Musical term

[John Flynn]

Is there a musical term that describes the imitation of non-music sounds by musical instruments? (OK, there are plenty of cheap joke possibilites here, I know, but I'm sincerely looking for an answer!)

For instance, it is common for fiddlers to pluck thier strings in "Cluck Old Hen" to imitate a chicken clucking or imitate train whistles in songs about trains. Some mandolin players do a repeating slide-up double-stop in the B part of "Flop Eared Mule" to sound like a mule braying. In the B part of "Staten Island Hornpipe" there are those stacatto C chords that obviously are meant to sound like tugboat horns, presumably as heard around Staten Island.

If this effect were done in words, it would be called "onomatopoeia." What is the musical term for this?

[Soupy1957]

There was a bird imitation done (I forget by whom) in the middle of "Blackbird" (Beatles) that was a string slide movement.

Does it have a name? Dunno..

-Soupy1957

[Jim Broyles]

Soupy, my old pal, those were real bird noises.

[Jim Broyles]

Found this while searching the web. Interesting. Go to the klezmer link for more information.

[James P]

Anthropomusical?
Onamatamusicalic?

[SGraham]

How about "phonomatopoeia?"

Steve

[jk245]

According to the Columbia University Press Dictionary, it seems the word we are looking for is

onomatopoeia [Gr.,=word-making], in language, the representation of a sound by an imitation thereof; e.g., the cat mews.

[jmcgann]

There was a bird imitation done (I forget by whom) in the middle of "Blackbird" (Beatles) that was a string slide movement.

Our friend Soupy may be thinking of "Tomorrow Never Knows"...

[Tim2723]

According to the Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary, the word you're after is imitation. #To approximate, by way of musical sounds, natural sounds such as birdsong, rain, thunder, etc.

Although it is not specifically mentioned, by way of cross referrence one can surmise that making a fiddle suggest clucking hens or a mandolin a braying mule is also defined as imitation.

The term also applies to instruments specifically designed to produce those sounds, such as train whistles, sirens, cannon, thunder sheets, police whistles, sleigh bells, whip cracks, etc, etc. #Interestingly, whithin the orchestra these instruments are assigned to the percussion section, even if they're blown into, like a train whistle.

http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/

[John Flynn]

Tim:

That's what I was looking for! I actually did browse the Va. Tech. Dictionary extensively for that answer, but of course, it is not set up find a word from a definition, but rather the other way around. Thanks!!!

[Tim2723]

No problem Johnny. It helps if you listen to a lot of Spike Jones!

[John Craton]

Is there a musical term that describes the imitation of non-music sounds by musical instruments?

If you're looking for a term to use in the score to instruct the performer to play in imitation of something else, two terms that are often seen in classical music are quasi and in modo di ____ (i.e., in modo di pollo — literally, “in the manner of a chicken”). Don't know if that's your main concern or whether you just were interested in the term used to describe such playing in general. Or you could just use standard English and say what you want. As long as the performer understands your meaning, that's what counts.

[Strange1]

A fiddle player I worked with many yrs ago would make birds noises during the playing to Listen to the Mockingbird. Sounded real. sometimes I make bird noises on the fiddle but it is unintentional.

Jack

[Peter Hackman]

A fiddle player I worked with many yrs ago would make birds noises during the playing to Listen to the Mockingbird. # Sounded real. sometimes I make bird noises on the fiddle but it is unintentional.

Jack

That goes way back. One version that was re-released on Gusto or Starday
had "Red" Herron on fiddle with beautiful backup on two guitars.
He may have been the first to introduce this gimmick. Could also
be Curly Fox, Slim Rutland, or Clark Kessinger.

[Peter Hackman]

are quasi and in modo di ____ (i.e., in modo di pollo — literally, “in the manner of a chicken”). Don't know if that's your main concern or whether you just were interested in the term used to describe such playing in general. Or

"In modo di pollo" - what a beautiful title for a tune.

[allenhopkins]

A fiddle player I worked with many yrs ago would make birds noises during the playing to Listen to the Mockingbird. Sounded real.

The bird imitations on Listen To the Mocking Bird became so common, that the tune was banned from a lot of fiddle contests. Perhaps the judges felt that they were unqualified to choose among avian obbligatos...

[jk245]

[QUOTE= (allenhopkins @ April 16 2007, 11:24)]

The bird imitations on Listen To the Mocking Bird became so common, that the tune was banned from a lot of fiddle contests. Perhaps the judges felt that they were unqualified to choose among avian obbligatos...

Maybe the judges were too chicken to allow them!