Simple Instruments
Tools for Possibilities: issue no. 119
Once a week we’ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because the possibilities they inspire are new. Sign up here to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.
Maximum acoustic guitar for the money
You can spend a lot of money on an acoustic guitar these days and end up with an instrument that doesn’t improve with age, either tonally or aesthetically. With CNC machines and other robotic aids, assembling a decent instrument is no longer the exclusive province of the master luthier. Now that any idiot can do it, any idiot does, and the results vary wildly. I don’t know how any beginner is expected to choose wisely from such a tawdry lot and end up with something worth passing on to their kids.
I’ve owned and played professionally close to a hundred fine instruments in the 35 years I’ve been playing and I’ve ended up being something of an accidental Martin collector. When people ask me what they should buy for their first guitar, I tell them to go straight to their nearest authorized Martin dealer and get a OO-15 or an OM-15. (The OM-15 is no longer in the Martin catalog as of 2003 but is still available used; I just saw one on eBay for $495). These all-mahogany instruments are an absolute steal in today’s wacky market. They are spartan versions of Martin’s multi-thousand dollar OO and OM models, offering the same playability but without the Nashville flash. Simple, honest, great-sounding, great-looking guitars that can take a beating and will last a lifetime — all for a less than a grand. I bought my OO-15 new for $700 with a Martin hard case, and my beloved OM-15 slightly used for $550 with the same case. The OM-15 is slightly larger, with a wider fretboard suitable for fingerpicking styles and/or larger hands. Both instruments have a characteristic “airy” sound from the mahogany top, making them particularly well-suited for recording. They don’t boom, nor do they crackle; they hum with a satisfying balance, strummed or fingerpicked. The satin-finished mahogany is lower maintenance than the softer spruce tops, and minor dings disappear in the dark chocolate-colored grain patterns. By the way, the “O” in both names refers to Orchestra, not the number zero, so say “oh-M”.
You can’t get more guitar for the money anywhere. — David MacNeill
Cool cheap instrument
There used to be two kinds of ukuleles: pressed cardboard junk for less than $50, and professional quality beauties for over $500. Now there is a third option – the Fluke, a half-plastic, half-wood ukulele that costs half that. As soon as my fingers hit the cute-as-a-bug instrument, I fell in love with it. It’s a pleasure to play and the sound is strong and chipper. Its radical design reminds me of the iMac or New Beetle. One fellow uker told me his Fluke sounds and plays better than his $3000 vintage Martin ukulele. He was almost mad about it. Jim Beloff, co-creator of the Fluke also publishes a bunch of excellent ukulele songbooks. My favorite is Jumpin’ Jim’s Gone Hawaiian. — Mark Frauenfelder
Willow flute
Apart from a drum, it’s hard to imagine a simpler musical instrument than the willow flute: it’s a straight tube with a mouthpiece at one end and no toneholes. But far from being a limited toy, the willow flutes developed in Scandinavia (known as the salgflojt in Sweden, the seljefloyte in Norway, and the pitkahuilu in Finland; willow flutes are also traditional in Russia and several other countries) are capable of playing complex melodies over a multi-octave range. It’s all done through harmonics, breath control, and the judicious use of the index finger to cover the end hole.
I grew up in the U.S. trying to make simple one-note willow whistles, cut from pussy willow branches in early spring, and I read books that described how to make a more elaborate slide willow whistle that works like a trombone. The salgflojt is nothing like either of these, and when I first heard one in the hands of a virtuoso player I was awestruck that such complex music could be made from a simple tube.
If you blow as softly as possible into the mouthpiece of a salgflojt, you produce a tone. Blow a little harder and you get a note that’s approximately a fifth above the first one; blow harder still and you’ll get a note that’s an octave above the first, and so on. If you close the end-hole with your index finger, you’ll get a new scale whose notes fall in between those produced by the flute when the end of the tube is left open.
The scale produced by these overtones is not like the standard Western tempered scale; it’s a natural harmonic scale and will sound “Eastern”; and exotic to American ears. Because you have two scales available, you can play intricate melodies through breath control and by using the index finger to cover the end hole for certain notes.
True willow flutes are temporary instruments, drying out and cracking after a few days or weeks of use, so modern versions are generally made of plastic, often with wooden mouthpieces. It’s easy to make one yourself, although all the instructions I’ve been able to find online are for the smaller one-note version. A number of retailers (mostly in Scandinavia) sell them. Fredman’s Music, in Sweden, also sells the best instruction book available on the salgflojt, Spela Salgflojt, by Jean-Pierre Yvert. Written in English and Swedish, this book explains the scales, introduces you to the blowing and fingering technique, provides music and tablature for a number of melodies, and includes a CD of the exercises and tunes. Yvert also makes flutes and is an excellent player.
I’ve been playing traditional Irish music on the wooden flute for about 25 years, but have long been a fan of traditional Swedish music. The process of learning the salgflojt is very different from that of a standard flute — it’s easier in one sense because you simply blow right into the mouth-hole to produce a sound, but it’s harder in the sense that you have to develop very precise breath control to get the notes you want. You can teach yourself the basics by spending time with the instrument and experimenting with what happens when you blow harder and softer, covering the end hole or leaving it open. —Brad Hurley
Old world twanging
Nothing compliments a campfire like a harmonica, but if you’re looking for a new and challenging pocket noisemaker, I highly recommend the jaw harp. Much like a didgeridoo, you can create trance-inducing vibrations that will annoy some and mesmerize others. On its own, your mouth can learn to make some pretty great sounds, but it’s remarkable what can be accomplished with this little doohickey. Just the slightest change in breath and flickering of the tongue shapes the sound dramatically.
The history is part of the appeal. I purchased mine in rural Tennessee, but the harp’s roots are deeper than American folk. Some say the instrument was born in Asia and migrated to Europe around the 13th century. Archaic versions of these twangers have been found everywhere from England to the Philippines and Siberia (there are several names, including the “mouth” or “jew” harp, which seemingly bears no connection to Judaism). Pluck and listen, and time travel while plucking some more. When you get light-headed — and you will — do take a breather. — Steven Leckart
I too was struck by the mesmerising sound of the jaw harp when I heard Mike Seeger play one. I searched around and finally decided on the Whitlow. At $25, this is a really good buy. It is hand made in America by one guy who learned to make it from the Whitlow guy who originally made them. I also purchased the harp mentioned above, because it is so cheap. But the Whitlow is just so superior I couldn’t stand the tinny vibrations and lack of resonance of the cheap one. The Whitlow plays like butter the first time you play it. It resonates for a long time and is really loud. Get the lowest key you can find. I have a low D. You can make some really haunting, low frequency sounds by breathing in and out while twanging. — Larry Albertelli
Large homemade wind chimes
Wind Chimes: Design and Construction
Make your own. Not those tinny flea market varieties, but large striking sonorous chimes tuned in all manner of unusual styles. (Listen to samples on the book’s website or included CD). There are several dozen unusual ways to tune the chimes. All tunings are fairly mathematical, which is the core of this book, but not difficult to execute with hardware-store tubing. My son and I used this short but very explicit manual to create a large copper pipe one that emits a lovely melody in the breeze. The bigger the better. (The bigger the more wind they need, too.) This guide is a very practical way to experience the math of music and the beauty of alternative music systems.
