View source for Drone (sound)

{{Short description|Harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment}}
{{redirect|Drone (music)|the genre|Drone music|other music topics|Drone (disambiguation)}}
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|{{Listen|filename=Skye Boat Song.ogg|title="Skye Boat Song"|description=An adaptation of "[[The Skye Boat Song]]" for Great Highland bagpipes played by the Clan Stewart Pipe Band. A drone on the dominant (B{{music|b}}) is heard throughout.}}
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In [[music]], a '''drone''' is a [[harmony|harmonic]] or [[monophony|monophonic]] effect or [[accompaniment]] where a [[note (music)|note]] or [[chord (music)|chord]] is continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece.  A drone may also be any part of a musical instrument used to produce this effect; an archaic term for this is '''''burden''''' ('''''bourdon''''' or '''''burdon''''')<ref>Gove, Philip Babcock (1961). ''[[Webster's Third New International Dictionary]]'', {{page needed|date=November 2014}}. Riverside Press. {{No ISBN}}.</ref><ref>Brown, John (1816). ''Encyclopaedia Perthensis; Or Universal Dictionary of the Arts, Sciences, Literature, &c. Intended to Supersede the Use of Other Books of Reference, Volume 4'', p.487. 2nd edition. {{No ISBN}}.</ref> such as a "drone [pipe] of a [[bagpipes|bagpipe]]",<ref>Lloyd, Edward (1896). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=054RAAAAIAAJ&q=burden+drone Lloyd's Encyclopaedic Dictionary: A New and Original Work of Reference to the Words in the English Language, Volume 1]'', p.743. {{No ISBN}}.</ref><ref>Wedgwood, H. (1859). ''A dictionary of English etymology'', p.210. Рипол Классик. {{ISBN|9785874642921}}.</ref> the [[pedal point]] in an [[organ (music)|organ]], or the lowest [[course (music)|course]] of a [[lute]]. Α ''burden'' is also part of a song that is repeated at the end of each [[stanza]], such as the chorus or [[refrain]].<ref name="Brabner">Brabner, John H F., ed. (1884). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=tynSs1__uR8C&q=drone The national encyclopædia]'', Vol. V, p.99. Libr. ed. William McKenzie. {{No ISBN}}.</ref>

==Musical effect==
"Of all harmonic devices, it [a drone] is not only the simplest, but probably also the most fertile."<ref>[[Peter van der Merwe (musicologist)|Peter van der Merwe]] (1989). ''Origins of the Popular Style: The Antecedents of Twentieth-Century Popular Music'', p.65. Oxford: Clarendon Press. {{ISBN|0-19-316121-4}}.</ref>

A drone effect can be achieved through a [[sustain]]ed sound or through [[repetition (music)|repetition]] of a note. It most often establishes a [[tonality]] upon which the rest of the piece is built. A drone can be instrumental, vocal or both. Drone (both instrumental and vocal) can be placed in different ranges of the polyphonic texture: in the lowest part, in the highest part, or in the middle. The drone is most often placed upon the [[tonic (music)|tonic]] or [[dominant (music)|dominant]] (play "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" with a drone on the {{audio|Row Your Boat drone tonic.mid|tonic}}, on the {{audio|Row Your Boat drone dominant.mid|dominant}}, or on {{audio|Row Your Boat drone both.mid|both}}. Compare with {{audio|Row Your Boat chords.mid|changing chords}}.). A drone on the same pitch as a melodic note tends to both hide that note and to bring attention to it by increasing its importance.

A drone differs from a [[pedal point|pedal tone]] or point in degree or quality. A pedal point may be a form of [[nonchord tone]] and thus required to [[resolution (music)|resolve]] unlike a drone, or a pedal point may simply be considered a shorter drone, a drone being a longer pedal point.

