Thank you for having me David and helping me share the beauty of the yangqin with your community :)

@subjectline

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for bringing us such joy!

@JusticeConstantine

2 ай бұрын

Great performance and interpretation.

@Ravn000

2 ай бұрын

Very impressive performance! Such a pleasure to hear you play!

@removemental2873

2 ай бұрын

❤❤❤😊

@straussshi

2 ай бұрын

INSANE COLLAB!! 🔥🔥🔥

All Hammered Dulcimer players (of ALL its regional variations) of the world gather together to thank you for this video, David! An Indian Santoor player myself, I feel that all people drawn to this instrument consider its sound a hidden gem in the universe of music. And one of the things that is so special about it is that it is found across cultures. I have had so many people come up to me after a performance and recognize the Santoor as their own. Though they call it by different names, they refer to the same sound. We thank you for spreading the word! Hopefully we will come across more and more players of this international instrument in the future!

MANTAWOMAN (aka Reylon Yount) is one of the most extraordinary multi-disciplinary musicians/artists I've ever met. I've had the pleasure and honor playing alongside them since we were kids studying on Chinese instruments! Manta's mastery of the yangqin is absolutely unparalleled. So so happy to see this insane collab!! 🔥🔥🔥

@mantawoman_

2 ай бұрын

😭😭😭❤❤❤miss you Strauss!

@-jank-willson

2 ай бұрын

*He

@SicklyWindows

2 ай бұрын

@@-jank-willson Why?

@-jank-willson

2 ай бұрын

@@SicklyWindows because science

@SicklyWindows

2 ай бұрын

@@-jank-willson science what ?

Thank you SOOO much, David, for having me on board this Manta Cray project! It's SUCH a fabulous idea! Writing a piece in 5 minutes is a BONKERS task for anyone, but being asked to write for this hitherto totally unknown instrument in that timeframe added a whole new dimension to the notion of creativity under pressure 🤪.Yet even in that limited time, I was entranced by the myriad sonic possibilities the magical yangqin offers, and how seamlessly it can move from traditional folk idioms - some perhaps thousands of years old - to something entirely new. Thank you Manta for your beautiful playing, effortless super glam, and crystalline explanations of how the Yangqin works (LOVE that your instrument is called "Dragon Boy"). I'm now totally in love with this instrument and want to write a proper piece. "Mantasia: The Return" 🤣

@mantawoman_

2 ай бұрын

Here for all iterations of Mantasia! xx

@emmaf5955

2 ай бұрын

I have never heard anything like Mantasia before but I very much enjoyed it and better than that, it surprised me.

@NiddNetworks

2 ай бұрын

Hi Zoe. As someone who has permanent writers/musos block it was amazing to get a glimpse at your process! Can you instill any of it into words in the hope of passing some knowledge that I might be able to write or compose something some day? Best wishes!

@zoemartlew

23 күн бұрын

@@NiddNetworks Hi there! And apologies for the incredibly late response to your question, which have only just seen : ) Starting a piece is the hardest thing for most composers, faced with the infinite set of possibilities, so the first move I would say to get you going is to set some boundaries for the piece. What is the mood, character, FEEL of the music? Upbeat? Driving? Still? Sad? Neutral? Does it move between different states? Does it have a journey? What is the COLOUR of the sound? This is obvs defined by what instruments/ voice/ tech you're writing for, but is key to beginning the piece. Which registers and particular sounds are you most interested in exploring in this world you're making - eg deep bass explosions, high lyrical melodic, hypnotic harmonics, or the very simplest building blocks. You can make a powerful piece from one single note! If stuck for ideas, listen listen listen to music that inspires you, and if possible, look at the score for ideas on how to realise what's forming in your head. I always physically move the music into existence - go on a long walk while the ideas form, taking a notebook with me in case something lands while I'm walking. Then pitches: in this video you can see I used a short cut which is using a pitch cypher chart (consecutive letters of alphabet given chromatic pitch names - any version will do, I created my own. Shostakovitch, eg used to do this all the time) - to translate a word (in this case, the name MANTA) into notes. This gave me a starting point for pitches, which can then be layered horizontally into melodies, vertically to create harmonies, and you can then analyse the relative intervals between each of those pitches and transpose your material to reflect it. Or take individual cells from the name, and repeat them, then combine those cells with other cells from the same name. Also a basic rhythmic/structural aspect was implied in the name MANTA here - as there are 5 letters. So that helped me decide to make 5 sections, and 5 wood block hits (for example). A rhythmic cell or pattern you start with can then be doubled, halved, inverted, played backwards and so on. Same with pitches. So before you know it, you have written quite a bit of material! I also find it super helpful to have a working title (or actual title) on hand so that I know exactly what world I'm after. You can always change it later, but it helps keep you within a certain set of parameters, and therefore on track. GOOD LUCK!!!! You got this!!! 💖😊🙏 www.zoemartlew.com

