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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Which Tedrow model have you? I've heard a mix of opinions on his stuff, as he's kind of an experimental/unconventional guy. His "Zephyr" compact models are supposed to be brilliant, but I've heard some complaints that his large Haydens are way too clunky. But he clearly has some successful lines, and I give him props for being way more daring than most makers. Heh, has Bob Tedrow ever even made two instruments the same? I had mine more or less custom made back in, oh, 2006. I guess it is basically the Zephyr but I don't think he had named it at that point. The layout is standard 30 button C/G Anglo. I don't expect to ever buy another unless I decide I can afford one of the newly made ones with the old style reeds. I like this style of Wally Carroll's: 
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Sep 11, 2014 16:34
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:In other news, hey No Gravitas, does your wife hate me yet? If she does, please do note that this thread has led you to the very most affordable and durable instruments, and cost you way less than a taste for scotch or even a snowboarding trip would. That said, dig this for £35: *twitch* *twitch* It's a clarinetty thingy that is portable, the portability that I so enjoy about the ocarina... Must resist. Must resist. Must not buy. Must not buy. Must buy. Must bu-- WHAT? Well, now it's a tossup between a Bawu, a Hulusi, this, and a Xaphoon. So far: Hulusi > Bawu > This > Xaphoon, but I changed my mind so much already... My wife actually loves my silly noodlings. It's relaxing, I guess. I cannot play actual music. Gotta make a recording for you guys one day... 
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Sep 11, 2014 16:56
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I know we've been talking a lot about concertinas lately, but I am also curious a bit about the Sackpipa, especially the polymer ones mentioned on page 2. What kind of maintenance/upkeep is needed to keep a set in good working order? Are they hard to maintain? Are they a pretty rugged instrument that you can take with you and not worry that you are going to "mess it up". Also, how is the sound quality and playability of the polymer ones, as opposed to wood or something?
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Sep 11, 2014 17:17
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laertes22 posted:I know we've been talking a lot about concertinas lately, but I am also curious a bit about the Sackpipa, especially the polymer ones mentioned on page 2. What kind of maintenance/upkeep is needed to keep a set in good working order? Are they hard to maintain? Are they a pretty rugged instrument that you can take with you and not worry that you are going to "mess it up". No worries, I like them both. Coincidentally, two of the four instruments I took with me when I moved to Bogota recently are a vintage Crane-system concertina, and a polymer sackpipa (Swedish bagpipe). The other two instruments being a Parks breakdown PVC tin whistle, and a set of wooden bones (which I still don't know how to play after owning them for 17 years, half my life). Dick Hensold, the one single American who plays sackpipa professionally, though mainly an NSP piper  With Seth Hamon's polymer sackpipa, especially with the polymer reeds (which I strongly recommend), they are nigh-indestrucible. If you could rig up a synthetic bag for them, they'd be almost totally unbreakable. The trad cane reeds you have to take out and futz with at least a little each time you play. The synth ones you can largely set-and-forget for weeks. They roll up pretty small for travel; I keep mine in a cheap case for a camera tripod I got off eBay for $10, it's like 4x4x24. I don't have a ton of in-person experience with contrasting with wood, but from what I've heard and what other players have said, the polymer ones (like Susato polymer tin whistles) sound a little "too clean", but that's subtle. One of the most serious sackpipa players, Olle Gallmo, has used Hamon synthetic reeds for emergency backup when his cane reeds won't just behave in funky weather. A serious pro playing for an album would use wood and cane, but for a hobbyist or playing gigs polymer is great. I like to avoid pretending to be wood color (unless you're playing reenactment or something) and just go for bright colors. Hamon's personal set is colored emergency-orange. I keep trying to convince him to make one in orange but swirled with white polymer, so it'd look like a Creamsicle.  EDIT: quote:Well, now it's a tossup between a Bawu, a Hulusi, this, and a Xaphoon. So far: Hulusi > Bawu > This > Xaphoon, but I changed my mind so much already... I've hear mixed things about the Xaphoon, so I would encourage you to read up a little before getting one of the many chalumeau (primitive clarinet) offerings out there. The Xaphoon and the Hanson are the only ones I know of that are also available in polymer; there must be threads somewhere comparing the two. No pressure to get whatever, but if you're building up a small collection of instruments, it's good that you're choosing thing where some skills cross over, they're inexpensive, and they're durable. It assuages much of the guilt that comes with having too much music gear. TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 18:14 on Sep 11, 2014 |
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Sep 11, 2014 18:01
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I was just browsing Spotify, looking for new stuff, and then I found this song. I think this thread might appreciate it.
