节目资讯
刊物:空中英語教室
日期:2012-03-12
难易度:High
关键…
节目资讯
刊物:空中英語教室
日期:2012-03-12
难易度:High
关键字:sustain, medieval, inhale, intricate, drone, crank
(Music).
Hi, everybody.
Welcome to Studio Classroom Worldwide.
Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to study English with us.
We appreciate that.
My name is Steve.
If you have ever had the opportunity to travel, you know that no matter where
you go, you'll find music is a big part of the culture there.
Some cultures use familiar instruments like the piano and the violin.
Others, well, their instruments aren't so common, so it's in today's lesson that
we highlight four strange instruments that makes some pretty strange sounds.
Our first instrument is one that I'm sure most of you will recognize, the
bagpipes, starting on page 26.
Strange Instruments.
People around the world make music in a wide variety of ways.
Bagpipes.
Usually associated with Scotland, bagpipes are used in folk music throughout
Europe and even in southwest Asia and northern Africa.
The name bagpipe comes from a bag that the player pumps or blows air into and
then squeezes to push air out through several pipes.
One pipe with finger holes produces the melody, while others produce a sustained
drone, which is the harmony.
Hurdy-Gurdy.
This medieval European instrument has a crank that makes a wheel inside the
instrument spin and rub against a set of strings.
Some strings controlled by keys produce a melody, while others make a drone like
a bagpipe or a distinctive buzzing sound.
Hello, friends.
Thank you so much for joining us here in the studio.
Yes. We are glad you're here to join us today for today's MUSIC article.
We're looking today at Strange Instruments.
Now often we like talking about music, we talk about classical musicians or very
famous musicians.
But here we're talking about something a little bit strange.
These are strange instruments.
Yes. And like you said, Kaylah, an instrument is, well, something we use to make
music.
For example, a piano is an instrument, or a guitar is an instrument.
But those are very common instruments.
Today we're talking about very strange instruments.
Now people around the world make music in a variety of ways.
Now we do know that.
And a "variety of ways" means in all different kinds of ways.
Yeah, like you said, "variety" is different kinds of ways.
And that's true. People use... they can use their mouths as an instrument.
You can even use spoons as an instrument.
But we're going to learn some truly special instruments today.
That's right. We're going to start over in Europe with the bagpipes.
Now have you ever heard bagpipes being played?
I have heard bagpipes.
And frankly, I really don't like the way they sound.
I... I like bagpipes, they're fun.
But after an entire day of listening to them, they seem very loud.
OK. Well, usually the first thing you think about when you hear bagpipes is
Scotland.
That's because that's where they are from.
Well, the major bagpipes.
There are bagpipes all over the world, but the most common ones we think of are
in Scotland.
Now bagpipes are used in folk music throughout all of Europe, even in different
parts of Asia and, really, around the world.
That's true.
Well, Kaylah, what is folk music?
You said they're used in folk music.
Well, folk music is music that is... it has a traditional sound.
It's usually the kind of music that people used to play way back in the day.
And it's the kind of music that we have our traditional dances to.
OK. So this is music you might usually associate with bagpipes; and you
associate bagpipes with Scotland.
Now let's talk about that word "associate" really fast.
What does it mean if you associate something?
That means we put the two of them together.
So I think of one, I think of... it makes me think of the other.
So bagpipes are used throughout Europe and even in southwest Asia and northern
Africa.
Well, we've talked a lot about the sentence.
It's a great sentence.
In fact, it's our Grammar on the Go sentence.
Hello, friends.
Greetings from Scotland.
My name is Liz, and it's time for Grammar on the Go.
Our article today is about Strange Instruments.
We began with bagpipes.
The writer tells us:
Usually associated with Scotland, bagpipes are used in folk music throughout
Europe and even in southwest Asia and northern Africa.
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
Notice how the sentence begins with the phrase, usually associated with
Scotland.
It is a great phrase to start your sentence with when you want to tell people
how a certain subject is more than what most people see it as.
