Origins of BHANGRA!

=dhol

=ektara

Bhangra originates from the folk music in Punjab, in North India. It is one of the oldest types of folk dance, sung and played by farmers at the end of harvest time to give thanks for the harvest. The rhythms of traditional Punjabi folk music are played on the dhol a double barrelled drum played !ith t!o sticks. The dhol is heard together !ith the ektara, "a single string is stretched bet!een a split bamboo cane neck, !hich is attached to a #head$ made of dried pumpkin, !ood or coconut%. Pressing the t!o halves of the neck together loosens the string, !hich lo!ers its pitch. The changing tones and pitches !ith each slight fle&ing of the neck gives the ektara its distinctive sound. There are no markings or measurements to indicate !hat pressure !ill produce !hat note, so the pressure is adjusted by ear. The tumbi is a high pitched single string plucked instrument made of a !ooden stick attached to a !ooden resonator covered !ith skin, and the chimta consists of a long, flat folded piece of metal steel strip, often !ith ' pairs of small metal jingles. The rings are plucked in a do!n!ard motion to produce tinkling sounds.

= tumbi

= chimta The modern Bhangra style developed in the (.) in the *+,-s. Indian musicians fused the rhythms of traditional Bhangra !ith .estern styles such as hip hop, disco, drum and bass, rap and reggae, and used electric and bass guitars, !hich made Bhangra a very popular style of music. Key Features of BHANGRA! B/0N120 is a 3(4I5N of Punjabi folk music and !estern pop and dance music 6 6 7elody = 8uite simple and repetitive, played out usually on a synthesi9er:harmonium:accordion or a guitar% Bhangra lyrics, al!ays sung in the Punjabi language, generally cover social issues such as love, relationships, money, dancing, getting drunk and marriage. 0dditionally, there are countless Bhangra songs devoted to Punjabi pride themes and Punjabi heroes. The lyrics are tributes to the rich cultural traditions of the Punjabis. The vocalists employ a high, energetic tone of voice. 4inging fiercely, and !ith great pride, they typically add nonsensical, random noises to their singing. ;ike!ise, often people dancing to Bhangra !ill yell phrases such as hoi, hoi, hoi< balle balle 2hythms = In modern Bhangra drum machines replaced the traditional dhol Tempo = moderate to fast, energetic and upbeat 3orm = Bhangra has changed its musical form from Punjabi folk music !hich are usually songs% to that of a dance form. Bhangra uses the traditional verse and chorus structure that is common to British pop songs.

6 6 6

6 Te&ture = 7usic technology plays a big part in Bhangra= 2emi&es tracks !ith lots of different layers mi&ed together in ne! !ays. 0 remi& normally sounds very different from a live performance because so much has been changed in the studio 4amples from other music, e.g. bass line, drum parts, lyrics >rum machines instead of the dhol >? techni@ues like scratching 6 Bhangra music is more comple& than traditional folk music and Punjabi styled riffs and solos are usually played !ith keyboards or guitars. In this respect it stands out from all other forms of 0sian music !hich are vocal based "such as bolly!ood%. Timbre or Instruments = voice, drum machines, electric and bass guitar

6 0rtists include= 0laap took Bhangra to audiences outside the 0sian community !ith hit song ABhabiye Ni BhabiyeB in the *+,-s 4afri boy9, 7alkit 4ingh, 4ahotas and Panjabi 7C

Questions! *. .hich area of India does Bhangra originate fromD E. True or false Bhangra music is much simpler than traditional Punjabi folk music F. True or false The use of technology has been very important in the development of Bhangra G. 3ill in the missing !ords= Bhangra lyrics, al!ays sung in the language, generally cover issues such as , , , , and . H. .rite a @uestion for each of these three ans!ers= >rum machines, *+,-s, dhol I. .hen playing the ektara !hat does pressing the t!o halves of the neck together doD '. >efine the !ord #remi&$. ,. In no more than three sentences, describe ho! Bhangra music !as developed from Punjabi folk music. +. ?oin up the first and second part of each of these sentences. Bhangra uses the traditional verse and chorus structureJ Jsuch as hip hop, disco, drum and bass, rap and reggae, and used electric and bass guitars. JPunjabi styled riffs and solos are usually played !ith keyboards or guitars. Jthat is common to British pop songs.

Indian musicians fused the rhythms of traditional Bhangra !ith .estern stylesJ

Bhangra music is more comple& than traditional folk music andJ

*-. 7atch the ans!er !ith the @uestion. .hat are four e&amples of music technology !hich have played an important part in the development of BhangraD .hich instrument has one string, plays high pitched notes and is made of a !ooden stick attached to a !ooden resonator covered !ith skinD Because the sound of the instruments in Bhangra music are very important, even though there are singers the music is not vocal based like other types e.g. Bolly!ood.

The tumbi

.hy does Bhangra stand out from other types of 0sian origin musicD

4amples, >? techni@ues such as scratching, remi&ing, samples and drum machines.