tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7687953000738026282023-11-16T13:12:12.262+02:00Bass Care Instrument RepairInstrument building, repair and restorationUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-62495753621808914832016-05-09T21:12:00.001+02:002016-05-09T21:12:56.479+02:00Removable Double Bass Neck<h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Travel bass conversion</span></h2>
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Bass players who frequently travel long distances face many challenges. If you are lucky, you'll have an experienced orchestra management behind you to take care of the logistics; you arrive at rehearsal and your own bass is waiting for you requiring nothing more than a little extra tuning. Travelling independently to gigs is a whole other story. Can you afford that extra seat? Or should you use a hard flight case? Sure this will keep the bass safe but then there's organising special transport to and from the airport. Hiring or borrowing an instrument is another option but what a lottery that can be. </div>
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For many players the best compromise is a collapsible travel bass that can go in the hold as a normal piece of luggage. There are a number of these available and some very clever designs. Which alternative works best for the player is a very individual thing. However, sometimes you have a bass that may not be especially valuable, but it works really well for you, it's easily playable, has a good and reliable sound and you just like playing it much more than any of the folding basses that you've tried. Converting such a bass into a travel instrument may then be an option worth looking into.</div>
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I recently did such an operation. Neck repairs, especially when the the foot of the neck has cracked always present a challenge. The amount of pressure from the strings is enormous. When I need to replace a neck I will saw it off and then chip out the wood from the joint rather than risk damage when forcing it out. In this case I first removed the fingerboard and then sawed the neck at an acute angle near the button and then along the bottom, where the neck meets the body. Two problems arise from this. Firstly some wood is always lost when sawing so that needs to be replaced. Secondly the now much thinner neck foot is vulnerable to cracking along the vertical grain lines. The way I rectified this was to line the foot with ebony which solved both these issues but also presented the possibility of creating a mortise joint which would ensure accurate placement of the neck.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXst-WOEprv8F4CVF-YcuM11lb5Q-D9NhOsakI8SurEPEH9OCzuI__0iQ_5ghrccTbh8I91_aLVI3VbJYy0Nkb4wqPPMWYKvKmXg5yf8OFiR5Rk-11jsGY65lqSkTjtI9I5JofMwxzYKO/s1600/WP_20150525_10_28_35_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXst-WOEprv8F4CVF-YcuM11lb5Q-D9NhOsakI8SurEPEH9OCzuI__0iQ_5ghrccTbh8I91_aLVI3VbJYy0Nkb4wqPPMWYKvKmXg5yf8OFiR5Rk-11jsGY65lqSkTjtI9I5JofMwxzYKO/s320/WP_20150525_10_28_35_Pro.jpg" width="179" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OYWAqlusaxpOiUQst4O5v7JdDmOMKA4uveTyrgoHRvxL498KmmH9cHJ-MukhHCjHqxSwu4xDw8vBCWehMRQReJDN_Zd2ILlJCTD0NybcaPkTw9oaEYGZ53p47HLejllhfKBDHx2yH0yt/s1600/WP_20150525_10_27_54_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OYWAqlusaxpOiUQst4O5v7JdDmOMKA4uveTyrgoHRvxL498KmmH9cHJ-MukhHCjHqxSwu4xDw8vBCWehMRQReJDN_Zd2ILlJCTD0NybcaPkTw9oaEYGZ53p47HLejllhfKBDHx2yH0yt/s400/WP_20150525_10_27_54_Pro.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Making a snugly fitting joint here worked fine, but it made actually removing and replacing the neck tricky. So a compromise had to be made. I wanted the joint to glide in and out easily but then also to be very firm once in place. My aim was for the neck to feel as solid as it was before the operation only because of the strength and accuracy of the joint and not by relying on pressure from the strings. This so that the instrument can be moved around and worked on without strings as easily as an instrument with a solid neck. I eased the tightness of the mortise joint and lubricated the surfaces with graphite (pencil lead). This now meant that while the neck moved nice and easily, once it was in place there was a slight side to side movement in the joint. I was able to eliminate this by fitting a piece of ebony snugly underneath the bottom of the neck.</div>
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Finally a single bolt holds the neck in place.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-69320675758220015242012-06-21T16:13:00.000+02:002012-06-21T16:15:35.389+02:00New WorkshopMidsummer 2012 - I have just moved my workshop to another room in the same building...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPEKFryTU-EbmHogZyntUqwCAtE4Exx54PpnarT0NbhVI1dKHOxt3jbTJid8Boq2Fl1LHOGxXvYUg_0IS3G1USFjhOgk50npoDqoO7T5N9rlcnNuj1VSXHJUB5xwMirTYZQiZiF9q4wBa/s1600/DSCF7953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPEKFryTU-EbmHogZyntUqwCAtE4Exx54PpnarT0NbhVI1dKHOxt3jbTJid8Boq2Fl1LHOGxXvYUg_0IS3G1USFjhOgk50npoDqoO7T5N9rlcnNuj1VSXHJUB5xwMirTYZQiZiF9q4wBa/s320/DSCF7953.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
and managed to get it organised and set up in time for the summer work rush...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ibpftDecq4eTw5L2NOAzl52zGDsRss3RQDtRrEKazzO65Epv75CyLRTXrgmVGcWfUg8Z7m5R56nlt3fL8EMd_g71i2ouz5LdvlbhLeQorZeZEBJn16AHub9DQTxzLs0Syxe-1uZf4HWS/s1600/DSCF7949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ibpftDecq4eTw5L2NOAzl52zGDsRss3RQDtRrEKazzO65Epv75CyLRTXrgmVGcWfUg8Z7m5R56nlt3fL8EMd_g71i2ouz5LdvlbhLeQorZeZEBJn16AHub9DQTxzLs0Syxe-1uZf4HWS/s320/DSCF7949.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Am very pleased with the results, though it is a little sad to say goodbye to my old, now empty work space.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACJregVLFybNayLWx0YaaF6hg14lVMVDUY94sBgMbJeTT-mt8WR_LZ4wYzhni7QnuvCtuDxkB2lWiUgFSPbb1hiTorMxNJIk4Ss_xXF9EHz9xAPrnKWKKJwE6toZ63xsgA6QXZH7aw5Cj/s1600/DSCF7951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACJregVLFybNayLWx0YaaF6hg14lVMVDUY94sBgMbJeTT-mt8WR_LZ4wYzhni7QnuvCtuDxkB2lWiUgFSPbb1hiTorMxNJIk4Ss_xXF9EHz9xAPrnKWKKJwE6toZ63xsgA6QXZH7aw5Cj/s320/DSCF7951.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-59863817674131051002012-04-25T20:06:00.001+02:002012-04-25T20:06:38.915+02:00Hemslöjdslövet - the Home Craft Leaf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGS8ySqox8ey7d_g2hXT0UnzkXuzUJyH7L5VZgPCcGLo_60mrXF1n0ajjIjZOlO2_2kZ4G-TQKRNzw4Y4C72vQXuoFQCWJLq3dbXXgKHjj8ZlVooxtdhse-pnh0z4IzfW67UOB7UJpGeX/s1600/DSC_0098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGS8ySqox8ey7d_g2hXT0UnzkXuzUJyH7L5VZgPCcGLo_60mrXF1n0ajjIjZOlO2_2kZ4G-TQKRNzw4Y4C72vQXuoFQCWJLq3dbXXgKHjj8ZlVooxtdhse-pnh0z4IzfW67UOB7UJpGeX/s320/DSC_0098.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
This year they are celebrating 100 years of Hemslöjd, the special kind of Swedish craft work that is much a part of the culture here. There will be an exhibition this summer of 2 000 of these leaves made by people from all over the country, mounted on 100 trees at Liljevalchs art gallery in Stockholm. You can read more about it here: <a href="http://hemslojden100ar.se/utstallningar/liljevalchs/">http://hemslojden100ar.se/utstallningar/liljevalchs/</a><br />
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The idea was that the leaves shall show something personal and meaningful from each creator. I've had a little look at some of the other contributions and there is an amazing amount of variety and creativity. Yesterday I finished my leaf and handed it in to the craft consultants who work in the same building. They were finishing up with a big meeting and asked me to talk to everyone there about the ideas behind my leaf. When I was finished they said they wished they had recorded it, hmmm, I said - well I'll have to write it down then. So I did. Here are pictures and the little descriptive text I made, its a kind of poem, in Swedish.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgA3QV5LssKWYtiWGlj3dfODedF2RDZjkDaVC_JM0kdFm8Zj13loSZYuZTiDqa2GX99a1uLAEVHzWf6gKPGGN9t7hvhnVoGqc6QIKqd7JeeMR51hqRGIKhqS8DFO83ridAHj1d8O1LY-D/s1600/DSC_0085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgA3QV5LssKWYtiWGlj3dfODedF2RDZjkDaVC_JM0kdFm8Zj13loSZYuZTiDqa2GX99a1uLAEVHzWf6gKPGGN9t7hvhnVoGqc6QIKqd7JeeMR51hqRGIKhqS8DFO83ridAHj1d8O1LY-D/s320/DSC_0085.jpg" width="212" /></a> Ursprungslövet,<br />
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Människans ursprung.</div>
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I Afrikas livmodern har vi alla legat.</div>
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Titta här på Afrikas vattenflod,</div>
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Och glöm inte de underjordiska floder,</div>
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Andliga förbindelser med de gamla, de heliga.</div>
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Från Afrika har vi dragits ut i världen,</div>
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Genom forntidens utvandring, genom porten utan återvändo,</div>
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(Även jag har följt med i Zimbabwes stora folk utvandring på 2000-talet.)</div>
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Men kopplingen finns kvar.</div>
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Vi känna den, vi dras tillbaka</div>
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Till vår ursprung.</div>
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54 länder ska det vara,</div>
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Har vi härute bestämt,</div>
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För nu ska vi minsann ta vårt arv.</div>
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Dessa diamanter med guld omkring -</div>
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Hur mycket kostar de?</div>
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I dollar, i kronor, i människoblod?</div>
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Men lyssnar nu till musiken,</div>
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Till Jazz och Rock and Roll och Hip-hops rytmer</div>
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Som sträcker sig över landet som en bro mellan världens alla människor.</div>
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För nu vill vi återvända, nu vill vi, nu kan vi</div>
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gir tillbaka, och läka sår … tillsammans…</div>
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Och med nytt hopp i människans vagga väcker återigen nytt liv.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The plywood
has many layers, it has depth. The wood represents Africa’s flora. The copper
plate probably comes from Zambia originally and it symbolizes the earth,
Africa’s mineral riches. Copper was used as currency there in the past.
In some traditions metal used in a musical instrument also symbolizes magic.
