User Manual
40 A User’s Guide to Garritan World Instruments
e Music and Instruments of North America
Before Columbus set foot in the new world, North America was inhabited by Native American
peoples who had a long and rich cultural heritage. Traditional songs among the Native peoples were
handed down from generation to generation. Music was a means of communicating with supernatu-
ral powers, commanding the elements (such as rain or wind), or healing the sick. Singing was usually
accompanied with dance and various instruments.
Traditional instrumentations consisted of ute and percussion instruments, such as drums, rattles,
and shakers. Various tribes had dierent types of drums. Powwow drums are played communally by
players who sit around them in a circle. ey also played various smaller drums such as the Cherokee
hand drum, Bualo drum, Native log drums, and Pueblo drum—made of hollowed logs with raw-
hide skins. e Native American Flute is also an important instrument used in courtship, healing,
meditation, and rituals. Recently, the Native American ute has achieved popularity for its unique
sound, featured in a variety of lms and recordings.
Ever since the Europeans began settling the New World, North America has been a melting pot of
musical styles, cultures, and thought from literally every part of the globe. e music of Early Colo-
nial America was very similar to the songs and styles of Britain, France, and Spain. As large numbers
of Europeans immigrated to America, they brought their instruments and styles with them. Enslaved
Africans brought their musical traditions and expressed them with newfangled instruments, such as
the banjo, and traditional African call and response form established a foundation for spirituals and
gospel music.