MacJams.com - Song: Tears of Kokopelmana by dreadmon

Tears of Kokopelmana
by dreadmon

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Guest views: 904
Member views: 0
Song comments: 60
Tokens: 0
Plays: 121
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Downloads: 40
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Submitted on: Jul 10, 2008 - 10:15:04 PM
Last Updated: Jul 20 2008 - 11:41:40 AM

Keywords Kokopelli (1), Kokopelmana (1), Bing Futch (51), dreadmon (51), Native American (20), Hopi (2), flute (121), mountain dulcimer (19), tribal (30), ()

Description Kokopelli, the familiar humpbacked figure usually depicted as a glyph playing a flute, is considered by many Native American tribes to be a fertility deity as well as a trickster God and music spirit. In some cultures, he has a wife named Kokopelmana. Legend has it that Kokopelmana, being a trickster herself, lured Kokopelli into falling in love with her by pretending to grieve for a lost lover. Overcome with emotion and taken by her sadness, Kokopelli fell in love with her and they were later married. The tale continues that Kokopelmana's tears became real, tears of joy as well as sorrow, because it became clear that she had married someone very much like herself.

This track illustrates their initial courtship and, finally, their wedding. The Native American Flute is the voice of Kokopelmana while the mountain dulcimer is the voice of Kokopelli. Various hand percussion were used along with some vocals, a bass software instrument played via MIDI and a couple of subsonic loops that were tweaked.

I've been on the road all summer and it's so nice to be back home in my own home and studio where I can actually sit down and *gasp*, record music again.

Hardware iMac
PreSonus Firebox
Mike Clemmer MC-2 mountain dulcimer
Ken Light ABS Series Native American style flute
African tongue drum
Vietnamese T'rung
African Gourd Shekere

Software: Garageband 3

Fan List

DWL

Ejh

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	Feter said 181 days ago
	Tears of Kokopelmana man I missed your music ...so good to hear a great inspirational one from you .... very nice arrangment amazing use of the native A flute ...Kudos and welcome back !!!!

	cjhoose said 181 days ago
	and hey! you're comin up on your 3 year mj anniversary!

	davisamerica2 said 181 days ago
	Glad to come upon this Quite different than what I've listened to here on macjams. I have several recordings of native american music, and they never fail to provide a soothing effect when you need it. Appreciate you letting me download this. Like a well told story, this kept my attention throughout. The voices were a very nice touch. Terry

	kassia said 181 days ago
	Kokopelmana wow. This is gorgeous. Each of the individual voices is distinct, yet they move around and with each other so perfectly. Your playing is amazing and the tone of each instrument is just beautiful. I love the story and you did a wonderful job of bringing it to life. Very creative. Thanks for sharing this.

	timothy devine said 181 days ago
	Bing You have such great skills and you pour them into every ounce of every song you posst Its kind of coming thru the home feeling you discribe happy to be home feelings honker down nd give us some more BING you know we will give a listen my very talented friend peace out

	kristyjo said 181 days ago
	Back home- recording tunes- and sharing them with us here. I love your mix of instruments. so unusual, yet they all fit together so perfectly. And I like when you bring in your voice about two thirds of the way through. Good to hear something new from you, Bing!

	DWL said 181 days ago
	Welcome back Bing! I hope you are well. Great to see you again with a new song. Beautifully done (why am I not surprised?) Fine playing, understated and evocative. Nicely arranged and layered. And a good story to boot :-) Cheers Dick

	caroline said 181 days ago
	mmmm..... lush.... thank you so much bing - i love this ... great that you are back - my only worry is that you say you have been on the road all summer .. does that mean i was in the bathroom and missed it again??!! big loves xoxo

	lavalamp said 181 days ago
	Nice to see ya 'round Brilliant production. Quite original and cool. Dave

	egobandit said 181 days ago
	glad your back Its always such a pleasure to listen to your music. Love the native american flute. Enjoyed thanks!downloaded

	Vic Holman said 180 days ago
	wow what a cool arrangement! real cool use and selection of instruments. very outstanding song. I like how you kicked it up a notch with the vocals coming in. Good to see you back Bing. It's been quite a while.

	peacepiano said 180 days ago
	Sound Powerful sound from your little group. The flute and drums and dulcimer mix so well to produce the ethereal, yet playful tune. Nice bass touches fill out the sound. Downloaded this one! Thanks Bill

	guitapick said 180 days ago
	Excellent, Bing... ...I've missed you and this is one very big reason why... Beautiful piece...