The idea of the chromatic scale being 2D was the coolest thing in the video. Very interesting instrument, and I always love seeing people demonstrating virtuosity like this!

@sytsew

2 ай бұрын

what do yo make of the Harpejji?

It's always really interesting to watch "western" composers learning about folkoric/traditional instruments and applying them to their composition. We've seen it from modernist composers like Bartok, Debussy and Sibelius, but they tended to stick to their own traditions or to apply an orientalist approach to other cultures' music. This video actually looked at western composition using the instrument itself while also keeping in mind the traditional theory behind it, being performed by someone who has devoted her life to the instrument with all the expertise that comes along with it. Now I wanna hear a yangqin concerto!

as a yanquin player, I never thought I can see a english video about chinese yanquin thank you!

@Newfoundmike

2 ай бұрын

Being from America I can in CHINESE better than I can Understand that BLOKE TALKING at the BEGINNING Of this.

@efmusic04

2 ай бұрын

​@@Newfoundmike what are you on about

@jemiller226

5 күн бұрын

@@Newfoundmike Too bad you're illiterate, though, eh?

Was sad to see the Greek santouri excluded from your map! It's similar to the Chinese version, not as metallic sounding as the Persian one and not as clunky and percussive as the Eastern European one. But it's cool how the Chinese one is laid out chromatically, I don't think most others are chromatic

The three of you complemented each other really well. The outcome is almost magical. You should team up and score a whole film like this. And giving yourselves 5 minutes for it.

@emmaf5955

2 ай бұрын

I am absolutely here for that.

In Switzerland that instrument is also used in traditional music and has the lovely name "Hackbrett" or "chopping board" in English.

@pillmuncher67

2 ай бұрын

Also in Austria and Bavaria. The rest of Germany - I'm not sure.

@benrex7775

2 ай бұрын

@@pillmuncher67 Probably. But I don't actually know.

This is great. I'm a hammer dulcimer player myself and have always wanted to try the yangqin

That 5 minutes sure concentrates your mind. I thought "Mantasia" was like a bit in a movie, like where a character is exploring a spooky place, and "Study #1" reminded me a lot of the Bach pieces I play on the fiddle - except it took advantage of the instrument's tuning which seemed amazing.

Fascinating video 😮

@DBruce

2 ай бұрын

Thanks David!

Thanks About that I'm also Santur player from Iran This instrument has incredible abilities

Yangqin, and the other qin & zheng style instruments, are magical sounding. Living in China and Taiwan there are people in the apartments practising and it’s just wonderful to hear.

There's also an Eastern European cousin to the Yangqin known as the Cimbalom, notably featured in Kodaly's Hary Janos Suite as well as Basil Poledouris's soundtrack for Conan the Barbarian!

@kramalimedov

2 ай бұрын

He mentionned it in the video, associated it with Hungary. But it's also common in Romania, Moldova and neighboring countries

@quatricise

2 ай бұрын

It's also the centerpiece of an entire genre of folk music in Czech Republic called commonly "cimbálovka" (cimbál = cimbalom).

@brucealanwilson4121

2 ай бұрын

Related to both the harpsichord & piano. Also to the zither.

@KanadMondal

2 ай бұрын

In India and Iran we have a Santoor, it is reminiscent of this instrument.

