost 9’ long; The bassoon weighs about 8 pounds.
[00:09:12.60]
GERRY: The bassoon is a very, very long pipe that is doubled in half, which is made of wood. And it has many keys. The bend in this pipe makes it possible for musicians to play it. If the pipe were straight, the bassoon would be about 9 feet long. It weighs about 8 pounds.
[00:09:31.11]
GERRY: Just like the oboe, the bassoon uses a double reed, which is fitted into a curved metal mouthpiece. Usually there are two to four bassoons in an orchestra.
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Photo of piano keyboard
Text: The Bassoon’s Range, Bb 1 - Eb 5, Four and one half octaves
[00:09:41.88]
GERRY: The range of the bassoon is B flat 1 to E flat 5.
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Photos of multiple musicians playing the oboe
GERRY: Bassoons usually play lower harmonies. But sometimes you will hear their hollow low notes featured in a melody.
[00:09:54.75]
GERRY: You play the bassoon by holding it upright and blowing through the double reed. The air travels down the tube, makes a U-turn, and goes up and out the top. Just like the oboe, you use both hands to press on the keys to open and close the holes and change the pitch.
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Images: Painting of musicians in an orchestra; Photos of various musicians playing the oboe
Text: Full, Warm, Picturesque, Slender, Sensitive
GERRY: Words that describe the bassoon are full, warm, picturesque, slender, and sensitive.
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Photo: Silhouette of a family of four holding hands, watching the sunset from atop a hill
Text: Listening Exercise; Sharon’s Theme; Harp; Flute; String Quartet; Clarinet
[00:10:18.36]
GERRY: Let's have a listen to a piece of music called "Sharon's Theme" which features the harp, the flute, string quartet, and the clarinet.
[00:10:26.80] [HARP PLAYING]
[00:10:27.54]
GERRY: See if you can tell the difference between those instruments.
[00:10:30.68] [MUSIC - "SHARON'S THEME"]
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[00:10:33.12] Soaring over a pine forest and river.
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GERRY: In this next piece, written by Johann Sebastian Bach, see if you can pick out the oboe and the bassoon. Name of this piece is Bourrée in E minor.
[00:11:10.94] [MUSIC - JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, "BOURRÉE IN E MINOR"]
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[00:11:13.86] The sun sets over a golden field; Lake with trees with fall-colors reflected on the surface of the water.
Text: Oboe; Bassoon; Bourrée in E minor, Johann Sebastian Bach
[00:11:40.55]
GERRY: Well, everybody, thank you so much for spending some time with me today. I hope that you have enjoyed this episode of Talkin’ Music with Gerry. There's so much more to talk about, so I'll talk to you later.
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[00:11:53.49] Gerry winks. Notes fill the space and float by.
[00:11:57.22] (GERRY SINGING)
[IMAGE & UPBEAT MUSIC]
A kaleidoscope of gold music notes and treble clefs with rows of bright yellow and blue lights on a dark background emanate continuously from the middle of the screen to the front of the screen. Some of the music notes/clefs sparkle and glow intermittently.
Text: Thanks for watching!
[Song lyrics]
There's so much more to talk about, so I'll talk to you later.
Arrivederci, sayonara, see you later alligator.
I have to say it’s been great and it’s gonna be greater.
There's so much more to talk about, so I'll talk to you later.
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[Words in turquoise letters appear on the screen one row at a time and then fade during the song:
Thanks for watching!
Text on a black screen: To learn more please visit daniels music dot org.
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