Castells Music
A resource for English speakers
Introduction
I'm trying to create an English language resource for someone learning to play music for castells. I'm sure there's plenty of good stuff online, but as a non-catalan speaker, I find it hard to locate, let alone understand! Now, I am not of the Catalan culture and I only started taking part in Castells in the summer of 2023, so I cannot claim to authentically represent traditions and culture. Any mistakes are my own.
Thanks to David Vivanco for teaching me all I know about castells music.
This is a living document. I am editing it over time. Expect things to move and shift and change, but please use it for your learning if it helps!
- Peter Marsh (Cap de musics, Colla Castellera d'Edinburgh)
The Gralla
The gralla is the main melody instrument in castells music. It is a double reeded instrument like an oboe, and it is remarkably loud - which makes it very easy for the the castellers to hear it, even outside in a crowded square. It shares its name with the jackdaw.
The gralla is made up of several parts:
- The inxa, also known as the canya, is the set of two reeds that product the instrument's sound. The reeds are delicately thin and bound together in a coloured thred. The colour of the thread indicates how hard the reeds are to play.
- The tudel is a metal conical tube that joins the inxa to the body of the instrument. Usually it is attached to a cork on one end which slots into the body, and the inxa gets pushed onto the pointy end.
- The cos is the main body of the instrument.
- The campana is the end of the instrument, which amplifies the sound.
Taking care of the gralla
There are a few things to keep in mind if you want to keep your gralla in the best condition.
Storing the inxa: The inxa is a delicate piece of wood. If it breaks or becomes mishapen, it won't sound effectively and you will have to replace it. It is worth detaching from the instrument after each use and storing in a rigid case. I keep mine in a small sewing tin.
Cleaning: It is worth running a cloth through the instrument to remove moisture buildup. There are handy "pull-through" or "swab" cloths you can buy, usually for clarinets, which have a long string with a weight on the end to make it easier to pass through the instrument.
You can sterilise the inxa and prevent mould by dipping it in alcohol. Whisky does the trick!
Interesting articles
Scale and Notation
These are the basic notes for the gralla and flabiol. For the fingering diagrams, a black circle represents a covered hole (put your finger down), and a white circle represents an open cole (lift your finger up). The topmost circle represents the thumb hold on the bottom of the instrument.
Note: This is not written to concert pitch! This means that the 'c' or 'do' on your instrument might not be the same as one on a different instrument.
Inana
Inana is also known as "La Cosa Està Negra", or "Ailala" It is a good and quite simple tune to learn first.
pdf | pdf with finger diagrams
Practice tracks
Polca d'ours
Polca d'ours, known in the UK as "Bear Dance" is usually played at the end of a castells performance, for a particular dance (see first video). Normally you play it three times, starting slowly and getting faster each time.
Toc de castells
The toc de castells is the tune to play during a castells performance. Its main purpose is to communicate to those in the tower (who cannot see) what stage the tower is in.
Each colla can have their own interpretation of the tune, which is why you will find different groups playing it slightly differently. However the main theme is instantly recognisable. For now, in the Edinburgh colla, we will adopt the arrangement used by the Castellers del Poble Sec.
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pdf | pdf with finger diagrams
Structure of the tune
Here's how you would play the Toc alongside a castell.
- No music while the pinya (base) of the tower is formed and the segons climb.
- Begin playing the toc when the terços begin climbing up the doces.
- Play the A section on loop until l'aleta, when the enxaneta is about to reach the top of the tower.
- Play the trill of l'aleta when the enxaneta is climbing onto the final person. When they raise their hand in the air, play the high sol'! This is markes the peak of the tower. The crowd goes wild.
- Play through the aleta section. Usually there is lots of time between notes - it is very up to interpretation. Keep an eye on the band leader for timings. The end of l'aleta runs straight into the B section.
- Play the B section on loop while the tower dismantles. Note that the B section is identical to the A section, it just starts in a different place.
- Play the sortida when the tower is nearly finished, and there are only a few people to climb down to the floor.
Practice tracks
I have produced backing tracks to help you practice at home! They are made for a flaviol in G, and there are a few different versions available. I recommend using YouTube's playback speed settings to slow the video down if you are not confident with the tune yet.
Extended Library
Here is a bunch of sheet music, currently unorganised, but available for reference.