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Roberto Valazquez Cabrera is a profoundly interesting person to feature on this wiki. He is a Mexican researcher based in Mexico City who reconstructs precolombian musical instruments based off archeological evidence. He also has formed theories about the ways the instruments were constructed and played, that are supported by multifaceted forms of evidence. He has conducted some of the most sophisticated research into instruments that produce turbulent, complex, and chaotic timbre versus the more common consonant tone found in many western instruments. His research into the construction and recreation of precolombian Mexican instruments has led to a resurgence in the making and use of these cultural instruments and a far greater understanding of their historical contexts. Cabrera is the founder of the Instituto Virtual de Investigación Tlapitzcalzin, which is dedicated to researching the instruments and musical history of Mexico. He has collaborated in the past with Susan Rawcliffe on researching clay flutes.
Instruments
Duct Flutes
Noise Makers
Ocarinas
Notes
Website 1)
His website has gone down in the past, I have made a complete copy as it was available as of September 19th, 2020
Facebook page 2)
Youtube channel 3)
Interview 4) 5) 6)
Roberto is one of the most inspirational figures in my musical instrument making practice. His research into turbulent and chaotic sounding instruments is the most in depth of any researcher that I know of. He is one of only a few that has invested a serious interest in instruments that are not focused on being harmonically pure and consonant. I took this musical style to heard when I read about it, realizing there is a whole world of timbre that is unavailable if one is trying to remove chaos from sound.