The front is made from goat skin from Senegal, which stands for Africa’s animal
life. Round the edge are blood diamonds and gold. The strings are left over
from when I made a Kora (west African stringed instrument), and are attached
with violin pegs. The tail piece is made from an old fingerboard, African ebony, you can still
see the marks from the strings from when it was played. The bridge is cut from
a double bass bridge that I made for an instrument in the Gothenburg Symphony
Orchestra, and later replaced. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> The pictures don't show the details so well, one needs to have a closer look. The front has a map of Africa with its waters. In the poem I said don't forget the underground rivers, the spiritual connections to the ancestors and the holy places. Around the edge I scratched in the names of the 54 countries, an external concept, borders drawn out by the colonists. The cord, a closed circle, weaving in and out holds everything together. It represents the outward movement of people from Africa during the mankind's early development, during the slave trade and now the great Zimbabwean exodus of which I am a part. It also represents the movement of european/ arab slave traders, the colonists and the multinational companies. It is as if at some level they remember where they originally came from and they return to demand their inheritance, to take Africa's riches. This is what the edgework represents - diamond shapes, surrounded by gold, filled with blood. Over the hide, strings are stretched. It is like music creates a bridge over the continent between all the people of the world, the rhythms of jazz, blues, rock and roll, hip hop etc, which came originally from Africa and have spread over the world joining people together. Now we can see the positive, the millions of Africans in the diaspora who pour back wealth to their countries and their families who remained behind. There are also millions of others who feel this inexplicable pull, who feel drawn to Africa and drawn to help and heal. So the flow is back and forth. On the back, on the copper, there is the form of a foetus, made with sandpaper. It represents the idea of Africa as the womb of mankind, we all come from there originally. It also represents new life, new hope, Renaissance. And the way in which the metal reflects the light through the skin, Africa's Enlightenment.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-69858546295410825152012-02-16T18:21:00.000+02:002012-02-16T19:25:04.390+02:00What I really do<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">What society thinks that I do:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQlFFF6V41L7N9TpkB9y9wBXyCO1W3agdMmI0eIowva9vkamHf1clNQjiEvWhQ06AKNRs3VhocPLv4DFyXKmtW6TPIG8qYQvPGzoreMxiZmm5Fe76A9WoFHqct6fYaRGt8OQIHf7BZpnnw/s1600/stradivarius1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQlFFF6V41L7N9TpkB9y9wBXyCO1W3agdMmI0eIowva9vkamHf1clNQjiEvWhQ06AKNRs3VhocPLv4DFyXKmtW6TPIG8qYQvPGzoreMxiZmm5Fe76A9WoFHqct6fYaRGt8OQIHf7BZpnnw/s320/stradivarius1.jpg" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What my violinmaker colleagues think that I do:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRTo4HrfHE9EhyCfZbZW0_UklfBaD-Lv-daWcVzA4cgrNcxk-o_UFPvq37sSTpZSOGLVCbbTZ0R2wAuYliAQDQHhgJIas8iu_KySiS_uy-I3pfqLnx74Xhyphenhyphen9VnTT9OpcG-4urH7CyL7Ef/s1600/2179060449_10821a7dac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRTo4HrfHE9EhyCfZbZW0_UklfBaD-Lv-daWcVzA4cgrNcxk-o_UFPvq37sSTpZSOGLVCbbTZ0R2wAuYliAQDQHhgJIas8iu_KySiS_uy-I3pfqLnx74Xhyphenhyphen9VnTT9OpcG-4urH7CyL7Ef/s320/2179060449_10821a7dac.jpg" width="257" yda="true" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What I want my customers to think that I can do:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-fMWc5lQvVSyntNMhCnzQ11zUlnWF_ciPJwEokleogGO1nwmXkddHkQTVxiMXpBgweQWEeA7aRnsA0ycENaw3edeAv_Xz79Dmzi_SmxBO_Ig3YIPAX5TiNQKJlztg1SMNy8dCrBEHx3q/s1600/hocus+pocus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-fMWc5lQvVSyntNMhCnzQ11zUlnWF_ciPJwEokleogGO1nwmXkddHkQTVxiMXpBgweQWEeA7aRnsA0ycENaw3edeAv_Xz79Dmzi_SmxBO_Ig3YIPAX5TiNQKJlztg1SMNy8dCrBEHx3q/s1600/hocus+pocus.JPG" yda="true" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What the Tax Department thinks that I do:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1UaKZoXPO7MwMS4uqvGmlLfiQJxJ-7Y8HkUtsVqNYN1p3_TqqjDEoJZTuhoWjJTBZ2sWdcvg5sfUsHWo70BLBcOmfE1PexLTC58ZXQ7Uwb2wRYQEwyF2vFlnGT9nbUbSlA-PqxaRzZ6I/s1600/5066750867_5fc5de5eb7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1UaKZoXPO7MwMS4uqvGmlLfiQJxJ-7Y8HkUtsVqNYN1p3_TqqjDEoJZTuhoWjJTBZ2sWdcvg5sfUsHWo70BLBcOmfE1PexLTC58ZXQ7Uwb2wRYQEwyF2vFlnGT9nbUbSlA-PqxaRzZ6I/s320/5066750867_5fc5de5eb7.jpg" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What I really do? </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4QPBLJwlX0Nn4QieFrtUPkTHm0Ez1RPk5Y-Nu8KBbhG4oxkdQPee3eN1YuYPfpgCrr91zkySpyLxs7X8T6IAVdaYh0O1Jqqi0ivQsOU_wD8yb0u9Cssab3WAMo6F_NF2knpC2J0Yeeg-/s1600/Workshop+pictures+spring+2010+037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4QPBLJwlX0Nn4QieFrtUPkTHm0Ez1RPk5Y-Nu8KBbhG4oxkdQPee3eN1YuYPfpgCrr91zkySpyLxs7X8T6IAVdaYh0O1Jqqi0ivQsOU_wD8yb0u9Cssab3WAMo6F_NF2knpC2J0Yeeg-/s320/Workshop+pictures+spring+2010+037.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Try and clean Pops rosin off double basses. </span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-51092563390371391962012-01-18T16:09:00.001+02:002012-01-18T16:09:19.919+02:00Fitting necks and bridges on a double bassMany violin makers prefer not to work with double basses. Often they don't have the space, or the right tools. They might not feel confident about working with such a big instrument, they might not particularly like double basses, or know much about them. Perhaps some, remembering all those jokes in violin making school about double bass work and carpentry, might even feel themselves a bit of a failure were they to let a double bass come into their ateljé. Such hit and miss woodwork hardly demands the kind of precision or deep knowledge of the art form that violin making does. Or does it?<br />
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A typical task for a violin making practical exam is to fit a neck on a violin using a dove tail joint. This is not easy as one is working in three dimensions and there is only a single point, lying at the intersection of four different planes, that is correct. Inching your way along here is not the right word, more like millimetering your way, no micrometering woodshaving by woodshaving towards this correct point, all the time making the four important checks. Firstly, when you look down on the instrument from the top, the line that runs through the ears of the scroll needs to run parallel with the line that you can see between the ribs and the table. Then, looking down over the fingerboard you need to make sure that it lies exactly down the middle, which you do by comparing distances from the f-holes. In fact for this check, you need to really look at the instrument from all angles, even from the back. Next, the angle of elevation. The angle of the foot should be 87 degrees and this should mean that at the foot of the neck, the fingerboard lies 6mm on each side above the purfling on the table and the end of the fingerboard should lie 21 mm above the table. This should correspond to a standard bridge height of 33mm. Finally the neck should be sufficiently sunk into the joint so that the distance along the fingerboard between the edge of the table and the top saddle, or nut, is 13mm long. Phew, what could be harder than that?<br />
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Fitting a double bass neck, of course. Here there are no standard measurements, so you have to first work out which measurements you are going to need, in relation to the body form. Important things that need consideration here include the symmetry of the instrument, especially around the f holes; the depth of the ribs and how round the upper bout is (a very round form will need a neck set further away from the body for the instument to be playable in the higher positions, but only if the ribs are not to deep); the thickness of the table, how flexible and how strong it is (if the table is thin and weak the neck angle should be less steep in order to reduce the pressure on it from the strings) and finally the proportions of the body length to the neck length. If this is wrong the instrument will be unplayable. The crook in the neck needs to be exactly opposite D on the G string, or sometimes Eb depending on the preference of the player. This is not something you need to worry about so much on a violin, but is very important on a bass. The other important difference of course is that the pressure from the strings on a bass is absolutely enormous which makes a perfect fitting at the neck joint all the more crucial.<br />
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So now we have dealt with some of the issues of neck fittings I´ll move on to a little case study on a bass bridge I did a little while ago that demonstrates the relation between setting of the neck and the carving of the bridge. One could think of the bridge as being in a way an extension of the neck/fingerboard. The instrument in question came in in two pieces, neck and body, and the instructions "this bass was about to go on the rubbish tip, see if you can do something with it, maybe you can use it for spare parts." I said I don't know about spare parts but if it can't be resurrected I'll use the table for a sign post and the back and ribs I will fit with shelves and hang on the wall. So much for my fun ideas, on closer inspection I realised that it would be quite possible to glue the open seams, refit the neck and set it up to a perfectly respectable student bass. So that is what I did.<br />
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Now let me show you the outlines of the old bridge and the new bridge and explain the differences.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKONqU1t7xInzeImGC6MIB6vz4AOoN6O4pwHO6iNQdblvM92BySM7O00L2KwGVxIgNkW-HzWub0HeSMK12PpYfihr_h4wp1WtLG6jLyX0bs2OhrP76FV8oGyGdCVZ1qqV_J6rRRgV7A6P/s1600/varnish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKONqU1t7xInzeImGC6MIB6vz4AOoN6O4pwHO6iNQdblvM92BySM7O00L2KwGVxIgNkW-HzWub0HeSMK12PpYfihr_h4wp1WtLG6jLyX0bs2OhrP76FV8oGyGdCVZ1qqV_J6rRRgV7A6P/s320/varnish.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Here is the original bridge. If you look along the bottom, you can see that the table was misformed, being higher on the treble side than on the bass side. The right (bass) foot is lower than the left, if you compare to the rather faint line that shows the level. This is pretty common, and can be exacerbated by having a sound post that is fitted too tightly, pushing up that side of the instrument. When this does happen, it is important to take this into consideration and compensate by making that leg of the bridge longer. On this bridge they haven't thought of that and the two legs are the same length, both 65mm. The result being that the whole top of the bridge is shifted to one side. Compare the solid line with the perpendicular dotted line. This results in the strings not being centered over the fingerboard, but shifted over to the bass side, making it impossible to play. So when that happens the simplest solution, as they did in this case, is to move the bottom of the bridge over to the treble side and then the strings lie in the right place. This is not ideal because now the pressure on the area between the f-holes is uneven, and the vibrations may not be properly activating the bass bar (which lies underneath the bass foot).<br />
