THE FLAMENCO BOX IN THE CLASSROOM History , Evolution and Didactic Autor: Carlos Crisol Maestro Coordinación de Diseño y Maquetación: Nuria Crisol de la Fuente Colaboración de los alumnos del CFGM Preimpresión en Artes Gráficas IES Santo Reino: Juan Jesús Mesa Moraleda y Gema Moreno Serrano en diseño de interiores y portada - contraportada. Traducción inglés: Nuria Sánchez INDEX I. PRECEDENTS AND ANALOGIES OF THE BOX Introduction and state of the issue Pg. 2 Searching for a box history in the world Pg. 3 The box in Perú: Findings documented on the origin of the box Pg. 5 The box in Cuba Pg. 7 The box in Spain: origin and evolution Pg. 8 . II. CONSTRUCTION OF THE BOX Building materials Pg. 12 Sundbox. Cubic capacity and dimensions of the box Pg. 14 Sound output: box hole (back, side, bottom ...) Pg. 15 Front or struck cover Pg. 18 String tension and tuning system. Treatment of harmonics. String arrangements in the box. Pg. 26 III. THE FLAMENCO BOX IN THE CLASSROOM Introduction Pg. 39 Objectives concretion Pg. 41 Subjects and curriculum areas relation: Pg. 43 Music Plastic and Visual education (Art) Language Social sciences, Geography and History Maths Physical education Languages Techology and Informatics Contribution to the Basic Competences: Pg. 45 Linguistic communication competence Mathematical competence Knowledge and interaction with the physical environment competence Information management and digital competence Social and citizen competence Cultural and Artistic competence Learning to learn competence Autonomy and self-esteem competence. IV. FLAMENCO BOX TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS Pg. 48 V. BIBLIOGRAPHY. Pg. 51 1 Introduction and state of the issue. percussion instrument (since it can produce various sounds that discriminate aurally: treble and bass). The box is one of the tools that is currently having There are some musicians who might categorize it more acceptance among young music fans in di- as a chordophone (by the vibration of the strings at fferent musical styles: flamenco, rock, pop, jazz, the top), but this vibration is a consequence of the commercial music, funk... Since its versatility as an accompaniment or rhythmic support bass, it is percussion on the striking cover of the box considered as the possibility of a successful battery replacement (greater dimension, cost, weight, com- Similarly to the other instruments, the box has a plexity and difficult transport). history that does not go so far, so it needs a rigorous study of its origin in the various countries where Instrument increasingly established as sustenance similar instruments have existed both in form and rhythmic percussion and accompaniment in various manner of interpretation with hands or any percus- musical styles groups. The box is not only used for sion object. flamenco, but it is a very versatile accompaniment to any style or genre. In turn, the complexity of in- Here arise various hypotheses or theories about terpretation and implementation with respect to the the origin of the box, each country or nation (Cuba, full battery is lower, whose percussion requires more Peru, Chile, Africa or Spain) wish to sponsor it as an knowledge of the art of interpretation. Hence, anyo- instrument born in their land, arguing the existing ne who seats at a box can run easily and with little similarities with some of the instruments that exis- musical knowledge or fundamental basic touches: ted since the sixteenth century. But now we must treble and bass (only hitting in different parts of the accept as an evidence that the box has an Afro-Peru- cover of striking). Although for a mastery and skill vian descent. The box is therefore born in Peru (as it playing of the box, the same as any instrument, it has been shown in graphs and historical documents requires many hours of study, technique and assimi- about its existence in the mid-nineteenth century). lation of complex rhythms. So far, there are few studies on the origin of the Another aspect of the possibilities of the box is box, the book of Rafael Santa Cruz “The Afro box” the amount of rhythmic variations that you can (2004), is a coherent written reference to its origin experience with music. There is no fixed rhythmic and evolution. But since that book appeared, the and closed pattern as in the “sevillanas or rumbas”, box has evolved dramatically in many aspects (shape, but the ability of interpretation, improvisation and size, string tension systems, springs or snares, diversi- rhythm variants for “rumbas or sevillanas” makes ty, wooden frame and cap hit, pitch, accessories like the amateur percussionists interpret a personal hype, pedals, removable box, acoustic amplification touch of the box, though under some structural as- ...) And a wide myriad of innovations that today are sumptions of stress, rhythm and meter. lurking in the minds of the major