Dr. Till is indeed clever enough to know that the basic acoustic properties of concrete and stone would be similar (!), indeed that the Maryhill Monument would have rather conservative acoustic results compared to Stonehenge. There is no evidence at all at the time for drums. But there may have been small ceramic drums, or cooking pots. There is some evidence for bone flutes, whistles, clapping, hitting stones together. There may well have been wooden sticks hit together and singing. Clapping is probably the most common musical activity (along with singing) in traditional cultures.
The winter solstice (January) would have been the most significant date at the original site, not the summer (June). It would be interesting to come to a solstice celebration at Maryhill, to bring my research about the kind of sounds that are likely to have been made in the space and to encourage people to try to play the particular things that might fit in, to try to do a recreation. There is a particular musical tempo which, if played at Maryhill, makes the whole place ring like running your finger around a wine glass to make it ring. It would be interesting to record the solstice celebration as well, although I may have to be at the Stonehenge one in the UK, so perhaps the equinox would be a better date...
Always open to invites,
Dr. Rupert Till
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