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Sep 11, 2014 22:33
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This instrument is so weird that, unless you're in Scandinavia, you will probably be the only practitioner for several hundred miles. There is a small list of folk instruments whose mastery (can) qualify you for the title of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riksspelman, or Swedish national folk player. One of them is the Näverlapp.  I quote one of the three English Web pages I was able to to find: http://www.norcalspelmanslag.org/ncsnlf2007/ncsnlf2007.pdf Northern California Spelmanslag News posted:This simple instrument is made from a thin rectangular piece of birchbark slightly more than an inch wide and 1 1/2 inches long. One end is rounded. It looks like a wide clarinet reed and is played by placing the square end between the lips and teeth of the lower jaw and setting it vibrating by blowing. Accomplished players were reputed to have a two-octave range. It sounds like a clarinet. The instrument's most famous player was Strömsolles Karl Andersson of Hedemora. He died in 1940, but not before teaching the playing technique to others so that this musical tradition still remains alive today. quote:As the patch of birch becomes soaked with saliva, which it does after a few minutes, it begins to sound worse and worse. You can see some vintage instruments here (Google Translate is your friend). If you want to learn to build or play one, you'll have to find Jan Lundström, who teaches occasional courses; he taught one in Hedemora, Sweden in February 2014. I found one site that claims to sell them, but it hasn't been updated since 2006 and the price list is 404. Here are a couple of clips of Jan playing the Näverlapp, which does indeed sound a bit like a clarinet. Demonstration, followed by Swedish explanation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpDtUZSKkcI A folk-tune https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o6YIWN-CdM Coming soon to this thread: Paraguayan Harp, which you actually can buy and play.
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Sep 11, 2014 23:23
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Oh, no pressure taken. It just happens to be time to buy something.  I'm almost decided. Barring a plastic bawu (my first choice, but a mythical creature apparently) Hulusi it is! I told my wife. She said: "BUY IT!". Guess my noodling is good enough for her that she actively wants me to play. Yay! Budget: 100 CAD, shipped and taxed. I'm so glad to have a solid income for the first time in my life! I did some research on stuff that is out there. For now a link dump of various cheap things I found. First of all, what may be a plastic hulusi for 33 USD shipped: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Sale-Traditional-Chinese-Hulusi-Drone-Flute-dizi-in-C-key-plastic-Flute-Case-B-key/1364643163.html A gorgeous white-and-blue one is an option here for 32 USD shipped: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Bakelite-Hulusi-2-Octaves-pluggable-for-beginner-4-colors-selectable/1099954048.html I also found a seemingly higher quality one for 60 USD shipped: http://www.dhgate.com/product/abs-instrument-hulusi-hulusi-professional/84903528.html#s1-22-1|3785123327 A pro model, I won't be getting it, wooden and 100$+: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Professional-ebony-cloisonne-Hulusi-pluggable-and-adjustable-OX-horn-Mouthpiece/1099960265.html Cheapest that I found for plastic hulusi, 20 USD shipped: http://www.agreetao.com/item/15832511483 Here are my questions to you, thread! 1. Is there any trouble dealing with aliexpress, agreetao and dhgate, slow shipping aside? 2. Do you think that the 60 USD model will be better than the 20 USD one? The design on the "gourd" looks very similar, but I'm not sure if this is exactly the same instrument. The 60 USD one may be just an overpriced version of the 20 USD one. I know we don't have much to go on except the pictures, but... any hunches? Can't wait to order! EDIT: Yeah, I think that 60 USD one is an overpriced 20 USD one. I got this one, 36 USD shipped from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N3QZMFQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Almost got a Dizi too, but then I realised they need a membrane installed, membrane and glue for the membrane not included. A 6$ shipped instrument suddenly became a 15$ one + hassle. Too bad, at 6$ it seemed like almost a disposable instrument, to the point I could forgive the bamboo construction. And now I have to make a Hulusi post once I play with it a bit. Shipping is slow, so expect something towards the end of September.
No Gravitas fucked around with this message at 16:50 on Sep 12, 2014 |
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Sep 12, 2014 01:19
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That's a good-looking instrument you got there: Though bawu was your first choice, I think hulusi has more character to it, definitely visually more distinctive, and having the drone should provide some cool options. Definitely let us know what you think when you get it.