@brucealanwilson4121

2 ай бұрын

@@KanadMondal Is the Sitar related?

OMG I'm obsessed with hammered dulcimer and have been following manta for awhile. What a treat to have her pop up on the best YT channel!!

What a brilliant Yangqin player. The finest I've heard anywhere.

This video made me so happy. It introduced and satisfied curiosity in such a fun way. I think the 5 minute timeframe fit the vibe well but in general I don't think what particular restriction there is really matters as long as it fits and it's fun. The draw is already there.

@Nooticus

2 ай бұрын

Agreed

I love the psaltery family of instruments. You might be interested in what Michael Masley's done with the Cymbalom. He has a unique style of hammer, called a bowhammer, that allows violin-like notes as well as plucking and hammering.

I love all of these composing challenge videos! Especially with Zoe Martlew.

@zoemartlew

23 күн бұрын

YAYYY!!!!!! 😊🙏

It is so amazing to see the same interment create two so very different sounds. You both captured parts of the sound that speak to me in such a cool way.

In the handbell world, the composer's game is all about finding variation for an instrument that doesn't change - my first thoughts on this experiment would go to writing a melody that plays call-and-response between the two sides of the mallet and then ending with a slowly plucked re-statement of the melody.

That looked SO FUN!!

I have little interest in the composing a piece in 5 minutes gimmick, but thank you so much for introducing me to the incredible talent of Mantawoman. The timbre of Yangqin is absolutely astonishing

@quatricise

2 ай бұрын

True, I do suppose it has benefits, but ideally I think they should give themselves more time, 15 or 20 at least. Or perhaps split the time into two sessions - outline and polish. In the first writing session you're allowed anything, but in the second you cannot add new material, only edit what you have. Something like that.

Mantasia was the best form of musical ASMR i have heard

@organist1982

2 ай бұрын

And Mantawoman's voice--SOOO soothing!!

Sweet! Thanks for sharing the information on how this tuning works in addition to introducing the instrument itself. Beautiful instrument and beautiful playing by a talented musician.

Such a magical sound, at once both bright and capable of a darker string tone. Amazing to see it played, such varying playing techniques - the tuning is tricky but the puzzle looks to be where the scales are moving (diagonally as well as vertically?). Excellent performances and compositional sketches. I am excited to try write for this beautiful instrument, building on some past experiments with hammered dulcimer ❤

Brilliant!!! I loved every second of that video.

That is so cool! It has one of those traditional Chinese sounds to it that we think of (spiritual/Buddhist), it makes me think of meditation. The sound also reminds me a tiny bit of the Appalachian autoharp, but the tuning is in the traditional Chinese pentatonic style.

didn't know the hammered dulcimer was played in China, though in hindset it does make sense. I've normally associated it with Middle Eastern and European music so it's interesting to learn about another culture's

Amazing! Thank you Bruce! I would like to recommend two amazing cymbalom players from my area: Miklós Lukács (HUN) and Marius Preda (ROU) and my suggestion is for the new instrument is the seashell.

Thx for the discovery and to Manta for the awesome playing !!

We enjoyed the hammer dulcimer in Budapest. One technique we heard often was a roll. The player could get nice lyrical sounds out of it.

The loading signs on your foreheads was adorable 😂😍 I would have been like that through and through the entire presentation. 🙌Marvelous exposure for a beautiful instrument. Reminds me of the European Zither, yet far different than the YangQin which appears to be a lot more vast in its range & flexibility. Loved it, thank you for sharing and allowing us all to discover this wonderful instrument, presented with a jolly flare. 🤗🙏

David, I have been following you for years and almost never comment. However 24 hours is best for no other reason as ‘sleeping on it’. Your dreams would be filled with inspiration and ideas for this wonderful instrument. Thank you for your content.

The yangqin has a nice tone. I tend to like all such instruments, and things like the koto, wire strung harp, and anything that has that combination of bright notes and a bell like echo. The piece composed by Marlew sounds like the sort of percussion solo some composers have done. I heard something similar hearing a record called "percussion recital" by Stomu Yamash'ta on YT yesterday.

