TEDxJohannesburg - David Kramer - The Sound of Silence Invisible musicians of the Karoo
This presentation details the speaker's decade-long journey researching and documenting the old, roots-based music of South Africa, contrasting it with popular music and showcasing unique local instruments and diverse, self-taught tuning styles. The central claim is that South Africa possesses a profound, undocumented, and marginalized tradition of folk music, exemplified by the preservation of the 'real dance' style and the innovative techniques of local musicians. The strongest evidence is the comparison between 1871 and 2001 instruments—specifically the Rami violin—and the demonstration of the unique "optel/knape" right-hand fingerpicking technique. ## Speakers & Context - Unnamed presenter, recounting a decade-long journey to discover old roots music in South Africa. - Comparison drawn between popular African music and ancient, non-commercialized, roots folk music. ## Theses & Positions - South Africa possesses an old, deep-rooted folk music tradition that is distinct from popular or commercial forms. - This music originates from pre-settler cultures, evidenced by instruments predating the Blues. - The local musical tradition is characterized by highly individualized and non-standard tunings, developed by self-taught players who lacked formal schooling. - The unique playing style, combining "optel" (thumb picking bass strings) and "knape" (pinching the top strings), is an unparalleled global technique. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Real dance or Kapara:** One of the oldest forms of South African dance music. - **Old lickies:** A type of old African music. - **SE kururu:** A single-stringed Bushman instrument from the Kalahari. - **Open tunings:** Guitar tunings that are not conventional, requiring players to press chord shapes. - **Optel:** The right-hand technique involving using the thumb to pluck the bass strings. - **Knape:** The right-hand technique involving pinching the first, second, and third strings. - **Fseer:** The conventional tuning used in the Western world. - **Dartel:** One of the specific tuning names encountered, used by the Moers family. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Musical Transmission:** Music knowledge is passed down through observation (watching older persons) and imitation, rather than formal schooling. - **Instrument Building:** Instruments like the Rami violin (1871) were constructed from available materials (wooden boxes, oil cans) by marginalized groups (e.g., Bushman prisoners). - **Tuning Divergence:** Individual musicians develop unique tunings based on necessity and their personal aesthetic goals, leading to diversity in technique. - **Hansi's Technique Development:** Developed a method to make a single player sound like two people (singer and accompanist) by combining distinct musical roles into one performance. ## Timeline & Sequence - **1700s:** Original description of *real dance* noted by explorers. - **1940s:** Footage of *real dance* captured on a farm near Lburg. - **1871:** Rami violin made by Kabu, a Bushman prisoner. - **1930s:** Influence drawn from John LX and Alan LX's recording of Roots American folk music in prisons. - **Early 1970s:** Speaker returns to South Africa inspired by the US folk recording efforts. - **10 years ago:** Invited to present on TV, meeting Johannes Gy. - **Recent time:** Traveled ~10,000 km across South Africa, meeting musicians like Fred Andrews and recording sessions. - **Last year:** Helena Nelt murdered in a farm argument. ## Named Entities - **Lburg:** Location near where 1940s *real dance* footage was shot. - **Francois Lavala:** Explorer who accurately described *real dance* in 1780. - **Yapi Y:** Person who made a tin can violin in 2001 in the Manding area. - **Kabu:** Bushman prisoner who made a Rami violin in 1871. - **Breakwater Lodge:** Location where prisoners creating the region's waterfront were held. - **Kalahari:** Region where the *SE kururu* is from. - **John LX and Alan LX:** American father and son who recorded Roots American folk music in the 1930s. - **Woody Guthrie and Leadbetter:** Figures whose work became known via the American recording efforts. - **Johannes Gy:** Musician met during the speaker's television appearance. - **Yan Horn:** Companion on the 10,000 km journey. - **Fed Andrews:** Musician met in a location needing ecological attention. - **Toas:** Musician who plays with a percussive style, often using one hand. - **Moers family:** Family from the Great Karoo whose techniques are highlighted. - **Helena Nelt:** Musician who was murdered last year. - **Kis Lof:** Helena Nelt's brother, noted for plaintive Karoo songs. - **Hansi:** Musician