The snare drum

Let’s continue the journey into the world of percussions, that began with the article "Body percussion”. Today I’d like to speak of the snare drum. The snare drum is a component of the drum kit, but it can be used alone in the orchestra or in band. The typical sound of the snare drum is produced by strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the bottom drumhead. The sound of the snare drum also depend on the material by which the stem is made. The snare drums made by metal have a brighter sound, while wooden ones usually produce a warmer sound.
To give you an example of what can be done with the snare give a look at this video by Bruno Vitolo (funkybru), who I greet and thank:

The gift of marriage

During the last weekend I received two gifts: the first one came from Alessandra and Stephen, who invited me to their wedding, the second one by my uncles Emanuela and George celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. 
Participate in the marriage of a couple of friends is always nice: you take part in their joy, but you also have the opportunity to renew your own. From the celebration on Saturday, I brought home a passage of the homily. The priest invited the newlyweds to wonder every day: what should I do today because my husband (my wife) is happy to be in the world? I remember what another friend of mine, who is also a priest, said: we got married every day, not only the day of wedding; every day, you have to choose your spouse again and begin a new page of love. How can people get bored in front of such a perspective? 
A lot of pages of love have certainly been written by the couples that together with my uncles have celebrated last Sunday an important anniversary: 10, 25, 40, 50 and 60 years of life together. 
I like that every year we find  a special moment to recognize the value of the choice of these people, to thank them for the love they give each other and also demonstrating the courage to remain united. The faces of love are beautiful  at any age.

Body percussion

Last autumn my friend R. asked me if I wanted to play with his wind orchestra for the Christmas’ concerts: they needed somebody who could play the glockenspiel. The glockenspiel is a delicious instrument that can easily hurt your ears (to the uninitiated it looks like a xylophone, but it is made by metal). It’s a percussive instrument, but it needs a player that can read a musical staff. So my friend thought that a pianist might, after all, get by quite well. And indeed I was quite good, and I became curious about the world of percussions, so funny and varied. 
Having spent years practicing on the keyboard, every time I try to play a new instrument I look for information of all kinds: what is it, how it is used, who plays that instrument and what kind of music ... Browsing YouTube I was literally ecstatic looking at the performances of true masters. 
So today I’d like to inaugurate a series of post on percussion instruments, talking about a curious and interesting practice: the body percussion. Body percussion - as its name indicates- is a rhythmic type of music that uses the body of the musician as an instrument. It is used in schools to drive the children to the world of rhythm, but it has all the characteristics to be considered art. Just look at what Keith Terry does in this video. Enjoy!

My website is new

Done! I've done it! www.federicaperuzzo.it is completely renewed!

Restyling

I'm working at the restyling of my website: www.federicaperuzzo.it. I'm changing the way it looka, revamping the content and adding something new (alleluia). I hope it will become more fashionable, but above all more useful (!). "Of earth and clouds" will follow the fortunes of the main website, of course. That's way you can notice this sudden change of color and of the header, in line with the global  project (wow!). 
I hope to finish the work by next week. Stay tuned!

Irish dance in Rome

If you want to find out more about Irish dance. danzeirlandesiaroma.com is the right website for you (an english version is available). The blog documents the activities of the Gens d'Ys Academy (with particular attention to the school based in Rome), in the sections Diario di scuola, Ceili / Serata danzante, and Stage Shows and events. The sections Dances and History of Irish dance instead collect interesting information on the dances, their history, their spread and the songs that accompany them. Finally, there is no lack of information about the history and tradition of Ireland. 

As I have studied irish dance at Gens d'Ys Academy for a year, I have to thank the author of this blog, Intruder, for his work and his commitment in sharing his passion.

A fall is not the end

Today I received a great gift. Through one of the blogs that I follow I had the opportunity to watch the video below and to know the incredible Nick Vujicic:



I think Nick is a blessing for us all. May the strength and joy that we can see in his face, his actions and his words infect us all to expand the boundaries of our heart and our soul. Only Nick knows through which suffering his exceptional vitality has grown up: may his example remember us that we have everything we need to be happy.

http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/