It is well known that string instruments are born from the bow (the weapon to shoot arrows).
The arch, apparently, was invented during the EpiPaleolithic period (9,000 BC). The evolution of thought leads man to hunt in a more intelligent way than running to his prey or throwing a spear with his own arm.
Undoubtedly the invention of the arch, marks a point in prehistory where things are not discovered by chance but there is a much deeper thought. You want to achieve greater reach than a spear, protect yourself from danger and have better aim; apart from having a higher percentage of success at the time of hunting. Although it is created for hunting purposes, it is also used for war and at some point it is used to create a particular sound differentiated from wind instruments and percussion. It is almost certain that the communities that still lived from hunting and therefore nomads; they used the arch more as a favorite musical instrument because of the different uses of the arch itself.
As nomads, they have achieved the popularity of bow and arrow in many more sedentary communities that began to grow plants or raise animals who adopted the bow in a more musical way than as a weapon. However, it was used for this purpose also there.
The cultural cross between communities I do not think has been very friendly and that the popularity of the bow has been given more through the war, with the consequent discovery of the sound produced by the tensioned rope. In fact, humanity throughout its history has had greater cultural exchange through war than through other less violent means. Although it seems strange: war, looting and slavery have given a greater result in cultural exchange than through peace.
About the Author:
My name is Gabriel Beguerie, I'm a Music Teacher and Piano Teacher in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina.
Currently I work at the Luis Gianneo Provincial Conservatory and the Art No. 1 High School.
Passionate about History in general and the History of Music in particular.
Contact: gabriel.arturo.beguerie@gmail.com
0 Comments