Boing Boing: Musiques Traditionelles du Burundi

Posted by on under boing boing, pierre schaeffer, th album, extence, lger, chest voice, vocal chords, anet, comex, tape recording, perfect sense, sgs, two girls, cameroun, co founder, musiques, peoe, senses, sg, lips |

This album from the legenday Ocora label is really one of my favorites on the planet. When I first heard these two girls sing I had to be actively convinced it wasn't just pieces of a tape recording that had been spliced together! (Ocora co-founder Pierre Schaeffer also pioneered the early tape-splicing music movement known as Musique Concrete, so I wasn't totally nuts): Akaheze par deux jeune filles I just wrote about the amazing ability of some birds to sing multiple notes at once. This woman's ability to switch rapidly between her head and chest voice is totally daring anyone to say humans couldn't defy all odds and learn to do it too: Akazehe par une jeune fille The liner notes for these songs say that this woman is using her lips as a reed. If you listen carefully, you can hear the switch over to her normal voice. It's a traditional kind of song for mourning: Ubuhuha 1 Ubuhuha 2 Unfortunately, like many on Ocora, this album is exceedingly rare. Let this be another call for re-issues! The cover of the Musiques du Cameroun album is worth tracking down all on its own... This post is part of a series about music that disorients the senses. I've found that some of the most amazing and jarring auditory illusions are not the usual scientifically distilled or synthesized ones, they're often found in folk music and made by people's voices. Of course, in a way, it makes perfect sense - the vocal chords are some of the most complex and advanced musical instruments in existence. They are ubiquitously available, and we've been experimenting with them for longer than any other sound-making implement....


Tagi: boing boing, pierre schaeffer, th album, extence, lger, chest voice, vocal chords, anet, comex, tape recording, perfect sense, sgs, two girls, cameroun, co founder, musiques, peoe, senses, sg, lips

Blitz Build with Habitat for Humanity - Springfield, Ohio 2010

Posted by on under roofing shingles, rain showers, th album, habitat affiliates, springfield ohio, drop in the bucket, habitat for humanity, power tool, slab, road trip, siding, blitz, nbsp, volunteers, checkout |

Last weekend almost half the Ohio Power Tool Staff took part in a “Blitz Build” for Habitat for Humanity in Springfield, Ohio; although that was just a drop in the bucket for the several hundred volunteers that showed up. Basically the goal was to build 2 homes in 2 days, from concrete slab to near finished homes. This included raising the pre-framed walls, insulation, siding, windows, roofing, shingles, electrical, plumbing and sheet rock. This was a pretty big task to get done in 2 days especially since we also had scattered rain showers on both days however with a lot of hard work the build was definitely considered a success!

We got involved with the build through a group that travels around and does these blitz builds in conjunction with smaller local Habitat affiliates. The group is made up of individuals from 13 states with many experienced contractors among them, who do a few of these builds each year. The group is known as the “Road Trip Crazies” and they are definitely an entertaining group to build and socialize with.     

Everyone there had so much fun it could hardly be considered work, definitely something to consider doing if you have the time. Checkout some of the pictures in this album, good shots of both houses going up.

   

Tagi: roofing shingles, rain showers, th album, habitat affiliates, springfield ohio, drop in the bucket, habitat for humanity, power tool, slab, road trip, siding, blitz, nbsp, volunteers, checkout