Drums

FRAME DRUMS

A frame drum is a drum that has a diameter width greater than its depth. It has a single drumhead that is usually made out of animal skin or synthetic material, stretched over a round, wooden frame; the frame is traditionally constructed of various types of wood that has been bent and then scarf jointed together, metal rings or jingles may also be attached to the frame.

Thanks to the encounter and study with Andrea Piccioni, Murat Coşkun and many others, Lorenzo specializes and teaches various type of frame drums from Europe and Middle-East, deepening the use of these instruments both in the instruments' own repertoires (Western early music, Arabic classical music, Ottoman music, traditional music) and in alternative contexts (jazz, electronic music, contemporary music).

Bendir by Majid drums
Riq by Yalçınkaya percussion
Tamburello by Bruno Spagna

FIELD DRUMS

The field drum (known also as snare drum, tabor or sinfonia) has a cylindrical wood shell, two skin heads tightened by rope tension, a leather strap, and a snare. The drum is supended by the strap in accordance to the position needed from the player and can be classified in two different proportions:

-Diameter width greater than its depth
-Depth length same or greater than its diameter width

In the medieval times, it had different ways of playing, both as a stand-alone instrument or together with the pipe (three holes flute) produced the effect of a single person band. It was often played for dancing, later the instrument was used both in miltary and dance context.

Coming from a classical percussion background, Lorenzo delves into different types of drum techniques during his studies at the conservatory, both from the symphonic and military marches repertoire by doing extensive research in the different traditional and historical repertoires of these instruments.

Field drum - Baroque model by Xavier Soler
Medieval tabor - Sinfonia by Eckermann Drums

Clappers

Clappers are a type of idiophone (part of the sub-category of directly struck idiophones), recognized in the family of concussion idiophones defined as two or more complementary sonorous parts struck against each other. It consists of two pieces that are struck together producing sound. They exist in many different cultures and can take a number of forms and be made of a wide variety of material. Wood is most common, but metal and ivory have also been used.

The deep interest for this family of instruments pushes Lorenzo to study and outline the different typologies, the history and the development of a category of instruments that is still little known. The study of the different typologies of instruments opens the way to the discovery of new repertoires and musical contexts that are still little explored, as well as to further possibilities of experimentation with the instrument.

Chlefele by Röbi Kessler - Tabulae by Majid Karami
Hybrid technique
Medieval Tabulae - Crotala by Biagio and Lorenzo Panico
Tamburello dei poveri by Biagio and Lorenzo Panico

Jaw harp

"The jew's harp, according to the definition of the Norwegian archaeologist Gjermund Kolltveit "is a mouth-resonated musical instrument consisting of an elastic lamella (tongue, reed) which is either joined to, or part of, a surrounding frame". Therefore, the instrument has two essential elements: the frame, held by the player and supported by the mouth (the teeth or the lips depending on the model); the vibrating lamella, activated directly by the pinch of the player's finger or, in the case of some Asian instruments, indirectly by the tugging of a string anchored to the frame."

Alberto Lovatto e Alessandro Zolt, La ribeba in Valsesia nella storia europea dello scacciapensieri, LIM, Lucca, 2019

Lorenzo plays several types of European jaw harps, particularly the four types found in Italy. During his studies with Fabio Tricomi, he discovered and studied the melodic style of the Sicilian marranzano, and then came to the discovery of the Valsesian ribeba (another name for thr jaw harp from northwestern Italy) thanks to the research of Alessandro Zolt and ribeba maker Luca Boggio. Thanks to these encounters, Lorenzo has deepened his study of the instrument and its traditional reference repertoires, which range from folk music to early and classical music.

Trunfa by Pietro Piredda

Salterio

The hammered dulcimer, called in italian salterio or dulcimelo, is a percussion-stringed instrument which consists of strings typically stretched over a resonant sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set before the musician, who in more traditional styles may sit cross-legged on the floor, or in a more modern style may stand or sit at a wooden support with legs. The player holds a mallet hammer in each hand to strike the strings.

Like the other categories of instruments played by Lorenzo, the dulcimelo is spread in various forms and variations in many parts of the world. Lorenzo became fond of the instrument while studying early music, finding in it a counterpart to the percussion keyboards he studied at the conservatory and another melodic percussion instrument to further explore the repertoire of early music.

Campanine

The campanine are an instrument that originates from the Bergamo area (Lombardy, northern Italy), used by every bell tower’s player to study and memorize tunes to be performed later on the bell tower keyboard. The particular technique used to play the melodies following the study on the bells is called 'suonare d'allegrezza': it involves performing the melodies directly from the top of the belfry, thanks to a keyboard where each key is connected to the individual bell. The instrument takes the form of a xylophone with a glass keyboard (as in the case of this recording) with resonators arranged according to a major scale; in more recent models brass or aluminum is used instead of the traditional glass.

Another instrument belonging to the category of percussion keyboards, it was discovered while studying the traditional musical repertoire of Lombardy in various collections by Valter Biella. Lorenzo knows the instrument and delves into the traditional repertoire from the collections, the instrument played was built by Valter Biella

Campanine by Valter Biella