... Hi Bernard, That was awesome as always!! When I wrote that previous message I sort of had a suspicion you might have dabbled in the "mystic arts" of throat...
... Hi Tim, Throat singing is off topic for this forum (and for the subject header) so I won't bore everybody with a long discussion. I use the word "khoomei"...
A few weeks ago I built a 7 string Saxon lyre. Just for fun, I inlaid it with engraved bone (a couple of lion head motifs lifted from The Book Of Kells) and...
The dust is not only stinky, but will irritate your lungs. The folks I know who work with bone, antler and horn all say to work in a well-ventilated area,...
... Hi Bernard, ... I'm not sure there was ever a "7 string Saxon lyre". The evidence all points to six strings. The Trossingen lyre's crudely made bridge...
The odour of grinding bone is oozing out of my computer as I read your email! Once sniffed it is never forgotten. For cooking bone, a pressure cooker is good...
If you're looking for an easy thing to try, a friend made me a jouhikko and used weed-wacker wire for the strings. I've been meaning to make a bow, but...
I am forwarding this to this list on the chance that there are folks over there who may enjoy this. These are good friends of mine and very very good at what...
... ********************* And I'll bet those strings sound great! I used Weed-Wacker wire (which is actually not wire but a plastic or nylon of some sort in...
... ******************** Hi Tim, I think you're right. Anywhere from seven to ten strings on the classical lyre were common from the most ancient times but...
I believe that it's a good idea to wear some kind of mask when sanding ANY kind of material. Once sawdust gets in the lungs, it doesn't go away. If the wood...
One civilization's 'weeds' are another civilization's wildfowers or medicinals. We modern types prefer to whack or mow everything down to stumps and what ...
In this video, you can see just how loose the bow hair is and how he tensions it with his hand as he plays. It's sort of like dragging a rope back and forth ...
Yesterday I made a video with a 7-string electroacoustic Saxon style lyre. I hardly need to repeat that I am not an authenticist and no self-respecting ancient...
... Hi Bernard, That was beautiful! And of course there's that part of me that's bewildered by the lights and buttons and otherworldly sounds, and wants to...
... Hi Larry, There is no looper used in the 7-string lyre video. I do own a looper but I don't like it and I don't use it. What you may be mistaking for a...
Hi, Sorry if I've posted this link before (maybe a long time ago, I can't remember). But I think it really shows how much fun a lyre can be, especially as an...
I have made a reconstruction of the lyre bridge from Uamh an Ard Achaidh. It works very well and is pretty sophisticated and subtle design I think. I have put...
... Hi Simon, That's great, it's a beautiful thing! I think the jury is still out on how many notches the bridge had originally, I would've gone for more than...
Hi Tim, Yes, not only is it really very straightforwardly a "northern lyre bridge" but it is a pretty good one too. Much more work and sculpting than, for...
... Simon, Your bridge is wonderful, but I agree with Tim that the bridge, as it existed before the damage of fire and the passing of time, probably had more...
... Hi Bernard and Simon, The arch under the bridge looks very neat and graceful and I strongly suspect that it's part of the original design. And of course...
... ********************** Scot, I'm not sure exactly which brand of weed trimmer string I used. I am looking at the line the gardener uses in the trimmer now...
Here's the reply from the friend who made it... I don't exactly-it was the generic variety from Home Depot, and I seem to remember it being one of the lighter...
... Perhaps it was a primitive electrical fault that caused that bridge to smolder? Is this also why some early bridges were made from amber, to function as...
I had some weed -whacker string around for while- I wound up using it for tailpiece gut. It was stiff and hard to make a knot in, but it was indestructible! ...
... ********************** Maybe the bridge was singed when the lyre was used as kindling to burn the sorcerer musician! Amber was traditionally believed by...
Thanks for your comments! Attached is a tracing of my template, (my template was two full-size- printouts of the original excavation photo, cut out and then...
