Gralla

The gralla is a member of the double-reed instruments (Hornbostel–Sachs 422.112). Listen to 1 recording and learn how it makes its sound.

Listen to the gralla

Tonada de Gralla. Ministrers del Viàtic de Girona. Daniel Carbonell. Tarota

2:51CC BY-SA 3.0Wikimedia Commons

2:51

Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.

How the gralla makes its sound

In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the gralla belongs to the double-reed instruments: two reeds beat against each other – oboes, bassoons, shawms and the duduk.

More broadly it is one of the aerophones (wind instruments), where sound comes from vibrating air.

Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.

From Wikipedia

The gralla, also known as grall de pastor, xaramita, dulzaina catalana or xirimita, is a traditional Catalan double reed instrument in the shawm family classified in the group 422.112 in the Hornbostel-Sachs system. The gralla comes from the ancient xeremia a medieval instrument largely used until the Baroque. Probably, the name of the instrument comes from its strident sound similar to the sound of a Jackdaw native to Catalonia and northern Spain and also called 'Gralla' in Catalan.

This traditional instrument is used during the construction and dismantling of human towers or castells and other traditional festivities. It is usually played with the timbal, a percussion instrument similar to a drum. The traditional gralla melody used in castells, called the toc de castells, serves to advise the castellers within the tower what stage of the construction their colleagues have reached, as they are unable to see this.