Semantron

[topum]

There are a number of monasteries here around the village. They use semantron to call the monks and the nuns for prayer.

This is how it looks (took this shot on our Spring visit):



This is how it sounds:

http://neuropoetry.tumblr.com/post/10575321089/a-recording-of-a-semantron-calling-monastics-to

Comments

[topum.livejournal.com]

I have seen three types of toaca (this is how they call semantron here): wooden handheld, which you see in the picture, wooden fixed hanging (one block of wood or many) and metal fixed hanging (one metal plate or many each with a slightly different sound). Here is how the handheld sounds:



Sometimes the handheld is played like this:



Here is another example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByUBROQUD1o

School kids visit monasteries for a couple of toaca lessons here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW7CftG69uk

I better stop, you probably had enough toaca for a lifetime.

[darkoshi]

Thanks! It's a very hypnotic sound. I never imagined that hitting a wooden board could be so melodic.