Home Made Psaltry

a picture is here

http://notonlymusic.com/board/download/file.php?id=1635&mode=view

Being inspired by Denny Genovese using a psaltry at the oddmusic garden walk through I made a solid body psaltry which will be electrified at some future point. The recording I have here was made with a Zoom H2 sitting next to the psaltry. I tuned it by ear and checking it in V-Vocal it appears to be JI but more or less a mixed 3-limit. The recording is played without and with effects.

http://notonlymusic.com/board/download/file.php?id=1634

Play online at http://chrisvaisvil.com/?p=282

Materials used to construct it

18b3 Wooden Table Top
Towel Rack
Set of tuners salvaged from a classical guitar
E, A, D strings from a clearance set of electric guitar strings
A U-bolt from a hardware store

Chris wrote:

> Play online at http://chrisvaisvil.com/?p=282

Thanks Chris, I really like this. What a direct musical
experience, sourcing materials, tuning by ear, and making
a sweet and simple tun. I liked the version without
effects best.

-Carl

thanks for the listen and comment Carl!

I bought more tuning keys today. She's going to have 9, if not 12 strings
soon.

Chris

On Fri, Oct 1, 2010 at 6:00 PM, Carl Lumma <carl@...> wrote:

>
>
> Chris wrote:
>
> > Play online at http://chrisvaisvil.com/?p=282
>
> Thanks Chris, I really like this. What a direct musical
> experience, sourcing materials, tuning by ear, and making
> a sweet and simple tun. I liked the version without
> effects best.
>
> -Carl
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sounds great! very nice.

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Chris Vaisvil <chrisvaisvil@...> wrote:
>
> thanks for the listen and comment Carl!
>
> I bought more tuning keys today. She's going to have 9, if not 12 strings
> soon.
>
> Chris
>
>
> On Fri, Oct 1, 2010 at 6:00 PM, Carl Lumma <carl@...> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Chris wrote:
> >
> > > Play online at http://chrisvaisvil.com/?p=282
> >
> > Thanks Chris, I really like this. What a direct musical
> > experience, sourcing materials, tuning by ear, and making
> > a sweet and simple tun. I liked the version without
> > effects best.
> >
> > -Carl
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Thank you very much for sharing that. I have been wanting to listen to the recording since you first posted it, but only just found time when at a computer capable of playing it. I found it very relaxing to listen to. I very much liked the timbre you have got with your instrument. I am very much excited about this kind of instrument. As guitarist, I like the way that it can be plucked with the fingers, played acoustically (or electrically with a pick up) and allows irregular intonations and temperaments. Also, I just love the sound of it. A further point is that with a guitar, there is usually a compromise between having a good timbre and being able to fret the notes easily. With an instrument like yours you don't have to make that compromise and can concentrate on giving a really good timbre. You can also try adding bray pins, using a flat bridge to give a sitar like sound or using a wooden bridge to give a sound a bit like a banjo (there are many other possibilities). If you like, you can also play chords by strumming across the strings with one hand while muting the strings you don't want in the chord by holding fingers from the other hand against them (Strum and block technique).

Shown here, from 2:42 into the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHA5SvmJyJM

This allows you to strum chords while singing in a guitar like way.

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "christopherv" <chrisvaisvil@...> wrote:
>
> a picture is here
>
> http://notonlymusic.com/board/download/file.php?id=1635&mode=view
>
> Being inspired by Denny Genovese using a psaltry at the oddmusic garden walk through I made a solid body psaltry which will be electrified at some future point. The recording I have here was made with a Zoom H2 sitting next to the psaltry. I tuned it by ear and checking it in V-Vocal it appears to be JI but more or less a mixed 3-limit. The recording is played without and with effects.
>
> http://notonlymusic.com/board/download/file.php?id=1634
>
> Play online at http://chrisvaisvil.com/?p=282
>
> Materials used to construct it
>
> 18b3 Wooden Table Top
> Towel Rack
> Set of tuners salvaged from a classical guitar
> E, A, D strings from a clearance set of electric guitar strings
> A U-bolt from a hardware store
>

Hi Mark,

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. I have been half considering an
autochord zither purchase and tuning it microtonally which would operate
like your mutes. I think with a clever tuning system re: the mutes the
result could be really cool, especially for using it to accompany vocals. I
have yet to do anything like Andrew Heathwaite micro vocals but it is on my
list.

The flat bridge is an especially appealing idea.

I have another piece here:

http://notonlymusic.com/board/download/file.php?id=1651

where I do more chordal work but I was unimpressed with it and ran it side
by side with a field recording. Next goal for the psaltry is to tune it
against some micro pitch standards (pianoteq sounds easy) instead of by ear.

Chris

On Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 1:16 PM, Mark <mark.barnes3@...> wrote:

>
>
> Thank you very much for sharing that. I have been wanting to listen to the
> recording since you first posted it, but only just found time when at a
> computer capable of playing it. I found it very relaxing to listen to. I
> very much liked the timbre you have got with your instrument. I am very much
> excited about this kind of instrument. As guitarist, I like the way that it
> can be plucked with the fingers, played acoustically (or electrically with a
> pick up) and allows irregular intonations and temperaments. Also, I just
> love the sound of it. A further point is that with a guitar, there is
> usually a compromise between having a good timbre and being able to fret the
> notes easily. With an instrument like yours you don't have to make that
> compromise and can concentrate on giving a really good timbre. You can also
> try adding bray pins, using a flat bridge to give a sitar like sound or
> using a wooden bridge to give a sound a bit like a banjo (there are many
> other possibilities). If you like, you can also play chords by strumming
> across the strings with one hand while muting the strings you don't want in
> the chord by holding fingers from the other hand against them (Strum and
> block technique).
>
> Shown here, from 2:42 into the video:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHA5SvmJyJM
>
> This allows you to strum chords while singing in a guitar like way.
>
>
> --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com <MakeMicroMusic%40yahoogroups.com>,
> "christopherv" <chrisvaisvil@...> wrote:
> >
> > a picture is here
> >
> > http://notonlymusic.com/board/download/file.php?id=1635&mode=view
> >
> > Being inspired by Denny Genovese using a psaltry at the oddmusic garden
> walk through I made a solid body psaltry which will be electrified at some
> future point. The recording I have here was made with a Zoom H2 sitting next
> to the psaltry. I tuned it by ear and checking it in V-Vocal it appears to
> be JI but more or less a mixed 3-limit. The recording is played without and
> with effects.
> >
> > http://notonlymusic.com/board/download/file.php?id=1634
> >
> > Play online at http://chrisvaisvil.com/?p=282
> >
> > Materials used to construct it
> >
> > 18b3 Wooden Table Top
> > Towel Rack
> > Set of tuners salvaged from a classical guitar
> > E, A, D strings from a clearance set of electric guitar strings
> > A U-bolt from a hardware store
> >
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]