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Sep 14, 2014 00:49
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I got a mystery check in the mail, and since it is going to probably take some time to track down my concertina, I decided to go ahead and order a sackpipa. I bookmarked the smallpipa websites and forums from back on page 2, but any ideas for places to get sheet music (or tab or whatever sackpipa uses)? Swedish music or otherwise (anything that would sound good on or be in the musical range of sackpipa). FYI, per Seth Hamon, all his polymer sackpipa come with synthetic reeds now. Also FYI, I am Native American and played Courting Flute (aka NAF) in my younger days (and occasionally still do). I also studied shamisen under a traditional master for 5 years when I lived in Japan. So, if anyone has questions about either of those, let me know.
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Sep 14, 2014 01:24
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laertes22 posted:I got a mystery check in the mail, and since it is going to probably take some time to track down my concertina, I decided to go ahead and order a sackpipa. I bookmarked the smallpipa websites and forums from back on page 2, but any ideas for places to get sheet music (or tab or whatever sackpipa uses)? Swedish music or otherwise (anything that would sound good on or be in the musical range of sackpipa). I'm guessing you've got Olle's website bookmarked, as he's the de-facto internet voice of the säckpipa (and an awesome dude to chat with if you ever meet him), but may I also recommend folkwiki.se for all your Swedish folk music needs? It's a great site for good Swedish tunes, and if you filter by the keys your pipes can play in, you can find some appropriate tunes. I've heard some Irish tunes on the säckpipa as well, though it was with a different chanter. First thing I recommend is following Olle's suggestion of using bike tubing for tuning your instrument. It's a lot easier (and much less messy) than electrical tape, and I personally think it looks cooler. Edit: oh yeah, if anyone wants (shorter) things translated from Swedish on any of the folk instruments from the region, let me know. Hedningen fucked around with this message at 07:51 on Sep 14, 2014 |
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Sep 14, 2014 07:47
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Overall concur with Hedningen, but with the caveat that when looking at folk music scores, the issue is less the key (which you can always transpose), but rather the range. Sackpipa only has an octave of range, or depending on your particular chanter it may have one bell-hole that gives a lower note, or like one of mine have a metal key to get one note higher. So do check out that Scandi folk archive thing (once you've burned through the tunes on Olle's site), but look more for one-octave range than you do necessarily having a key of E or D. On a minor piping sidenote, a Euro guy on Chiff & Fipple is selling a French cornemuse berry for €650, which seems a really good price. Mouthblown French bagpipe, 1.5 octaves of range (pretty high for almost any bagpipe other than uilleann or Northumbrian). Comes with synthetic and metal reeds, so should save some hassle, and the maker is a Polish pipemaker who's still in business. I don't know the seller or the maker, so do your due diligence, but if anyone has been wanting a trippy bagpipe, this could be a cool option: http://forums.chiffandfipple.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=98478  
TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Sep 15, 2014 |
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Sep 15, 2014 05:36
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Pham Nuwen posted:Jouhikko update: shaping is done, color gets applied next. I picked the location for the output jack (we're putting piezo pickups in it) last night. Hopefully pictures soon. It has been colored and is currently a rather intense-looking red which should darken and mellow significantly once the oil finish is applied. Should take about a week for all the layers of oil to be applied, then I think it's mostly a matter of getting it strung and shipped out!
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Sep 15, 2014 21:08
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:In other news, hey No Gravitas, does your wife hate me yet? If she does, please do note that this thread has led you to the very most affordable and durable instruments, and cost you way less than a taste for scotch or even a snowboarding trip would. That said, dig this for £35: I bought a Chalumeau recently (along with an electric double bass -- played acoustic double bass a long time ago) from German retailer Thomann. The only other wind instrument I've played in any real capacity is recorder, and learning to blow this thing properly is pretty hard! Especially since the embouchure and blowing-pressure seems to depend on the fingering.
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Sep 16, 2014 16:05
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I speak Polish, so I can translate stuff from that too. Hulusi en route. ETA: 22nd to 30th. Ugh. So slow.
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Sep 16, 2014 17:45
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The finish is partly done and the soundhole has been installed: It's looking fantastic. The tuning pegs and the tailpiece will be maple dyed a medium yellow/gold and oiled, bridge will be natural maple. Final bit will be brass tacks down the sides of the soundboard.
