The Clarytone could make a significant contribution to our hosting of the World Soccer Cup in 2010 for the following reasons :
- Something never seen, heard or experienced before in a stadium
- While there are other types of nose flutes the Clarytone is a truly unique musical gift to the world that has originated from our beautiful rainbow nation. Something to really be proud of especially if Bafana do not win the cup
- Within minutes of picking up the Clarytone for the first time, anyone is able to identifiably produce any tune, song or melody they may know or have in their heads. It is also possible to pleasingly accompany or play along with any music, song or musical instrument never heard before.
- Requires no amplification since a single flute when played loudly can be clearly heard from a distance of around 1km
- An opportunity for all South African soccer fans in our stadiums to collectively co-create the beautiful melodies of our national anthem and other home grown tunes and songs.
- Can be incorporated into a mask that could be worn and played as part of the opening ceremony that would allow the players to dance while they were making music
- Can greatly enhance and extent the sounds produced by drums and even the raucous Vuvuzela by creating melodies and tunes to accompany these well known instruments.
- Clarytones are currently being made by hand using clay that has to fired at high temperatures. It is possible to produce Clarytones using modern materials and machines that would be much cheaper than the clay versions making them accessible to all members of our population.
- Would be possible to customise the Clarytone and create a unique 2010 icon that would continue to astound and inspire people long after the 2010 World Soccer Cup Closing Ceremony.
Nose flute history
An internet search has revealed that creating music using the nose has been happening for hundreds of years possibly even thousands. Some websites I visited claim that it originated in Africa but one thing is consistently confirmed and that is that it has been around for a long time. There are many different nose flute versions such as recorders, flutes and penny whistles that are modified so they can be played with the nose.
A noseflute called the Humanitone is available from a company in the USA and I actually purchase some….. by comparison they sound horrible given their pitch and very limited note range. They are made of plastic and used by a few people on You Tube. What I find amazing is that the people playing them have not twigged the potential of the nose flute and with few exceptions they are used as a kind of a party trick aimed at making people laugh.
My observation has been that because of it being a nose flute peoples minds tend to be closed regarding its potential and even it designer and maker Chris Schuermans failed to recognised initially just what an amazing instrument this really is. Chris has now seen its potential very clearly and every batch that he makes get better and he is close to creating a prototype of a real MAGIC FLUTE. The one that I am currently playing has a range of almost 4 octaves from E in the 3rd octave to D in the 8th octave…..the lower and in particular the higher notes are more difficult to master and require quite a lot of practice…..the mid 2 octave range is of course where its magic lies since most of these notes can be accessed in a matter of minutes by anyone willing to give it a blow…….the nose knows best it appears !!
INTRODUCING THE CLARYTONE TO PEOPLE FOR THE FIRST TIME
If you want to introduce the ClarYtone to people for the first time, I have found that doing it the following way really works well and highlights the magic of the ClarYtone :
- Turn your back on your listeners(alternatively they can just close their eyes) and play something familiar that you can do well for about 20 – 30 seconds……ask them to tell you what it sounds like….most people think it is a flute, recorder or penny whistle…..be sure not to tell them it is a wind instrument and especially that you are using your nose to generate the sound.
- Now show them the instrument and get there response
- Play it a again for a few second while they are watching you and then ask them how they think the sounds are being created…..virtually everyone will think you are blowing into using your mouth.
- Now reveal to them that you are using your nose and that doing this has the following advantages…….air from your nose is much cleaner than the air from your lungs because it is being flltered and because there is much less bacteria in the mouth than in the nose…..a natural breathing cycle is being created combining inhalation and exhalation through the nose(also mouth inhalation)…..with conventional wind instruments this does not happen and is restricted to nose inhalation and mouth exhalation(bagpipes involve mouth inhalation and exhalation)…..establishing a whole new neural pathway and learning to accurately and delicately control and trust this beautiful and pure flow of air that creates pristine notes.
SOME QUESTIONS I WOULD LIKE YOU TO ANSWER REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE
It is important for me to obtain feedback from people who have played or own a Clarytone and I would really appreciate your responses to the 5 questions below :
- How long did it take you to get a sound out of the Clary tone ?
- How long it took you to be able to play a tune on it ?
- How much have time have you spent playing it since you first received it and how are you using it ?
- How would you describe this instrument to someone who has never seen or heard it before.
- How would you compare this to any other musical instrument especially ones you may have played yourself ?
Anything else you might want to say about the instrument