Ejh said 180 days ago

I...was...just...thinking...
'What's become of Bing?'

It's very good to hear your music again. I love the ways that you get so much music, so many different flavors of music, from a starting point in the Appalachian dulcimer, which I lot of people would consider a pretty limited palette...

I also like that you end up with finished pieces that both sound totally organic and yet also sound fresh, original and not-like-everything-else. They sound like they come out of a tradition, or more than one, but they're never ho-hum traditional...

I have to assume, and I am not kidding here, that some of it has to do with heart and character of the man making the music...

This sounds fully realized, and really wide and deep...

Good to have you back...

Ed

dreadmon said 180 days ago

Ed man!
Hey Ed, thanks so much buddy. Again with the Peter Gabriel and also Kate Bush, I was always impressed by how they could use so much technology, yet come out sounding so organic and analog. The album I'm working on is very tribal, so I wanted to do something that would incorporate all the weird little percussion instruments that my wife has picked up over the past few years. Great patches on the synth and whatnot, but it's just not the same. I'm also not producing this for the dulcimer festival crowd, so I could get a little experimental with it. You've got the basics from my heart, though - a love of folklore and of things springing out of the earth. Thanks for your insight, as always. Aloha -

	tokai said 180 days ago
	that is brilliant what a great sound and haunting melody. Very nice all round.

	said 180 days ago
	Ahhhh Bing.... The Iroqouis in me (nearly 1/4) rejoiced to hear this. The Celt in me (nearly 1/2) was pretty impressed too! Ha ha... Simply lovely. Mournful yet simultaneously joyous! Be well brother!

	dreadmon said 180 days ago
	Way tribal! LOL! That is awesome man - and yes, you nailed it - there's immense sadness in this tune, yet jubilation as well. It sort of wrung me out in the performing and it's an intense listen when I give it a spin. Thanks for checking it out!

	jiguma said 180 days ago
	So Mike .... .... the last 1/4 didn't like it? :)

	said 179 days ago
	Smart Alecky Aussie! The remaining 1/4 is French...Which...by way of Brittany, MAY also be Celtic. I'm a little uncertain though... Actually, on my mother's side my ancestry can be traced back to a bastard son of Louis XIV (true story)... Peace!

	said 179 days ago
	OOOPS! Almost forgot Neil... The remaining "French 1/4" DID like it! It's just that I tend not to think of the French tribally, although perhaps I should, given the origins of the Gauls and what-not. Peace!

J.A.Stewart said 180 days ago

Oddly Enough...
I thought that this tune could have been woven into the theme from "Twin Peaks" without much trouble. I guess that's because it's both unique AND haunting, something a visionary like David Lynch would appreciate.

You've done a splendid job here of imbuing the traditional form of Native American music with a bit of your own soulfulness.

A pleasure to hear your work again, Bing. Your music is often like a breath of fresh air... elemental and heart-felt. That's an art unto itself. ;)

--- Joe

	jiguma said 180 days ago
	Clear and clean sound Good to see you back Bing. This is very cool - love the instruments you've used, and enjoying real instruments in this style. A really well thought out piece of music - very relaxing and something that stirs the imagination. One that benefits from closed eyes while listening - take me away! Thanks for this one. Neil

	saymme said 180 days ago
	10-10-10-10 or it could be a 20-20-20-20 if I look back at songratings from the first MJyear : ) ! Wow...tx for the story... You are an amazing Musician my privilage to get to hear something like this it warms my heart ! ThankYou for DL !! P L R HeLena

	Moviz said 180 days ago
	I loved your depiction of this tale, both musically and in your above description. Love the music you produced here and the instruments you used. The arrangement, vocals are really 'Tops'. I'd never heard this story, so thanks for the enlightenment; fascinating, regards M

	dajama said 180 days ago
	Very cool Sounds great, and I love the information on the backstory. Terrific instrumentation, and great playing. The percussion is really nice, and the dulcimer is perfect. Very cool. Great music to listen to at the start of a new day. Thanks for sharing. Peace.

dreadmon said 177 days ago

I got rhythm, sort of
Hi Dajama - thanks for listening! I'm glad to hear that you like the percussion, as well as others. In the past, when I've incorporated real instruments, it's been hit and miss, rhythmically. It might be that the tongue drum incorporates mallets, which gave me a bit more control over the tempo (I know, one would think that using my hands would give me more control, but I can be kind of a spaz when it comes to that.) The tongue drum was mic'ed with a SM-58 and I'm surprised how nicely it turned out. I usually use a condenser like an ATM-33a, but my neighborhood has gotten so noisy, it picks up too many passing vehicles, boom cars, sirens, gunshots, etc. (Only half-joking about that last part.) Thanks again for checking this out and for the kind words!

