rootsguitar - 2-26-2015 at 11:10 PM
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFRDcVa8bkvQ8tJzpxS8rh5yvY_DN...
rootsguitar - 7-10-2015 at 09:58 AM
spider weaves to lute music:
http://youtu.be/cdie1AHhsdc
10-string lute tuned:
D-A-Dd-F-Dd-B-D-G
rootsguitar - 8-31-2015 at 11:22 AM
I still can't believe how the overtones vibrated when the wind filled the lute. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this?
https://youtu.be/KtorFF9Zfew
I revisited this clip recently and hope some may enjoy it. The wind was a steady 20 knots to make it happen.
jdowning - 8-31-2015 at 02:25 PM
Your lute has become an Aeolian harp (wind harp). See here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolian_harp
jdowning - 8-31-2015 at 03:21 PM
...... and if you want to make your own Aeolian harp - lovely sound - check out luthier Art Robb's site here:
http://www.art-robb.co.uk/aeol.html
Must try it myself sometime.
rootsguitar - 9-6-2015 at 02:26 PM
Thanks for the links John,
...especially liked Art Robb's design & his way of explaining the sounds.
Also couldn't help be reminded of the koto I've been playing this summer when I saw the Aeolian harp photos on his site.
Its a lot longer for sure but the two end bridges and general form are very similar. I plan to get it out in the wind at some point.
Also you may notice the individual pvc bridges, the instrument reached me without the traditional ones. I slide them around to change the tuning.
could also work on the aeolian harp design to let someone experiment during a breeze.
I might try to make a wind scoop for this koto though the window sized design looks sharp & practical...might just find time to build one this
winter.
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jdowning - 9-6-2015 at 02:49 PM
No doubt the traditional Koto (like the Chinese Quin - before the 'Cultural Revolution') also used silk strings? Apparently solid metal strings do not
work too well on Aeolian harp applications but plastic strings (and no doubt metal wound plastic filament strings) do.
One trick for making a successful wind harp - apparently - is to design the air resonance frequency of the sound box to match string tuning (all
strings of various diameters tuned to the same pitch).
Silk strings/air resonance frequency? - just 'up my street' for another potential experimental project! However, not ideal circumstances for a wind
harp placed in an open window for testing during a Canadian winter at minus 30 °C +!
rootsguitar - 9-12-2015 at 12:09 PM
That would be a worthy project, better wait until next summer to leave the windows open! ...I can relate to the cold air season here too, its just
upon us.
I would think that the koto could provide interesting data too with its long scale length and rounded lid.
I found a reference to a 13-string koto mentioned in Japan in 1551 in an old Lute News ( #102 Aug 2012 )
The context was a Japanese source comparing an envoy's gift, a European instrument, to a " 13-string koto, on which can be played 5 sei (voices) or 12
chou ( tunings )..."
The cultural exchanges between The Portuguese described in the article are interesting.
Very possible that the strings were silk and that comparisons of string types undoubtedly occurred then as well.
The article is " Iberian influence on Japanese Music, by David van Ooijen "
you may have seen this article already. It also references a longer version in Fomrhi Quarterly 120, comm 1955.
Makes me want to reread The Needle Watcher, ( The Will Adams story set in Japan ). Also a good read.
I plan to investigate " sei " & " chou" further too.
rootsguitar - 9-30-2015 at 10:59 AM
although I'm starting to drift a bit off topic I wanted to add this link:
http://www.city.nagasaki.lg.jp/dejima/en/history/contents/main_001....
Worthwhile reading, here's an excerpt:
" During the Age of Exploration, Portuguese trade ships left their mother port of Goa (India) and sailed to Nagasaki via Malacca, Macau and other Far
East ports, finally returning to Goa after about three years.
Goods imported to Japan by the Portuguese ships included raw silk, silk fabric, cotton and woolen cloth, ivory, coral and sugar. "
Portuguese by way of India? The exchanges must have been more complex and developed in the Far East than I previously thought.
I still haven't located primary sources for the above articles though must comment that I have yet to encounter details of the physicality of strings
and instruments as thorough as in the threads on this forum such as:
Silk Oud Strings - Making Sense of the Historical Data (Pages: 1 2 3 .. 13)
so much valuable reading in the archives for anyone interested in customizing their sound...
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Hibari-San - 10-1-2015 at 10:08 AM
Awesome !!! hey rootsguitar I watched that video and all the others and I was sooo impressed !!
Your channel is full of vibes !! Thanks for sharing !
rootsguitar - 10-10-2015 at 05:25 PM
Very glad for the encouragement good sir! This latest tuning seems to be more long term than the others I've tried...
C-G-cc-D#-cc-A-C-F
I must admit all the switching around has made me appreciate the way any two nearby courses can be played together & keep the practice ideas
going.
Also digging the Bruce Lee quote!!
rootsguitar - 10-24-2015 at 09:56 AM
This tuning is made for slide playing, a way to round out live sets of music & try something new on a lute:
https://youtu.be/M84Tl7dcMBA
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