==History and distribution==
[[File:A Lady Playing the Tanpura, ca. 1735.jpg|thumb|110px|''A Lady Playing the Tanpura'', ca. 1735.]]
<!--[[File:Bagpiper carving, c.1600.JPG|thumb|110px|Carving (c.1600) on an oak bookcase of a bagpiper.]]-->

The systematic use of drones originated in instrumental music of [[ancient Southwest Asia]], and spread north and west to [[Europe]] and south to [[Africa]].<ref>van der Merwe (1989), p.11.</ref> It is used in [[Music of India|Indian music]] and is played with the [[tanpura]] (or tambura) and other Indian drone instruments like the [[Ottu (instrument)|ottu]], the [[Ektara|ektar]], the [[dotara]] (or dotar; [[dutar]] in [[Persia|Persian Central Asia]]), the [[surpeti]], the surmandal (or [[swarmandal]]) and the [[Dakshinavarti Shankh|shankh]] (conch shell). Most of the types of bagpipes that exist worldwide have up to three drones, making this one of the first instruments that comes to mind when speaking of drone music. In America, most forms of the African-influenced [[banjo]] contain a drone string. Since the 1960s, the drone has become a prominent feature in [[drone music]] and other forms of [[avant-garde music]].

In vocal music drone is particularly widespread in traditional musical cultures, particularly in Europe, Polynesia and Melanesia. It is also present in some isolated regions of Asia (such as among pearl-divers in the Persian Gulf, some national minorities of South-West China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Afghanistan).<ref>{{cite book | title = [[Who Asked the First Question?]] The Origins of Human Choral Singing, Intelligence, Language and Speech | author = Joseph Jordania | isbn = 99940-31-81-3 |year = 2006 | publisher = Logos | location = Tbilisi}}</ref>{{page needed|date=October 2015}}

The [[Medieval music|Medieval]] classical period also features the concept of droning in music with instruments of its time, such as the organ, in which the organist holds either a key of a [[Manual (organ)|manual]] or pedal while playing a [[Homophony|homophonic]] theme on the other.

==Part(s) of a musical instrument==
[[File:Golowan Festival Penzance June 2005 Mid-Argyl band2.jpg|thumb|Highland bagpipes, with drone pipes over the pipers' left shoulders]]

''Drone'' is also the term for the part of a [[musical instrument]] intended to produce the drone effect's sustained [[pitch (music)|pitch]], generally without the ongoing attention of the player. Different melodic Indian instruments (e.g. the [[sitar]], the [[sarod]], the [[sarangi]] and the [[rudra veena]]) contain a drone. For example, the sitar features three or four resonating drone strings, and Indian notes ([[swara|sargam]]) are practiced to a drone. [[Bagpipe]]s (like the [[Great Highland Bagpipe]] and the [[Zampogna]]) feature a number of drone pipes, giving the instruments their characteristic sounds. A [[hurdy-gurdy]] has one or more drone strings. The fifth string on a five-string [[banjo]] is a drone string with a separate tuning peg that places the end of the string five [[fret (music)|fret]]s down the neck of the instrument; this string is usually tuned to the same note as that which the first string produces when played at the fifth fret. The bass strings of the [[Slovenia]]n [[drone zither]] also freely resonate as a drone. The Welsh [[Crwth]] also features two drone strings.

[[File:Banjo drone in Yankee Doodle.png|thumb|300px|right|Melody to "[[Yankee Doodle]]" without and with drone notes as played on the banjo<ref name="Erbsen">Erbsen, Wayne (2004). ''Bluegrass Banjo for the Complete Ignoramus'', p.13. {{ISBN|1-883206-44-8}}.</ref> {{audio|Banjo Yankee Doodle.mid|Play without}} and {{audio|Banjo drone in Yankee Doodle.mid|with drone}}.]]

