Metronome: Tempo in Beats Per Minute

Tick tock, tick tock...monotonously goes the pendulum in the metronome. BPM or beats per minute, a unit not only measuring tempo in music but also something so vital as our own heart rate.

..."now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well too. It was the beating of the old man's heart. It increased my fury as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage."

..."I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder -- louder -- louder!"

The Tell-Tale Heart - Edgar Allan Poe

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Baturricos Playing Bandurrias, Torre Llobeta Square, Barcelona

There you go, yet another image about jotas. This time I've got the musicians. Men dressed as baturros (the link is in Spanish I know. It refers to the different nuances of the word in our language, some good and some bad) a term that refers to peasants from Aragon playing traditional instruments like this Bandurria (Mandurria). Remember this group was part of Festa Major celebrations at Torre Llobeta square in Nou Barris, Barcelona. There are many Barcelona inhabitants coming from different regions of Spain, so I found it more than adequate to show them in Barcelona Photoblog.

Sitar Player, Barri Gotic, Barcelona

To grow my collection of musical instruments here is a picture of a sitar. The musician was playing in Barri Gotic, a quarter that gathers a good amount of street artists who are attracted by the many tourists and special accoustics of its narrow alleys. Here is a famous video in which George Harrison is taking sitar lessons with Ravi Shankar

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African Drummer in Barcelona

Percussion from the very source, the origins, Africa. Distant drums pounding communicating each other in the vast savanna. This is a detail of an African drummer, in fact they were too. They played at my daughter's school as part of the celebrations to say goodbye to 6th grade students graduating this year. Next year secondary school. Good luck Sara.

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Maracatu Percussion Band, Festa de la Cirera, Torrella de Llobregat, Barcelona

Percussion band Maracatú minutes before they started marching around the streets of Torrella de Llobregat as part of the activities in the Festa de la Cirera (cherry market). Tomorrow I will show you a picture about bobbin lace in the same town.

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Cello Duet: A Close Look

Recently I went to see my daughter play the piano. She attends a music school called Tritó, one of the many small academies subordinate to the Municipal Conservatory of Music of Barcelona. Twice a year, students are supposed to play in front of an audience and seniors are sincerely worth listening to. In the picture, you can realize how near my chair was from the musicians, so close, these two cellos wouldn't fit completely in my viewfinder. Not that you haven't seen a cello before but it was curious to notice how aesthetic it is when both hands catch up in a similar position, both bows being parallel and all. The cello duet, made up of teacher and student, did quite well and we enjoyed some classical moment in an almost intimate atmosphere. To add some mood to the post, here is a cello video I came across on YouTube: Bach Cello Suite No1 i-Prelude.

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Social Distortion

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History repeating itself, deja vu, retro? Fashion comes and goes and the clothes of the fathers are now the "innest" stuff for the sons. Did that make us social distorted too then? Who is behind this design? A drinking skeleton, is that what they should become or are they referring to the state parents are in now after going on too many boozing sprees? Too many questions I know but I have been always intrigued by fashion and youngsters' striving for being completely distorted...hmmm, what a wonderful times we had!

Update: People portrayed in this picture has nothing to do with what is expressed as my own personal opinion in this article. This post has provoked different reactions, possibly because I am no expert as you can see in this matter. I was only referring to youth and fashion. In order to avoid misinterpretation and some wild opinions clearly out of place, comments will remain closed and those already accepted hidden. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause to visitors or any people implied.

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