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Sep 17, 2014 21:12
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Pham Nuwen posted:It's looking fantastic. The tuning pegs and the tailpiece will be maple dyed a medium yellow/gold and oiled, bridge will be natural maple. Final bit will be brass tacks down the sides of the soundboard. So exciting! What kind of musical styling are you fixing to interpret on this? Going to record us some YouTube once you get beyond the "screeching cat" phase common to all learners of bowed instruments? quote:I bought a Chalumeau recently (along with an electric double bass -- played acoustic double bass a long time ago) from German retailer Thomann. Yeah, it appears that buying a chalumeau requires some reading-up to compare the different brands. There are easily 8 or so outfits producing these to varying degrees of smoothness, so I would definitely shop around if you want a primitive clarinet. Speaking of which, note that the Polish company above (http://gtmusicalinstruments.com/) also offers a "primitive clarinet" as low as €90. If I were in the market I'd buy one of those cast-resin Limey ones for cheapness and durability, but that's just me. 
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Sep 18, 2014 19:40
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:So exciting! What kind of musical styling are you fixing to interpret on this? Going to record us some YouTube once you get beyond the "screeching cat" phase common to all learners of bowed instruments? Well I've been listening to Pekko Käppi's album "Rammat jumalat" pretty much constantly all week, my dick is hard for jouhikko music  . I'm thinking once I can get some actual notes out of the thing, I'll try watching Pekko and other good players doing solos on Youtube and attempt to replicate some of their stuff. Beyond that, improvising little melodies to start with and trying to squash childrens' songs into the jouhikko's range.
Pham Nuwen fucked around with this message at 21:05 on Sep 18, 2014 |
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Sep 18, 2014 21:03
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Hey, that's pretty cool https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_qolRLYFqE
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Sep 18, 2014 23:07
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As much as I'm glad to have left Poland, I do sometimes look back to see if I missed something. Yesterday I looked at traditional Polish instruments. Not much. A funky looking fiddle that is a reconstruction of a long-dead instrument and two kinds of bagpipe. All this fairly modern, actually. I wonder what instruments were played during pagan times, Poland being kinda late to the monotheism party? Probably this knowledge is long lost now. So, as I wait for my Hulusi to arrive... I found a really neat instrument that I did not see covered here in great detail yet. The Shakuhachi. First, just listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEXoRTiwd5w Sure is something else, isn't it? This is what makes this sound:  The Shakuhachi is traditionally made out of bamboo. It's quite a fussy process too! A good shakuhachi looks pretty much like the picture above, down to the locations of the nodes on the stalk. The instrument is lacquered inside and out. The root nodes are trimmed down to look good. The blowing edge has a piece of bone or some hard material embedded into it. Lots of work! While quite fussy to make now, as far as instruments go, it comes from rather humble roots. The name simply describes the length: A shaku is a unit of length about equivalent to 30 cm or to one foot. Hachi means "eight". So a shakuhachi is one shaku and eight tenths long, or about 54cm. It was the instrument of Japanese travelling monks who have cast the world aside, down to wearing a straw basket on their heads. Playing the flute was a meditative thing to them, and also a way to ask for alms. Well, and then there was that thing about it being used as a self-defense thing. A shakuhachi is a perfectly good club (and you cannot take some of them as carry-on luggage for that very reason!) and can be used as an instrument of destruction. Versatile, no?  Ok, enough history. How do we make this thing work? One thing that may jump out at you is the hole count. Four on the front, one in the back. This is a pentatonic instrument. Compared to western instruments it will skip some notes if you stick to the "default" fingering. You can adjust the pitch by changing the angle at which you blow into the instrument and by partially covering holes. I have found a nice chart which lists about three octaves in range of chromatic (that's all of the modern western notes, sharps and flats included!) notes that can be played on the Shakuhachi. This does not mean this is easy, of course. The fingerings get more and more insane the higher you go. Getting to the third octave is hard for many people, and even the second isn't exactly a cakewalk. If you stick to the pentatonic you will have a much easier time. The holes are the easy bit though...  