== Use in musical compositions ==
Composers of [[Western classical music]] occasionally used a drone (especially one on open fifths) to evoke a rustic or archaic atmosphere, perhaps echoing that of Scottish or other [[early music|early]] or [[folk music]]. Examples include the following:

* [[Joseph Haydn|Haydn]], [[Symphony No. 104 (Haydn)|Symphony No. 104, "London"]], opening of finale, accompanying a folk melody.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}
* [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Symphony No. 6 (Beethoven)|Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral"]], opening and trio section of scherzo.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}
* [[Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn]], Symphony No. 3 in A minor, opus 56, 'Scottish', especially the finale.
* [[Hector Berlioz|Berlioz]], [[Harold in Italy]], accompanying oboes as they imitate the [[piffero]] of Italian peasants{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}
* [[Richard Strauss]], [[Also sprach Zarathustra]], Introduction: the opening grows out of a drone effect in the orchestra.  
* [[Gustav Mahler|Mahler]], [[Symphony No. 1 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 1]], introduction; a seven-octave drone on A evokes "the awakening of nature at the earliest dawn".{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}
* [[Béla Bartók|Bartók]], in his adaptations for piano of Hungarian and other folk music.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

The best-known drone piece in the concert repertory is the Prelude to [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]]'s ''[[Das Rheingold]]'' (1854) wherein low horns and bass instruments sustain an E{{music|flat}} throughout the entire movement.<ref>Erickson, Robert (1976). ''Sound Structure in Music'', p.94. University of California Press. {{ISBN|0-520-02376-5}}.</ref> The atmospheric ostinato effect that opens Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which inspired similar gestures in the opening of all the symphonies of [[Anton Bruckner]], represents a gesture derivative of drones. 

One consideration for composers of [[common practice period|common practice]] keyboard music was [[equal temperament]]. The adjustments lead to slight [[Musical tuning|mistunings]] as heard against a sustained drone. Even so, drones have often been used to spotlight [[Consonance and dissonance|dissonance]] purposefully. 

Modern concert musicians make frequent use of drones, often with just or other non-equal tempered tunings. Drones are a regular feature in the music of composers indebted to the [[chant]] tradition, such as [[Arvo Pärt]], [[Sofia Gubaidulina]], and [[John Tavener]]. The single-tones that provided the impetus for [[minimalism]] through the music of [[La Monte Young]] and many of his students qualify as drones. [[David First]], the band [[Coil (band)|Coil]], the early experimental compilations of [[John Cale]] (''[[Sun Blindness Music]]'', [[Dream Interpretation (album)|Dream Interpretation]], and ''[[Stainless Gamelan]]''), [[Pauline Oliveros]] and [[Stuart Dempster]], [[Alvin Lucier]] (''[[Music On A Long Thin Wire]]''), [[Ellen Fullman]], [[Lawrence Chandler]] and [[Arnold Dreyblatt]] all make notable use of drones. The music of [[Italy|Italian]] composer [[Giacinto Scelsi]] is essentially drone-based. Shorter drones or the general concept of a continuous element are often used by many other composers. Other composers whose music is entirely based on drones include [[Charlemagne Palestine]] and [[Phill Niblock]]. ''The Immovable Do'' by [[Percy Grainger]] contains a sustained high C (heard in the upper woodwinds) that lasts for the entirety of the piece. Drone pieces also include [[Loren Rush]]'s ''Hard Music'' (1970) <ref>Erickson 1976, p.&nbsp;104.</ref> and [[Folke Rabe]]'s ''Was??'' (1968),<ref>Erickson 1976, p.&nbsp;95 & 104.</ref> as well as [[Robert Erickson]]'s ''Down at Piraeus''.<ref>Erickson 1976, p.&nbsp;97.</ref> The avant-garde guitarist [[Glenn Branca]] also used drones extensively. French singer [[Camille (French singer)|Camille]] uses a continuous B throughout her album ''[[Le Fil (album)|Le Fil]]''.