So in the case of today's sentence, the writer in saying:
Although bagpipes are usually associated with Scotland, they are used in folk
music throughout Europe and even in southwest Asia and northern Africa.
Let's take a look at some examples.
Anorexia is an eating disorder that makes a person starve himself or herself on
purpose.
People used to think it's a problem among teenage girls who are afraid of
getting fat.
But experts now know that it affects people of all ages. So we can say:
Usually associated with teenage girls, anorexia is an eating disorder that
affects all ages.
Or when it comes to tofu, we normally think of it as something we would find in
Asian meals.
However, tofu is now used in so many other ways and not just in Asian cooking.
So we can say:
Usually associate with Asian cuisines, tofu is used in a wide variety of cooking
from burgers to meat sauces to fruit shakes.
That's all the time we have for today.
Thanks again for joining me here.
This is Liz with Grammar on the Go, signing off.
Bye-bye.
OK. The name bagpipe comes from a bag that the player pumps or blows air into
and then squeezes to push the air through pipes.
That's right.
So they start squeezing the air.
And that creates a nice sound.
It helps... it goes through several pipes that the air is coming out of.
One pipe has finger holes - which produces the melody, while others produce a
sustained drone.
OK. One pipe makes the melody or the main sound, and the others produce a
sustained drone.
And if something is "sustained," that means it keeps going.
But what is a "drone"?
A "drone" is a low-pitched noise that continues without stopping.
So it... in bagpipes, this is a low note that just keeps going and doesn't
change.
And this drone... works as the harmony.
Right. And the harmony is just the notes that are not the main sound in the
song.
OK. So we've learned a lot about the bagpipes, what's next?
Next is the Hurdy-Gurdy.
That's a fun word to say, the hurdy-gurdy.
This is a... medieval European instrument that has a crank that makes a wheel
inside the instrument spin and rub against a set of strings.
OK. So it's "medieval." That means it's from the Middle Ages, which is about,
let me see, 600 AD to 1500 AD.
And it uses a "crank," which is something that you turn with your hand to work.
Right. A crank is a device that is used to spin something.
So you turn the crank, and it hits the strings and creates the sound.
Well, some strings are controlled by keys, which produce a melody, while the
others make a drone - just like a bagpipe - or a distinctive buzzing sound.
Now you can see videos of this on YouTube.
And it's kind of fun to hear such an ancient instrument from the medieval age.
Well, that's the hurdy-gurdy.
Let's take a break and visit the Chat Room.
Hey, Bryan, the library is holding a performance tonight?
Ah, I see you picked up one of the flyers.
Yes. My supervisor is friends with the Scottish folk music group, and he invited
them to perform.
I'm always interested in music from other countries.
But what exactly is folk music?
Folk music is the traditional music that average people in a certain place would
play.
So folk songs usually have a long history, right?
Mostly. But music written recently can also be called "folk music" if its style
is similar to the older songs.
So how is folk music different from classic music?
Ken, do you mean classic music or classical music?
Um, I'm not sure. What's the difference?
I think this distinction is confusing for a lot of people.
Hey, let's see what Doris has to say about it.
OK.
Classical music is a type of music written by famous composers like Mozart and
Bach.
It has set rules, is often very complex and is usually performed by a symphony
orchestra.
Classic music, on the other hand, can be from any style as long as it's been
around a fairly long time and is well-known and liked.
A jazz piece from the 1940s that is still well-known and liked would be
considered a classic.
OK, I think I get it.
Can you give me an example of a classic?
Well, the song "Yesterday" by the Beatles is a classic.
And that's certainly not classical music.
No, it's not.
So I guess I meant to ask how folk music is different from classical music.
It sounds like classical music follows stricter rules and is always written
down.
Right. Both styles are old, but they sound very different.
Well, I'm looking forward to hearing some folk music tonight.
Are you coming to their performance?
Yes, I am. I'll see you there, Ken.
OK.