Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities: Audio Guide and MIDI Groove Tracks from the Traditions of Africa, Bali, and India

Where's the Beat? ?A. West Africa, Bali, and India, birthplaces of polyrhythm, gamelan, and tala. B. Within every performer, where musical dreams are made. C. In a rhythm training manual by Matthew Montfort called Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities. D. In the new companion set Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities: Audio Guide and MIDI Groove Tracks from the Traditions of Africa, Bali, and India. E. Through world rhythm workshops and Skype study. F. All of the above. The Answer ?If you answered "all of the above," you are well on your way to finding the beat! Read on to find out how a training manual on the rhythms of Africa, Bali and India can help performers reach their musical dreams and is now bringing these ancient rhythms into the grooves of the future with the release of an audio companion edition for digital audio workstations, sequencers, computers, smartphones, CD players and other gizmos! The Beginning, the Beat, the Book Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities: Rhythmic Training Through the Traditions of Africa, Bali and India. By Matthew Montfort. Mill Valley: Panoramic Press, 1985. ISBN 0-937879-00-2. Comb Bound Book- $46.95. This classic "world beat bible" by Matthew Montfort takes the student on a musical voyage through the ancient rhythmic traditions of Africa, Bali, and India with a series of exercises that require no instruments to perform. The New Guides and Grooves ?Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities: Audio Guide and MIDI Groove Tracks from the Traditions of Africa, Bali, and India. By Matthew Montfort. Ancient Future Music (AF-0001, 2005. V 4.0, 2017). New! Companion MP3/MIDI Guide Tracks Download Set- $34.95. Companion Audio/MIDI Guide Tracks CD/CD-ROM Set- $39.95. A new downloadable companion set of MP3 audio guide and MIDI groove tracks of the exercises in the book Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities will be released in fall 2017. The preview beta release is on sale now at Ancient-Future.Com. The downloads are set up for playback on Mac and PC computers, tablets, and smartphones. The tracks are also available on a CD/CD-ROM set. The material is presented in two complimentary formats: audio guide tracks and MIDI groove tracks. The Audio Guide Tracks Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities: Audio Guide Tracks is a set of 115 audio guide tracks that enable learning by ear. The MIDI Groove Tracks Ancient Rhythms – Future Grooves: MIDI Percussion Groove Tracks from the Traditions of Africa, Bali, and India is a complete set of 128 MIDI tracks that playback in Standard MIDI File compatible web browsers. For greater control or for use as rhythm tracks, load them into a MIDI sequencer app (Mac, PC, iOS, Android, etc.) to loop tracks, change the tempo, or listen to individual parts. The files come arranged for General MIDI percussion and can be remapped to other instruments using the included MIDI maps. The Eve Orchestra of West Africa The Eve people of the island town of Anyako off the coast of Southeastern Ghana have developed a music rich in polyrhythmic interplay, such as in the drum music of takada, a dance and drumming club developed by the Eve women. The instruments of their percussion orchestra are detailed in the West African section of Ancient Rhythms – Future Grooves. The Interlocking Rhythms of Balinese Gamelan A gamelan is an ensemble normally composed primarily of percussion. In Bali, orchestras of tuned gongs, metallophones, and drums fill the night air with animated music. Musicians play alternate notes to form the melody line. These interlocking parts, known as kotèkan, require cooperation and a keen sense of rhythm to perform. The Balinese section of Ancient Rhythms – Future Grooves details the music and instruments of the Gamelan Semar Pegulingan and other ensembles. The Rhythmic Cycles of India The perception of the cyclic nature of life is reflected in Indian classical music through the device of tala, a recurring rhythmic cycle. There are two different traditions in Indian classical music, the Carnatic music of South India and the Hindustani music of North India. The North Indian tabla is a set of two drums with goat-skin heads. For every sound on the drum there is a corresponding syllable known as a bol. Each North Indian tala has a theka, a standard set of bols that identify the rhythmic cycle. The North Indian section of Ancient Rhythms – Future Grooves features a full explanation of the tabla bols complete with audio links and files for VSTi instruments and GarageBand that remap the MIDI files to the included tabla samples. The mridangam is a South Indian two-headed barrel drum. South Indian drumming has a language all of its own known as solkattu. The corresponding syllables for the sounds produced by the mridangam, known as konokol, are detailed in the South Indian section. The Author For his pioneering work on the scalloped fretboard guitar, ?Matthew Montfort is recognized as one of the world's 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists by DigitalDreamDoor.com, a curated "best of" site. He has devoted his life to cross-cultural music through his role as the leader of the world music group Ancient Future. He has taught masterclasses at prestigious universities, schools, camps, and resorts. ?The Workshops and Skype Lessons Matthew Montfort offers instruction based on Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities through rhythm workshops and via Skype. The Quotes "A three-culture dip with matching mp3s for your ears; a gateway to exotic spices, complete with MIDI files; or a fun way to organically digest complex time signatures. No matter how you slice it, this scholarly labor of love is packed with rich flavors for those patient enough to harvest them." – Bass Player "You've heard Afro-Pop, sitar, gamelan and world music for years. But do you know what they are and how they work? Better yet, would you like to play those twisted cross-rhythms and melodies? In Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities, Matthew Montfort has put together the book for people who want to dig into world music with both hands. Wherever possible, Montfort has provided beat counts alongside the standard musical notation so even if you can't read music, you can still learn the rhythms." – San Francisco Chronicle "One needn't play percussion instruments, or any instruments at all, for that matter, to use and benefit from the book." – Drums and Drumming "If you're tired of programming your drum machine with the same old 4/4 back-beat, or you want to sharpen your rhythmic chops, this book is highly recommended." – Electronic Musician The Performers Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities has been used and admired by teachers and musicians around the world. Lou Harrison, prominent composer and founder of the American gamelan movement, called the work "a very useful contribution to musical scholarship." Reinhard Flatischler, founder of the TaKeTiNa rhythm training process, was an early enthusiast. Steve Smith, stellar jazz and rock drummer of Journey fame, went through the book in preparation for a percussion summit with tabla master Zakir Hussain. Start your own journey to musical excellence with Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities! View press release online with photos and links: http://www.ancient-future.com/pr_atfp.html