Scratch Bands and Fungi Music of British Virgin Island

The scratch groups, which is also known as the fungi groups and formerly string brands, they are a characteristic form of the folk collaborative, they have survived the weakness of other Virgin Islanders of the folk traditions, through accepting to the newly imported instrumentation as songs, and becoming a part of a more general revival of interest in folk culture on the islands, the name scratch group may came from the sound produced by scraping the squash which is an instrument that is similar to the Puerto Rican guiro, but it is larger or from the word squash itself, it means the band first by American visitors and then buy locals. 

 

source of picture: returntotheroots.org

 

The traditional scratch band collectively differ, but it always made use a drum instrument, either the squash, tambourine, or a local form of double-headed barrel drum, which is similar to the Dominican tambora, as well as an accordion, cane flute or violin as a melodic instrument. The string instruments were also common, and include the banjo, ukulele or a six string guitar. The ass pipe made out of a car exhaust tube that often provide the bass, was played in a similar manner to the main common melodic instrument, and it is replaced sometimes by a sliver flute. Conga drums squash electric guitar or instruments are more commonly seen in modern groups.

The music of the scratch groups are kind of music that has been traced back to the days of slavery, the slaves on the islands found objects to fashion instruments, like making strings out of the twine salvaged from the old sacks. The lyrics dances include calpysos, boleros, quadrilles, international poop songs, merengues, mazurkas, waltazes, jigs and other patterns, they perform at the church services, private parties, public festivals, local dances and fairs, christenings and weddings and others also perform for tourists. The scratch band tradition remains mainly the most vibrant on St. Croix, where the groups bully and the Kafooners, Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Nights and the Blinky and the Roadmasters are famous. Scratch groups are less common in St. Thomas and in the British Virgin Islands, thus, the well-known Elmo and the Sparkplugs hail from Tortola.