OT = One-stringed instrument?

lollycross · Post by **lollycross** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 3:08 pm

Hi,
For all you Music buffs out there....is there
any one-stringed instruments one can build?
My husband thought it would be fun to "play"
along with me at times when I am practicing,
but he would need something VERY simple.
Thanks
Lolly

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 3:21 pm

http://www.historical-museum.org/folkli ... sborne.htm

"He makes a gut-bucket bass by attaching a flexible stick to an inverted wash tub and running a string from the top of the stick to the center of the tub."

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 3:46 pm

Hi Lolly,i was going to mention the Diddley bow,but Avenutria beat me to it(great link there,by the way,Ave.).The stringed instrument shown is similar to the 'tea-chest bass' which was popular during the 'skiffle boom'era in the U.K.(late 1950's-early 60's).This was a precursor to rock,n,roll,and usually consisted of enthusiastic amateurs playing blues and American folk songs,usually on cheap acoustic guitars,harmonicas and made/found 'instruments',such as 'jugs' and the aforementioned 'bass', which had a large wooden tea-chest for a body,and usually a single string attached to a broomshank,which was used as a 'neck',allowing the player to play different notes,by altering the strings tension(the broomshank was unattached-merely resting upright from the tea-chest body).Skiffle was immensly popular-i read that 20%or more of all British teenage boys claimed to belong to a skiffle band,at one time!.The styles most famous players were/are Lonnie Donnigan(still going strong after 50 years-i saw him perform last year)and the late John Lennon,who played in 'The Quarrymen'skiffle group, prior to co-founding 'The Beatles'.Another player of the Diddley bow was American, Lonnie Pitchford,who unfortunatly died last year.Lonnie actually used to give a lecture on the instrument,and actually BUILD one on stage,as part of his performances.I suppose that if you wanted to be pedantic,you would call these instruments 'mono-cords'.

chas · Post by **chas** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 4:09 pm

How about the lap dulcimer. It has four strings, but it's really a three-stringed with one string doubled. The most common way of playing it is to let two strings drone while fretting only the melody string. Best of all, it's a modal instrument and can only play in D and G (when tuned appropriately and with the "extra fret") just like a whistle.

It's known as the simplest stringed instrument and "takes only 10 minutes to learn, 15 for the exceptionally backward." A lifetime to master, though, I might add.

There are plenty of kits available. My favorite company for dulcimer kits is Hughes Dulcimer in Colorado; don't have their web addy handy, but a Yahoo or Google search will find them. They have some decent plywood kits that are very inexpensive (go for the solid spruce top, though). They have an unbelievably good solid walnut-and-spruce kit that's not cheap but makes a remarkable instrument. I've had very good luck also with kits from MusicMakers (www.musikit.com), but haven't made a dulcimer from them.

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 4:51 pm

Well, for something a little offbeat you could try the musical (or bladder bow). Basically it's a stick with a tuning peg for the string at one end. The string is attached to the other end of the stick and runs over an inflated cow's bladder attached to the stick. It looks like a baloon. So imagine setting a balloon on a stick and attaching a string to both ends of the stick and running it over the baloon. It's located about where the sound box of a conventional stringed instrument would be. The instructions I'm looking at say a bow for the thing can be made with a bent willow stick and a length of cotton string. There are also a bunch of little bells at the soundbox end so I guess you can jiggle it or bounce it on the floor to work the bells as well bowing it. I guess it could be plucked as well. I'm not sure how long the stick is-4 ft maybe. For something even more exotic, there's the tromba marina. Looks like it might be a lot more difficult to build. Here's where you can see one.

http://www.ancestral.co.uk/tromba.htm

Steve

Kendahl · Post by **Kendahl** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 6:05 pm

I believe Pagannini wrote and played a number of single-string violin pieces, which could lead you to say that a violin is a single stringer.

But why limit yourself to strings? A harmonica is simple, and may be a cool, different sound.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 6:23 pm

Joined: Jul 14, 2001
Posts: 165

From: Reno, Nv.
Posted by Lollycross on 2002-10-06 17:08
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi,
For all you Music buffs out there....is there
any one-stringed instruments one can build?
My husband thought it would be fun to "play"
along with me at times when I am practicing,
but he would need something VERY simple.
Thanks

Hi Lolly! My wife comes from a very famous Opera Family in China. When we had our wedding lunch there, Uncle No. 7 and Uncle No. 8 brought their one-string violiwhatzits and went to town. The bow kind of wraps around the string. It looks like a mini-me for a banjo.

Daniel_Bingamon · Post by **Daniel_Bingamon** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 7:16 pm

There is a one string instrument called a Trumpet Marine. Some of them have a melody string and drone string but others are one string.

One other thing, it has nothing to do with trumpets nor anything about water. I don't know why it's called a Trumpet Marine.
You might find plans at the http://www.mimf.com Music Instrument Makers Forum Library.

Byll · Post by **Byll** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 7:16 pm

It is more than one string, but a bowed plsaltry (or psaltery) is truly an easy instrument to play. They are also inexpensive and audiences are intrigued by them... If interested, contact me off-board.
Cheers.
Byll

Eldarion · Post by **Eldarion** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 7:52 pm

There is a simple Vietnamese fretless neckless plucked instrument called the "Dan Bau" and it makes pretty interesting unusual sounds. I've seen it performed on TV.

Here's some links for it, I'm sure you can find more on the net:
http://www.khacchi.com/instru.html
http://www.undp.org.vn/projects/vie9601 ... al/bau.htm

Sound Samples here:
http://www.saigoninfo.com/vanhoa/music_main.htm

dakotamouse · Post by **dakotamouse** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 8:42 pm

http://www.budmar.com/canjo.htm

This is what ya gotta have.

brian_k · Post by **brian_k** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 10:10 pm

http://www.tub-o-tone.com/

fair play to you,
brian k.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 10:14 pm

I don't think Hughes has a website, but they do make inexpensive kits, alright. My first dulcimer came from them. I don't recommend the Hughes bowed psaltery kit. Though I think their pre-made bowed psaltery would be good.

I lived in Mindanao as a teenager, and they have there a native instrument they refer to as a "one string guitar." It actually has two strings, one of which is a drone. It is very similar to "Appalachian" dulcimer, but not fretted. Its shape is similar to a "teardrop" dulcimer. It sounds like one too.

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Mon Oct 07, 2002 3:08 am

On 2002-10-06 21:16, Daniel_Bingamon wrote:
There is a one string instrument called a Trumpet Marine. Some of them have a melody string and drone string but others are one string.

This is obviously the same thing as the tromba marina. There's a tromba marina website with a few links to a home made one and some other stuff.

http://www.organicdesign.org/peterson/tromba/index.html

Steve

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Mon Oct 07, 2002 3:20 am

There is an Indian instrument that is used to serve as a drone when a sitar is playing. I'm not sure how many strings it has. It doesn't change pitch. I can't think of the name of it though. There appear to be some others too. If you look through the list of string instruments at this site you will see some simple looking drone instruments.

http://www.indianmusicals.com/string_frameset_nn.htm

Steve