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But there is another problem here and that is the relative height of the bridge on the bass side compared to the treble, 64mm compared with 53mm. The bass strings need to be a bit higher because they are thicker and vibrate more widely and may buzz against the fingerboard if they are too low. But if they are too high in relation to the treble strings then a player may have to work harder to get their arm around the instrument to bow on the top string. It is better if the top of the bridge has a flatter profile. The best way of countering this problem is by resetting the neck (obviously not always possible, sometimes a wedge under the fingerboard will do) so that the length of the fingerboard is tilted slightly over to the bass side.<br />
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The bridge height of 173mm was also quite high considering that the neck and the bottom saddle were originally set quite low to the instrument, suggesting high tension by the strings on the bridge. As a general rule of thumb, I like my bridges to be more or less as high as they are wide. So when I reset the neck, as well as angling it slightly, I also added a new piece of wood to the end of the neck foot so that the fingerboard didn't lie so close to the table. Then I set it at less of an angle so the height of the bridge wasn't as high.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjk7H2aWU7MNw-daxCQN9jyTzhlBPgyGRKbuSpluFh1Hg5V8sw4Zq9brB8qvfRNPSUiIAbkEYIv8PpSPsq9EKE7AlAFItxNLs8tv3ipga4CO5RlcOuWBSXxFYigQVrG1mZbZd0cIhWCEhi/s1600/varnish+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjk7H2aWU7MNw-daxCQN9jyTzhlBPgyGRKbuSpluFh1Hg5V8sw4Zq9brB8qvfRNPSUiIAbkEYIv8PpSPsq9EKE7AlAFItxNLs8tv3ipga4CO5RlcOuWBSXxFYigQVrG1mZbZd0cIhWCEhi/s320/varnish+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
So here is the final result. The table is still deformed (correcting that would entail a full plaster cast mould and reshaping, the cost of which would exceed the value of the instrument) but that doesn't matter anymore because I have adjusted the respective lengths of the feet so that the bridge stands properly upright, the centre line is perpendicular. The upper measurements are now 49mm to 46mm which is as it should be. The height now a perfectly respectable 160mm with the heart nicely centered in the middle. And the firewood that was destined for the container is now being played by a deserving student. <br />
So, when you need to have your bass set up, and your local violin repair person will not accept it, don't take it to the nearest carpenter, or let your uncle or friend loose on it.... Ok, real bass repairers are not easy to find, so you can give it to your uncle or friend if you really want to..... but, first make sure they read and understand this and then see if they are they are still up to the challenge.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-57889024464116004102011-08-29T18:23:00.001+02:002011-08-29T18:27:30.236+02:00Spirit Varnish for Violins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today I mixed some new varnish, Apothecary style on a real old balance scale, with the traditional resins and gums. On the left scale you can see benzoe and mastix and on the right, sandarac. I'd already measured the shellac into the large glass jar which is flanked by gum elemi on the left and venetian turpentine. Behind is a 5l container of spirits, 99.7% ethanol to be exact. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAJxFkAKV2d0K0Ta2Cp02Q6l29U3YBOk6qfT54XmAvv3lSTITEMMSsdHsxbekozFvdcbo6UE9i_kop_ahTub2gTnj_jOoup1PgHK7d94UDkOsfOhzY1cUU37iA9eohbhOnnCJnKhLihrv/s1600/varnish+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAJxFkAKV2d0K0Ta2Cp02Q6l29U3YBOk6qfT54XmAvv3lSTITEMMSsdHsxbekozFvdcbo6UE9i_kop_ahTub2gTnj_jOoup1PgHK7d94UDkOsfOhzY1cUU37iA9eohbhOnnCJnKhLihrv/s320/varnish+010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<u>Benzoe:</u> is a balsamic resin which comes from one of several species of Styrax trees. It has the most wonderful smell, which is why I like to use it. So not surprsingly it is also used to make incense, and as a fixative in perfumery.<br />
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<u>Mastix:</u> comes from the sap of the tree <em>pistacia lentiscus</em>. As well as being one of the finer resins to use for violin varnish it is used as a culinary spice in Greece and Turkey, especially for sweets and desserts and is also a kind of natural chewing gum. Probably the best thing is to pick the resin drops straight off the tree, if you're going to use it as chewing gum, because I find that it tends to crumble in the mouth and then stick stickily on the teeth, but it has a lovely flavour and apparently soothes the stomach, absorbs cholesterol and reduces bacterial plaque (by 41,5% according to one study).<br />
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<u>Sandarac</u>: is a resin from North African <em>tetraclinis articulata</em>. It is one of the most important ingredients in varnish but also used as incense, a remedy for diarrhea, and calligraphers like to grind it up and sprinkle it on their parchments.<br />
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<u>Shellac</u>: is a resin which doesn't come directly from a tree, but via the alimentary canal of the female lac bug <em>kerria lacca</em>. The rather pale shellac that I use (there are many different colours) probably comes from the tree <em>schleichera trijuga</em>. It's fairly common knowledge that shellac is used as a varnish and as an ingredient in a french polish, but it is also known as food additive number E904 and used to replace the natural wax removed from apples during the cleaning process! It is also a low temperature fuel which allows for the creation of pures greens and blues in fireworks.<br />
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<u>Gum elemi</u>: This is a fragrant sticky mess which comes from the tree <em>canarium luzonicum</em>. It can been used to treat coughs and brochitis and in Arabic it means "as above, so below" suggesting that it works on the emotional and spiritual planes as well.<br />
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<u>Venetian turpentine</u>: is a variety of turpentine that comes from the Western Larch or <em>larix occidentalis</em>. Ordinary modern turpentine is a horrid stinky liquid used for cleaning brushes and things, but it has traditionally been used in medicine to treat wounds, lice and intestinal parasites and is still used as an ingredient in Vicks chest rub.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkILxOW_UryCgPFwl9-kar4cgY2Nl-wPDXoQHs4Fdzvm_znnsJ74KN2oGEp_INVORG-7oKFhib-_SY87BFJg0NLKjhnYH31Px8YwL2Wo-bJTtdSl9dAXHFQpUxMM8Z4xBEKipzKv8ukE6/s1600/varnish+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkILxOW_UryCgPFwl9-kar4cgY2Nl-wPDXoQHs4Fdzvm_znnsJ74KN2oGEp_INVORG-7oKFhib-_SY87BFJg0NLKjhnYH31Px8YwL2Wo-bJTtdSl9dAXHFQpUxMM8Z4xBEKipzKv8ukE6/s320/varnish+012.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Very pretty when the jar is filled with alcohol and put in the window, though not for long as they all start to mix and dissolve and murkify. I'll stir it now and then and when I'm happy, filter it through an unbleached coffee filter to remove the insoluble bits.<br />
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So you want to know the secret of my varnish? The secret is that there is no secret. It's my own concoction based largely on what we used at school and I'm quite happy with the way it works. Here is the recipe:<br />
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4 parts sandarac<br />
2 parts shellac<br />
1 part benzoe<br />
1 part mastix<br />
1 blob gum elemi<br />
1 blob venetian turpentineUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-75671802691806944802011-08-22T15:41:00.000+02:002011-08-22T15:41:22.759+02:00Raising the saddle on a double bass to lessen the string angle.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGqoPJ2Suz1xXL1h5e9jbt1pZJQTFUxMhZWlRXfmmvyuoQ8l1YRloK_bo7fD2VNlKmCec1BWj3Jq9bLSFIwETpECowq5_xb2DXkNwuSmYWakje781rgQColLAPN2jTKSyt1VA93yfOUeaP/s1600/DSCF6891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGqoPJ2Suz1xXL1h5e9jbt1pZJQTFUxMhZWlRXfmmvyuoQ8l1YRloK_bo7fD2VNlKmCec1BWj3Jq9bLSFIwETpECowq5_xb2DXkNwuSmYWakje781rgQColLAPN2jTKSyt1VA93yfOUeaP/s320/DSCF6891.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A problem that you sometimes get with basses is that the angle of the strings at the bridge is too acute. This is idiosyncratic to the way the instrument, in particular the neck setting, has been constructed. The steeper the angle of the strings at the bridge, the more downwards pressure is exerted on the table. This can affect the tone and may result in a bigger, brighter sound which could be desirable, but it can also cause problems if the table is old, thin and/or pressure sensitive. One may also be looking for a warmer, more open response for orchestra playing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The solution to this problem, if it is a problem, is to raise the height of the bottom saddle. There are a variety of ways to do this and many players are now looking for an adjustable saddle raiser which allows them flexibilty, for them to have more control over the instrument's sound. I have just had a bass in for that job and came up with the solution pictured above. I am quite pleased with the result: a simple, what they might call here in Sweden "funkis", design. It is made from an old piece of fingerboard, fitted exactly to the existing saddle, which has two invisible screws holding it in place. It sits loosely and may easily be removed should the player wish to return to the original setting. The pressure from the string tension here is quite enormous which means careful attention to the fitting and form of the saddle is essential. The laws of physics and mechanics (vectors) must be taken into consideration. The tailwire is made of a very strong, non-elastic cord, tied with a simple knot which can also be easily adjusted. This will be necessary when switching between the different saddles. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Here you can see the adjusted string angles which sit nicely and evenly over the bridge.