VIBES🎵 WEB3 Music Competition - Week 7. "El Bandolín Morocho" by Cruz Alejandro Quinal

On a nearby town called Cumanacoa, lived a musician who was also a luthier and had the idea of creating a Twin Mandolin. His name was Cruz Alejandro Quinal and his works were very influential in Venezuelan folklore and luthierie. Nowadays you can find instruments even in triplets. Of course, such an idea was revolutionary for the time it happened.

Alongside his achievement, he was also quite a good mandolin player and composer. My teacher once played with him and so last week we studied one of this Joropos. This one is called as the same instrument he created "El Bandolín Morocho" (The Twin Mandolin). It's just a reference to a mandolin with two necks that allows you to use a different tuning from the standard one in the second neck.

To this composition, we add the challenge of improvisation at the end of the theme. This is a common thing in this side of Venezuela and the type of Joropo we play. It's usually followed by a fixed harmonic pattern and in occasions a change of compass, going from 3/4 to 6/8.

Playing the melody and harmony in one instrument takes away from the experience of this music. It is a challenge. Keeping up with both things is as hard as coordination can get. But listening to usual array of instruments playing this is a different experience. That's why the word Joropo refers to gatherings. It's a synonym of parties and joy expressed through music.

I hope my cover carries some of these ideas with it. It was very hard to record and I even had to do it in other place since there were some things I needed to do outside my house.

Thanks for listening.

https://x.com/bertrayo/status/1776228723865391336

• Photos and Video 📹 📷: taken by me (Redmi Note 13)

• Thumbnail 🖼️: by me, created with Canva.

• Editing 🎬: by me, made with Filmora X.

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