The Hambone
Description:
Folk musician John McCutcheon performs traditional music and his own compositions in concerts across the country and around the world. Here he demonstrates the hambone, which uses the human body as a “drum set” to produce different sounds. This excerpt is from Program 15 of the KET series Old Music for New Ears, which brings top folk and traditional musicians into the studio to perform for a young student audience. Designed to introduce the pure and simple forms of traditional music to today’s generation, the series includes 22 15-minute programs featuring a wide variety of traditional instruments and musical styles.
Suggested uses:
- as a demonstration of body percussion
- to explore rhythm
- to encourage students to create their own “hand jive” patterns
Lesson plans using this segment:
- Body Percussion (K-1)
More information on Old Music for New Ears: