Train Travel in Japan

Japan Train Sounds 3 by HighlanderImages

Travelling by train in Japan is a joy. It's so organized, clean and efficient with the trains running usually to the second. This is a typical train station with large information boards detailing all the train arrival and departure times. It can be somewhat intimidating though given that most of the signage is in Japanese characters.

Spanish Flamenco

Flamenco by HighlanderImages

 A visit to Spain would not be complete without a performance of the vibrant Flamenco dance and one of the most authentic and traditional places to witness this is at Tablao Flamenco Cordobes in Barcelona. The combination of live music and spectacular dancing is a memorable experience.

Musical Saw Live in Budapest

R09 0013 by HighlanderImages

Today's "SoundCloud" recording was made at a traditional old restaurant in Budapest, Hungary where a local group of musicians entertained the diners. The highlight was this song highlighting the Musical Saw playing soloist.

Though some consider the Musical Saw an American folk musical instrument believed to have gotten its start somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains in the 19th century, the origins of the musical saw are actually not confined to one country. Some sources state the saw was invented in Argentina, or Russia. Most of what we know today is about Europe, but it is believed that saws were played in all continents without the people knowing of other people doing so in other places. Carpenters and lumberjacks all over the world discovered that their tool could make sounds, thus, no country can really claim ownership over the invention of making music with a saw. Saw playing probably started at the end of the 17th century, when saws were mass produced with pliable steel blades.

The pioneers who couldn't afford bringing musical instruments with them to America brought tools for building houses, etc. Thus saw playing became popular in the USA at a time when there weren't other instruments easily available. During the 19th century (and probably before) many priests played the saw during church services. Later, the saw became a staple of Vaudeville shows.

The saw is generally played seated with the handle squeezed between the legs, and the far end held with one hand. It is generally played with the teeth facing the body. In the early 20th century the Musical Saw began to get very popular in America and Europe as well. It is also known as the Singing Saw, as it produces a very pure ethereal tone, and can sound similar to a woman's high singing voice.

Chion-in Temple, Kyoto

Monks chanting at Chion-in Temple, Kyoto, Japan by HighlanderImages

Chion-in in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan is the headquarters of the Jodo Shu (Pure Land Sect) founded by Hōnen (1133–1212), who proclaimed that sentient beings are reborn in Amida Buddha's Western Paradise (Pure Land) by reciting the nembutsu, Amida Buddha's name.

The vast compounds of Chion-in include the site where Hōnen settled to disseminate his teachings and the site where he died.

The original temple was built in 1234 by Hōnen's disciple, Genchi (1183–1238) in memory of his master and was named Chion-in. While the temple was affiliated more closely in the early years with the Seizan branch of Jodo Shu, its 8th head priest, Nyoichi (1262–1321) was deeply influenced by the priest Ryōkū, a disciple of Ryōchū who was the 3rd head of the Chinzei branch of Jodo Shu Buddhism, and disciple of Bencho. 

By 1450, Chion-in had become fully under control of the Chinzei branch, but had little direct control, due to the outbreak of the Onin War. Numerous buildings in the complex were burnt down in 1633, but were entirely rebuilt by the third Tokugawa Shogun Iemitsu (1604–51) with the palatial structures that stand today.

Indonesian Gambang

Indonesian Gambang by HighlanderImages

A gambang, properly called a gambang kayu ('wooden gambang') is a xylophone-like instrument used among peoples of Indonesia and the southern Philippines in gamelan and kulintang, with wooden bars as opposed to the metallic ones of the more typical metallophones in a gamelan. A largely obsolete instrument, the gambang gangsa, is a similar instrument made with metal bars.

The bars of the instrument are made of a dense wood, generally teak. It also found in ironwood (kayu besi). The bars mounted in a deep wooden case that serves as a resonator. Instruments typically have 17-21 keys that are easily removed, and are kept in place by having a hole through which a nail is placed. Generally a full gamelan has two sets, one gambang pelog and the other one gambang slendro.

A pair of long thin mallets (tabuh), made of flexible water buffalo horn tipped with felt, are used to play the instrument. Gambangs are generally played in parallel octaves (gembyang). Occasionally, other styles of playing are employed such as playing kempyung which are playing two notes separated by two keys. Unlike most other gamelan instruments, no dampening is required, as the wood does not ring like the metal keys of other instruments.

The gambang is used in a number of gamelan ensembles. It is most notable in the Balinese gamelan Gambang. In Javanese wayang, it is used by itself to accompany the dalang in certain chants. Within a full gamelan, it stands out somewhat because of the high speed of playing, and contrasting timbre because of its materials and more because it has a wider melodic range than the other instruments.

In Javanese gamelan, the gambang plays cengkok like the other elaborating instruments. However, the repertoire of cengkok for the gambang is more rudimentary than for other instruments (for instance, the gendér), and a great deal of variation is accepted.

The gambang gangsa has a similar construction, although it generally has fewer keys (typically 15) and is thus somewhat smaller. It has largely been replaced by the saron family of instruments. It was formerly thought to have been a forerunner of the one-octave saron, although more recent evidence, including the appearance of the saron in reliefs at Borobudur in the 9th century, indicate that the instruments are of the same age or that the one-octave saron is older.

In early 19th century writings on the Javanese gamelan, it seems to have been played like the gambang kayu; that is, as an elaborating instrument. Later, by 1890, it seems to have merely substituted for a saron, and have been restricted to a small range. Mantle Hood associated this use of limited range to a preference for certain octave arrangements of the cadences in various pathet.

The Bells of Laguardia

Laguardia church bells by HighlanderImages

This is the small hill town of Laguardia in the La Rioja wine district of North Spain. Laguardia is one of the most perfectly preserved medieval villages in Spain. It is also located right in Rioja wine country and is the perfect base for your wine tour of Spain's most well known red wine region. Laguardia is a medieval hill hamlet (called "villa" in Spanish), reminiscent of Tuscan hilltop villages. It is surrounded by an ancient wall, and has a delightful jumble of cobblestoned streets lined with "Tabernas", wine shops, palaces, and cafes. Laguardia was founded in the year 1164 by King Sancho Abarca, and the spectacularly preserved wall dates back to the 15th century. The entire village became protected as Patrimony of Spain in 1964. The name "Laguardia" originates from "La Guardia de Navarra", the "Guard" of Navarra, referring to its strategic importance in the kingdom of Navarre.

Before the medieval village was built (as we can see today), deep tunnels were carved out in the hill and the village of Laguardia was actually underground. The tunnels were used as a defence tactic, but over the centuries came to be used to store wine and eventually to even make wine. In 1486, Laguardia was incorporated into the Kingdom of the Catholic Monarchs (Isabel and Ferdinand), who would unite the kingdoms of Castille and Aragon in 1492, to form what is now "Spain", and the village was built on top of the existing village. The medieval wall was erected as were many aristocratic palaces, many of them restored and still standing. In the 19th century, much of the medieval wall was destroyed during the "Carlista" wars and the War of Independence.

These days, Laguardia is a wealthy hamlet, full of gourmet restaurants, charming small hotels, beautiful views over vines and the amazing backdrop of the Cantabrian Mountains. Whether you visit Laguardia with Cellar Tours or on your own, the important thing is that you come to spend a few days and that you eat and drink well. A visit to Laguardia is like stepping back in time, and the village is simply one of the loveliest places you could hope to visit in Spain.

Golden Hall Concert

Concert at Vienna's Musikverein by HighlanderImages

The Musikverein concert hall in Vienna, Austria is a magnificent venue and it certainly lives up to its "Golden Hall" name. The concert I attended was a classical concert of "favorite hits" played by the musicians in period costume which added a certain grandeur to the whole event. Hit the SoundCloud button above and enjoy some of the concert.

Wiener Musikverein, (English: "Viennese Music Association"), commonly shortened to The Musikverein, has a twofold meaning: it is the name of a famous Vienna concert hall, as well as the short name for the music society, Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde [Society of Music Friends], that owns the building. This building is located on Dumbastraße behind the Imperial Hotel, between Bösendorferstraße and Karlsplatz. However, because Bösendorferstraße is so small a street, the building is better known as being between Karlsplatz and Kärntner Ring (part of Ringstraße loop). The back of the building faces Canovagasse [Canova lane].

The concert hall was built by the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, on a piece of land given by Emperor Franz Joseph, and it was opened on January 6, 1870. A historic organ was installed in it by the Austrian firm Rieger, in 1907. The Musikverein is famous for its acoustics and is considered to be one of the five finest concert/opera venues in the world. None of these halls was built in the modern era with the application of acoustics science, and, with the partial exception of the horseshoe-shaped Colon, all share a long, tall, and narrow shape. It is the home to the Vienna Philharmonic. The Große Musikvereinssaal, or Goldene Saal (Golden Hall), is forty-eight metres long, nineteen metres wide, and eighteen metres high. It has 1,744 seats and standing room for 300. Every year, the Vienna New Year's Concert is held here.

Sound of The Sea

Sounds of the Sea by HighlanderImages

This is the idyllic setting of Penang Island in Malaysia taken from the 3rd floor of the E&O Hotel, Georgetown one morning as the local fisherman came in to check his lines. I was testing out my Soundman binaural microphones to record the ambient sounds of the sea, the birds (comprising one very vocal large black crow), a gardner sweeping leaves and the sound of the boatman.

Japanese Shinto Prayer Bells

Prayer Bells, Kyoto, Japan by HighlanderImages

The practices involved in Shinto prayer are heavily influenced by Buddhism; Japanese Buddhism has also been strongly influenced by Shinto in turn. The most common and basic form of devotion involves throwing a coin, or several, into a collection box, ringing a bell, clapping one's hands, and contemplating one's wish or prayer silently. The bell and hand clapping are meant to wake up or attract the attention of the kami of the shrine, so that one's prayer may be heard.

Shinto prayers quite frequently consist of wishes or favors asked of the kami, rather than lengthy praises or devotions. Unlike in certain other faiths, it is not considered irregular or inappropriate to ask favors of the kami in this way, and indeed many shrines are associated with particular favors, such as success on exams.

In addition, one may write one's wish on a small wooden tablet, called an ema, and leave it hanging at the shrine, where the kami can read it. If the wish is granted, one may return to the shrine to leave another ema as an act of thanksgiving.

Accordion Player, Paris

Accordion Player, Paris by HighlanderImages

This classic French accordion player was entertaining passers by in the streets of St. Germaine, Paris.

The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist.

It is played by compressing or expanding a bellows whilst pressing buttons or keys, causing valves, called pallets, to open, which allow air to flow across strips of brass or steel, called reeds, that vibrate to produce sound inside the body.

The instrument is sometimes considered a one-man-band as it needs no accompanying instrument. The performer normally plays the melody on buttons or keys on the right-hand manual, and theaccompaniment, consisting of bass and pre-set chord buttons, on the left-hand manual.

The accordion is often used in folk music in Europe, North America and South America. It is commonly associated with busking. Some popular music acts also make use of the instrument. Additionally, the accordion is sometimes used in both solo and orchestra performances of classical music.

The oldest name for this group of instruments is actually harmonika, from the Greek harmonikos, meaning harmonic, musical. Today, native versions of the name accordion are more common. These names are a reference to the type of accordion patented by Cyrill Demian, which concerned "automatically coupled chords on the bass side.

Shinkansen Bullet Train

Shinkansen train, Japan by HighlanderImages

The Shinkansen bullet train in Japan is now many years old but is still an impressive piece of technology and continues to provide an impressive fast service between major cities in Japan. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of 2,387.7 km (1,483.6 mi) of lines with maximum speeds of 240–300 km/h (149–186 mph), 283.5 km (176.2 mi) of Mini-shinkansen with a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph) and 10.3 km (6.4 mi) of spur lines with Shinkansen services. The network presently links most major cities on the islands of Honshu and Kyushu, with construction of a link to the northern island of Hokkaido underway and plans to increase speeds on the Tōhoku Shinkansen up to 320 km/h (199 mph). Test runs have reached 443 km/h (275 mph) for conventional rail in 1996, and up to a world record 581 km/h (361 mph) for maglev trainsets in 2003.

Happy School Days

School Lessons in Siem Reap Cambodia by HighlanderImages

They say that school days are the happiest of your life .... no idea who said this and why! However these young Cambodian kids  in Siem Reap seem to be enjoying their lessons although distracted by the large, strange looking, white fella taking photographs through the school window. If I had tried this in UK I would be arrested immediately for sure.

Spanish Serenade

Traditional Singers, Laguardia, Spain by HighlanderImages

Laguardia is a small walled hill town in the Rioja wine country of northern Spain. Sitting high on a rock foundation under the shadows of the mountains to the northwest, the city retains, intact, its historic walls from the 13th century including its four entrance gates. Within its walls can be found historic building from various time periods. Today, the outer village walls are breached with glass windows, but it is easy to imagine the village as it must have been in the Middle Ages. There are only a few streets with in the old city, so navigating is fairly easy. Still, the village is large enough to provide you with some shopping, and magical eating experiences, not to mention the experience of consuming some of the best wines of Spain.

While walking through the small narrow streets of the town I followed the sounds of singing and celebration and eventually rounded a corner to find this group of men celebrating something ... a wedding perhaps, a birthday ... or just life itself!

Cambodian Folk Music

Cambodian Folk Music 1 by HighlanderImages

When traveling in a foreign country it's always good when you come across some local musicians playing traditional music.While visiting one of the many temple complexes in Siem Reap, Cambodia I came across this group of land mine victims who were all playing traditional instruments and selling CDs. You can listen to the music in the SoundCloud link below