Old Horse and Buggy on Gourd Fiddle
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- Old fiddle tune I learned from the playing of Art Stamper. Newly completed gourd fiddle with heavy calfskin tacked onto the pear shaped gourd. I had to try about 6 different bridge configurations to find something that didn't produce unpleasant vibrations between the bridge feet and the calfskin. A wider footprint seemed to be the answer - on this one at least.
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This is wonderful!! Sounds great, and excellently played as well!! Bravo, bravo!!👏👏👏👏💯🎯
Thank you!
That's damn nice.
Hey! Thanks a lot Clifton. I've been a fan of your playing and singing for a few years now.
I second Clifton
I've never even heard of a gourd fiddle until now. The sound is amazing!
Thanks! These have an old lineage in homemade folk instruments in this country and were probably made as a blend of African instruments and European violins. Here's one in the Nat Museum of American History dating to the 1800's
americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_605630
That's the best sounding gourd fiddle on UA-cam. Really great tone.
Thanks Joshua. I listened to as many gourd fiddles on yt as I could find while thinking about making this one I think you may be right!
Sounds a LOT like a bowed dulcimer! Instruments are all like cousins! different but related,, SO great! Thanks.
Thanks Carla.
Thank you sir. 😊
Thank you.
Wow this is wonderful!
Thank you 😊
Oh, and I forgot to say, thanks for posting. I always love when someone can play well, and build well, and then makes a video, and takes the time to post it. I appreciate it. Thanks!
Thanks for the kind words.
wonderful sound
sweet job
Sweet sweetness.
Thank you Bebbcorp.
Your work is absolutely amazing!
Thanks Aaron!
so pleasing to the heart!
Thanks Rachel.
That's a beautiful sounding instrument. I know I'd buy a book by you on how to make one for myself.
Thank you! I haven't considered a book but I may well do a tutorial on the next one I make.
@@morbanjo2503 A tutorial would be really cool!
We'd be friends if you lived by my house ... and I have a gourd ... gota quit my job, split that thing in two, make a fiddle for me and ... no rhyming ... dammit ... this time I mean it ... does anyone want a peanut ... well, I'd make a banjo outa the other half. I could do it you know! I just can't play weird tunings if they aren't in some kind of tune. My bro always comes over and cross tunes to like d flat or something. I got a pocket full of tunings ... but that weird stuff just screws with my head. A long time ago in a galixy far away (Austria, Karenten or something like that) there was an outa tune panio, and my dad thought it a good idea to tune my 3/4 size fiddle to match the panio ... what a bad idea that was. Like, I can match the piano, but not if you tune my fiddle screwy ... but my favorite non-screwy fiddle is the old, I don't know ... all d's except for the a string, and midnight on the water. I made that up, and then saw others on youtube doing it. Well, sometimes more than one person invents a thing. Anyway, love your instruments and playing!
I'd buy one!
Beautiful instrument. I have yet to hear any type of resonator that outperforms the gourd.
If you made another one like this, I'd be very interested in purchasing it.
Would a regular violin bridge that is carved with flat feet work? Or do you think the legs are too small and will poke through or damage the goat skin under the force of the strings?
I use a regular bridge with flattened.feet on cigar box fiddles but, as you mentioned, I think those are too narrow for a a skin head. I make bridges for gourd fiddles with wider feet to help distribute the pressure a bit more. I try to use less neck angle along with a lower bridge as well.
great sound! I have a gourd banjo. but never seen a fiddle done that way
Thanks robert. I had already made several gourd banjos and mandos and thought this might be fun to try. I kind of like the way it turned out!
I think you got the bridge right ! It sure sounds good. Really a nice build !
Thanks Roger. The reject bridges might work on future builds.
That's actually a sweet sounding instrument.
Thank you!
This is cool. I want one!
What bridge height do you like?
Good stuff! Neat instrument.
Thanks chip!
That thing sounds better than most wooden violins I’ve heard.
Thank you!
morbanjo do you have a website?
@@FatBoy42069 No website anymore but I'm Backporch Banjos on Facebook.
love your work man. keep it up
Thank you!
OK, I just subscribed to your channel and just watched this video for the fourth time. Can't get enough of that mellow tone! Does the roundness of the gourd body make it difficult to hold?
Sorry, I'm just now seeing your comment. I appreciate your comments! It's pretty hard to hold since it keeps slipping down off my shoulder. I'm gonna figure out some sort of support since I hope to make more like this.
@@morbanjo2503 did you figure out a good support? I was considering just attaching a small piece of sand paper to the bottom to give enough friction to not slide off my shoulder.
@@austinblindsay Holding a gourd fiddle can be a challenge. If I could play using the old time chest hold it might be easier. With this fiddle I eventually rigged up a sling sort of arrangement using a camera strap. Each differently shaped gourd presents different challenges but it's kind of fun to try and figure it out.
Do you advise sound holes cut into the gourd?
Yes, I usually put a sound hole in. This gourd was relatively thin walled and I was afraid a sound hole would weaken it so I didn't put a hole in it. Still seemed to have good tone and volume
@@morbanjo2503 awesome! Do you think sound hole shape and location is important? And do you think sound posts and bass bars are not worth the effort in the gourd fiddles?
@@austinblindsay I can't tell too much difference in sound no matter where I put the hole but I usually try to get it aimed at the player so they can hear themselves better while playing with other instruments.
It's really not possible to use a bass bar or soundpost with a natural skin head but if I ever make one with a wood head I'd probably use them.
Beautiful instrument, beautiful tone, beautiful fiddling! What kind of strings? Do you make these to sell?
Thanks Tim. I usually use D'Addario Prelude strings on these. I think they sound best in the $20 and under price range. I do sell most of the instruments I make after I've played around with them for a while.
This looks like it was made by a pro,
because it was.
Thanks! I'm pretty much learning as I go.