An intriguing use of the increasingly popular 3D print technology.
James Fabian constructed this instrument in Sketchup and after several tries, decided to make a guitarlele with 9 frets! He had to buy machine heads though, as the printed ones wouldn’t play nice. I wonder if he printed his own strings as well…
Here is the link to his article and his plans, in case anyone wants to improve on the design.
Print your own Smallman, anyone?
To continue the little digression on invective –
Some time ago, composer and playwright Stephen Sondheim wrote a book called Look, I Made a Hat which amongst many other wry observations contains the following paragraph, which I find expresses exactly what it is I enjoy about reading uncomprehending criticism. It might also be comforting for those who feel “unfairly trashed” (and who hasn’t?)…
An old, but quick one
Another version
We’ll get it right one day!
This is what happens by using the above
In case you missed this when it went out.
Classic, and shows the humorous side of JW
It is easy to forget that the great epics of classical Greek poetry were originally sung. Since the 16th century, scholars have been trying to reconstruct the songs of Sappho, Sophocles, Euripides and Homer from their signature poems.
Now research carried out by Armand d’Angour at Oxford University is bringing us several steps closer to hearing how this ancient music sounded.
Some of the harmonics on the series would be quite out-of-tune if played on a regularly tuned, equal-tempered guitar.Tenney obviates this problem by retuning a couple of strings on the guitars responsible for each harmonic—and restricting the musical material for that guitar only to those notes that can be sounded accurately in tune.
The repertoire of American composer James Tenney (1934-2006) is among the most diverse and stimulating in experimental music.
He studied with, amongst others Chou Wen-Chung and John Cage.Tenney’s work deals with perception (For Ann (rising), see Shepard tone), just intonation (Clang, see gestalt), stochastic elements (Music for Player Piano), information theory (Ergodos, see ergodic theory), and with what he called ‘swell’ (Koan: Having Never Written A Note For Percussion for John Bergamo), which is basically arch form.
Article in the Independent with a bit more history and a touch of gruesomeness for those who don’t know about hanging, drawing and quartering.
Apparently is was by law that you had to remember, remember the 5th of November.
There is also a distinct possibility that the whole plot was a put up job by arch Catholic hater and MP Robert Cecil to finger Fawkes, Catesby and their co conspirators.
Thanks to Wendy MacNaughton for this
Do you remember an Inn,
Miranda?
Do you remember an Inn?
And the tedding and the spreading
Of the straw for a bedding,
And the fleas that tease in the High Pyrenees,
And the wine that tasted of tar?
So begins Hilaire Belloc’s mysterious mini-epic, Tarantella.
This is a justifiably famous poem from the person who penned Cautionary Tales for Children. He was known as a writer, orator, poet, sailor, satirist, man of letters, soldier and political activist. Originally French, he became a naturalised British subject in 1922, and was President of the Oxford Union and later MP for Salford from 1906 to 1910.
He was famous for his vigorously disputative nature and running feuds with various other strong minded personalities. H.G.Wells remarked that “Debating Mr. Belloc is like arguing with a hailstorm“.
What is less well known is that he actually wrote a bit of music and sang to his poems, including Tarantella.
I was naturally excited to see the following instruction on the top of the page, which was presented to me by Pam Spooner, one of Betty Roe’s singing students (at the age of 85!) and the possessor of a fine high soprano voice.