	Alannah said 179 days ago
	Wowsers Bing ... my main man !!!! ... this is absolutely Georgeous ..... I really really enjoyed the flute parts ..... beautiful ... just true honest beauty .. but then again ... that's what you DO now isn't it ! The feeling of "life" and "nature" always abound in your sound too! So glad to hear you back here at Macjams! We all missed you !

	said 179 days ago
	Beautiful simply beautiful mesmerising music. I love it.Thank you for a gorgous Gem download everything is mixed perfect to come in at just the right time. Amazing music. I love the story also. You Rock. Peace Dee.

12parsecs said 178 days ago

forget guitar hero...
when is dulcimer hero coming out? :) cool looking dual dulcimer in you pic. i love this recording. very well arranged and recorded. the instrumentation and writing are sooo much different than anything i've heard here, or anywhere for that matter. such cool instruments!! where are you located? i want to jam! florida?!? damn, move to the northwest! we've got, ummm, lotsa trees!?!

love the marimba too. is the bass drum from garageband? sound great. very nice work. thoroughly enjoyed.

dreadmon said 173 days ago

Dulcimer hero!

I would love to see a "dulcimer hero" - hahahaha. Instead of Slash, Eddie Van Halen and those cats, you could play as Stephen Seifert, Don Pedi, Robert Force and Butch Ross. That'd be sweet. Must get on developing that straight away. The double-fretted dulcimer in the pic is a Mike Clemmer MC-2 - I've got one fretboard tuned d-A-D and one is g-G-C. The marimba is actually an African tongue drum that I picked up in Key West some years ago. The bass drums and groovy loops that come later are all GB with a little bit of iDrum for arrangement.I love the northwest - I hope to get up there soon! Thanks for listening, I appreciate it!

Cameron said 178 days ago

Uplifting!
I thank the "spirits" for directing me to your tune today.

I have seen your presence on this site on occasion but have not listened to any of your music until now.

This tune is wonderful! It is very uplifting to the spirit. It is energizing, yet laid-back -- always a great combination.

The interweaving of the flutes, guitar and percussion is artful, full-bodied and deep.

This music takes the listener to a very special place, and I thank you for providing the journey!

I will be sure to check out your other tunes in the coming weeks.

Your latest fan,

Cameron

	spitlogic said 177 days ago
	good job Nicely done.

Pete_NB said 176 days ago

WIld!
I'm loving this Bing! Hard to come up with anything new asd I am late getting to this but I just wanted to say that you've created a real beauty here.

The tone out of those instruments is haunting and airy. A great job on the performance and the mix. The melodies are soulful and intertwine with each other like long lost friends.

Good to have you back, especially if you'll be putting this kind of stuff out!

dreadmon said 173 days ago

Airy is awesome!
Hey Pete, good to see you man! Thanks for listening and for the comment. I've been doing a lot of stuff like this recently, gearing up for another phase of music. I started playing Native American flute last November after getting a chance to play one at a festival in September. Something happened when I put breath into it and it's just been nuts ever since. LOL! That and the reaction to the music has really been something - there's a real energizing, relaxing, spiritual thing that happens whenever there is a flute playing, so that influence on my music has been quite extraordinary. This album I'm working on right now is filled with stuff like this, and I've just posted the big finale to the CD, a version of "Wayfaring Stranger" that sort of sprawls. So check that out - it's definitely along the same lines as this. Thanks again for listening! Aloha -

	elfdaughter said 57 days ago
	Wonderful I love stuff like this. Beautiful work, and amazing playing, as always! I can really hear the story being told through the instruments. Definately one to add to the playlist.

	cjhoose said 181 days ago
	Beautiful tale it sounds so... rich. Good to hear from you again too!

