Metronome: Tempo in Beats Per Minute

Tick tock, tick tock...monotonously goes the pendulum in the metronome. BPM or beats per minute, a unit not only measuring tempo in music but also something so vital as our own heart rate.

..."now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well too. It was the beating of the old man's heart. It increased my fury as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage."

..."I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder -- louder -- louder!"

The Tell-Tale Heart - Edgar Allan Poe

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Hammered Dulcimer Player on Portal del Angel, Barcelona

I am no music expert but after some research I would say this is a modest variant of a hammered dulcimer or psaltery (salterio in Spanish). There is some confusion about the terms dulcimer and psaltery whether the strings are plucked or hammered but experts say both words have been used indistinctly through history. As you can guess this is a very old instrument. It appeared in Persia about 2000 years ago and our modern piano evolved from this peculiar wooden box. This woman was in the middle of Portal del Angel flooding the place with sweet melodies that evoked ancient times. If you want to feel the same take a look at this marvelous video: Mermaid Medieval Hammered Dulcimer.

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Baturricos Playing Bandurrias, Torre Llobeta Square, Barcelona

There you go, yet another image about jotas. This time I've got the musicians. Men dressed as baturros (the link is in Spanish I know. It refers to the different nuances of the word in our language, some good and some bad) a term that refers to peasants from Aragon playing traditional instruments like this Bandurria (Mandurria). Remember this group was part of Festa Major celebrations at Torre Llobeta square in Nou Barris, Barcelona. There are many Barcelona inhabitants coming from different regions of Spain, so I found it more than adequate to show them in Barcelona Photoblog.

Sitar Player, Barri Gotic, Barcelona

To grow my collection of musical instruments here is a picture of a sitar. The musician was playing in Barri Gotic, a quarter that gathers a good amount of street artists who are attracted by the many tourists and special accoustics of its narrow alleys. Here is a famous video in which George Harrison is taking sitar lessons with Ravi Shankar

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Cello Duet: A Close Look

Recently I went to see my daughter play the piano. She attends a music school called Tritó, one of the many small academies subordinate to the Municipal Conservatory of Music of Barcelona. Twice a year, students are supposed to play in front of an audience and seniors are sincerely worth listening to. In the picture, you can realize how near my chair was from the musicians, so close, these two cellos wouldn't fit completely in my viewfinder. Not that you haven't seen a cello before but it was curious to notice how aesthetic it is when both hands catch up in a similar position, both bows being parallel and all. The cello duet, made up of teacher and student, did quite well and we enjoyed some classical moment in an almost intimate atmosphere. To add some mood to the post, here is a cello video I came across on YouTube: Bach Cello Suite No1 i-Prelude.

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Flute Player in BW, Tres Tombs Parade, Barcelona

Black and white pictures are scarce in Barcelona Photoblog as many of you know. There are a few exceptions though. Take the case of this flute player, this flutist girl I captured during last Tres Tombs parade at Sant Andreu quarter. I loved the original image but sometimes I get so carried away by the light that I end up choosing the bw option. I know I am not good at black and white photography but you never know if you don't explore other fields. Not that there's anything special in the action or the subject but I do like the way she spots the camera as she walks and gives me this wary look.

Contrabass Player at Barcelona Cathedral

This contrabass or double bass player was part of a small band performing in front of a group of sardana dancers. The place is the square facing Barcelona Cathedral or Santa Eulalia Cathedral (video). If you check blogger labels below you'll find other musicians or instruments featured in Barcelona Photoblog in the past.

The Harp Player: How to Pull The Right Strings

I was dying about posting a BW picture again in Barcelona Photoblog but I just didn't have enough inspiration to find the right occasion nor the best subject. As a matter of chance, I happened to sit upfront in the small concert hall where my daughter was supposed to play the piano. It was a long program and many kids were to perform each one with their own instrument. What I never expected was to be so close, camera in hand, to this boy and his harp. He played the notes gracefully, with that self confidence only promising musicians of his age would have and not even my imprudent flash was able to deviate his attention or stop him from pulling the right strings on his way to success.
Two good links for the road: The History of the Harp and on a different line of content Harp magazine

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