Sunday, November 21, 2010

Cuban Recycling = Music to our Ears




































A Cuban trio of street musicians stole the show last night on Day 2 of the music festival. Any consumer good is scarce in Cuba, let alone musical instruments. So this group makes toe-tapping, hand-clapping music from all manner of items that you recycle at home ---- you DO recycle, don't you?? There were the old stand-byes of washboard as banjo and comb-on-paper kazoo. But here's a partial list of what else they used:



thin cardboard box + wires= ukelele
milk jug + board neck + strings= guitar
large pail + thick string + tin can = bass guitar
big tin cans = conga and bongo drums
partially-filled glass bottles = pan flute
cutoff syringe= slide flute
bottle caps strung on a wire = castanets
bottle caps on wood frame=tambourine
pebbles in a water bottle=maracas
snorkel tube with holes = clarinet
And my #1 favourite: a funnel + plastic tubing = French horn!

It was an amazing act, with audience participation and huge ovations. Seems to me this should be a real inspiration for street buskers, elementary teachers, and anybody who just wants to create a ---- literally --- pickup band!!

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