I had been contemplating about making a Crwth. I have on occasion made cigar box guitar and a wild and crazy idea recently came to me about making a Crwth using the cigar box implementation.
Due to the size and body shape, may have to use two boxes. There’s a Cigar Box Guitar maker who made a Mountain Dulcimer using two box long ways. Rotating the boxes would give the basic shape for a Crwth body.
BTW - You should see some of Mack Hoovers “Reinstruments”, a collection of rescued instruments and some have interesting parts like “No-stick Frying Pans”.
The Crwth is a Welsh lyre that is played with a bow. It has two strings that are drones and an unfretted fingerboard in the center. The strings are arranged flat, not arched like the violin.
Someone here on C&F had a signature line that said “The Crwth will set you free”, so I wondered what a Crwth is and it does sound good enough to set you free.
What it looks like and the grinding noise it makes are separate issues. Of the samples provided, I find a great similarity in the sound of these two instruments.
Sounds like an interesting project, Daniel. Cigar-boxes are a useful resource. Sadly I don’t see many of them here in my beardy guardian-reading, sandal-wearing, smokeless UK home.
If I had one (or two) I might be inclined to make a psaltery. Not one of those hogshead yokes that Weeks plays, but a wee one.
It’s probably a good thing I don’t have any. I can just hear what Mrs Bystander would say…
Are you looking for a discussion of the interplay between notes presented by the drones and achievable by the fingered strings as they relate to the pathways of Chi/prana through Meridians of Energy/Nadis theorized in the human body,
how things resonate with chakras,
or what is interpreted as acupuncture points,
or what?
Or am I reading too weird stuff much into your question?
I don’t want to build something might destroy up the world, but the right sequence of notes might alter your perception of reality.
I just wanted to see how much is known about the instrument. There’s plenty of stuff on the internet about it. Is there anyone here who has played one?
At the tripatlas site there’s a video where its explained to Rachel Barton Pine. I was hoping we’d get an opportunity of her giving it a try. http://tripatlas.com/videoplay/WNG_oNzziZA
I’ve only heard her play (violin) once in person (when she was invited on stage at a Darol Anger concert) and it was an OMG! experience.
Don’t I wish! Properly built it seems a thing one would study violin (with influences of East Indian music and Ayurvedics) for years before attempting.
Any Hedge-rider who says they aren’t interested is lying.
Yes, but at a time when there was less audio clutter and ear training currently found in modern Western civilization to deal with.
There are so many notes between the notes our modern Western ears are trained to hear
and so many ways to interpret the manipulations of internal energy pathways if recognized.
