This week's episode features the Andean Siku flutes. These native flutes are used during festivals and rituals that pertain to the dry season in that region. The Siku actually consists of two instrument halves which are traditionally played in a collective fashion by two people who alternate and interlock their notes to create a musical dialogue. One half (six pipes) is the Ira or the leader, and the other is the Arca (seven pipes) or follower. In many of today's pan-Andean musical ensembles, one person often plays both halves at the same time.
That was my intention with this session. I also wanted to play an instrument where I could simply play the notes for sound's sake and experience to joy of just "playing." My Sunday Sessions series affords me the opportunity to tap into that child-like wonder of just creating music without a specific goal in mind. To experience sound and rhythm like it was for the first time and explore the sonic possibilities. It is instruments like these, Skuduciai flues, native six hole flutes, and some of the other instruments that I have featured in theses that allow me to think about music in a different way, totally experiencing the sound.