County of piece: Cowley County
Location of piece: Main St. (KS 15/US 77), entrance to Island Park, Winfield
Piece erected: 2002
Plaque text:
"Let the Circle Be Unbroken"
ARTIST, DAVID CHAPMAN
In Silverdale Stone
In Honor of Winfield's Rich Music Heritage
& the Walnut Valley Festival
Walnut Valley Festival
GUITAR:
"A guitar is a popular musical instrument that makes sound by the playing of its (typically) six strings with the sound being projected either acoustically or through electrical amplification (for an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar, respectively). It is typically played by strumming or plucking the strings with the right hand while fretting the strings with the left hand. The guitar is a type of chordophone, traditionally constructed from wood and strung with either nylon or steel strings and distinguished from other chordophones by its construction and tuning. The modern guitar was preceded by the lute, the vihuela, the four-course Renaissance guitar, and the five-course baroque guitar, all of which contributed to the development of the modern six-string instrument.
"There are three main types of modern acoustic guitar: the classical guitar (nylon-string guitar), the steel-string acoustic guitar, and the archtop guitar. The tone of an acoustic guitar is produced by the vibration of the strings, which is amplified by the body of the guitar, which acts as a resonating chamber. The classical guitar is often played as a solo instrument using a comprehensive fingerpicking technique.
"Electric guitars, introduced in the 1930s, use an amplifier that can electronically manipulate and shape the tone. Early amplified guitars employed a hollow body, but a solid body was eventually found more suitable, as it was less prone to feedback. Electric guitars have had a continuing profound influence on popular culture. Guitars are recognized as a primary instrument in genres such as blues, bluegrass, country, flamenco, folk, jazz, jota, mariachi, metal, punk, reggae, rock, soul, and many forms of pop." ~ Wikipedia
Zither:
"In the late 18th century two principal varieties of zither developed: the Salzburg zither, with a rounded side away from the player; and the Mittenwald zither, with both sides rounded. Tunings vary; a common tuning for the Salzburg zither is 5 melody strings tuned a', d', g', g, and c; and 29 accompanying strings tuned in a cycle of fifths (C, G, D, A, etc.) through the 12 notes of the chromatic scale.
"Older zithers, such as the Alpine Scheitholt, have narrow rectangular sound boxes and fewer melody strings, their three or more bass strings providing merely a dronelike accompaniment on the tonic and dominant (first and fifth notes of the scale). Their age is unknown; the Scheitholt was described by the German composer Michael Praetorius (1571–1621). They are found from Romania to Scandinavia and Iceland (e.g., the Swedish hummel) and were eventually influenced by the Austrian zither and the Norwegian langleik, in which the pitch of the drone strings is determined by movable bridges. A French form that died out in the 19th century is the miniature épinette des Vosges. With some of these instruments the melody strings are stopped by pressing them against the frets with a short metal bar, a way of playing preserved on the American variety, the Appalachian, or mountain, dulcimer. There are also zithers that are bowed rather than plucked, such as the Korean ajaeng.
"Zither is also a generic term for stringed instruments whose strings are fastened across a frame that lacks any projecting neck or arms. The resonator may be part of the body or may be attached to it.
"Instruments of the zither family assume a variety of forms. The body may be a flexible stick, as in the musical bow, or may be a rigid bar, as in many Indian and Southeast Asian and some African zithers. Bar zithers often have high frets; one-stringed varieties may be called monochords. The resonators of bar and stick zithers are usually gourds or the player’s mouth. A zither body may be a tube with attached metal strings—as in the valiha of Madagascar and parts of Africa—or a tube halved lengthwise. The inanga of Burundi and Rwanda is a trough across which strings are laced. On tube zithers common in New Guinea and Southeast Asia, the strings are sliced from the bamboo of the tube and, remaining undetached at the ends, are given tension by bridges inserted under them at each end (idiochord zither). On most zithers, however, strings and body are of separate material (heterochord zither)." ~ Encyclopedia Britannica
BASS FIDDLE:
"Double bass, also called contrabass, string bass, bass, bass viol, bass fiddle, or bull fiddle French contrebasse, German Kontrabass, stringed musical instrument, the lowest-pitched member of the violin family, sounding an octave lower than the cello. It has two basic designs—one shaped like a viol (or viola da gamba) and the other like a violin—but there are other designs, such as that of a guitar. It varies considerably in size, the largest normally being under 6 feet (1.8 metres) in total length. The body itself, without the neck, may be up to 4.5 feet (1.4 metres) for a full-size instrument, about 3.8 feet (1.2 metres) for a three-quarter size, and only slightly larger than a cello for the small chamber bass, or bassetto. A double bass is usually strung with four heavy strings pitched E1–A1–D–G; a fifth string is occasionally added—in jazz band basses, at the top of the register to allow high notes to be played more easily; in symphony orchestra basses, below the E string, tuned to C. Many basses, rather than having a fifth string, have a mechanical device with levers that increases the length of the fourth string. With this device the pitch of the E string may be lowered to E?, D, D?, or C, or clamped to sound E when the lower notes are not needed.
"Two styles of bass bow are currently used: the short and narrow French bow (like a violin bow), held palm downward, and the broader German bow (like a viol bow), held palm upward. The double bass also can be played pizzicato (by plucking with the fingers)—occasionally in symphonic orchestras and almost always in jazz and dance bands.
"Forms of the double bass date from the late 15th or early 16th century and were in common use by the 18th century. Ludwig van Beethoven and later composers gave the bass increased importance in the symphony orchestra. Beethoven’s friend Domenico Dragonetti and the conductor Serge Koussevitzky, both skilled bassists, composed concerti for the instrument.
"In jazz ensembles the bass forms part of the rhythm section and is also used as a melody instrument. It is often electronically amplified when played with such groups; an electric upright bass—a slender instrument that is easier to transport—is also common. In most rock and some jazz bands, the place of the double bass is taken by the electric bass guitar." ~ Encyclopedia Britannica
Banjo:
"The banjo is a four-, five- or (occasionally) six-stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity as a resonator. The membrane is typically a piece of animal skin or plastic, and the frame is typically circular. Simpler forms of the instrument were fashioned by Africans in Colonial America, adapted from several African instruments of similar design.
"The banjo is frequently associated with country, folk, Irish traditional and bluegrass music. Historically, the banjo occupied a central place in African American traditional music, before becoming popular in the minstrel shows of the 19th century. In fact, slaves both were influenced by and influenced the early development of the music, which became country and bluegrass, particularly in regards to the innovation of musical techniques for both the banjo and fiddle. The banjo, with the fiddle, is a mainstay of American old-time music." ~ Wikipedia
Piece sponsored by: Winfield Main Street, Pray Stone Company, Daniels Ready Mix, L. G. Pike Construction, Dawson Monument, The City of Winfield, Kansas Arts Commission, Winfield Arts and Humanities Council, and an anonymous Donor