Oom-pah

Rhythmic sound
Oom-pah played by accordion on C major chord with alternate bass Playⓘ.

Oom-pah, Oompah or Umpapa is an onomatopoeic term describing the rhythmic sound of a deep brass instrument in combination with the response of other instruments or registers in a band, a form of background ostinato.[1][2]

The oom-pah sound is usually made by the tuba alternating between the root of the chord and the 5th — this sound is said to be the oom. The pah is played on the off-beats by higher-pitched instruments such as the clarinet, accordion or trombone. Oompah is often associated with Volkstümliche Musik, a form of popular German music, and with polka. In triple time genres such as the waltz it is oom-pah-pah.

The musical Oliver! contains a song named "Oom-Pah-Pah", which is named after the oom-pah.

A more modern variation is the playing of contemporary pop and rock songs in an Oompah style, by bands such as Global Kryner (Austria), Brumpah (UK Westmidlands) [3] and Oompah Brass (UK) (who dubbed the style "Oompop").[4] The American jam band Phish features the oom-pah-pah in their song "Harpua".

See also

  • Duple time, a musical metre
  • Carter Family picking, a guitar playing technique
  • Humppa, a style of music from Finland

References

  1. ^ Oompah, The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English, 2008
  2. ^ "Oompah". YourDictionary.
  3. ^ "Brumpah".
  4. ^ "Oompah Brass".


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