Re: OT: Chinese zither

--- Isidora Zamora <isidora@...> wrote:

> How difficult is it to make an instrument like
> this?
Easy, but difficult. That just about sums up
instrument building in general! The principle is
easy, the execution can be excruciating.

> (Just because the
> instrument is ancient doesn't mean that it
> doesn't take a lot of technichal
> finesse to manufature it.
Absolutely. Mostly it comes down to
craftsmanship, though. Attention to detail,
knowledge of tools, materials and proceedures.

> The reason that I am asking is that I would
> like to give one of my
> concultures stringed instruments, but don't
> know what is involved in their
> manufacture (except for modern concert violins,
> etc., and that takes an
> insane amount technical expertise.)
Find yourself Paddington Press's "Musical
Instruments". It's essentially a catalogue of
instruments divided by sound production
technique.

More importantly to the conculturist, it gives
you good pictures and basic information on
thousands of instruments ancient and modern.

The chin and koto are basically long boxes with a
vaulted top, there are fixed bridges at either
end, tuning pegs at one end and pins at the
other. Between the fixed bridges, each string
gets one mivable bridge. You play it by plucking
the string with one hand and varying the pitch by
pressing down on the string. You could build one
fairly easily. You could also buy a more
conventional zither and modify it - not the best
solution, but good for experimental purposes!

> The culture that I would like to have
> strings is a pretty technologically unadvanced
> one.
That shouldn't stop them from developping an
amazing array of string (and other!!) musical
instruments.

> They do not have metalurgy.
Not needed. Strings can very satisfactorily made
from hair (horse is a favourite, human would
work), gut, tendons, plant fibres or bamboo
strips. Tuning pins will need to become larger
wooden tuning pegs. All of that could be made
with stone tools.

> (Which means that they make
> excellent stone weapons.)  They
> don't manufacture metal items themselves, but
> they do buy steel knives,
> iron nails, and other metal items from the
> people who live to the south of them.
Oh I didn't know! Nails can easily be used for
hitch pins; steel knives can carve wood very
easily; and who's to say they couldn't barter for
bronze or steel strings!

> For musical instruments, I already know
> that they have flutes and drums.
What kinds of flutes? Drums? Any reed
instruments?

> What is the minimum amount of technology needed
> to make stringed
> instruments of any sort, plucked or bowed, with
> or without resonators?
Practically none. They can make stone tools -
that's really all the technology that's required.

> What sort of stringed
> instrument(s) would be likely in a
> culure like this?
Turtle shell harps? Skull resonator harps. Any
number of lyres and zithers. Fiddles. Just about
anything. They could make a fine bumbass.

> (And what does anyone here
> happen to know anything about
> primative bowed strings?
I've got a couple Mongolian horse hair fiddles.
One is a carved wooden body with (horse?)hide
resonator and horse hair string. The other one is
more like a modern cello in size and construction
and has two horse hair strings.

I'm looking into a Bulgarian fiddle and also own
a hurdy gurdy.

Padraic.


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