whose unique dual-performer technique was documented. - **Adam Cook:** Guitar player demonstrating the *optel/knape* technique. - **Iowa:** Musician whose performance was anticipated. ## Numbers & Data - Years covered in music history: **1700s**, **1940s**, **1871**, **2001**. - Age gap between similar instruments: **130 years**. - Estimated travel distance: **10,000 kilometres**. - Years of experience researching: **10 years**. - Years of the speaker's current interest: Since meeting the American folk music recordists in the **1930s** (via influence). - Specific period of instrument use: **1930s** (US folk recording). ## Examples & Cases - **The 'Real Dance' footage:** Shown from the **1940s** but described as dating back to the **1700s**. - **Instrument Comparison:** Comparing a 1871 Rami violin (from a prisoner) to a 2001 tin can violin (from Yapi Y) to show continuity. - **Geographic Contrast:** The transition from the slave/prisoner workshops at the Breakwater Lodge to the modern Waterfront in Cape Town. - **Hansi’s Innovation:** Developing a technique to create the sound of a front-man/accompanist duo from one player. - **The Moers tuning:** The unique tuning where the second and third strings are played as one, and the instrument is tuned differently to the husband's. - **Self-Taught Practice:** Musicians practicing in open fields while looking after goats/sheep, forcing them to innovate tuning by ear. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Rami violin:** An instrument made in 1871 from a wooden box by Kabu. - **Tin can violin:** A modern instrument made in 2001 from an oil can by Yapi Y. - **SE kururu:** Single-stringed Bushman instrument from the Kalahari. - **Guitar:** Instrument used by various local musicians, played with diverse tunings. - **YouTube:** Platform where a small video clip of Hansi's technique became an overnight success. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - **Pop vs. Roots Music:** Avoiding commercial/popular African music styles in favor of ancient roots forms. - **Tunings:** Western conventional tuning (Fseer) versus local, specialized tunings like *Navik*, *Dartel*, or *L flat*. - **Performance Style:** Traditional styles versus modern adaptations (e.g., *optel/knape* technique). ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The belief that local violins are copies of the European violin was corrected by demonstrating the structural and sonic differences. - The speaker noted that the current musical landscape is diverse, with tunings varying based on the individual musician and location. ## Methodology - Ethnographic journey spanning **10,000 km** across South Africa. - Field recording/documentation of living musicians in isolated locations (e.g., stof CW). - Recording and comparing indigenous instruments (*SE kururu* vs. modern interpretations). - Live demonstration and filming of unique playing techniques (*optel/knape*). ## Conclusions & Recommendations - South Africa must be shown that it has its own rich, indigenous roots folk music tradition, separate from American or European influences. - The preservation of these unique musical practices requires sustained documentation and presentation opportunities. - The *optel/knape* technique should be recognized as a unique global musical accomplishment. ## Implications & Consequences - The survival of this music is endangered because the musicians are marginalized and the music has never been commercialized or widely recorded. - The musical diversity reflects the cultural history of the people who created it, adapting to whatever materials (oil cans, wooden boxes) were available. ## Verbatim Moments - *"I'm not talking about the popular kind of Africans music that you might associate with me and other members of the kind of commercial establishment but a very old music that goes back um hundreds of years in this country."* - *"it was first um described in the 1700s"* (referring to *real dance*). - *"what's called a bck f or a violin made from a tin can."* - *"it's almost exactly the same as one that was made by a Bushman prisoner in in the 1870s his name was kabu and he made a Rami violin in 1871 from a wooden box rather than a oil can cuz they weren't around yet."* - *"this is older than the blues ladies and gentlemen"* (referring to the SE kururu). - *"if you listen to a three string B for you all listen to how similar it sounds"* (comparing the modern and old instruments). - *"the right hand the right hand finger picking Style which all over South Africa is called optel optel and kape"* - *"I think it was absolutely unique and we a small video clip was put on on the YouTube by an American and and it became an overnight success."* - *"This is teaspoon slide guitar"*