02-16-2024, 05:00 PM
I recently watched "Rustin" on Netflix and was surprised that there was a bit where he actually picked up the lute that was sitting in the background of his apartment scenes and played a song. I guess the '60s was a the big lute comeback period.
My dad made several instruments:
A wooden tongue drum: https://coolpercussion.com/wooden-tongue...roduction/
A mountain/Appalachian dulcimer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_dulcimer
A sheitholzt (a relative of the mountain dulcimer): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheitholt
A hurdy-gurdy (currently on loan to my friend John Thomas): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurdy-gurdy
A hammered dulcimer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammered_dulcimer
A celtic harp: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_harp
...each instrument was a one-off, so the learnings from one project didn't necessarily improve the next project.
One day, the hammered dulcimer tore itself apart due to the tension on the strings vs the strength of the glue. I have all the parts, so it might be repairable, but it always seemed like a bitch to tune...
Likewise with the Celtic Harp. Too many strings...it just sits in a corner and looks pretty.
The mountian dulcimer and the sheitholzt hang on the wall by my mom's front door. They aren't really tunable/playable. They use friction pegs and don't like to stay in tune and micro-adjustments are super hard. I have a $5 cardboard mountain dulcimer that has tuning gears and it plays much better. Side note: my folks wouldn't buy a guitar for me when I wanted to take lessons unless I learned and could perform a song on that mountain dulcimer my dad made. I learned how to play "Go Tell Aunt Rhoady".
I took the tongue drum on a camping trip with Boy Scouts one time and kids were banging on it with branches and wrecked the top finish pretty good. I think when my kids were little, one of them dropped a crayon inside. I have never been able to get it out. I currently use it as a computer monitor stand on my desk at home.
Also, my dad helped me significantly when I made my own electric guitar.
--tg
My dad made several instruments:
A wooden tongue drum: https://coolpercussion.com/wooden-tongue...roduction/
A mountain/Appalachian dulcimer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_dulcimer
A sheitholzt (a relative of the mountain dulcimer): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheitholt
A hurdy-gurdy (currently on loan to my friend John Thomas): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurdy-gurdy
A hammered dulcimer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammered_dulcimer
A celtic harp: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_harp
...each instrument was a one-off, so the learnings from one project didn't necessarily improve the next project.
One day, the hammered dulcimer tore itself apart due to the tension on the strings vs the strength of the glue. I have all the parts, so it might be repairable, but it always seemed like a bitch to tune...
Likewise with the Celtic Harp. Too many strings...it just sits in a corner and looks pretty.
The mountian dulcimer and the sheitholzt hang on the wall by my mom's front door. They aren't really tunable/playable. They use friction pegs and don't like to stay in tune and micro-adjustments are super hard. I have a $5 cardboard mountain dulcimer that has tuning gears and it plays much better. Side note: my folks wouldn't buy a guitar for me when I wanted to take lessons unless I learned and could perform a song on that mountain dulcimer my dad made. I learned how to play "Go Tell Aunt Rhoady".
I took the tongue drum on a camping trip with Boy Scouts one time and kids were banging on it with branches and wrecked the top finish pretty good. I think when my kids were little, one of them dropped a crayon inside. I have never been able to get it out. I currently use it as a computer monitor stand on my desk at home.
Also, my dad helped me significantly when I made my own electric guitar.
--tg