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ewKaeqsBS4F8UQRq48d2RRFyUyoVzEUfmGgNpTV6CUGRbXOlPMn0U21fGyedE-SzUt3h5_v0UHsGzkupdQOH91AAUVO7OuswLOJnCcK1Czwh5Mb6dTHXfDI5-H0iEBcFkbHoSrK1rOtE/s1600/DSCF6892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ewKaeqsBS4F8UQRq48d2RRFyUyoVzEUfmGgNpTV6CUGRbXOlPMn0U21fGyedE-SzUt3h5_v0UHsGzkupdQOH91AAUVO7OuswLOJnCcK1Czwh5Mb6dTHXfDI5-H0iEBcFkbHoSrK1rOtE/s320/DSCF6892.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-45982317343514743322011-05-16T21:49:00.001+02:002011-05-16T21:54:52.999+02:00The "Nääs Effect"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdUMnOxmXD7sX6LJ47fDuZ0SwV6kTXUm2lrZPKIl5vshn8k3vXRoEd7GLLjxfCTVRAzem0rd532Yk-8vgj7jEgn9X1guFHeCAGsLUmVboEnEmnNi-Jp2QLTLDOR3U464PEXhdlTlKkwKK/s1600/workshop+autumn+2010+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdUMnOxmXD7sX6LJ47fDuZ0SwV6kTXUm2lrZPKIl5vshn8k3vXRoEd7GLLjxfCTVRAzem0rd532Yk-8vgj7jEgn9X1guFHeCAGsLUmVboEnEmnNi-Jp2QLTLDOR3U464PEXhdlTlKkwKK/s320/workshop+autumn+2010+030.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I have just been to a lecture by a lady called Anna Alm who is doing her doctoral thesis on the effect Nääs had on the lives of those who took the Slöjd teachers' courses between 1880 and 1940. It was very interesting. The school (building which houses my workshop) was started by Otto Salomon, who was nephew of the guy who owned the manor house. It was revolutionary in that he introduced pedagogique into woodwork teaching in schools, whereas before woodwork classes were given to keep children occupied with hands busy by the local carpenter. He developed a step by step system of teaching which aimed to encourage independence and creativity. Form, function and aesthetic were important as well as being able to plan and make the object without help, using good posture.<br />
<br />
The 6 week courses were co-ed, which was also new and very international. They had participants from up to 20 different countries. The Nääs method was especially popular in Britain and USA before WW1. There was a special atmosphere that make a lasting impression on the lives of those who came and they would always look back to the time with great nostalgia. It was especially empowering for women.<br />
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The interesting little coincidence that I learnt was that Otto Salomon's wife was called Ellen which is nearly my name and they named their son Axel which is also my son's name! There was a picture of him as a boy, carving away at some project.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-85243455749139234332011-05-14T12:55:00.001+02:002011-05-14T12:57:46.235+02:00Wood and sound: using marimbas in a "slöjd" club.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Tuesday I gave a talk to a group of "slöjd" consultants who are amongst other things responsible for setting up "slöjd" clubs for children all around the country. "Slöjd" is Swedish style craft, a special way of working with material. The building where I have my workshop was where they developed a teaching method for this a century ago. This method became well known in other parts of the world and people travelled long distances to attend the summer courses. They still hold lots of different courses here but they are more general interest, not aimed at teachers as such. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the 5 principals of the modern "slöjd" clubs is that they should aim to be multi-cultural. In other words one can find inspiration from unexpected sources (e.g. from the african violin-maker down the corridor), from other countries and other disciplines of the arts (e.g. music, story-telling) and incorperate them into the children's creativity. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So that is the background to the little workshop I did. Contact me if you'd like a copy of the notes that I made. They include a bit of theory, a long list of questions that a instrument maker might ask themselves when choosing suitable wood, a few pictures and some links to relevant video clips on you-tube. Below is the little resonance box that I used as an example, made out of a birch tree that we felled in the early spring.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQlSeVemZMfrqMfYk4Or8jZMOb29kkdjtCcSlqv4YO6aerLxl4xRoKH9cF95OYhpOOGrJ7v6xJxl5WGueE4YM0K2TGYQMHp8gsBC9JaTAK6pI_2bj20ShNesXV8u1gs5Ige60fZt4qG2p/s1600/spring+2011+096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQlSeVemZMfrqMfYk4Or8jZMOb29kkdjtCcSlqv4YO6aerLxl4xRoKH9cF95OYhpOOGrJ7v6xJxl5WGueE4YM0K2TGYQMHp8gsBC9JaTAK6pI_2bj20ShNesXV8u1gs5Ige60fZt4qG2p/s320/spring+2011+096.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-26588035718012040932011-05-14T11:26:00.001+02:002011-05-14T11:30:31.859+02:00Visit to the Buskaid music school in Soweto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I recently made a quick visit to Johannesburg to meet up with the people who run Buskaid music school in Diepkloof, Soweto. <a href="http://www.buskaid.org.za/">http://www.buskaid.org.za/</a> They are looking at the possibility of developing an existing project that they have by setting up an instrument repair workshop on sight which will maintain the impressive collection of good instruments that they have accumulated over the years. The teaching project which has been in progress since 1994 has certainly produced phenomenal results. It was a very exciting and inspiring visit and I look forward to following them and seeing how this new project develops.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIO0xjsXZiP67r0eGIhJKDvpkG-TGYr9YFdLxnZg58O8nJN516mWjbmx2KtxdVZlwbi1AottUJDwLz2EdYyrmJ_apkVYCnpD7I2tEWdyEDJsadCtrd1rsQShSLYjcb8TI7PcOc1L9bACDH/s1600/joburg+harare+april+2011+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIO0xjsXZiP67r0eGIhJKDvpkG-TGYr9YFdLxnZg58O8nJN516mWjbmx2KtxdVZlwbi1AottUJDwLz2EdYyrmJ_apkVYCnpD7I2tEWdyEDJsadCtrd1rsQShSLYjcb8TI7PcOc1L9bACDH/s320/joburg+harare+april+2011+016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There were at least 4 class and individual lessons going on when I visited the school. Rosemary Nalden, the founder of the school, was busy with one student while the other classes were taken by the Buskaid teachers who have grown up in the system. There were also a number of observers, like this cutie in the cello class, learning by watching.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLvZ9P9pP8l7M_M7a6jhaJk5CEGyrx4d9hOclgAGQRP-IhZ7PKl8e0iJfvrZM_lnuDz3qOnjCB7craRFMrd5bBVw2E6w3Us8Di_XPfUaK3ZgzCOlSxpfM9tvcfmKdXUqHE0uWqigNJqt-/s1600/joburg+harare+april+2011+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLvZ9P9pP8l7M_M7a6jhaJk5CEGyrx4d9hOclgAGQRP-IhZ7PKl8e0iJfvrZM_lnuDz3qOnjCB7craRFMrd5bBVw2E6w3Us8Di_XPfUaK3ZgzCOlSxpfM9tvcfmKdXUqHE0uWqigNJqt-/s320/joburg+harare+april+2011+019.jpg" width="105" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-85415969755755373252011-05-07T10:14:00.000+02:002011-05-07T10:14:03.309+02:00Open House 7-8 May 10.00-17.00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NUvlQimB_CnF2WQOyMV2j9J2Vd8cHbuJaiaVSAHeFJw6cfVGqxoHlzkNu5JS2JRqqrNbuhBRix0G2AVd5xF9rZlVCTqJlN2suoNWS1M_uj5aoiFgPZ4z-7wZl4KIhJ4THD14ooGEd-Hy/s1600/spring+fun+08+033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NUvlQimB_CnF2WQOyMV2j9J2Vd8cHbuJaiaVSAHeFJw6cfVGqxoHlzkNu5JS2JRqqrNbuhBRix0G2AVd5xF9rZlVCTqJlN2suoNWS1M_uj5aoiFgPZ4z-7wZl4KIhJ4THD14ooGEd-Hy/s320/spring+fun+08+033.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This weekend is the annual spring handcraft fair at Nääs and the workshop will be open. Alf-Inge will be there with his birds and to answer questions about violin-making.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-73083464219155706432011-05-07T09:50:00.000+02:002011-05-07T09:50:36.532+02:00Progress on the Quarter Size Violin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Cu9aKkF5pd6aitx2wESyBFXK6k4xwvHWIF4Hbt9M8AZYRgHrFAC9BkjoDUKQY5wpeWI2mLn04j2IkpkJ1mPa7QnevnvGfYYXbDdJzbm30A_RZ702PGFtLiTPxkfRF1ShJQTFRwULbHSV/s1600/spring+2011+048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Cu9aKkF5pd6aitx2wESyBFXK6k4xwvHWIF4Hbt9M8AZYRgHrFAC9BkjoDUKQY5wpeWI2mLn04j2IkpkJ1mPa7QnevnvGfYYXbDdJzbm30A_RZ702PGFtLiTPxkfRF1ShJQTFRwULbHSV/s320/spring+2011+048.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LDJTo_9RO9i7jn6tR3q1rExZ-Eagy8Bj3gZs6EVvKPhYL8lcPu2puyxP_E1dNLApyifv1gbYJ63Q6MlY4s3TAM4QZyi0bf0Ro7sm5cgteVV2bqzNpTtXtlA4T9vC-hVLgW3fZl80-N9U/s1600/spring+2011+045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LDJTo_9RO9i7jn6tR3q1rExZ-Eagy8Bj3gZs6EVvKPhYL8lcPu2puyxP_E1dNLApyifv1gbYJ63Q6MlY4s3TAM4QZyi0bf0Ro7sm5cgteVV2bqzNpTtXtlA4T9vC-hVLgW3fZl80-N9U/s320/spring+2011+045.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaesHh1sWtBS82rEFqiRsAuad3Jm_AJSo6iFRCjTjDjJc8zOpxdJKUhM02r-LjRPl_jCdHcgQLXEPdNnvMaQQAblQswpq0_Ku8ZLWzBDencKyjpGkbZbmEXWYcAPURWDk119M25Dd9wIyC/s1600/spring+2011+049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaesHh1sWtBS82rEFqiRsAuad3Jm_AJSo6iFRCjTjDjJc8zOpxdJKUhM02r-LjRPl_jCdHcgQLXEPdNnvMaQQAblQswpq0_Ku8ZLWzBDencKyjpGkbZbmEXWYcAPURWDk119M25Dd9wIyC/s320/spring+2011+049.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-32093135906355446512011-03-04T15:45:00.000+02:002011-03-04T15:45:36.436+02:00Kiddie violins, the German "free-method" vs. Cremonese inner formFor once I don't have seven or eight basses in the workshop so I'm taking advantage of the lull to brush up my violin-making skills. Axel will soon need a 1/4 size violin, so that's what I'm busy with. The last violin I made took 5 years, but this one is going a lot quicker.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1XHaLOgTPmgEIAOLfgH-BPiCNEtJXNljnGLpfteqVssOCXRigXxXyzAzr0A2pgRKK9euM1nDCr4GlQcFcMRYY0op4N4AKYaCD7LNnEGWQ1EaCmeaDE24BZ07YDVw0f2EDWphaThN5muw/s1600/DSCF6450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1XHaLOgTPmgEIAOLfgH-BPiCNEtJXNljnGLpfteqVssOCXRigXxXyzAzr0A2pgRKK9euM1nDCr4GlQcFcMRYY0op4N4AKYaCD7LNnEGWQ1EaCmeaDE24BZ07YDVw0f2EDWphaThN5muw/s320/DSCF6450.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm using the German method of fixing the ribs, that we were taught at school - did my exam in Markneukirchen - as opposed to the conventional Cremonese method using an inner form, not because it's better but because I didn't want to spend time making a form for a one-off instrument. In this method the form of the back is finished and then the ribs are bent to fit. The corner blocks are fitted last. It's quite a lot harder to get the same even result as when form is used, but it useful when experimenting with different shaped/sized instruments.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2KDdjN7SIgxqAN4ih6LWvZlUCdC1TXdi9cjMDspSfc_w6zGruKWFRErMppMDHaxjmzRZh2rnzcULh6ZfpxDGnw_hwxUqE95TQzgt1mldkuGDpeA1IFD-UF_jo5Z6Pn9_u2iVaWWQANFw/s1600/DSCF6453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2KDdjN7SIgxqAN4ih6LWvZlUCdC1TXdi9cjMDspSfc_w6zGruKWFRErMppMDHaxjmzRZh2rnzcULh6ZfpxDGnw_hwxUqE95TQzgt1mldkuGDpeA1IFD-UF_jo5Z6Pn9_u2iVaWWQANFw/s320/DSCF6453.