	dreadmon said 181 days ago
	McBlues! Feter, my friend, how are you? Thanks for the kind words - I'm looking forward to catching up with your tunes!

	dreadmon said 181 days ago
	Whoa Oh wow, Caroline, you are so right - I hadn't even looked at my start date. Has it really been three years?

	dreadmon said 181 days ago
	Blessings Thanks, Terry, it's an honor to be compared favorably to the other Native American recordings in your collection. I'm glad you enjoyed it - the vocal parts began as a spur-of-the-moment placeholder and dang if I didn't just leave them in there.

	dreadmon said 181 days ago
	Much appreciation Thank you, Kassia. I'm delighted that you enjoyed this piece. Aloha to you!

	dreadmon said 181 days ago
	Hopin' to hop to it! Tim, buddy, you are too kind. Thanks for the props and, yes, I plan on getting busy in the studio, because recording on the road is kind of impossible (unless you like the sound of the neighbors in the next motel room listening to Comedy Central as accompaniement.)

	dreadmon said 181 days ago
	Great to be home Hi, K.J.! Always great to hear from you. I guess listening to Bill Frisell and Wayne Horvitz got me to thinking that there are no two instruments that can't sound good together. So I don't even pause when deciding to combine whatever might be at hand. It's very comforting to know that it worked for you, so thanks for listening and for the comment!

	dreadmon said 180 days ago
	Mighty big thanks - Heya Dick, thanks so much, man! I appreciate you listening and commenting. Cheers!

	dreadmon said 180 days ago
	That's a long toilet break Good lord, Caroline, you haven't been in the donny all summer, have you? What has become of your garden? LOL! Actually, the road trips started early spring, so it's been kind of a long go. Haven't made it to the U.K. yet, wouldn't think of making the journey without checking in with you for sure! Thanks for the great vibes and I"m glad you enjoyed this piece!

	dreadmon said 180 days ago
	Blessings Dave, thank you kindly, sir!

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	dreadmon said 180 days ago
	Thank you Thanks, Tokai. I swear, 90% of what's in this tune I learned here at MacJams; totally indispensable education here!

	dreadmon said 180 days ago
	Me ke aloha It is great to be back - lordy, the catching up I've got to do. Thanks for the kind welcome!

	dreadmon said 180 days ago
	Big thanks Thanks, Vic - I'm glad the vocal restraint is getting pointed out - been listening to lots of Peter Gabriel, he does a lot of chorale type stuff that's always been really intriguing. Thanks for the uplift!

	dreadmon said 180 days ago
	Mahalo Thanks Bill - and I'm wondering about whether I should add anything or not. This is going on my next album, and I wanted to pass it through the MacJams portal to get an honest critique. Golly - so far, I'm not going to touch it. (Well, I played with some levels already.) Thanks again for listening!

	dreadmon said 180 days ago
	Merci - Thanks, Bob - that hits home. Been too long gone!

	dreadmon said 177 days ago
	Falling Hey Joe, thanks so much! I'm a big fan of Angelo Badalamenti, and listening to it in that respect, I can hear a remix with "Falling" worked in, as well - especially the first section chord changes. I like Badalementi and John Barry for their ability to orchestrate gravity, mostly emotional. Thank you for listening, and I appreciate the comments!

	dreadmon said 177 days ago
	Many thanks - Hi Neil, thanks for listening and commenting! Glad you liked this piece and its narrative flow. Mahalo nui loa, bro!

	dreadmon said 177 days ago
	Thank you! Hallo, and you're very welcome - I hope you enjoy it in many plays to come!

	dreadmon said 177 days ago
	Mahalo - Thank you, Moviz - I really appreciate your comment! Thanks for giving this a spin.

	dreadmon said 175 days ago
	Thank you kindly! Hi Dee~ thanks for the wonderful comments. I'm very glad you enjoyed this tune! Aloha -

	dreadmon said 173 days ago
	spirits know Hi Cameron - what a blessing, thank you so much for that. I truly believe that sometimes the spirits will lead you towards things that you need to see and/or hear, so it is such a beautiful thing that this tune could be part of an experience like that for you! That truly validates what I do to an extent. Glad you enjoyed this and thanks again! Aloha -

	dreadmon said 173 days ago
	Mahalo - Thank you kindly, aloha!