manufacturers, drummers and enthusiasts of the box, on possible For these reasons, to make anyone (from 4 years improvements and possibilities of the instrument. old), to conveniently meet the box (child or adult cadet) and produce different sounds with his knock, All these innovations and technological and with no special notions about musical notation, in- acoustic development in the box lead such instru- terpretation or technique. Herein lies its success as a ment under constant review research for a better tool. understanding of it. Since the work of Rafael San- ta Cruz came to light in 2004, there have been 10 As for the cataloging and classification of the ins- years of technical, acoustic, structural and formal trument, we must locate it properly, it is a hamme- box, which must be constantly revised, hence pa- red idiophone (according to Hornbostel and Sanchs tents (on mechanisms, forms, tuning, exit holes, classification, 1914), since its sound is produced multiple boxes and versatile ...) have proliferated in by vibration of the box beaten with the hands or the last three years since the beginning of the se- any object: auto-resonator. If we make a traditional cond decade of the century. classification, we must categorize it as a determined 2 Searching for a box history in the Here there is a brief tour around Latin America world about similar percussion instruments in their price After an exhaustive search on the history of the as well as its sound or timbre which can resemble box, and beyond all that we have seen of the tea- the box. ching methods of box touching which we detail The torment5 in Chile (direct percussion idio- below, we can say without fear of contradiction phone instrument, also called by some musicians that there is no serious monograph devoted to this box or noises table), is a kind of portable rectangu- instrument. We have found some loose writings, lar wooden table with legs that fold together and experiences, observations, small fragments which cover strips, that is to say that the legs are for a more we will take into account to write about the origin comfortable practice. The torment is used to set the and evolution of this instrument. They are, in most rhythm of the folk dance “The Cueca” (the natio- cases, travelers who recorded in their diaries the ex- nal dance of Chile), tunes and rural dances from periences and observations that they made during the central and northern areas, and currently for their travels to America, and other people – non- the “chingadas” and “ramadas”. The way to play the specialists- that have written on the box experien- instrument can be varied with the fingers, hands, ce from the perspective of what they saw or heard sticks or with thimbles made of different materials from their social environment. (wood, metal or plastic ...). Rafael Santa Cruz3 writes that the black Ameri- can has the ability to adapt any object of their daily lives to make musical instruments, jars, kitchen utensils, tin cans, seeds, animal and human bones, animal skins and membrane, pumpkins We will see that the box precedents are to be found mainly in the Peruvian population of African origin. With regard to the various textbooks on the sub- ject of music in the Compulsory Secondary Edu- cation stage, little can be expected: in general the chapter on membranophone instruments, and es- pecially the idiophones casings, are worked with very superfluous content, meanwhile to chordo- phone instruments and wind instruments there is a greater array of data and explanations of their ori- gin, evolution and description. Rafael Castillo Santa Cruz4 is a Peruvian box am- bassador who wrote the first book on “The Afro- Peruvian box”, laying the bibliographic foundations of the history of the box, a direct result of African and Peruvian ... This work shows that the box is in- terpreted in various parts of America (Peru, Chile, Cuba ...) and today is present in all musical Afrope- ruvian styles. The box is a traveler instrument, with dimensions that vary depending on the manufactu- rer and the system voltage. Such was its importance in Peru that it was awarded the National Cultural Heritage of Peru in 2001. 3 The torment body or chassis has a double deck structure (which in most cases is made of wood) and bet- ween them, acting as a sounding mode, there are various metal covers with different length and thickness. You could also attach to it rattles or bells to be agitated with the beating of the hands or a stick timbre to accompany the instrument. Its coat or top cover is composed by a series of tables strung by notches and which appear to be loose, those tablets are the ones which strike and produce the characteristic sound of the instrument. Sometimes the lower cover is not added and the sound intensity is higher. Its size is approximately one meter long, 40 inches wide, 15 to 20 inches tall.