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is an inner form that I've made for a double bass. It is after a John Lott bass that belongs to the Gothenburg Symphony, which I've had the privilege of having in the workshop. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjp4NPMTOVr5QCRsU8G8T2i9ao25gmMYZhFUs56N6pmFr0xmzttWxh0ln6Hjo-2qG5MDAQzdUNeegbi347klekp7hrg11yhSp0OgpGzN5dLQTRKCGlbkM-1wI8hmrAPG5Xs1xeQ0VzS6i/s1600/DSCF6451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjp4NPMTOVr5QCRsU8G8T2i9ao25gmMYZhFUs56N6pmFr0xmzttWxh0ln6Hjo-2qG5MDAQzdUNeegbi347klekp7hrg11yhSp0OgpGzN5dLQTRKCGlbkM-1wI8hmrAPG5Xs1xeQ0VzS6i/s320/DSCF6451.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've got this far today. Axel told me that he would like a black violin with a heart shaped scroll. Why not? I'd already rough cut the scroll, but was inspired by a heart shaped "cheerio" that we found in Axel's breakfast cereal on Valentine's day to make a hole that you can peep through. It's still just roughly formed now. I'll do a close-up when it's finished.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-84148255969775263692011-02-01T12:59:00.000+02:002011-02-01T12:59:59.763+02:00Double basses and winter humidity issuesWe are experiencing an unusually long and cold winter this year, and in my workshop there is a queue of cracks and buzzes to be attented to. Humidity levels in winter and how they relate to instrument care is something I spend a lot of time discussing with customers. My own opinion is not necessarily gospel truth and I'm still collecting data - when it comes to basses it's an inexact science - but this is what I have to say.<br />
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<u>Relative humidity</u>: Cold air cannot hold nearly as much moisture in it as warm air. What happens in winter is that cold air from outside, which contains low but relatively speaking quite acceptable moisture levels, comes into our living spaces and is warmed up by our heating systems. While the actual amount of moisture in the air remains constant the warm air is now relatively speaking very dry and this can cause problems with musical instruments.<br />
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<strong>What dry air does to your instrument</strong>: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpogPGADP_fRJFDsVUfwSgaRSl54_du9hTteOB4sr92NcfYist1CzhfnRdOesZxESf5B2txtv2tupHPKTqFvmNw4lldzMx2Lz-D_JQgerNLS5bC3hUQcUCqE022UkmxeJ9i6jeeeBZt_Vo/s1600/blog_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpogPGADP_fRJFDsVUfwSgaRSl54_du9hTteOB4sr92NcfYist1CzhfnRdOesZxESf5B2txtv2tupHPKTqFvmNw4lldzMx2Lz-D_JQgerNLS5bC3hUQcUCqE022UkmxeJ9i6jeeeBZt_Vo/s320/blog_edited-1.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><u>Wood</u>: When wood dries out it shrinks, mostly between the grain lines. This means that when you look at the table of your instrument, with the grain lines running down the length of the instrument, the width will decrease slightly over time. If it shrinks too fast a crack could pop open running along the length of a grain line. What compounds the problem is that the instrument is constructed in such a way that the grain lines in the ribs, table and back run in different directions, so that when shrinkage occurs it creates tension in the instrument. What can then happen is that the ribs, which shrink along their width much more than their length, become too long for the shape of the table and pop out of line. Added to this is the fact that a many basses are made from wood that is at least partially slab cut (you can see this in the pretty circular grain patterns in the upper and lower bouts). This can create a tension which pushes the two edges of a crack out of alignment, making a straight forward gluing job impossible. Wood that has been well seasoned will present with fewer problems.<br />
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<u>Glue</u>: Dry air also affects the hide glue used in instrument making. This is less serious. The glue shrinks as it dries, bringing the two sides of a joint tightly together. Moist glue is quite elastic, but it become more brittle as it dries. This means that in dry conditions seams of glue can become so brittle that they open up, usually between the ribs and table or ribs and back. This is easily rectified.<br />
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<u>String height: </u>On some instruments the string height changes with the season, so that the strings end up lying too far or too close to the fingerboard, affecting playability. An adjustable bridge or summer/winter bridges is usually the answer to this. Some instruments need a higher bridge in the winter, some need a lower bridge, and many are quite stable and don't need adjustment at all. I have not yet found rhyme or reason why this is so. There are just too many varying factors involved. Wood is a very complex material and behaves in a unique manner in each instrument. On instruments that do change a lot seasonally it is a good idea to keep an eye on the tightness of the sound post. Some instruments need different length sound posts for different seasons both sound wise and as insurance against possible sound post cracks.<br />
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<strong>Humidity control for bass owners</strong><br />
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We have several hygrometers (humidity gauges) in the workshop and they all show different measurements. There are ways to callibrate them, but it's important to realise that they can be unreliable. Luckily we humans, like our basses are also sensitive to humidity levels. If you feel the dryness in your nose and your lips, you know that you need to need to do something about the humidity for your own sake as well as your bass's. <br />
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<u>Room humidifiers</u>: This was one of the first thíngs I invested in, but it made so little difference to the humidty in the workshop that I just returned it. There are simpler methods which I use e.g keeping water containers by every radiator. When the temperature drops below minus ten outside I start boiling water in the kettle with the lid off 10 mintues at a time and I'll have a steaming pot of water on the stove all day (which I use anyway for glue). The cheaper humidifiers available may be sufficient for a small room, and I'm sure that there are sophisticated expensive ones available too which would be effective. I'd be interested to hear of other people's experiences. <br />
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<u>"Dampits":</u> I'm not a "dampit" fan. The danger with them is that they drip water inside the bass which leaves stains in the wood and mixes with the dust inside to form a kind of cement which is a nuisance to clean. The drops of water can also dissolve glue and seams can open. As general rule when it comes to drying or moistening wood, the slower the better. The structure of the wood can be damaged both when the cells collapse suddenly due to harsh drying and when the cells expand suddenly when water is dropped on them. So if you use "dampits" make sure that you wipe off the drips. Otherwise just keep your bass inside its cloth cover when you're not playing.<br />
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<strong>What to do about cracks and buzzes:</strong><br />
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Open seams and some cracks are easily fixed with a bit of warm hide glue and a clamp. For others it may be necessary to open the bass so that they can be properly glued and reinforced. Sometimes I'll choose to leave a crack open until a later time when the instrument can be opened. Some cracks can be glued provisionally and then reinforced from the inside at a later date. Some cracks will create a buzz, some won't affect the sound at all. Some are really obviously, others are quite secretive. Buzzes are a whole mystery in themselves and can have many different causes. If you find a crack or open seam on your instrument that does not affect its playability, it can be left until a convenient time to fix, say within a few months or so, depending. But if it is left too long there is a danger that it can get worse if it has been caused by tension and it can also collect dirt and be more difficult to fix invisibly. <br />
<br />
So my advice to players is check your instrument reguarly and bring it in if you have questions, to me or another repair person whom you trust. What I have written here is as much as I can say without actually looking at your instrument together with you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-67967794752673716552011-01-02T23:32:00.003+02:002011-01-18T13:25:56.341+02:00On Kora Making and Violin Making<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKycYMoz3N2GLOMQ_lIXbleoPcsTHWtb2C1Tqjl33YnhC2yb0GpwYGifFDebtbyz01AfrP3ewhUqPrEAzFbvrQPHwkJdbSpq7kKoDeVMpJF936b5lTafN8lCaZ9hKJiYyAMnu6KuApp15j/s1600/winter+2010+063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKycYMoz3N2GLOMQ_lIXbleoPcsTHWtb2C1Tqjl33YnhC2yb0GpwYGifFDebtbyz01AfrP3ewhUqPrEAzFbvrQPHwkJdbSpq7kKoDeVMpJF936b5lTafN8lCaZ9hKJiYyAMnu6KuApp15j/s320/winter+2010+063.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>So I finished stringing up my kora over the Christmas break. It was maybe the hardest part and involved some several spectacular explosions and entanglements as tailwires snapped and the bridge collapsed, but after experimenting with stronger materials and about a week of constant retuning it's now playable and the tone is developing nicely. I thought I'd try and do a little recording but neither the mike I have nor my playing does anything approaching justice to the sound.<br />
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But I'm very pleased. Two months ago my awareness of the kora as an instrument was of a vague west african bewilderment of strings. Then on 2 november I discovered the music and was hooked. I listened and listened and researched and found that there was a place in England which sold kora kits and I thought rather sensibly that that would be the way to start, with something semi-fabricated in west Africa. So I wrote off to them, right away regretting it slightly, because I really wanted to make one that was really my own, from scratch, truth be told. As it turned out they were busy with Senegal-trips so I was free to do my thing, in fact I felt that I now had the liscence. On 2 december I visited a little shop in Gothenburg and bought the calabash and hide. And now on 2 january the instrument is finished and tuned, quite amazingly as it was along side other work I was busy with. My first violin took me a whole year to make. So what's the deal with violin making vs kora making? Is the kora just simple and "primitive" in comparison with the more sophisticated violin? Ooo that grates me. I may have developed an allergy toward the negative associations of the word primitive. <br />
