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#instrument

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regina_nyckelharpista

The nyckelharpa is a folk instrument from Sweden 🇸🇪 with a long standing tradition there. "Nyckelharpa" is a Swedish word, "nyckel" meaning "key" and "harpa" being a general term for a stringed instrument. Its key features (hah, see what I did there?) are the sympathetic strings and a keybox full of wooden keys. Some translate it into English to "keyed fiddle" 🗝️ 🎻 "viola de teclas" in Spanish or "viola d'amore a chiavi" in Italian - although it is not a fiddle or viola ;)

How it works: I produce the sound with a bow on the strings, like on any other bowed instrument, but instead of touching the strings with the fingers of my left hand and pushing them down on a fretboard or fingerboard to play a melody, I press a key. The key moves a little wooden tangent to the string and tada, the note changes 🎉 The magical sound of the nyckelharpa is created from its sympathetic strings (usually 12) which are enhancing every note I play on the four melody strings.

If you want to hear some nyckelharpa music, you're welcome on my duos bandcamp aklejafolk.bandcamp.com or search for "Akleja" wherever you like to stream music. More names you can look for there are Josefina Paulson, Hazelius Hedin, Emilia Amper, Väsen, Daniel Pettersson / Sotali, Erik Rydvall - there are so many FANTASTIC players out there! 😭

The instrument pictured here was made by Mats Wester.

A close-up of the keybox and keys (some have gold paint on them) of a nyckelharpa. You can see the delicate carving job the luthier did on the key heads and instrument. On the right you can see the wooden pegs that touch the strings to change the note and some sympathetic strings next to the highest playing string.
A closeup of the head stock of a nyckelharpa. You can see the four big friction pegs that hold the melody strings and mechanics on the left and right side of the head, holding the twelve sympathetic strings. The headstock design is elegant and light and there is some decorations burnt into the wood.
A close-up of one of the f-holes on the soundboard of a nyckelharpa. You see the distinct outline of the body and a traditional decorative pattern burnt next to the rim. In the corners, these form little flowers. On the right side you can see the bridge and a lot of strings (thick ones for melody playing, thin ones are sympathetic strings) going over it. The wood has a honey colour.
#nyckelharpa#musiciansofmastodon#folkmusic
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Cassana 🍻

Somehow ended up thinking about this quote earlier, which often feels relevant in so many ways.
“The sistrum makes it clear that all things in existence need to be shaken, or rattled about, and never to cease from motion but, as it were, to be woken up and agitated when they grow drowsy and torpid." (Plutarch, Moralia, Book 5, “On Isis & Osiris,” section 63)
Also great excuse to share a photo of my sistrum, which I believe I haven't done on this account yet. #Philosophy #Antiquity #Instrument

This is my multi-timbral Roman-style sistrum (31cm, 12 inches tall) made by Matt Nolan, a cymbal maker from the UK, who based this model on roman originals, but also expanded the sonic possibilities. This is done by using various rod configurations (fixed/close, half-sliding, or fully-sliding/open) and using combinations of the 6 jingle sets (3 bronzes: B8, B10 or B15, nickel-silver, brass, and alternating steel-aluminium). In the photo, 3 jingle sets are on the sistrum. The other 3 are in piles next to the instrument. The sistrum has a round solid-brass handle decorated with 2 narrow rings near the top and a ball-pommel. The top of the handle has a flat base. The large balteus (Roman sword belt)-shape hoop; basically a flat bronze plate that is narrow on the ends, but widest in the middle, which is then bent to form an upside-down U, is attached to the base and handle. Running horizontally through the central area within the hoop are three rods, on which the jingles are set. When shaken, these will collide with one another and the inside of the hoop, though of course, depending on the rod configurations, these can also rattle in the frame and slide around, and the hoop can be muted or ring like a bell.
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Cassana 🍻

I was playing this #flute earlier. Sadly, recordings didn't come out that great though; it's pretty tricky.
This is a reconstruction #palaeolithic flute based on the find at Grubgraben, Austria, 1994. It's attributed to the Epigravettian culture and dated 23,000-20,000 BP (according to updated research). Made from a reindeer tibia, it's the earliest-known #instrument with holes made by a flint drill; older ones had scraped holes instead. #Histodons #History #Prehistory #Paleolithic

