Originally conceived as a Native American "call to action" such as gathering before a hunting expedition or a cry for battle, the tune took on an even deeper metaphor after I participated last week (June 3rd, 2020) in a March for Justice street rally. Thousands of concerned citizens marching peacefully, chanting and kneeling for prayer was a powerful experience...
About The Title
I am sure most of you have seen the phrase "Be the change you wish to see in the world." It was attributed to Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, although in truth it's been "simplified". Needless to say, its a powerful statement and in our current environment something all of us should live by. We are trashing our environment, abusing human rights and in 2016 our country shamefully elected a despotic president.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead
IMHO clicking "like" on a social media political meme may give you sense of satisfaction and ease your conscience a bit but in the long run, it's just preaching to the choir. To really change the status quo, massive civic disruption must take place. Mahatma Gandi and of course Martin Luther King knew and used this well, preaching and practicing peaceful non-violent protests.
We hopefully are at a turning point in our country's focus. LIke a mammoth oceanliner, it may take a while to change direction but only through huge waves of organized peaceful protests by an educated and commited society can this happen...
- Let's Gather - A Call to Action -
About the Music
The brisk tempo adds a sense of urgency to this tune. It features a double Native American flute and the basic rhythmic pulse is provided by a Cajón. The A sections of the tune feature the doubled drone sound of the flute while the B and C sections feature a single note melody.
What's A Cajón?
A cajón is a box-shaped wooden percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces with the hands and fingers. Cajón
Double Native American Flute
Traditionally, Native American Double flutes (also known as drone flutes) were actually created by interlocking two flutes.
The flute I am playing is an alternative twin bore design. Single note melodies are obtained by simply only blowing into the side with the fingering holes.