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The kora originated according to oral history about 700 years ago amongst the Mandé people in the Empire of Mali. It's older than the violin. It is built of 4 elements: the gourd representing earth; wood representing plants; skin representing animals and iron representing magic. Some instruments are inscribed with magical qu'ranic symbols on the inside. How exciting is that! Traditionally played by members of Jali (griot) families it's common that the musicians make their instruments themselves. In some families the kids start by making their own kora, then they learn how to play and only when they are quite proficient is an instrument made for them by reputed maker. In the violin world, making and playing have been two quite separate things, which is rather sad in a way. <br />
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So if I'm to learn to play the kora, making my own instrument first is really the ideal beginning. I wasn't born into the right family, but all the necessary knowledge was there in my education and experience and on the internet. Cool.<br />
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What impresses me about the kora is the simplicity yet perfection of the design, the perfect suitablity of the materials (gourd and hide), the natural ease of contruction. There is another kind of perfection in a violin, the culmination of rennaissance sophistication that become a classic form, which despite the advances of technology remains largely unchanged today. One could argue that the violin is a representation of man's triumph over the forces of nature. Think of the extravagent environments in which it was first played.The form is a sophisticated geometric construction, not found in nature but in the mind of man. The materials submit to the will of the maker and are formed through his tools into the preordained result. Unfortunately it this becomes a kind of tyranny when you consider the way violins are mass produced today. The trees are mowed down and the barely seasoned wood is machined to the exact same measurements used by Stradivari, unaware that in the process something vital is lost. Nature is violated, the instruments just don't sound the way they should and it all ends up becoming some sorry sacrifice to the gods of consumerism.<br />
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The kora comes from what today is one of the poorest places in the world, once the centre of the slave trade, though it too was played in the courts of kings. But the kora's form comes not from the cerebral heights of man's conquest over nature, but from thousands of years of interplay between man and nature: from the cultivation of the calabashes; the domestication of livestock; the rending of iron from stone. A dialogue between man and nature rather than a dominion. It is nature that determines the form of the sound body, not Euclidian geometry. (The geometry behind the violin form is by the way really interesting, although it is a part that is often skipped) The round gourd is simple yet amazingly strong and thicker at the points it needs to be. We would have trouble building anything like it out of wood, a fibreglass mould maybe, but then the dialogue would be silenced. Hide also has inimitable qualities. The natural materials tell a unique story of the life they once contained, a life nutured in the balanced interplay between mankind and nature.<br />
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I do not mean to say that either kora making or violinmaking is superior. As with violinmaking, there is also a risk that tourism creates an unhealthy demand for cheap replicas of koras, which will provide money in the pockets of some people but an imbalance in nature. My point is that instrument making is based on traditions, whether they be of cerebrally dominated rational learning from the courts of enlightened europe or of the undocumented mystical interplay of man and his surroundings from the courts darkest africa, but it is also a dynamic and living craft. If one dismisses kora making as something primitive, one loses an important lesson: that good instrument making involves communication, a balance, a dance between the maker, his tools, the materials and nature itself. Of course this is something that the great violin makers of the past and today do instintively.That kora making is "simpler" than violin making to my mind is just a bonus as it allows more accessiblity. I believe that music should not be elitist and the making of an instrument needs not be a mystery to the player.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-13487261614902672622010-12-21T11:07:00.000+02:002010-12-21T11:07:56.628+02:00Creative Problem Solving with Plaster CastsThe big project of the moment is correcting the arching of a bass table. It had had a bass bar that was fitted with with far too much tension causing the whole table to warp. The sound post side was also pushed up out of proportion. So I built a bass shaped container and made a plaster form of the table. After correcting the plaster form I needed to find a way of applying even pressure over the entire table. This is usually done with bags of sand, but hey, since mid november all the sand has been frozen under half a metre of snow. What to do? Hmmm....Pling!! Sugar is like sand. <br />
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When I started the business I got lots of advice about how I should put exactly everything that I buy through the business to save on tax. Well, I haven't actually done that in practice. Apart from not feeling entirely honest, it makes for a lot of boring bookkeeping, so things that I buy for the workshop go through the business, and the rest I pay for myself. I maybe the poorer for it but I do sleep well. Relevance? My brainwave was that I could buy loads of sugar to press in to my bass form and then afterwards take it home to make pretty christmas candy. 1. bass form (tick) 2. cosy family activity (tick) 3. edible christmas presents (tick)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBCVGhJZAbO0Pr3zEMe9_ggCU39LsOSdmSIEFotmAFVhohlktVH3URTCKmYa5A-oQ_wZEWSlEHV2UNMnzzGtz1wNPOVzroWTd3o7TXp8P8bDbKHx_5fhGUMvddLhPw4bKOS90JST6Pwb4/s1600/winter+2010+051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBCVGhJZAbO0Pr3zEMe9_ggCU39LsOSdmSIEFotmAFVhohlktVH3URTCKmYa5A-oQ_wZEWSlEHV2UNMnzzGtz1wNPOVzroWTd3o7TXp8P8bDbKHx_5fhGUMvddLhPw4bKOS90JST6Pwb4/s320/winter+2010+051.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This was just a test run, but I liked the look of the plastic bags filled with suspicious white powder. The actual procedure involved warming everything up with hot air, dampening the wood with hot water, layers of paper to absorb the moisture and then bags of sugar carefully arranged for even pressure (sugar has the added advantage of holding the heat well) and finally quantities of wood on the top for extra weight. Repeated several times. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5tBUrmlS9TbTES7dOmJ4yORzy_lCENB7DMKXs_OS9FPSpMDZD_2FHYJmj1mrhd-W9D2006Y8Ge1jnD-ThBw0Xo7ELm1K12GcAZBda2n6aNfv12DrEeGu1lKBZerJnI_IVg5dsEnc-A7a/s1600/winter+2010+061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5tBUrmlS9TbTES7dOmJ4yORzy_lCENB7DMKXs_OS9FPSpMDZD_2FHYJmj1mrhd-W9D2006Y8Ge1jnD-ThBw0Xo7ELm1K12GcAZBda2n6aNfv12DrEeGu1lKBZerJnI_IVg5dsEnc-A7a/s320/winter+2010+061.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>After all that, I boiled up the sugar with food colouring.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-79699013451802182332010-12-12T14:03:00.000+02:002010-12-12T14:03:10.594+02:00Meeting Koussevitsky's old Double Bass<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6J5LAblVQGF_eyjemr_YIRv_5DksnseRcFblbQP5UTDRylbUi1LZ7W0dgp4QSJynzgOe2FR4KuPtsJ3wGr_VL3a6bPkjrqMhjpevXuvE-ypNrfUHhcX5jjmM2TbIcfk5kxZOUU-UEGUq/s1600/workshop+autumn+2010+076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6J5LAblVQGF_eyjemr_YIRv_5DksnseRcFblbQP5UTDRylbUi1LZ7W0dgp4QSJynzgOe2FR4KuPtsJ3wGr_VL3a6bPkjrqMhjpevXuvE-ypNrfUHhcX5jjmM2TbIcfk5kxZOUU-UEGUq/s320/workshop+autumn+2010+076.jpg" width="109" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyNazTDYuKi8CcXFCjIl5szfNtAvv9dMxWTw2eu_2Z5oeYnXoUjSnEi8kW7neAyEIT-3CasqR03zzOUibb2zv4M8-QVHRSoMmjdGAjq3zxos5NcCnXegLZI4fdlQRA8yDr9bMho0LiRTqV/s1600/workshop+autumn+2010+072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyNazTDYuKi8CcXFCjIl5szfNtAvv9dMxWTw2eu_2Z5oeYnXoUjSnEi8kW7neAyEIT-3CasqR03zzOUibb2zv4M8-QVHRSoMmjdGAjq3zxos5NcCnXegLZI4fdlQRA8yDr9bMho0LiRTqV/s320/workshop+autumn+2010+072.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>The other day I got to visit the orchestra at Konserthuset with my little bag of tricks. A new bass had just arrived and the bridge and sound post needed to be put back into place. Luckily that was simply done and I was able to spend a good long time admiring it together with its proud new owner. <br />
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This is no ordinary bass. It was once the property of the virtuoso Sergei Koussevitsky. Not to be confused with Gary Karr's alleged "Amati" which he got from Koussevitsky's widow, this "Tononi" is a much smaller instrument (string length 97cm, though you would never guess from looking at it). According to the seller there is no proof that it was in fact made by Tononi but it does in all likelihood come from Bologna around 1720. It certainly is a magnificent instrument and it has the most wonderful form and full arching which is not evident in this picture. Accompanying the instrument is some interesting documentation and I hope that its present owner will be able to piece together and bring to light a considerably more exciting story than what is presently available at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Koussevitzky">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Koussevitzky</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hAx5OYv-Isk6mtgXcn2ibuZ5NX801Ul5QYOSOQATBlfZYZIuojKN_Ot_mr9zZwyHK-ITaY4GdFuW1ynLhXCZmbg7DSoOcQmiIlXiop-4_MxqibUvEum6VWYvTtweA_cqBvT0_OQzuENL/s1600/workshop+autumn+2010+073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hAx5OYv-Isk6mtgXcn2ibuZ5NX801Ul5QYOSOQATBlfZYZIuojKN_Ot_mr9zZwyHK-ITaY4GdFuW1ynLhXCZmbg7DSoOcQmiIlXiop-4_MxqibUvEum6VWYvTtweA_cqBvT0_OQzuENL/s320/workshop+autumn+2010+073.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>It was certainly a great privilege for me to be present when the first notes were played and I'm looking forward to making a new bridge for it in the new year.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-185488955819045492010-12-08T10:32:00.001+02:002010-12-08T10:53:29.213+02:00Kora Diary 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kRwRc1V3yT1Ww_fdAUzMOENjK2ARoECpRSdpwjEV1wKH0W_IcUbrhrZLOyGqlq0laWKgcy2FS6LgMLRbkMjowlx8wLfktjkmo27822eUdyV_ZP4keeQvrmdOntO1uTZYx8PlHmSN8J43/s1600/DSCF6305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kRwRc1V3yT1Ww_fdAUzMOENjK2ARoECpRSdpwjEV1wKH0W_IcUbrhrZLOyGqlq0laWKgcy2FS6LgMLRbkMjowlx8wLfktjkmo27822eUdyV_ZP4keeQvrmdOntO1uTZYx8PlHmSN8J43/s320/DSCF6305.