Lisa Gerrard played one of these in Dead Can Dance.

This totally made my day! Great stuff and beautiful music.

I'm here for the five-minute compositions! It teaches us new instruments and provides constraints to compositional creativity that can be really productive!

Hah! Zoë’s so fun. I know a couple doppelgängers of hers. Well done on your fun little journey, both of you.

What a beautiful Instrument ♥️ So many cool effects! I’d love to see more challenges with traditional Instruments like the San Shin (Okinawa Banjo)

I love the sounds from this instrument, so soothing. The 5 minute songs were both fantastic. With Zoe's, it sounded like the music from a suspenseful horror movie scene. I loved it.

Such a beautiful sound !!😊 And really powerfull !😊

Thank you for covering this instrument. I have been playing the Iranian/Persian version of the dulcimer family in the US for years. It’s called Santur and is one of the oldest versions. People love the sound every time I present it. You can see me playing it in my channel. But thank YOU for bringing up this topic! 🙏🏼

Absolutely beautiful. I want a hammered dulcimer now.

How is this my first time hearing chords plucked by fingers on one of these? That texture was incredible.

Wow this is great, thank you David!!

Thank you so much to you three. That was wonderful.

Great video David! Would love to see 15 minutes with a Sitar :D

I would love to see 15 or 30 minute compositions. Or alternatively an hour or two, but that timeframe includes the time you spend familiarizing yourself with the instrument. If you find yourself attached to these 5 minute compositions, I would love to see follow-up pieces with a day or a week more time. It would be interesting to see the improvement between your first impression piece and one where you get to spend a bit more time on it.

It's so resonant, amazing tone.

There's a sci-fi novel series (by Lois McMaster Bujold) in which a race of genetically-engineered people with four hands and no legs, live in zero gravity. The first character from this race introduced in the series (if you read in publication order), named Nicol, is a musician and plays a four-handed version of the hammer dulcimer. The five-minutes is probably just about the shortest timeframe that could work. And it did work; but a longer timeframe (perhaps 20 minutes) could also be interesting.

Thanks for keeping this family of instruments alive. Too few know of them and fewer still play them. Hammered dulcimer works well with drums and bass. Also works well with an instrument I've invented, the Psalterion Arcus. I've just released a video about it.

I really enjoyed watching this episode. The tune study one was lovely

Very interesting instrument, sounds amazing. Also really liked the little history lesson

I have a hammered dulcimer. It was made by a, uh, luthier, i guess, in the Tennessee mountains. I bought it at a music store in West Jefferson, NC. It sounds almost the same as the yangqin. The cymbalom is the eastern European variant of this.

it's so fun to watch Zoe's process - she's so creative and intense!

That was...interesting... Since you asked so desperately, After very careful consideration.... (No, I didn't consult Mr. Chimpi and his dartboard at the zoo this time!) I arrived at a careful conclusion ; that you should adjust you time limit to exactly Eight minutes and ten seconds. I do hope that will help you to properly apply your incredible inspiration and skill in completing your symphony on this illustrious instrument...., again. We really enjoyed your video about it ...and the efforts... of its gifted musician. Respectfully, I

I gotta find some more music that utilizes this gorgeous sounding instrument, thank you for sharing!

Bravo!!! super nice music and video! I would love to see Zoë and David composing for Mutable instruments Rings.

Mantawoman has great stage presence. // The layout of the keys as rows of staggered whole-tone scales is amazing. I play the harmonic keyboard (the Terpstra "honeycomb" keyboard (on my channel. here), and it is amazing how much it opens up the way i play, and how easy it is to think of chords and chord changes as compared to the piano. Wonderful instrument. Wonderful video!

Amazing video as a always! Would be fun if you used a Paetzold Contrabass recorder in the future. It is really a funhouse full of weird contemporary stuff!

This totally fucking rocks! Very cool instrument; it sounds awesome. It was great to have a really knowledgable person explain how it functions and demonstrate it. I really liked how it sounded when plucked with fingers. Thanks, y'all!

Wonderful video!!

