This dissertation investigates how the contemporary performers of the Swazi gourd-resonated bow, the makhweyane, create music. Since David Rycroft's study of Swazi bow music in the 1960s and 1970s, little study has been devoted to this musical instrument. The makhweyane is played by a handful of people, each appearing to consider him or herself the last bearer of this tradition. Despite this, however, musical bows have been co-opted as icons of Swazi national identity, and, along with the Incwala (the "first fruits" festival) and Umhlanga ("reed dance") ceremonies, are used as public affirmation of Swazi cultural homogeneity to rally support for the monarchy. The research investigates how musicians create new music for this single-stringed instrument. It also explores, through oral testimony, musical analysis, and practice-based methodologies, the discourse surrounding composition and musical innovation on this rare instrument. Players learn and create through both solitary and participatory exploration and music-making. This research explores how current makhweyane music can be read as oral testimony with regards to the lives of musicians, but also how diverse current praxis serves many functions: as "radio" for lone travelers, as comfort for broken hearts, and as individual acts of citizenry within a broader national environment. This dissertation explores the musical, technical, and social parameters engaged when creating new repertory - the myriad invisible spectres to whom players play and for whom players compose - and the shape that new, resilient makhweyane sounds are taking. It extends David Rycroft's musicological analysis of the 1960s and 1970s to include an investigation into current dialectics between individual notions of creative innovation and musical memory, and the national cultural imaginary. My findings suggest a reframing of 'traditional' musicians from elderly 'culture-bearers' to responsive, innovators and active contemporary musicians, along with their urban-based, younger counterparts. Opening with the King's call for new compositions to be created, this dissertation reads the makhweyane as a prism for Swaziness, for learning and storytelling, for the imagination and remembering, and for creation.

Inaug.-Diss.--Berlin. / Lebenslauf. Bibliography: p. 85.

This article is mainly to discuss the components, structures and other related issues as well in two kinds of arm forces, ¡§Tribe Arms¡¨ and ¡§Emperor¡¦s Arms¡¨ in the Shang Dynasty as the research scope. The components of ¡§Tribe Arms¡¨ are the frequently-seen ¡§Crowd¡¨ or ¡§Numerous People¡¨ in the Oracle Inscriptions, which is mainly composed of infantry served as by a crowd or numerous people and then is assisted by the professional military forces, ¡§Horses¡¨ and ¡§Bows.¡¨ With regard to ¡§Emperor¡¦s Arms,¡¨ its components include three fighting units-- ¡§Shi¡]®v¡^,¡¨ ¡§Horses¡¨ and ¡§Bows,¡¨ among which ¡§Shi¡¨ is infantry; ¡§Horses,¡¨ chariot soldiers; and ¡§Bows,¡¨ bow-and-arrow shooting soldiers. The component of ¡§Shi¡¨ is the frequently-seen ¡§People¡¨ in the Oracle Inscriptions, and the People directly belong to the Shang Emperor and are the professional fighting soldiers. The components of ¡§Horses¡¨ and ¡§Bows¡¨ are served as by the noblemen and the noble juniors. In addition, this article also discusses the other related issues, such as the original meaning of ¡§Shi,¡¨ the usage of ¡§Shi¡¨ and ¡§Ci¡]¦¸¡^¡¨ in the Oracle Inscriptions, and the meanings of ¡§Ya¡]¨È¡^,¡¨ ¡§Brigade¡¨ and ¡§Shu¡]¦§¡^¡¨.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of instructing beginning violin students in the initial lessons with long bow-strokes as compared to short bow-strokes in terms of production of a different level of tone quality, bowing problems encountered, and length of bow-strokes typically used.There were sixteen fifth- and sixth-grade subjects in the study sample: nine in the experimental group and seven in the control group. The subjects were of average intelligence and were from lower or lower-middle socio-economic levels of a midwestern town. Subjects in both groups were taught in like manner by the same instructor except for instructions on how to draw the bow in the initial lessons. The nine students in the experimental group were taught to use long bow-stroke: in the initial lessons; the seven students in the control group were taught to use short bow-strokes in the middle area of the bow in the initial lessons.Because none of the subjects had previously received violin lessons, there was no pretest. The Gaston Test of Musicality and the Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Tests were utilized as covariates in the study. After sixteen weeks of instruction, the subjects were administered a posttest of tone quality consisting of three melodies of different levels of difficulty performed two times for a total of six replications. The tone quality samples were arranged in random order on an edited tape and evaluated by four judges. During the posttest, the researcher evaluated the typical length of bow stroke used by subjects. Bowing problems encountered during the study were also reported by the researcher.Statistical processing of the data consisted of a five-way partial hierarchical analysis of covariance using intelligence test scores and musicality test scores as covariates. A 2 x 2 x 3 x 4 design was employed with the independent variables being the method of instruction, the performance of each melody, the level of difficulty of melodies performed, the judges, and the subjects nested within methods Factors and interactions were tested by the F ratio at the .05 level of confidence.The study was designed to answer one null hypothesis and two research questions. The null hypothesis was as follows:1. After sixteen weeks of instruction, there will be no significant difference in the tone quality of beginning violin students employing the long bow-stroke approach in the initial lessons as compared to students employing the short bow-stroke approach.The research questions were as follows:After sixteen weeks of instruction, does the beginning violin student who is taught by the long bow-stroke approach actually use longer bow-strokes than does the student taught by the short bow-stroke approach?Does the beginning violin student who is taught by the long bow-stroke approach experience more bowing problems than does the student taught by the short bow-stroke approach:The null hypothesis was accepted and the two research questions were answered affirmatively. Review of the data led to the following conclusions:There was no significant difference in the tone quality of the two groups after sixteen weeks of instruction. It could be inferred that the experimental group produced a more consistent level of tone quality at this stage of development.Forty-four percent of the experimental group developed the use of long bow-strokes by the conclusion of the study as compared to fourteen percent of the control group. The mean length bow-stroke of the experimental group was also substantially greater than the mean length bow-stroke of the control group.Three students in the experimental group encountered four bowing problems while one student in the control group encountered one bowing problem. The circular bowing problem, which is difficult to correct, was encountered by two subjects in the experimental group. Students trained by the long bow-stroke approach encountered substantially more bowing problems than students trained by the short bow-stroke approach. However, there did not appear to be a relationship between length of bow-stroke used by individuals after sixteen weeks of study and encountering bowing problems.Neither method of instruction was clearly superior. The level of tone quality resulting from the two methods of instruction was not significantly different. The long bow-stroke approach resulted in the development of longer bow strokes and a more consistent level of tone quality but resulted in more bowing problems. The short bow-stroke approach resulted in the development of shorter bow strokes but resulted in fewer bowing problems.

