I've introduced a few posts that involve bottles before. Today's video is also based on a bottle, but it is different from the other videos in a significant way. In all the other videos, the bottle was either blown, or hit with a stick to produce a sound. In this video, the bottle is still blown... but it's used as a supplement to the voice. It's a really unique way to use an instrument.
Why do I see it as so unique? Because the bottle is essentially a supplement to the voice. The note that the bottle plays is always constant - by that I mean it plays the same note over and over again - but the melody doesn't sound that way because the vocal lines that are before and after it create a seamless melody. Furthermore, because the bottle has a different tonal quality than the rest of the vocal melody, the notes that the bottle plays feels like a punctuation, a moment of emphasis in the entire melody.
What's also cool is that because the bottle can't change tone - indeed, it's fairly constant in tone and timbre - but it's preceded and followed by the fluctuating vocal lines, the combination creates an "electronic music" feel to the whole thing.... even though it's just a bottle, a tambourine, and vocals!
By the way, this is by the Armenian artist Arto Tunçboyacıyan, who also played on a hidden track on a System of a Down album a long time ago. He's also played with Chet Baker and Al Di Meola, for those of you who enjoy jazz.
I wonder if there are other instruments that utilize a similar methodology? It really creates a neat feel to the song, and I would love to see other instruments used this way.
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