Also moving the bridge can make a big difference to the sound. With this instrument I would try moving it further away from the tuning pins, to get longer...
2781
LM
lavransrm
Apr 28, 2012 12:25 pm
My tuppence: I had a lot of problems with horsehair strings- getting the thickness just right, getting a good sound, staying in tune, doing the twisting, etc....
2782
LM
lavransrm
Apr 28, 2012 12:32 pm
OOPS- slight typo: This should read "My source for gut and Nylgut for instruments such as the lute is Boston Catlines. It is operated by my friend and...
2783
ken koons
kckcreate
Apr 28, 2012 2:11 pm
I hate to say it but, from the picture, it looks to me that the sides and top of the instrument are too thick. This would greatly reduce the volume and tone of...
2784
LM
lavransrm
Apr 28, 2012 2:55 pm
As I was about to say, how thick is the soundboard? If it's too thick, get out the sander and take it down! Larry the M...
2785
juhopalmroos
Apr 28, 2012 6:29 pm
The top/soundboard is around 5-6mm. In my defence, all I can say is that I was following the plans....
2787
juhopalmroos
Apr 28, 2012 6:46 pm
Thank you all for your advice. So far I've rewound the strings tighter, rubbed more rosin on them, and moved the bridge backwards to make the scale length...
2788
juhopalmroos
Apr 29, 2012 5:47 am
Actually, scratch that previous message. This time, with a tape measure in hand, I found that it's 3.5-4mm....
2789
wernerbuchin
Apr 29, 2012 9:06 am
Twist the Bowhairs. Robert Evans (Bragod) does it with his Crwth. He says, it works only this way. Without twisting the Bow doesn´t work. Best wishes Werner...
2790
wernerbuchin
Apr 29, 2012 1:44 pm
I found two pics of the twisted Bowhair, taken at the Lyrefestival Burghässler two years ago. I just loaded them up - maybe they help. Best wishes Werner...
2791
Lisa
strumeliahar...
Apr 29, 2012 10:03 pm
My own two cents- (I'm assuming you are not twisting the bow hair, correct?) Bow hair I find needs to be a bit full, and slightly loose. I use an entire hank...
2792
harfe@...
nancy.thym
Apr 30, 2012 2:26 am
Hello all, I need to set something straight here. The bow with the twisted hairs has nothing to do with bowed lyre or jouikko from a historical or traditional ...
2793
o2btuvan
Apr 30, 2012 10:58 am
... *************************** Nancy, Thanks so much for sharing this fascinating research. I know some scholars and musicologists who would love to hear more...
2794
Lisa
strumeliahar...
Apr 30, 2012 12:54 pm
This is getting really confusing- people are talking about various kinds of instruments at this point. Back to the basics perhaps?: This guy's*jouhikko* is...
2795
Tim
vikingtimbo
Apr 30, 2012 1:36 pm
... Hi Bernard, That's great that you can play the morin khuur. No doubt some Tuvan/Mongolian throat singing goes well with it :-) I assume you've seen that...
2796
o2btuvan
Apr 30, 2012 7:29 pm
... *********************** Hi Tim, Well.....now that you mention it.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3ZkBYEsPz8 I did not play the morin khuur with a bow...
2797
o2btuvan
Apr 30, 2012 7:56 pm
... I never noticed it until you pointed it out, but the bow for my "bowed psaltery" also has twisted strands. This makes the bundle about an eighth of an inch...
2798
Patrick Woolery
patrick_woolery
Apr 30, 2012 11:41 pm
This is getting off topic, but I thought I'd mention that I once built a super-simple bowed psaltery that was one-sided diatonic. By super simple, I mean it...
2799
Tim
vikingtimbo
May 1, 2012 7:36 am
... 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...
2800
o2btuvan
May 1, 2012 10:17 am
... 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"...
2801
o2btuvan
May 1, 2012 11:55 am
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...
2802
sca_bard@...
sca_bard
May 1, 2012 12:16 pm
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,...
2803
Tim
vikingtimbo
May 1, 2012 1:10 pm
... 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...
2804
irrotational@...
craig_81...
May 1, 2012 3:16 pm
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...
2805
nnaeve
May 1, 2012 5:48 pm
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...
2806
LM
lavransrm
May 1, 2012 7:12 pm
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...
2807
o2btuvan
May 2, 2012 11:28 am
... ********************* 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...
2808
o2btuvan
May 2, 2012 12:33 pm
... ******************** 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...
2809
LM
lavransrm
May 2, 2012 2:07 pm
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...
2810
Lisa
strumeliahar...
May 2, 2012 2:42 pm
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 ...