This thesis is a study in the application of kinematics coupled with elastic body mechanics. Most studies in kinematics assume all mechanism links to be inelastic. Furthermore, the methods of kinematic synthesis have generally been developed to meet requirements of displacement, velocity and acceleration. The work presented in this thesis differs in two important aspects. First, one grounded link of a four-bar linkage is replaced by a cantilevered beam in flexure to produce a force generating mechanism. Second, the synthesis method presented here allows the generation of these mechanisms in closed form for prescribed force generation. A compound archery bow that incorporates four-bar linkages has been developed as an example. This design relies on the non-linear mechanical advantage of the four-bar linkage and the bow mechanics to provide a resistance curve that is more compatible with the human strength curve. In addition, by modifying the bow kinematics, more potential energy can be stored, and thus potentially more kinetic energy can be transferred to the arrow than with previous bows. / Master of Science

O presente projeto pretende analisar os fundamentos mecânicos das atividades musculares, com estudos detalhados e relacionados que trarão à baila aspectos práticos, biomecânicos, fisiológicos e teóricos, como também distinções técnicas, vantagens e desvantagens em certos métodos adotados no passado, na atualidade e perspectivas do Contrabaixo Acústico, no século XXI. / This project aims to examine the fundamentals of mechanical muscle activity, with detailed and related studies. It will bring to the fore the practical aspects, biomechanical, physiological and theoretical distinctions as well as technical advantages and disadvantages of certain methods adopted in the past, present and prospects Acoustic Bass, in the twenty-first century.

O presente projeto pretende analisar os fundamentos mecânicos das atividades musculares, com estudos detalhados e relacionados que trarão à baila aspectos práticos, biomecânicos, fisiológicos e teóricos, como também distinções técnicas, vantagens e desvantagens em certos métodos adotados no passado, na atualidade e perspectivas do Contrabaixo Acústico, no século XXI. / This project aims to examine the fundamentals of mechanical muscle activity, with detailed and related studies. It will bring to the fore the practical aspects, biomechanical, physiological and theoretical distinctions as well as technical advantages and disadvantages of certain methods adopted in the past, present and prospects Acoustic Bass, in the twenty-first century.

Part 1.Thesis: Chapter 1: The people of the Lumko district (the villages of Ngqoko and Sikhwankqeni) are AbaThembu, mostly of the Gcina clan cluster. Their history has caused them to be linked with (now vanished) San peoples in special ways, which have undoubtedly influenced their music. Chapter 2: The music of these people is centred around their religious and social life. This affects the way they classify their songs; and song classifications (and the way songs are used) affect their performance, in particular, the dance styles associated with the song classes. Chapter 3: A variety of musical instruments is used in the Lumko district, the most important being the musical bows. Once again, the use of these bows gives an insight into the musical influences that have affected the people historically. The ways the bows work are described, as well as ways to play them. Chapter 4: Overtone singing, not previously documented anywhere in traditional African music, is practised in certain ways by these AmaGcina. These, and other vocal techniques, are described. Chapter 5: From the terminology and the methods of conceptualisation about music in the Lumko district, it is possible to gain an insight into a truly Xhosa technical understanding of Xhosa music. Once again a historical insight is gained, because so many of the important terms are KhoiSan words. Chapter 6: A Western technological (i. e. musicological) understanding of the music is also necessary in a study of this nature. This chapter applies musicological concepts to an examination of the relationship between speech and song, of the usages in melody and scale, harmony theory, rhythm, polyphony, song form, instrumental roles and methods of performance. Chapter 7: This is the conclusion of the thesis. It sums up what has been studied: musical techniques, principles, the importance of Ntsikana 's song as a basis for musical comparisons, and the import of the historical aspects of the study - a possible glimpse of the music of the San. PART 2. MUSIC TRANSCRIPTIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS. The transcriptions of 62 songs provide the material for this study. The songs were chosen to represent all the major song classes used in the Lumko district, and to represent all the important music techniques as well. The songs are in fifteen categories. Each song is accompanied by its technical details, and sufficient commentary to make the song transcription intelligible and meaningful. Certain key songs are chosen as type-songs or other special examples, and are used as the bases for discussion on song style characteristics, principles of performance, bow adaptation, and so on. A general Introduction to Part 2 describes and accounts for the method of transcription, and also attempts to make it possible for the score reader not only to analyse, but also to perform the songs. In a further attempt to bring the transcriptions to life, a video recording of certain key songs and techniques, and audio tapes with examples taken from all the songs, accompany this study