Drones continue to be characteristic of folk music. Early songs by [[Bob Dylan]] employ the effect with a retuned guitar in "[[Masters of War]]" and "[[Mr. Tambourine Man]]".{{citation needed|date=October 2015}} The song "[[You Will Be My Ain True Love]]", written by Sting for the 2003 movie ''[[Cold Mountain (film)|Cold Mountain]]'' and performed by Alison Krauss and Sting, uses drone bass.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

Drones are used widely in the [[blues]] and blues-derived genres. [[Jerry Lee Lewis]] featured drones in solos and fills.<ref>Harrison, Mark (2003). ''Blues Piano: Hal Leonard Keyboard Style Series'', {{unpaginated}}. Hal Leonard. {{ISBN|9781476816036}}.</ref> Drones were virtually absent in original [[rock and roll]] music,{{citation needed|date=October 2015}} but gained popularity after [[the Beatles]] used drones in a few popular compositions (for example, "[[Blackbird (Beatles song)|Blackbird]]" has a drone in the middle of a texture throughout the whole song, "[[Tomorrow Never Knows]]" makes use of [[Tanbur|tambura]]). They also used high drone for the dramatic effect in some sections of several of their compositions (like the last verses of "[[Yesterday (Beatles song)|Yesterday]]" and "[[Eleanor Rigby]]").{{citation needed|date=October 2015}} Rock band [[U2]] uses drones in their compositions particularly widely.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}} In the [[Led Zeppelin]] song "[[In The Light]]", a [[keyboard instrument|keyboard]] drone is used throughout the song, mostly in the intro.{{citation needed|date=October 2015|reason=A drone can't be used through but mostly in one section}}

American musician [[Roy Ayers]] used this technique in most of his repertoire. Examples being<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-03-10 |title=Everybody Loves the Sunshine: A Critical Analysis of Covers |url=https://nextbop.com/blog/everybodylovesthesunshineacriticalanalysisofcovers |access-date=2022-07-07 |website=Nextbop |language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[Everybody Loves the Sunshine]]'' (1976) and Searching (1976)) which have a high sustained synth string note through most of their duration.

Afrocentric acts influenced by Ayers like [[acid jazz]] or [[neo soul]] tend to use this technique very often. compositions like [[Erykah Badu]]'s "[[Otherside of the Game]]", [[Slum Village]]'s "Untitled/Fantastic" or [[Jamiroquai]]'s "Everyday" (in a lower extent for that case) use a synthesized or acoustic high sustained string.
Scott Walker - "It's Raining Today" from 1969's SCOTT 3 Uses a drone and this song was used in Tv. Shows as a hunting effect.

== Use for musical training ==
{{See also|Ear training}}

Drones are used by a number of music education programs for ear training and pitch awareness, as well as a way to improvise ensemble music.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Oshinsky|first1=James |title=Return to Child - Music for People's Guide to Improvising Music and Authentic Group Leadership |edition=Second |date=January 2008 |url=http://www.ReturnToChild.com/}}</ref> A [[shruti box]] is often used by vocalists in this style of musical training. Drones, owing to their [[acoustics|acoustic]] properties and following their longstanding use in [[ritual]] and chant, can be useful in constructing aural structures outside [[common practice]] expectations of [[interval (music)|harmony and melody]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://Flutopedia.com/reference_drones.htm |title=Reference Drones|author=Clint Goss |date=2011 |work=Flutopedia |access-date=2011-11-08}}</ref>{{verify source|date=October 2015|reason=Source does not mention "human" or "experient". What exercises would not be humanistic or experiential?}}

== See also ==
* [[Drone metal]] - a form of heavy metal music focusing almost entirely on droning, heavily downtuned [[electric guitar]] and [[bass guitar]], often lacking vocals or drums.
* ''[[Jivari]]''

== References ==
<references/>

{{1728|title=Burden}}

{{Accompaniment}}
{{Banjo}}
{{Bass (sound)}}
{{Minimal music}}
{{Strings (music)}}

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[[Category:Accompaniment]]
[[Category:Musical techniques]]
[[Category:Carnatic music instruments]]
[[Category:Indian musical instruments]]