Sample #5

That was part of a piece called ‘Speaking in Tongues’, composed and performed by Sheila Chandra. All of the sounds in this minute were made by the composer’s voice. Can you remember some other minutes, from previously in Minute of Listening, when people used their voices to make unusual sounds?

What did you imagine when you listened?

Did you notice how some of the sounds quietly echoed around in the background, whilst others sounded very close and clear?

The composer wanted to make a piece of music with her voice that sounded like tabla, which are a kind of Indian drum. When musicians learn to play tabla, they begin by learning how to sing the rhythms of Indian music, just like in this minute.

Did you notice how the rhythms in this piece kept chopping and changing? The music switched from being very fast to being quite slow in just a few seconds.

How do you think it might feel to sing this music – can you imagine the sounds bouncing off your tongue and rolling around your mouth?