This is the blowing edge, the "utaguchi". Unlike the western concert flute you don't blow into a hole in the side of the flute. You blow onto the edge that lies on top of the instrument. As the previous pictures show, you hold the instrument vertically, kinda like a recorder or a clarinet. Getting a sound out of utaguchi is not easy. The idea is similar to blowing across a bottle's opening. Once you start getting some sort of sound it isn't too bad, just the start is tricky. Now, a typical shakuhachi is 1.8 shaku long. This isn't the end of the story though. A 2.4 shaku long shakuhachi is also popular. Another popular kind is a 1.6 shaku long shakuhachi. The larger the number, the lower the default pitch. How does a shakuhachi sound? Breathy, oriental, contemplative, strange, dark and very Japanese. Not really a great team played instrument, although I'm sure it has been done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ6PfmLi5x8 Great, now that I told you all about it, you cannot resist getting one. You feel compelled to buy. Your will is weakening. You seek, but you only find crappy poo poo flutes with too many holes. I'm here to help, in the typical No Gravitas way. Cheaply and lastingly. First and the most expensive option: The Shakuhachi "Yuu". (165$) http://shakuhachiyuu.com/ This is a 1.8 shakuhachi made from ABS. It looks like it is made out of dildo making material and it is kinda fleshy colored. Uhm. Yeah. You may need to use it as a club to defend yourself. It gives "playing the skin flute" a whole new level of meaning. At least this should sound good no matter what. We can do cheaper, of course. So many choices that come from here: http://mujitsu.com/other.html - A 1.8 "bauhaus" PVC shakuhachi for 50$ - A 2.4 "bauhaus" PVC shakuhachi for 75$ - A "I don't know what length I want" kit for a short "bauhaus" shakuhachi, covering 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0 and 2.1 lengths. (150$) - A "I don't know what length I want" kit for a long "zentube" shakuhachi, covering 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6 lengths. (210$) The two kits are a single mouthpiece and several pipe lenghts to choose from. They come apart if you need to fold them up. Wait a minute... PVC? Isn't that a really cheap material you can get at any hardware/home renovation store? Yes. It is. You can do the ultimate zen thing and make one yourself. There are tons and tons of plans for PVC instruments without moving parts. Here's a few: The official (!) schematic for the 1.8 "bauhaus" PVC shakuhachi. Yes, they do give away the schematic for free. Wow! http://www.mujitsu.com/images/pvcspces.JPG A nice schematic and detailed instructions for both a 1.8 and a 1.6 shakuhachi. http://www.fides.dti.ne.jp/sogawa/englishpagepvc.html Want to have an adventure? Got a strange bored tube? Want to entertain the tube by making it into a shakuhachi? Want odd lengths and pitches? http://jeremy.org/music/shakutool.html Just punch in the numbers you want, out comes the placement of holes and so on. Maybe double check with a 1.8 schematic to make sure you understand the output and then go wild. Not in a Japanese mood? YOU CANNOT ESCAPE MY GRASP THAT EASILY! I WILL HAVE YOU YET! For an instrument that sometimes works better for western music, try the ancestor of the shakuhachi from China: The Xiao flute.  How it sounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW3_qTp7E1E Differences from the shakuhachi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q8HxlYo7tk The Xiao can make western music easier. It is less breathy too, if that bothers you. Much cheaper than a shakuhachi, although often less well made. You can get them for as cheap as ~30-40USD from ebay or amazon. In fact, this is what you will often get when you buy a "shakuhachi" on ebay or amazon. Of course, it comes in PVC too (don't google images "pvc xiao", the results border on obscene where I'm originally from):http://home.educities.edu.tw/ljsh88/news/siou.htm Asian music not your thing? How about the Andean Quena? A more cheerful instrument traditionally made of really hard wood. You cannot use it as a club, but still works as corporal punishment for children. Yes, really. Plays western music nicely.  How it sounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGTrNXEU5eQ Or: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAzzalyhbCs How to make it: http://soundatventure.blogspot.ca/2012/11/the-complete-guide-make-your-pvc-quena.html Whew! Ok, is my hulusi here yet? No. drat.
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Sep 18, 2014 23:52
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Ok, I just scanned (with a camera) a book from 1950 called "Folk Songs of Alabama". It's full of these short, simple little songs with lyrics that I think would be great for people playing the sort of simple folk instruments we see in here. I'm just wondering, what's the best way to host a big gallery like this? It's 102 images, each image containing two pages of the book. imgur will take a while to upload, I think I'll start on it but I'm interested in hearing any other recommendations.
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Sep 19, 2014 06:19
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Pham Nuwen posted:Ok, I just scanned (with a camera) a book from 1950 called "Folk Songs of Alabama". It's full of these short, simple little songs with lyrics that I think would be great for people playing the sort of simple folk instruments we see in here. I'm just wondering, what's the best way to host a big gallery like this? It's 102 images, each image containing two pages of the book. Compile them into a PDF (use the free version of CutePDF if you don't have PDF authoring software already) and upload to minus.com.