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Provisional fitting of the neck. Koras can be up to 1.5m tall. This one is 1.4m at the moment. I might take a bit off after I've plotted the string lengths, not sure yet.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7qR7fGf8bakdmV9S5Koz4G-dN71iM9hCRGm_1zHgZsM0WyiIKq9oXFM9xgVYSxm2wWQLNbWAYgN5-Op35CAp8qmOt1ZDq7MW2v3VDeOmKt_kywD0hWp2fhkRuunTTakABROMUMApUMUJ/s1600/DSCF6297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7qR7fGf8bakdmV9S5Koz4G-dN71iM9hCRGm_1zHgZsM0WyiIKq9oXFM9xgVYSxm2wWQLNbWAYgN5-Op35CAp8qmOt1ZDq7MW2v3VDeOmKt_kywD0hWp2fhkRuunTTakABROMUMApUMUJ/s320/DSCF6297.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>The sound hole turned out rather nicely I think. The calabash is very obliging to cut shapes out of. I'm sure I can use the African shaped piece that came out for something too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-28630085490831750902010-12-02T20:57:00.000+02:002010-12-02T20:57:20.233+02:00Kora Diary 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQchFuJGZ3N57nZv6FE8g2XAfGNwrcns1v1HeTvtVFtztEJdXP9aKbKZzyghrZrga8pN72NuxzRZdUQoTr2b38-Cf8NXEsOsiGXkIqk_djmQomigCPtatp6j_wOqXEspbDV-SDtdjYLbYd/s1600/winter+2010+040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQchFuJGZ3N57nZv6FE8g2XAfGNwrcns1v1HeTvtVFtztEJdXP9aKbKZzyghrZrga8pN72NuxzRZdUQoTr2b38-Cf8NXEsOsiGXkIqk_djmQomigCPtatp6j_wOqXEspbDV-SDtdjYLbYd/s320/winter+2010+040.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Had a brainwave of threading guidelines through the skin for the crossbars. It worked nicely.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDK_Z4KC1Vvqqt_PZwQudl6KgOLsRdW3DqqZcbmz24DuRrNKzpjx0xQElxp3ki1RUaeTrJ1NnuWc387GEGKVHB28nnI0Ggn0N0pRW3IlsIuSmMjoczA0IKGQrvt8DZ6iWuyVj6VakyiMk/s1600/winter+2010+041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDK_Z4KC1Vvqqt_PZwQudl6KgOLsRdW3DqqZcbmz24DuRrNKzpjx0xQElxp3ki1RUaeTrJ1NnuWc387GEGKVHB28nnI0Ggn0N0pRW3IlsIuSmMjoczA0IKGQrvt8DZ6iWuyVj6VakyiMk/s320/winter+2010+041.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The crossbars I made from an old double bass fingerboard. I didn't turn them, I formed them with a spoke shave, and drilled holes so I could thread them through the holes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbJ5WnUCgAWixYejqXOdLA7ZyLiY9TC5wQaRW1YMxhSygzls4euai-h80TEEE3TWGYKRoWXujCSdtNi5APsUvrkFDpbHTmmBAaGSX1ThrsVuUVQY0DZAp4p3_Lt8_FOO41PoCDJ4D5R5v/s1600/winter+2010+044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbJ5WnUCgAWixYejqXOdLA7ZyLiY9TC5wQaRW1YMxhSygzls4euai-h80TEEE3TWGYKRoWXujCSdtNi5APsUvrkFDpbHTmmBAaGSX1ThrsVuUVQY0DZAp4p3_Lt8_FOO41PoCDJ4D5R5v/s320/winter+2010+044.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Wow, it really looks like a kora!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNpWcbIHDTe7H3_RzsB8YYsJJif4-JI-iRrEjQCKK8WEh3vVBQA5d7TU1_elxLNdAwUtwPKxJUctk3KPFGyGI0b8MuKiwLiHMVKUG4exq7e_4VryY7awxn2DGwS_luLuPbDZr9EJheiNx/s1600/winter+2010+046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNpWcbIHDTe7H3_RzsB8YYsJJif4-JI-iRrEjQCKK8WEh3vVBQA5d7TU1_elxLNdAwUtwPKxJUctk3KPFGyGI0b8MuKiwLiHMVKUG4exq7e_4VryY7awxn2DGwS_luLuPbDZr9EJheiNx/s320/winter+2010+046.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>It's a bit asymmetrical, so that there is space for the sound hole on the left side there.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-74701270893160385402010-12-01T17:05:00.002+02:002010-12-01T21:30:56.428+02:00Kora Diary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was so pretty this morning when the sun came up that I took my goat skin outside for a quick photo shoot. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixU47jKI6XCgcKtKsc-qL0XACeToypK6bXCcPGk0tbO7NSATsullyespvhTJOmaQcZCWda8QrG7SziRrJHJz7mBKNY96q8TlKl4kFoMJZzlEqfkm8q6ojsfMKuk7qEJ6wWJVqPuC-co3YU/s1600/DSCF6266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixU47jKI6XCgcKtKsc-qL0XACeToypK6bXCcPGk0tbO7NSATsullyespvhTJOmaQcZCWda8QrG7SziRrJHJz7mBKNY96q8TlKl4kFoMJZzlEqfkm8q6ojsfMKuk7qEJ6wWJVqPuC-co3YU/s320/DSCF6266.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHihkGyFcITcTM4VzUvcUG1HTwiiO4jNjVX0uHLI2iVpD6XSmDztQG-6g15a4YKXAx7xsIoXJ_yfDV8iFluc0WHYI_AhXI6ja0Vrr3SuYSMG8xLWuW46vDEZq3EggLnVEYwJr754GSuS6/s1600/DSCF6268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHihkGyFcITcTM4VzUvcUG1HTwiiO4jNjVX0uHLI2iVpD6XSmDztQG-6g15a4YKXAx7xsIoXJ_yfDV8iFluc0WHYI_AhXI6ja0Vrr3SuYSMG8xLWuW46vDEZq3EggLnVEYwJr754GSuS6/s320/DSCF6268.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsPWgCZ9uaiabYcMBl2ceBoRfMfSR7kM4D0DBS1859Mk5oL6Zq_bZ80-KgCraLof2n2auMHhyphenhyphen8lyhT-zv6n2fvwZVPAWOi91MepcEeqR0u6mtI_oMMmax0RH4n1ujOL0LiJ0Fv_drUAwB/s1600/DSCF6270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsPWgCZ9uaiabYcMBl2ceBoRfMfSR7kM4D0DBS1859Mk5oL6Zq_bZ80-KgCraLof2n2auMHhyphenhyphen8lyhT-zv6n2fvwZVPAWOi91MepcEeqR0u6mtI_oMMmax0RH4n1ujOL0LiJ0Fv_drUAwB/s320/DSCF6270.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But it was so cold -14 or something that I had to hurry back inside. I'm using the cellar of this lovely building for my kora project, at least the skinning part. It used to be the kitchen where they made all the food for the course participants a hundred years ago. Here is the old stove:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AlYe1iRz4PU91jhEIkyUVyxc4fMCYuz8EaG9OWbnLtq-IS3Uqh6hR1I1RtS9nwGCyMG-T3w9ks0dHmoMKCDk1Sex3noY7pJbEf35pvRrPCR_RIAReTGxzPPKxYypSSl9GHCd0y3WyJ_y/s1600/DSCF6263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AlYe1iRz4PU91jhEIkyUVyxc4fMCYuz8EaG9OWbnLtq-IS3Uqh6hR1I1RtS9nwGCyMG-T3w9ks0dHmoMKCDk1Sex3noY7pJbEf35pvRrPCR_RIAReTGxzPPKxYypSSl9GHCd0y3WyJ_y/s320/DSCF6263.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrqNN9L2iNcyzBsxzVBEggvtxc3BdAtcIuj4xq-A3qvsnu6eTQtroZdvoCHEW-bhJ4LdMLc04askZazfmlmmPxM1YY78V3VauMswgVCASBQfffgrsdLhZ-_xpTf0EaYdYt1Yr7EO6dSS1/s1600/DSCF6280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrqNN9L2iNcyzBsxzVBEggvtxc3BdAtcIuj4xq-A3qvsnu6eTQtroZdvoCHEW-bhJ4LdMLc04askZazfmlmmPxM1YY78V3VauMswgVCASBQfffgrsdLhZ-_xpTf0EaYdYt1Yr7EO6dSS1/s320/DSCF6280.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The goat skin is from Senegal, shaved african style with a razor blade.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-57468735356721749542010-11-29T22:34:00.002+02:002010-11-29T22:54:06.193+02:00Birds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzTES2dAyRkcCaAhehGrnW76ll6KtMP88IcfhVMSzqkS_D5s3L04NmHUa2lDdOcSqWdWdQSoBJKyqWCMb5I-SkNMB3XrQSxkupksRLTnE0wFWvCbHwaRLbOKMsdE2O9H7RFkbbVQU_QiI/s1600/ugglor+grav+2010+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzTES2dAyRkcCaAhehGrnW76ll6KtMP88IcfhVMSzqkS_D5s3L04NmHUa2lDdOcSqWdWdQSoBJKyqWCMb5I-SkNMB3XrQSxkupksRLTnE0wFWvCbHwaRLbOKMsdE2O9H7RFkbbVQU_QiI/s320/ugglor+grav+2010+002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Perched about the workshop are a number of birds, the latest arrivals being some owls. Alf-Inge (also a violinmaker) has been a bird watcher for many years, and when he can't get out in the countryside to spy on them with his binoculars then he has to make do with carving and painting them - rather beautifully as you can see. There is a little mixed flock of them up in the shop at the castle for sale. The picture above shows two unpainted "juveniles" and the final adult result is displayed below together with a Norwegian hardingfele (hardangar violin) built by Alf-Inge's father. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iZMIFJXJzUTzGbwBuntCDdk3sC6ghpL1afG-eRjwHV3atOQtTwuoweKLzO__D1ZwvgG8kr0YNJA-W4GjtMzbFmrHX832Fm7yiPSS61J-qNe5uH_3V-KhCJg8WfKGbLDT2GvU7eWUyCbe/s1600/ugglor+grav+2010+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iZMIFJXJzUTzGbwBuntCDdk3sC6ghpL1afG-eRjwHV3atOQtTwuoweKLzO__D1ZwvgG8kr0YNJA-W4GjtMzbFmrHX832Fm7yiPSS61J-qNe5uH_3V-KhCJg8WfKGbLDT2GvU7eWUyCbe/s320/ugglor+grav+2010+001.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-89403196540600679322010-11-25T16:43:00.000+02:002010-11-25T16:43:43.180+02:00KoraI'm going to build a Kora (a lute/harp from west Africa with about 22 strings). It's going to be a very challenging project since it is so exotic in these parts but I'm just going to go ahead and try and learn as much as I can in process.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1r3NKcUHPidVLAdlMooTb2dIEdXzPd1JZNopemBnCWhYVDVOsy5RuudsW9MVmG3ih7HmfRmZD_w8KHbSUHgFJbnWWeQZMkGBwYzj6jjbOEDwG5g3yQqeNsUjDQpDYGKcRQkpcl5kA1zc8/s1600/DSCF6228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1r3NKcUHPidVLAdlMooTb2dIEdXzPd1JZNopemBnCWhYVDVOsy5RuudsW9MVmG3ih7HmfRmZD_w8KHbSUHgFJbnWWeQZMkGBwYzj6jjbOEDwG5g3yQqeNsUjDQpDYGKcRQkpcl5kA1zc8/s320/DSCF6228.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>A calabash with my name on it. At least my initial, which I take to be a very good sign, although it won't be visible once I've fastened the skin on it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOUTNwvGebPaQujb1qWWVwNOkeW1-F62NKTCEs0k6xPAh55b5wtsMrUCIW70rNcCkOAL05c3UNoSWN-G6dcxCdTWPPgSGhYYUf8RKUZ_p-XbmhV-fdP2qLYiAbhtkrd3RfvMW6aFaR7zI/s1600/DSCF6230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOUTNwvGebPaQujb1qWWVwNOkeW1-F62NKTCEs0k6xPAh55b5wtsMrUCIW70rNcCkOAL05c3UNoSWN-G6dcxCdTWPPgSGhYYUf8RKUZ_p-XbmhV-fdP2qLYiAbhtkrd3RfvMW6aFaR7zI/s320/DSCF6230.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Skins from Senegal. I got an extra one so that I can make a little drum too, one day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2VDH3Pauf1USLLM1GouqsnJcnx1v15EHVyzWcwjRw2zB2xHWX4V_7p6GsfFFntw6HDGhVw004uO_eGzISWJ5-N6S81fVXyQPGMJfJqmNmGFzcV7cEqPWbCRf2WT1C3Cb3BVPo_NMoyUb/s1600/DSCF6248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2VDH3Pauf1USLLM1GouqsnJcnx1v15EHVyzWcwjRw2zB2xHWX4V_7p6GsfFFntw6HDGhVw004uO_eGzISWJ5-N6S81fVXyQPGMJfJqmNmGFzcV7cEqPWbCRf2WT1C3Cb3BVPo_NMoyUb/s320/DSCF6248.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>What I've been working on today: a graph of string length against pitch, so that I can plan how to build the neck. <br />