The flute, around 16cm (6.3 inches) long, laying on my coffee table, oriented vertically. The bone, as mentioned a reindeer tibia, is off-white in colour with patches of light brown or beige. The three holes are perfectly round and in line. According to the maker: "The very last turns of the drill before the drill breaks through have to be made with care with both low pressure and low speed. This keeps the bone from splintering if the drill jams in the hole." I think this beautifully illustrates how skilled the makers of the original artefact were. The blowing end, which was damaged in the found artefact is the main point of interpretation. In this reconstruction, the maker decided to go for a slanted edge, which seems most historically supported, though we'll never truly know.
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t3hh

The reason there is so much #salt in intervebz about the new #Teenage #Engineering #instrument is what is called the fear of missing out. It's the irrational reaction to a false stimulus. It's not that there is a lack of budget friendly synths on the market. In fact there never ever been so many cheap instruments available, but that's not what this is about. Ppl seem to be personally insulted by the high prize of OP-XY and feel the need to insult back the manufacturer and the potential buyers.

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Cassana 🍻

Recently I had the unexpected opportunity to explore these uncommon instruments, which look like a mad scientist got creative with metal and glass, right? Oh, and water is an essential ingredient too. These are known by various names, most notably l'orgue de verre (glass/crystal organ), cristal (Baschet), and (modern) euphone. Two of them dwelt in my living room for 36+ hours; one a 10-note, thee other a 24-note model. 1/9
#Music #Musicology #ExperimentalMusic #MusicalInstrument #Instrument

A 10-note cristal on a floor-stand; approx. 65cm (25.6in) wide, 70cm (27.6in) deep, and 150cm (59in) tall (incl. stand). Part 1: At the front, and protruding towards the player, there's a row of horizontal glass rods (the keyboard), each one is 30cm (11.8in) in length and around 1cm (0.4in) in diameter. Behind the keyboard is a row of upright pairs of threaded rods, one in front, the other behind (this one slightly thicker than the front-rod), and all are set into a thick base plate (the collector). These threaded rods are the main notes (the resonators) that are activated by the friction applied to the corresponding glass rod, which is connected to the front-most of the tuned pair via a copper socket. When a vibration is produced on the front-rod, this spreads to the back-rod via the collector, but also via aluminium bars (the tuning mechanism) connecting each pair at the top. The tuned rods decrease in height from left to right.
A 24-note cristal on a floor-stand; approx. 150cm (59in) in both width and height (incl. stand), and 80cm (31.5in) deep. Part 2: Attached to the back of the collector via mounting brackets are the diffusers; large flame/leaf-shaped steel plates (pointed at top and bottom) facing away from the player. On the 10-note, there's a centrally-mounted dual diffuser; a plastic cone diffuser within the steel plate one. On the 24-note, there are two single plates next to each other, with the one on the left being slightly larger than the one on the right. These diffusers behave like speakers. The diffusers are the bulkiest part of the instrument, and roughly double the width and depth of the entire thing; the 10-note's keyboard is about 31cm (12in) wide, that of the 24-note 76cm (30in). The most notable feature of the floor-stand is a central rod underneath the keyboard, to which a water bowl is mounted; hopefully with enough water in it to manage the whole piece/perforrmance/session.
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China Business Forum

[#TRADESHOW] #Shanghai #International High-end #Powder #Equipment and #Scientific #Instrument #Exhibition (#IPIE) 2024 will be held from October 29-31, 2024 at the Shanghai #Convention & #Exhibition #Center of International #Sourcing. IPIE 2024 is a leading exhibition dedicated to powder #materials and scientific #instruments, showcasing #innovations in powder processing #technologies. cnbusinessforum.com/event/shan

China Business Forum2024 IPIE: Shanghai High-end Powder Equipment & Instrument ExpoExplore cutting-edge powder equipment and scientific instruments at IPIE 2024, October 29-31 in Shanghai. Join over 300 exhibitors and 20,000 visitors to discover the latest innovations in powder
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