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Sep 19, 2014 06:30
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No Gravitas posted:So, as I wait for my Hulusi to arrive... I found a really neat instrument that I did not see covered here in great detail yet. Good megapost, I'll just mention that imho making a shakuhachi from PVC pipe (technically it's a "ji nashi" since you aren't doing all the fancy shaping of the inside) is in keeping with the monastic roots of the instrument. quote:Well I've been listening to Pekko Käppi's album "Rammat jumalat" pretty much constantly all week, my dick is hard for jouhikko music . I'm thinking once I can get some actual notes out of the thing, I'll try watching Pekko and other good players doing solos on Youtube and attempt to replicate some of their stuff. Beyond that, improvising little melodies to start with and trying to squash childrens' songs into the jouhikko's range. I'll note that some Appalachian stuff would sound awesome for voice accompaniment. Here again is that dude singing "I Wish My Baby Was Born" (in a kind of rough Eriksen-influenced style) with his jouhikko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtAzfiEsrOU quote:As much as I'm glad to have left Poland, I do sometimes look back to see if I missed something. Don't forget the trembita, basically a simpler alpenhorn played by the Poles and Ukrainians: 
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Sep 19, 2014 16:39
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It was too big to go on minus.com, but here's the PDF (warning, it's 138 MB, I left the pictures at pretty high quality): https://www.dropbox.com/s/0ole583ygv5jrd6/songs.pdf?dl=0 The first few pages are kind of lovely looking, but that's just the introduction/forward. Once you get to the music, I started to figure things out a little better and it looks decent. Edit: Table of contents  
Pham Nuwen fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Sep 19, 2014 |
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Sep 19, 2014 17:01
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:I'll note that some Appalachian stuff would sound awesome for voice accompaniment. Here again is that dude singing "I Wish My Baby Was Born" (in a kind of rough Eriksen-influenced style) with his jouhikko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtAzfiEsrOU Hey yeah, that fits together really well, I like. Dammit, now I wanna do it and I don't need to take up any new instruments you rear end in a top hat
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Sep 19, 2014 17:07
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slap me silly posted:Hey yeah, that fits together really well, I like. Dammit, now I wanna do it and I don't need to take up any new instruments you rear end in a top hat You can occupy yourself awfully well in figuring out how to back-up Appalachian music with Anglo concertina. It's probably not even so historically inaccurate, a lot of these ballads and popular sheet music were played on concertina in the US back in the day, just the American concertina tradition pretty much entirely died out around the middle of last century. With the exception of Anglo concertina's cousin, the big ol' Chemnitzer concertina, which survives as a polka instrument in the Midwest, but even those are fading. 
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Sep 19, 2014 17:59
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No Gravitas posted:Yesterday I looked at traditional Polish instruments. Not much. Note the Wikipedia category skips a lot of stuff which is popular in Poland that was also so in other parts of Europe. Poland also does the whole hurdy-gurdy thing, I think some kinds of hammer dulcimer, all that sort of jazz. So far as pre-Christian Polish instruments, the various kinds of flutes, horn, ocarina are simply ancient in Europe. If the pagan Poles had any strings, it'd likely be something like a kantele, or possibly even a bowed lyre similar to jouhikko. 
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Sep 20, 2014 16:22
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Note the Wikipedia category skips a lot of stuff which is popular in Poland that was also so in other parts of Europe. Poland also does the whole hurdy-gurdy thing, I think some kinds of hammer dulcimer, all that sort of jazz. Heh, thanks! A bit of translation: The stamp, which must be either ancient (I think I see a date of "85", as in 1985) or worth 10$ nowadays, says: "Instruments of the people who graze animals". I suppose you gotta pass the time away somehow when watching the herds all day long. Also a simple whistle, good for scaring hungry animals away. The thing that spirals... A cornetto? Hmm...
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Sep 20, 2014 17:34
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   The strings are settling in while he makes the soft bag. Soon... soon!
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Sep 22, 2014 17:53
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Maaaaan, that is pretty. You definitely have to record us some YouTube tunes once you get that running. What kind of strings? They don't look like unitary strings, they're twisted fibers, yes? Horsehair or synthetic? If anyone's been watching for a good deal on an Anglo concertina, there's one in Tennessee up on eBay starting at $185, might go as low as $225: http://www.ebay.com/itm/USED-CONCER...=item4d24a0d010 I think we're up to about 4 or 5 goons here who've bought Anglos (mostly from me), if any of them are around I'd be curious to hear how it's working out. Then we have slap me silly who's a long-term serious Anglo player, so we have a resource there. I think I'm the only serious Duet concertina player in the thread, but we have a couple guys who seriously play English concertina; irrc one with a Morse Albion and one with a vintage Wheatstone. Concertinas are pretty rad. 
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Sep 23, 2014 17:21
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Maaaaan, that is pretty. You definitely have to record us some YouTube tunes once you get that running. Black horsehair, he was going to do roan but decided on black in the end.