If you watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrEPm04v9Mk&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrEPm04v9Mk&feature=related</a> you might understand why I want to do this.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-77778910869408582522010-11-25T16:19:00.000+02:002010-11-25T16:19:04.051+02:00A visit to the National Swedish Handicraft Council<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzCkPGX4fLfEvnSpxLtYOxoT0K1m8pgtcch_atIsbYJ8SOuV00it6-AJRePb31IgJgnhN-3Swo4iOsDPbLnUUi0Cp6Zjt9CPraN9vL-T_ZjRtPOSwGk21YOyfScuGWhQgPbM3B7QKcQ2L/s1600/DSCF6241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzCkPGX4fLfEvnSpxLtYOxoT0K1m8pgtcch_atIsbYJ8SOuV00it6-AJRePb31IgJgnhN-3Swo4iOsDPbLnUUi0Cp6Zjt9CPraN9vL-T_ZjRtPOSwGk21YOyfScuGWhQgPbM3B7QKcQ2L/s320/DSCF6241.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Upstairs in our house is the West Götaland Regional Office of the National Swedish Handicraft Council, which is a fancy name for bunch of very lovely people who help out with all manner of exciting handwork projects. Their offices are filled with colourful creations and it is very inspiring to go up there. For some reason that doesn't happen too often for me but today I needed a little advice on my next project. They showed me a Sami drum made from a reindeer skin and a tool used for preparing the hide. <a href="http://www.hemslojd.se/">http://www.hemslojd.se/</a> <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOo_sWJYl4Ye_puSBOUJxcYKahYZ-zsRn8nfwoOIo2E0vXuvXHMCdXkeTaEqhlKP0L3gzUzZ01R4011DxQlRw-gf6sKPNnkFIU2PL8eoGG0H7ketTxOIqLgLUs60FrHEfIGVRSh1xxe6K2/s1600/DSCF6246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOo_sWJYl4Ye_puSBOUJxcYKahYZ-zsRn8nfwoOIo2E0vXuvXHMCdXkeTaEqhlKP0L3gzUzZ01R4011DxQlRw-gf6sKPNnkFIU2PL8eoGG0H7ketTxOIqLgLUs60FrHEfIGVRSh1xxe6K2/s400/DSCF6246.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-3094572730351213282010-10-31T16:47:00.001+02:002010-10-31T16:51:09.458+02:00A Case for the No.1 Ladies Detective AgencyApologies to Mr MacCall Smith. This story has actually got nothing at all to do with the no.1 Ladies Detective agency, I just liked the sound of the title. It is however set in Botswana, it is about a case - a large wooden, home made, black painted double bass case christened "the Sarcophogus" and well, who knows, there may even be the odd corpse lurking about somewhere too.<br />
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I'd been learning the bass for about a year or so when Corrado the conductor of the Sinfonietta, the youth orchestra in Harare, announced that he'd been invited to be a guest conductor at a music camp in Gaberone and wondered if any of us might like to tag along for company especially since there weren't many string players in Botswana. Not being one to let such an adventure pass me by I volunteered and set about organising how to transport my grandfather's bass on the train to Gaberone. Since it would have to go in the luggage wagon this involved borrowing the "Sarcophogus" from Mr Baldock, my dear old bass teacher.<br />
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This went more or less smoothly and soon Corrado, myself and another adventurer called Philip were relaxing at Phil the cello player's mother's house in Bulawayo, waiting for the train to Gaberone which was due to leave at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. We were told that there was no hurry, and it was probably a good idea to ring the station before leaving the house, which we did several times and each time were told to stay put as the train was by no means ready to leave yet. After the umpteenth round of afternoon tea, our stomachs going glug glug, the sun low in the sky, we called the station one last time and the man at the other end said exasperatedly but good naturedly "Don't worry, it's not a problem, if the train leaves today it will be on time, and yes, you can come and wait at the station now if you like!"<br />
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Eventually we had ourselves and instruments installed on the train. I remember that I was wearing a white denim skirt with thin black pinstripes. It was an 80s relic, picked out by mum from the factory reject shop in Msasa, but I was quite fond of it. It went nicely together with my growing out perm. Later on I would buy my own clothes from the Danish Aid charity shop on South Avenue or Mapedzanhamo clothes market at Mbare, or I'd buy material from one of the 3 adjacent haberdasheries at Stortford Parade and have clothes made up by the tailors in town. But at this stage I was still relying on my mum and the factory rejects from Msasa. This is etched in my memory because when I got on the train the skirt was white and when we got out in Gabarone it was dark grey. Ever since then I have regarded with deep suspicion people who wax lyrical about the romanticism of travelling by steam train. It took several hours of scrubbing in Mr Slater's bath tub that morning to rid our pores and orifices of quantities of black soot and my skirt was never quite the same after that.<br />
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The camp was fun. The highlight was singing this west African song about Sango, the Yoruba god of lightning, taught to us by the visiting African American conductor. Sango quickly became everyone's prefered greeting word. There didn't end up being a great amoungt of string playing but Corrado had a wonderful sense of humour and we seemed to spend most of the week collapsed in fits of hysterics, at least to my memory. One is only 15 once, after all. We also did some compulsary shopping because the shops in Botswana were full of luxurious imported South African products and at that stage Zimbabwe was still on the road to socialism and had a very limited choice available. After hours of goggling and indecision I bought a tray of tinned tuna for my mother and a very advanced gadget that you could put at the end of a hose pipe to regulate the water flow for my dad, who was an avid gardener and had only ever used the thumb method of water regulation. It was soon time to pack the bass back into the sarcophogus and the tinned tuna and garden gadget and make our way to the station. <br />
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At this point a digresion is necessary. Sometime during this era my mum's car, a new, second hand yellow Datsun Bluebird was stolen, not an unusual event in itself, but it had been parked right outside the High Court, "can you *** believe it?!" she regailed endlessly to all and sundry. You remember what that was like being 15 and having to hear your mother say anything more than once? Anyway, after some time she got a phone call from a jocular police sergeant who was most pleased to tell her that not only had they found her car but they'd caught 2 notorious car thieves too. What he meant by this was that the car had driven through a police road block on the Mutare road and as it refused to stop, the police had emptied several rounds of bullets into it, killing one of the thieves and injuring the driver. A hectic but ultimately short and fruitless car chase ensued in second gear. The car was left in quite a state as you can imagine, with blood and broken glass and a burnt out gear box. And no one would have anything to do with it. They wouldn't touch it. We couldn't even get it towed. This being due to what is surely one of Sekuru Mujuru's hundred golden rules: "Avoid having anything to do with anything that may have had a dead body inside it." Perfectly sane advice one would think but white people for some reason just don't always get it. <br />
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Anyhow, before long the people at the towing company and the garage had succumbed to my mum's superior persuasive abilities and the car was back on the road, my mum happily zooting around the streets of Harare again, proudly showing off the bullet holes in the dashboard to anyone who had the stomach to look. Which takes us back to the platform at Gaberone station. A problem. The station manager refused point blank to even let us take the Sarcophogus through the gate. No amount of arguing that all that was inside was a big guitar had any effect. It looked like a coffin and it could have at one point had a dead body inside therefore under no circumstances would it be allowed onto the train. End of discussion. <br />
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Oh well, luckily Mr Slater was planning to drive to Bulawayo in a couple of weeks and he kindly agreed to take it in the back of his truck and I was eventually reunited with my bass and we lived more or less happily every after. And so now, 20 years later, at bass nerd gatherings, when the conversation inevitably turns to the difficulties of travelling with a bass, I listen and smile to myself and remember my African Adventures with the Sarcophogus and the big guitar.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768795300073802628.post-68464072868177548332010-10-25T14:09:00.000+02:002010-10-25T14:09:47.228+02:00Nice work if you can get itRetouching varnish is sometimes one of my favorite jobs. On good days it can be very satisfying and I might be listening to something like this: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vem1ZKnStU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vem1ZKnStU</a> On bad days it is just frustrating and I'll be saying "oh please, won't you tell me how?"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOneTxCzN21s9taVJsOOHanIbpTfACBPgv_PIuHFX9XQWZOw4AAGWmFW0gz9nPT9QGJ_Pl3sDyDHVeKo45nsEONvlOJvNbFCdH3YK6Hm60WUfYPjsAi8JKd3LDmLBgmuxz8ADB6gmNPHea/s1600/workshop+autumn+2010+065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOneTxCzN21s9taVJsOOHanIbpTfACBPgv_PIuHFX9XQWZOw4AAGWmFW0gz9nPT9QGJ_Pl3sDyDHVeKo45nsEONvlOJvNbFCdH3YK6Hm60WUfYPjsAi8JKd3LDmLBgmuxz8ADB6gmNPHea/s320/workshop+autumn+2010+065.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>My palette has amber, red, green and black colours which are mixed into a bit of spirit varnish - it's the closest I'll ever come to being an artist. I test the colour on my thumbnail and add more alcohol regularly with a pipette. Two things that I keep in mind are to aim for a slightly lighter colour than the surrounds and not to underestimate the amount of green necessary. A darker patch immediately draws the eye for some reason and a lot of bad retouch work has way too much red in it. I suppose because the idea of a red brown varnish is nicer than the idea of green brown, but maybe it's just because of colourblindness. Some people use blue but green is better because it is one of the primary colours of light and varnish has a lot to do with light. That's what makes it difficult. You're dealing not only with colour but refraction and reflection. Sometimes the retouched area will be the right colour if you look at it from one angle and completely wrong from another. Sometimes it ends up too shining. Sometimes it just disappears, like magic.<br />
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What is satisfying about retouching work is the variety of different approaches you can take, from how you prepare the wood underneath to how you mix the varnish, to aging the new varnish, blending it with the old. And you can get it, if you try.There are so many different colours and textures and depths and each instrument is unique. It's not about perfection either because the signs of age and weathering, the patina, the imperfections just enhance the character and beauty of an instrument. Being able to spend hours concentrating on little tiny details, your mind free to wander, and then when it's all done being able to step back and suddenly all those little eye catching wounds have become invisible and the underlying beauty of the instrument comes to the fore - that is nice work.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0