First half of Film

The documentary started of with women and men singing in the desert; finger cymbals were used, hand clappers, and a Rebabah. As the film progressed into the second scene it showed a child learning to play the Rebabah through imitation, the scene also included the instruments in the first scene but included a Rebabah made of coconut. The third scene was a little more westernized. It was a group of musicians playing inside a restaurant in Istanbul, this part of the film included the violin but also included the rest of the instruments mentioned before.The most common and familiar instruments showed in the film were the tabla and the Rababah in each scene in the film. The tabla in each culture is played to produce a different sound and texture; for example, the Indian tabla is played with the palm and fingers while the Arab tabla is played with just the fingers to produce a more “Arab” sound. The bowed chordophone-the Rebabah- played in the film resembled the Chinese Erhu as well.

The director depicts gypsies’ absorption of music through the Children in the film. The children watch and imitate those around them and take in the traditions of others. For example, the girl imitating the women dancing and the boy playing the bowed chordophone in the second scene.

What I found interesting in this film was the children’s ability to absorb the cultural traditions around them. It is believed that children are quick learners, and the film showed this through children’s ability and curiosity to learn. The world is a diverse place and it is very evident in this film, but one thing that is evident as well is that everyone learns from one another and that different genres of music arise from absorption of other types of musical cultures.