Ripsaw music
Encyclopedia
Ripsaw is a musical genre which originated in the Turks and Caicos Islands
, specifically in the Middle and North Caicos. A very closely related variant, rake-and-scrape, is played in the Bahamas. Its most distinctive characteristic is the use of the common handsaw as the primary instrument, along with various kinds of drum
s, box guitar, concertina
, triangle and accordion
.
The saw is played by scraping an object, usually an old knife blade, along the saw's teeth. The sound is similar to a paper being ripped, and is believed to be the origin of the term ripsaw. Rake-and-scrape derives from the method used by a player to create sound from the saw.
Though little is known for certain about ripsaw's genesis, two major theories include that the instrument was played to imitate the sound of the güiro
, a Dominican
and Haiti
percussion instrument, and that Loyalist
colonists in the United States
brought their African slaves to the islands and these slaves invented the ripsaw to imitate the sound of the shekere
instrument.
In the Bahamas, Cat Island
is the only place to celebrate rake-and-scrape on a large scale. During June's Labour Day
celebration, the island holds a Cat Island Rake and Scrape festival. Cat Island's rake-and-scrape tradition may be descended from immigrants from Turks and Caicos, who moved there in large numbers in the 20th century.
Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands, known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre.The Turks and...
, specifically in the Middle and North Caicos. A very closely related variant, rake-and-scrape, is played in the Bahamas. Its most distinctive characteristic is the use of the common handsaw as the primary instrument, along with various kinds of drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, box guitar, concertina
Concertina
A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
, triangle and accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
.
The saw is played by scraping an object, usually an old knife blade, along the saw's teeth. The sound is similar to a paper being ripped, and is believed to be the origin of the term ripsaw. Rake-and-scrape derives from the method used by a player to create sound from the saw.
Though little is known for certain about ripsaw's genesis, two major theories include that the instrument was played to imitate the sound of the güiro
Güiro
The güiro is a Latin-American percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines along the notches to produce a ratchet-like sound. The güiro is commonly used in Latin-American music, and plays a key role...
, a Dominican
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
percussion instrument, and that Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
colonists in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
brought their African slaves to the islands and these slaves invented the ripsaw to imitate the sound of the shekere
Shekere
This article is about the musical instrument. for the musical genre, see Sekere.The shekere is an instrument from West Africa consisting of a dried gourd with beads woven into a net covering the gourd. Throughout the continent there are similar gourd/bead or gourd/seed percussion instruments. Some...
instrument.
In the Bahamas, Cat Island
Cat Island (Bahamas)
Cat Island is in the central Bahamas, and one of its districts, and has the nation's highest point. Its Mount Alvernia rises to 206 ft and is topped by a monastery called The Hermitage. This assembly of buildings was erected by the Franciscan "Brother Jerome" .The first European settlers were...
is the only place to celebrate rake-and-scrape on a large scale. During June's Labour Day
Labour Day
Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...
celebration, the island holds a Cat Island Rake and Scrape festival. Cat Island's rake-and-scrape tradition may be descended from immigrants from Turks and Caicos, who moved there in large numbers in the 20th century.
External links
- Ripsaw Music & Our Musical Heritage, by David Bowen, Cultural Officer, Turks & Caicos Tourist Board.