Boom-ba
Encyclopedia
The boom-ba is a type of bladder fiddle, known throughout the Pennsylvania Dutch
culture of eastern Pennsylvania
, United States. The instrument focuses heavily on loud percussion, typically consisting of a variety of percussion instruments attached to a wooden pole. The exact designs of a boom-ba vary, with much emphasis being put on the personalization of the boom-ba. Common features typically include a spring-loaded rubber base (much like a pogo stick), with percussion instruments such as bells and wood blocks attached. Nearly all boom-bas also include a set of cymbals which crash as the boom-ba is bounced, and a tambourine which can be played with a drumstick or shaken as the boom-ba is played.
The boom-ba is similar in nature to the "stumpf fiddle", though the stumpf fiddle generally lacks the loud crashing cymbal on top. It is this loud crash when bounced that makes the boom-ba distinct.
Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
culture of eastern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States. The instrument focuses heavily on loud percussion, typically consisting of a variety of percussion instruments attached to a wooden pole. The exact designs of a boom-ba vary, with much emphasis being put on the personalization of the boom-ba. Common features typically include a spring-loaded rubber base (much like a pogo stick), with percussion instruments such as bells and wood blocks attached. Nearly all boom-bas also include a set of cymbals which crash as the boom-ba is bounced, and a tambourine which can be played with a drumstick or shaken as the boom-ba is played.
The boom-ba is similar in nature to the "stumpf fiddle", though the stumpf fiddle generally lacks the loud crashing cymbal on top. It is this loud crash when bounced that makes the boom-ba distinct.