Manualism (hand music)

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Manualism: Squeezing air through the hands to play musical notes
Manualism: Squeezing air through the hands to play musical notes

Manualism is the little-known art of playing music by squeezing air through the hands. Because the sound produced has a distinctly flatulent tone, such music is usually presented as a form of musical comedy or parody. The musical performer is called manualist, who may perform a cappella or with instrumental accompaniment.

Playing recognizable tunes by squeezing the hands together is extremely difficult, and it takes many years of practice to master the art [1]. Some manualists practice for as much as 30 years before finally reaching a presentable level of proficiency.

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[edit] How it is done

Just as a trumpeter makes sound by blowing air between the lips, a manualist makes sound by squeezing air between two hands.

The hands are held together, trapping a pocket of air between the two palms. Using the fingers of the dominant hand, the air is squeezed out the top, between the base of the thumb and the opposite hand, to form a musical note. The pitch is determined by the force used to hold the hands together. The tighter the grip, the higher the note.

Bass notes may be produced by squeezing the air pocket out the opposite side, near the pinky finger.

Even with years of practice, manualism is very difficult to control. It may be one of the hardest "instruments" in the world to play, and live stage performances are extremely rare.

[edit] Historical references

Records of manualists performing the art prior to the 20th Century have yet to be discovered, though it seems likely that someone must have attempted to make music in this fashion from the earliest days of musical parody.

[edit] Cecil Dill: The first manualist?

A Universal Studios newsreel from 1933 [2] may be the oldest filmed record of a manualist performing the art. The footage documents a farmer named Cecil Dill from Traverse City, Michigan, who claims that he first learned to play "Yankee Doodle" in 1914.

[edit] John Twomey: The most famous manualist

In 1974, John Twomey, a successful Grand Rapids, Michigan attorney, performed "The Stars and Stripes Forever" on NBC's The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson . This performance was seen by several million people in the United States, not only in 1974, but annually for many years thereafter, as the segment was repeated many times on the annual Best of Carson shows. It is also included in the Best of Johnny Carson collection (DVD Volume 1, Title 2, Chapter 23).

Twomey introduced himself as "a manualist", perhaps the first use of the term in a musical context. He appeared on several other programs including The Mike Douglas Show where he performed the "Colonel Bogey March," made famous in the film The Bridge Over the River Kwai, and The Merv Griffin Show where he performed "When the Saints Go Marching In."

John Twomey's last public performance was on November 21, 1998 on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, where he performed "Stardust."

[edit] Other manualists with national exposure

[edit] Manualists performing in 2006

[edit] Manualists performing in 2007

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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