Native American Indian Music

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Native American Indian Music

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There are hundreds of tribes of Native Americans (called the First Nations in Canada), each with diverse musical practices, spread across the United States and Canada (excluding Hawaiian music). However, according to Bruno Nettl (1956, p.107, Music in Primitive Culture), "almost every trait occurs in every culture to some degree." These commonalities exist, however, and are part of a shared folk musical tradition.
Traditional music is dominated by choral vocals, and more rarely solo singing, is common, and harmony and polyphony are non-existent. Vocables (rhythmic, nonsense words, repeated) are an integral part of vocal music. Descending melodic figures are common. Drums and other percussion instruments are the most commonly-used instruments, though flutes and others are in common practice.

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Anhinga

Spirits of the Canyon
Turquoise Visions

Pete "Wyoming" Bender

Canyon Drums
Canyon Eagle
Medicine Man
Native Nations

Brule

We The People
Lakota Piano
Star People

Alice Gomez

Echoes of the Land
Flute Dreams
Journeys Of The Flute
While The Eagle Sleeps
Sky Prayer
The Healing Flute
Christmas On The Mesa
Healers Suite

Mesa Music Consort

Spirit Feathers
Ceremonies Of Dusk and Dawn
Spirits Of The Wild

Native Flute Ensemble

Riding Thunder
Gathering Of Shamen
Ritual Mesa

Native American Flute Works

Sun Chasers

Nicole

Passion Spirit
Night Tree

Various Artists

Native Flute Collection
Wind Riders
Spirits Of The Mississippi

American Indian Music Books

Native American Music for Recorder By Marie Constas and Robert Constas. For Recorder (Soprano). Solos. Native American. Level: Beginning-Intermediate. Book. Size 8.5x11. 64 pages. Published by Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (99643)
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The Art of the Native American Flute By R Carlos Nakai and James Demars. For flute. Solos. Native American. Level: Beginning-Intermediate. Book. Size 8.75x11.75. 132 pages. Published by Canyon Records Prod. (96718)
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Flute Magic - An Introduction to the Native American Flute Second Edition. By Tim R. Crawford edited by Dr. Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl. For Flute. Methods. Native American. Level: Beginning. Book. Size 8.75x11.75. 176 pages. Published by Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (99190)
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Native American Flute Understanding the Gift, 2nd Edition. By John Vames. For Flute. Methods. Native American. Level: Beginning-Intermediate. Book/CD Set. Size 8.25x11. 104 pages. Published by Molly Moon Arts & Publishing. (0974048623)
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Chipmunks, Cicadas and Owls Twelve Native American Children's Songs. By Natalie Sarrazin. Schott. Size 9x12 inches. 26 pages. Published by Schott. (49012177)
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Native American Music - set of 7 Volumes By Chazanoff. For f,perc. Miscellaneous music. Published by Magnamusic Distributors Inc. (KEFOS12)
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Native American Indian Music Continued:

Native American Indian flute

The Native American flute has achieved some measure of fame for its distinctive sound, used in a variety of New Age and world music recordings. The instruments origins are unknown, but the theory that it was developed by the Ancient Pueblo Peoples based of Mesoamerican designs is the most common solution. Its music was used in courtship, healing, meditation and spiritual rituals.
The late 1960s saw a roots revival centered around the flute, with a new wave of flautists and artisans like Doc Nevaquaya and Carl Running Deer.
Of special importance is R. Carlos Nakai (Changes, 1983), who has achieved some mainstream renown for his mixture of the flute with New Age and ambient sounds.
The Native American flute is the only flute in the world constructed with two air chambers - there is a wall inside the flute between the top (slow) air chamber and the bottom chamber which has the whistle and finger holes. The top chamber also serves as a secondary resonator, which gives the flute its distinctive sound. There is a hole at the bottom of the "slow" air chamber and a (generally) square hole at the top of the playing chamber. A block (or "bird") with a spacer is tied on top of the flute to form a thin, flat airstream for the whistle hole (or "window"). Some more modern flutes use an undercut either in the block or the flute to eliminate the need for a spacer.
The "traditional" Native American flute was constructed using measurements based on the body - the length of the flute would be the distance from armpit to wrist, the length of the top air chamber would be one fist-width, the distance from the whistle to the first hole also a fist-width, the distance between holes would be one thumb-width, and the distance from the last hole to the end would generally be one fist-width.
Modern Native American flutes are generally tuned to a variation of the minor pentatonic scale (such as you would get playing the black keys on a piano), which gives the instrument its distinctive plaintive sound. Recently some makers have begun experimenting with different scales, giving players new melodic options. Also, modern flutes are generally tuned in concert keys (such as A or D) so that they can be easily played with other instruments. The root keys of modern Native American flutes span a range of about three and a half octaves, from C2 to A5.
Native American flutes most commonly have either 5 or 6 holes, but instruments can have anything from no holes to seven (including a thumb hole). Various makers employ different scales and fingerings for their flutes.
Some modern Native American flutes are called "drone" flutes, and are two (or more) flutes built together. Generally, the drone chamber plays a fixed note which the other flute can play against in harmony.

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Metasyntactic variable".