Re: Javanese music

[matthias@bahianet.com.br (Matthias Grob)]

Preston typed:
>I have been fascinated with Zimbabwean music since those days in OR.
>Over the past three years I have made many Mbira-type instruments, and
>this summer I made my first marimba. ...       I've kept it
>simple, with no resonator tubes. I'd like to make another one. I'd like
>to make one of those jumbo Basso-Profundo types. Do you have any
>recommendations on appropriate woods for such a marimba? Know any good
>sources for wood and/or drawn plans for marimbas?

We sure have a lot of really heavy woods down here (Salvador/Brazil).
And my partner Bira builds Kalimbas (=Mbira?) and all sorts of instruments.
He has some reasonable (under used) wood working machines.
For a resonator he has gourds (is that the big vegetable with the hard,
thin shell?). He uses them even for Kalimbas! And of course for the
Berimbaos.

Hoppi recorded a Bamboo Balaphon. Sounded really good. Especially the loop
I taped into the PCM42 while he played. Listen to it and a lot more bamboo
instruments on: David Hoppkins "Hear the grass" WERGO @ Harmonia Mundi USA,
Mike Skiansky, LA, phone (310) 478 1311.

One of my dreams is to build such instruments "solid body" with piezo pick 
up's.
To make the pickups is easy for me. The position of it is easy in case of
Kalimba, and a bit more difficult in case of marimba, but still possible.

We could install instrument builders courses down here:
Beach in the morning, sawing in the afternoon and 'Plex syncing at night!
Wana teach?
Matthias