Ripsaw music

Musical genre

Music of the Anglophone Caribbean

Genres

* Benna
* Calypso
* Chutney
* Dancehall
* Dub
* Goombay
* Junkanoo
* Mento
* Rake-and-scrape
* Ragga
* Rapso
* Reggae
* Ripsaw
* Rocksteady
* Scratch
* Ska
* Soca
* Spouge
* Steelpan

Regional music
|  Local forms

* Anguilla
* Antigua and Barbuda
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Bermuda
* British Caribbean
* Caymans
* Grenada
* Montserrat
* St. Vincent and the Grenadines
* St. Kitts and Nevis
* Turks and Caicos
* UK Virgin Islands
* US Virgin Islands
* Other Anglophone islands

Related areas

* Aruba and the Dutch Antilles
* Cuba
* Dominica
* Dominican Republic
* Guadeloupe
* Guyana
* Haiti
* Jamaica
* Martinique
* Puerto Rico
* St Lucia
* Suriname
* Trinidad and Tobago

* v
* t
* e

Ripsaw is a style of Mento, which originates from the Turks and Caicos Islands (specifically in the Middle and North Caicos).[1] A very closely related variant, rake-and-scrape, is played in the Bahamas.[2] Its most distinctive characteristic is the use of the common handsaw as the primary instrument, along with various kinds of drums, box guitar, concertina, triangle and accordion.

Ripsaw is a unique fusion of Mento and Burru,[3][4] which replaces the grater (Instrument) used in traditional Mento with a handsaw (Instrument) to achieve a similar yet more variable sound.[5] The saw is played by scraping an object, usually an old knife blade, along the saw's teeth, while bending the saw to produce a different timbre. The sound is similar to a paper being ripped, and is believed to be the origin of the term ripsaw.

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.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Annalisa Rellie; Tricia Hayne (2008). Turks & Caicos Islands: The Bradt Travel Guide. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 34\. ISBN 978-1-84162-268-2.
2. ^ Bruno Nettl; Thomas Turino; Isabel Wong; Charles Capwell; Philip Bolman; Byron Dueck; Timmothy Rommen (25 September 2015). Excursions in World Music (6th ed.). Taylor & Francis (published 2012). pp. 312–317\. ISBN 978-1-317-35029-3.
3. ^ "Me and the Kingston Drummers(my drummer bros)". Kingston Drummers. Clarky di handdrummist. 2020. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
4. ^ "Drummers link up in maroon town Portland, Jamaica". Portland Drummers. Clarky di handdrummist. 2020. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
5. ^ "The Origins of Rake and Scrape Music featuring Lovey Forbes". Ripsaw Music featuring Lovey Forbes. Open Thought TV. 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-15.

## External links

[edit]

* Music in the Turks and Caicos Islands at Turks and Caicos Tourist Board
* Ripsaw Music & Our Musical Heritage, by David Bowen, Cultural Officer, Turks & Caicos Tourist Board.

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template