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Sep 23, 2014 18:24
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Because two instruments (hulusi and DIY PVC shakuhachi) on the way are just not enough: I bought a bawu-ish  instrument from agreetao. It was 10$ shipped, if I estimated the weight correctly.Now, agreetao is a bit like chinese ebay. Many, many sellers. I did it mainly as a trial run to see if I can maybe get some more stuff from there in the future. You know, plucky or hammery strings? See, the exact hulusi that I bought for 30$, is on agreetao for ~13$ shipped. Lots of cheap stuff there, only the shipping is pretty steep. The shipping is purely by weight, in 100g increments. Starts at 5.80. 10$ at 300g. You get to play estimator too. If you guess low on the weight of the stuff you bought then you have to pay the extra. Otherwise you get a refund. If you ask. It takes 30 days for money to get back to you. I guess it always makes sense to guess 100g.Is the savings worth the up to 60 day shipping times? I don't know. I don't know if it will work at all. I'm willing to try though. If it works, I will let you know.Oh, the thing that I bought?This: http://www.agreetao.com/taobao/view/id/15175186480 A bawu it ain't. It looks like a plastic hulusi, sans the gourd and drones. I don't really know. Has finger holes, so I think it plays something? If I had to guess: I'd say it is the tin whistle of china, given the price. Or maybe the hulusi is? Well, for 10$ I'm happy to run such experiments. So is my wife, strangely. Why, oh why am I addicted to cheap plastic instruments? (curiosity, amusement and the carefree thing) I will keep you guys posted on how it goes, if it arrives, etc...
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Sep 25, 2014 05:13
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Definitely let us know how ordering weird stuff from China works out. Regarding the shakuhachi thing, one dude at Chiff & Fipple has the weird practice of taking lovely eBay "Irish flutes" made in indifferent Pakistani workshops, and adding a shakuhachi-type head to them to make them meditational instruments with an arbitrary scale: http://forums.chiffandfipple.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=34685&start=120 Another good time to remind people do not buy "Irish flutes" or any kind of bagpipe off eBay without an extremely clear idea of the maker, as there are a ton of unlabeled or "Fakie MacScottishname" stuff floating around that's complete garbage. If you need an uber-cheap bagpipe, get a Swedish or one of the cheaper synthetic Euro-made smallpipes (which aren't great but at least sorta work). If you want an uber-cheap Irish flute, get a PVC one from Tipple, or just generally ask around on C&F to see what the current recommended inexpensive models are. Separately, I'm finally trying again to learn the knack of playing bones, so I was carrying my cedar set (which I bought as a teen in 1996 or so) around Bogota click-clacking away and annoying other people on the sidewalk. I'm still suspicious that I may just enjoy the idea of bones more than their actual sound, but in the meantime I have a pair, I need more percussion experience, my udu drum is back in DC, and bones fit in my pocket. EDIT: I'm refusing to buy more bones until I get decent at the set I have, but if I ever expand I'm really drawn to these ones by the Triskel shop, made of bog oak (preserved wood hauled out of peat bogs): 
TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 06:19 on Sep 26, 2014 |
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Sep 26, 2014 06:01
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Definitely let us know how ordering weird stuff from China works out. Do you play more if the Irish grip/one handed or two handed American Minstrel style. I go through phases of love/hate with bones and spoons. I'll be real into them for a couple months, then get burnt out and not touch them for months. As I mentioned before, there is a lot of subtlety of grip and finger pressure to bones that almost never gets explained well. Also it's one if those instruments that everybody makes like it is really simple, but I has to practice everyday for months just to get a consistent sound and steady rhythm. Although I already own way too many bones, you are tempting me with those sunken water ones.