The Yangqin is so gorgeous. You should definitely make some other videos about some of China's other incredible instruments. My favorite being the Chinese erhu

Amazing instrument and TRULY impressive musical skills on display. Kudos!

Love it!! Manta is amazing on this thing!

Next time you should definitely explore the Hurdy-gurdy!

I told you in the previous survey you did about it. I think it's challenging enough without the time crunch. I would use at least an hour if not a full day.

I love this. Love mantawoman as well!

Wow! That is so cool. My ears thank you 😊

Fascinating

The sound if this instrument automatically makes me smile

Great musician.

@mantawoman_

2 ай бұрын

Thank u!

I want one of every instrument to experiment with.

Beautiful sound

What a beautiful sound ! I would love to see how a harpist would interact with it. Great video ❤

Here in Europe we have a similar instrument, in the Carpatians: it's called cymbalon in Hungarian or tzambal in Romanian, and in its native countries it also is taught in Conservatories. They are fascinating instruments for sure, and actually might represent a sort of "living fossil", the last remnants of a transition between zithers and modern keyboard stringed instruments (harpsichords, clavichords and pianos), when the former were played with hammers or plucks while still not having the organ-inspired keyboard of the latter.

Another great video. Thanks for making and sharing it.

As a player of the western hammered dulcimer, this was a fascinating investigation of a similar instrument from China

@stephencheong1409

20 күн бұрын

Do the 2 differ in terms of tuning, range, etc ...?

@chiron14pl

20 күн бұрын

@@stephencheong1409 Most likely. I'm not sure how they're tuned, but I know the Hungarian cymbalon is likewise tuned differently, more chromatically, I think. The Persian santur is another similar instrument, each with their own details and traditions

I found this dynamic awsome. Just to watch each of your trio's curiosity at work. Your question about composing limits: (1) I was sad to not hear more, so I wanted you to have at least 10 or 15 minutes. (2) I also understand that limits and constraits can drive creation forward in useful ways. (3) consider that chess games have various standards like Blitz, Rapid, and Standard. Shorter can drive innovation because you do not have time to be conservative, and conversely more time leads to polishing or depth qualities for beauty. Might I suggest: 20 minutes, a forced 5 minute rest, and a final 20 minutes for polishing?

❤❤❤ Me encanto el video

Holy shit, you uploaded this the day i started to actually use it in one of my songs. I'm a drummer so i kind of understand how to play it, just don't know limitations really.

I love the way you’ve used your KZread channel as a space for collaboration, learning, and experimentation. The 5-minute limit does feel really restrictive but I think for a study for an instrument you just “met” short is good. Or, if you had time, do a 5-minute draft, have the performer try it out, and then take a longer chunk to finish it?

The Romanian version is called the _țambal_ (tzam-BAHL) -- which weirdly enough sounds more like cymbal than anything else 🤔

@gregor_man

2 ай бұрын

For the 1972 movie The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe the music was composed by the Romanian Vladimir Cosma, and it has absolutely stunning music, cymbal with pan flute.

Very lovely presentation of a great instrument! There are many other interesting folk music instruments that we're oblivious about. Will you repeat this success for a few more, please?! =)

Awesome.

Okay, being Chinese (and Cantonese) and growing up listening to Yang Qin music, never realized that this thing is practically acoustic launchpad. If that make sense.

This is so cool. And Mantawoman is amazing!

The decision to change the title was great!

😮

@orala2593

2 ай бұрын

Fr

I love the hammer dulcimer!

I see so much thumbnail changing on several channels lately. Good luck finding something that pleases the algorithm, David!

😃 ¡Maravilloso!

I feel like the 5 minute time frame is a good idea precisely because it seems to be not enough time to get comfortable.

Manta is such a knowledgeable and incredible musician! I loved hearing them teach you about the instrument

Amazing instrument, I’ve heard it before at special ethnic occasions and I was impressed with the variation of tones which can come from it…I was mesmerized…this musician/artist is quite talented…..👍❤️🙏🏼🎵

I was introduced to this amazing instrument by the amazing band Dead Can Dance. Laraaji's zither, particularly the album he did with Brian Eno, is another beautiful sound.

Lovely music. thank you