Boobam
Encyclopedia
The boobam is a percussion instrument
of the membranophone
family consisting of an array of tubes with membranes stretched on one end, the other end open. The tuning depends partly on the tension on the membrane but mostly on the length of the tube.
The boobams are probably an ancestor of the modern octoban
.
The tubes were originally made from lengths of giant bamboo
although pipes of wood, plastic, metal, and cardboard also have been used. The membranes were originally goat or calfskin but most are now plastic.
The name boobam was coined in Mill Valley
, California
in 1954 and was described as "bamboo spelled sideways".
In 1948 Harry Partch
, an American composer, developed a system of music that depended on the building of various exotic instruments that could play non-tempered scales. Some of them were based on Greek models and some on more primitive instruments like marimbas. Musician David Buck Wheat and his roommate in Sausalito, California, Bill Loughborough, a musician and electronic engineer, built such instruments for Partch as a marimba
which was hit with a large soft mallet over the chamber. This device delivered low-cycled tones that were barely audible. Loughborough had scientific instruments borrowed from the Navy Yard
, and using an oscilloscope
and audio oscillator he and Wheat were able to work on a new technical level that had not been possible before.
Together they moved onto a Sausalito barge with Jak Simpson who in 1954 founded a business named the "BooBam Bamboo Drum Company".
Buckwheat was working on the President Lines as a bass player, sailing to the Orient. In the Philippines he would buy large diameter giant bamboo and bring back sticks on the ship which they used to build the Pacific Island bamboo drums. Jazz groups were fascinated and added the boobams to their percussion sections. In 1956 Chet Baker
's Ensemble used them on the Today Show. Their unique sound inspired Nick Reynolds
of the Kingston Trio who eagerly included them on their tour with his percussion solo being featured on "O Ken Karanga" on the album College Concert recorded at UCLA in 1962.
constructed with a shell of natural bamboo. The available width and depth of the shell, which contributes to the desired pitch, is limited only by the size of available bamboo found typically in the tropical islands of the Pacific Ocean. Although appearing as ethnic drums in these areas, the modern instrument found its way into current use through its appearance on numerous recordings in Hollywood beginning in the 1950s. Two sets of boobams were owned and used by West Coast jazz drummer Shelly Manne
for numerous recording sessions in the Los Angeles studios.
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
of the membranophone
Membranophone
A membranophone is any musical instrument which produces sound primarily by way of a vibrating stretched membrane. It is one of the four main divisions of instruments in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification....
family consisting of an array of tubes with membranes stretched on one end, the other end open. The tuning depends partly on the tension on the membrane but mostly on the length of the tube.
The boobams are probably an ancestor of the modern octoban
Octoban
Octoban drums, also known as tube toms and quarter toms, are tom-toms grouped in melodically-tuned sets of eight, hence the reference to octave, from octo meaning "eight". Octobans have 15 cm diameter drum shells, and range in length from 280 millimeters to 600 millimeters...
.
The tubes were originally made from lengths of giant bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
although pipes of wood, plastic, metal, and cardboard also have been used. The membranes were originally goat or calfskin but most are now plastic.
The name boobam was coined in Mill Valley
Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1954 and was described as "bamboo spelled sideways".
In 1948 Harry Partch
Harry Partch
Harry Partch was an American composer and instrument creator. He was one of the first twentieth-century composers to work extensively and systematically with microtonal scales, writing much of his music for custom-made instruments that he built himself, tuned in 11-limit just intonation.-Early...
, an American composer, developed a system of music that depended on the building of various exotic instruments that could play non-tempered scales. Some of them were based on Greek models and some on more primitive instruments like marimbas. Musician David Buck Wheat and his roommate in Sausalito, California, Bill Loughborough, a musician and electronic engineer, built such instruments for Partch as a marimba
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
which was hit with a large soft mallet over the chamber. This device delivered low-cycled tones that were barely audible. Loughborough had scientific instruments borrowed from the Navy Yard
Navy Yard
Navy Yard may refer to:* Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts* Brooklyn Navy Yard, the New York Naval Shipyard* Charleston Navy Yard, South Carolina* San Francisco Naval Shipyard, California* Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California...
, and using an oscilloscope
Oscilloscope
An oscilloscope is a type of electronic test instrument that allows observation of constantly varying signal voltages, usually as a two-dimensional graph of one or more electrical potential differences using the vertical or 'Y' axis, plotted as a function of time,...
and audio oscillator he and Wheat were able to work on a new technical level that had not been possible before.
Together they moved onto a Sausalito barge with Jak Simpson who in 1954 founded a business named the "BooBam Bamboo Drum Company".
Buckwheat was working on the President Lines as a bass player, sailing to the Orient. In the Philippines he would buy large diameter giant bamboo and bring back sticks on the ship which they used to build the Pacific Island bamboo drums. Jazz groups were fascinated and added the boobams to their percussion sections. In 1956 Chet Baker
Chet Baker
Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and singer.Though his music earned him a large following , Baker's popularity was due in part to his "matinee idol-beauty" and "well-publicized drug habit."He died in 1988 in Amsterdam, the...
's Ensemble used them on the Today Show. Their unique sound inspired Nick Reynolds
Nick Reynolds
Nick Reynolds was an American folk musician and recording artist. Reynolds was one of the founding members of The Kingston Trio, whose largely folk-based material captured international attention during the late fifties and early sixties.- Early life :Growing up in Coronado, California, his...
of the Kingston Trio who eagerly included them on their tour with his percussion solo being featured on "O Ken Karanga" on the album College Concert recorded at UCLA in 1962.
Construction
Boobams (bamboo reversed syllabically) are tuned bongosBongo drum
Bongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
constructed with a shell of natural bamboo. The available width and depth of the shell, which contributes to the desired pitch, is limited only by the size of available bamboo found typically in the tropical islands of the Pacific Ocean. Although appearing as ethnic drums in these areas, the modern instrument found its way into current use through its appearance on numerous recordings in Hollywood beginning in the 1950s. Two sets of boobams were owned and used by West Coast jazz drummer Shelly Manne
Shelly Manne
Shelly Manne , born Sheldon Manne in New York City, was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, swing, bebop, avant-garde jazz and fusion, as well as contributing...
for numerous recording sessions in the Los Angeles studios.