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Sep 26, 2014 13:20
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laertes22 posted:Do you play more if the Irish grip/one handed or two handed American Minstrel style. I had this half-assed self-taught way in the 1990s where (compared to what I see online) I had way more bone sticking out above my knuckles, so that the off-beat occurrs above my hand vice under. I have yet to get off my rear end and stare at enough tutorials to figure out what sound I want. Any suggestions which is the best tutorial of either style? Is "Irish grip" any better-suited to Irish music, or does Minstrel do jigs and reels just as well? Quick question for string enthusiasts: I ran across this great anti-war metaphor song by Brit singer Barry Dransfield. Is this track a guitar matched with a mandolin, or is it a cittern playing all parts (possibly with one or two of the bass courses single-string)? Lots Of Little Soldiers - Barry Dransfield https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YD9btgwI-I 
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Sep 27, 2014 21:23
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Not to complicate your decision, but if you're considering getting a Euro single-reeded double-tube instrument, take a look at this guy's work in modern/affordable Basque alboka: http://instrumundo.blogspot.com/2013/11/alboka-maruri.html Heard back from the guy after a few weeks; either he's not big into internet or was on vacation. He confirmed he's still making these, for €75. Currently just has black in stock, but can take orders for other colors for his next run. I'm pretty inclined to get one, under my general rule that if things are small and all-synth I can chuck them in a drawer if I'm not using them, and haul them out later with no harm done. If anyone here is Basque, or has any friends who are, might want to get in on these for cultural heritage. And generally work for medieval-y kind of stuff, iirc they play in Dorian mode, so you can do some cool dark-sounding harmonies. I'm fixing to order one and either have a friend bring it down in November, or pick it up when I'm next in the states. Just depends how soon he does the color one, since I want one in purple or something cool like that.
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Sep 30, 2014 17:14
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Jouhikko ships tomorrow and should be here by Friday. I'll probably work from home on Friday just so I can get my hands on it right away.
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Sep 30, 2014 18:13
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I have a sackpipa related question. So, I got my plastic sackpipa from Seth Hamon yesterday. I was super excited...until I realized the chanter was not playing right. Part of it can be drummed up to my inexperience and inability to regulate the pressure. However, it was also suggested that I might need to adjust my reeds. So, how do I get at the reeds without damaging my instrument? Do I have to actually remove the drone/chanter from the bad itself? Or are there supposed to be "joints" on the drone/chanter that can be removed to get at the reed?
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Sep 30, 2014 18:46
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Yup, the plastic bits which are tied directly into the bag are called "stocks". The chanter/drone/blowpipe all slide into a stock to hold them. Any of those pieces you can remove by pulling it straight out of the stock. Keyword *straight* since you don't to bang the reed against the stock as you pull the chanter out. The reed can also be removed from the chanter (which also is a way to tune), but fine adjustments are done on the bridle, the little belt which goes around the reed tongue. Did Seth include the instructions on tuning the reed? Note that *miniscule* motion of the bridle has a big effect, so adjust it in micrometers. Like moving it so minutely you're not even sure it moved. For tuning in general, get your drone at a nice E (with the lower of the tuning-holes by the bell taped off). The for your chanter, *do not* try to match Es, rather you match your A against the E until your ear tells you their a perfect 4th apart; you'll hear the "beating", the little quiver of clashing sine waves, disappear as they come into tune. *After* your A is spot on, then you turn your E on the chanter to match your drone. Can you take a pic of your pipes so I can see what mind of chanter you have? If you got D/G pipes instead of E/A, same thing as above but one note lower. Does all this make at last some sense? EDIT: Like here's a sackpipa with the chanter in, and a removed chanter next to it. You see how you can just pull it straight out of the stock (the wider wooden piece that's tied into the bag), and why you want to pull it straight out so as not to bang the reed?  EDIT2: Here's Olle's article on tuning, but it's for natural reeds vice synthetic: http://olle.gallmo.se/sackpipa/tuning.php?lang=en It gives you the general idea though, and synthetic reeds take way less witchcraft than do cane ones. so you don't need to use heat or whatnot. If Seth's package somehow didn't include directions on working with the synthetic reeds, just email him and ask. TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 22:21 on Sep 30, 2014 |
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Sep 30, 2014 20:53
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My hulusi is here! Time to write up a post about that. Quite an interesting instrument. Very very pretty. It sounds very... unusual. When I played it I heard the windows slam shut in the neighborhood. Umm... Yeah, I think I will be playing that in the parking garage. I don't get such a reaction with the clarinets or with the ocarinas. It does not sound bad, just... Really loving unusual. Basically: It bends notes by default. You have to try hard not to bend a note. Add a pretty high pitch compared to my usual and I guess people don't care for it. This was before I even started with the drone too. Still, I am quite pleased. The "bawu" that I ordered is about to ship out too. 60 days in shipping... Ah...
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Oct 2, 2014 23:41
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THE JOUHIKKO IS HERE I had to pick it up at the USPS sorting center because I gave the wrong address (typed a 5 instead of a 6) but it's in my grubby little mitts now. It looks awesome and sounds pretty neat. I'm going to talk to the maker in a little while and see if we can work out the tuning properly. I'll take pictures tonight when I get home from work. Maybe a Youtube video, but it would just be me playing the open strings because I can tell air-fretting is going to take a lot of practice.
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Oct 3, 2014 21:22
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