Posted on January 6, 2010May 28, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: Setar Construction, An Iranian Musical Instrument by Nasser Shirazi Review: Setar Construction, An Iranian Musical Instrument by Nasser Shirazi Reviewed by Marc Connelly Originally published in American Lutherie #77, 2004 Setar Construction, An Iranian Musical Instrument Nasser Shirazi Berkeley, CA, 2001 For those of you who wish to build an Iranian setar, it would be hard to imagine a finer, more complete text than that presented here by Mr. Shirazi. But if you confuse the setar with the more widely known Indian sitar, you would be in for a surprise. The setar is an ancient Iranian instrument whose variants and descendents have populated string bands throughout the Middle East and Africa for thousands of years. This long-necked, fretted, 3- or 4-stringed instrument with a gourd-shaped soundbox is played with a strumming motion by the index finger, either in traditional Iranian ensembles or as a solo instrument. For lute makers, Neapolitan mandolin makers, bouzouki makers, and luthiers interested in gourd-shaped soundbox construction (or even using gourds themselves), there are some nifty construction tips to be had here. As I find myself spending too much time considering and reconsidering the relationship between the size of soundboxes and relative soundhole size and placement, I am intrigued by the traditional decisions that the great setar makers made in this regard. Mr. Shirazi’s personal investment in research of this instrument enabled him to include the dimensions of setar examples from three of the most important Iranian master setar builders. Yep, that’s in there too, along with a full-sized drawing of the soundbox staves, accurate drawings of all the important shapes, and photographs detailing key construction steps, including jigs and molds. Great attention is paid to construction details. The smallest point is addressed thoroughly and concisely. Each step of Setar Construction has been organized by a highly refined mind. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 6, 2010May 20, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: From the pages of Experimental Musical Instruments, Volume 1 Review: From the pages of Experimental Musical Instruments, Volume I Reviewed by Tim Olsen Originally published in American Lutherie #9, 1987 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 From the pages of Experimental Musical Instruments, Volume I Experimental Musical Instruments Out of print Ever wonder what it would sound like if the wind blew through 19' stainless-steel bands attached to your roof? If so, you are the kind of person to relish this intriguing and enlightening little effort from the different drummers over at Experimental Musical Instruments magazine. The wind instruments on the compilation provide the most “musical” (accessible) selections while the percussion instruments provide the sort of material that goes well on art-film soundtracks. Of particular value to luthiers are the four tracks which feature strange and wonderful string instruments. The Puget Sound Wind Harp is hybrid of an aeolian harp and a small house. The wind plays upon the 3/8" steel ribbons to make sounds of a predictably low frequency. The tape gives a hint of what must be a sort of tooth-rattling “om.” Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 6, 2010May 27, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: How to Repair Your Diatonic Accordion or Concertina by John Townley and Jehan Paul Review: How to Repair Your Diatonic Accordion or Concertina by John Townley and Jehan Paul Reviewed by John Calkin Origially published in American Lutherie #55, 1998 How to Repair Your Diatonic Accordion or Concertina John Townley and Jehan Paul Lark in the Morning LAR019 approx. 1 hour available from Mel Bay dealers and Elderly Instruments Townley and Paul set a new standard of sorts for instruction videos. Their workbench is a cafe table. Townley would blend right in at any luthier’s convention, while Paul looks like a Parisian street musician. It’s a Mutt-and-Jeff combination that works very well. As Paul says, “It’s important to be relaxed while working on accordions,” and the two belt down tequila as the show progresses. It’s pretty amusing at first, but by the end you’ll want to pour out some shooters for yourself for the second viewing. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 6, 2010May 19, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: L’ELAN Review: L’ELAN Reviewed by Francis Kosheleff Originally published in American Lutherie #20, 1989 L’ELAN Ecole de Lutherie Artistique du Noroit Inc 226, rue Christophe-Colomb est Quebec, Quebec G1K 3S7 CANADA L’ELAN is a twenty page magazine published in French by the Ecole de Lutherie Artistique du Noroit, hence the E.L.A.N. which also means flight or momentum. It is a free publication sent out by the lutherie school of Quebec which is financially supported by the Ministere des Affaires Culturelles, a Canadian government agency. Of L’ELAN #2 (Spring ’89) the cover is color, a striking photo of part of a violin. There is a three page essay on the tonic of craft and craftsmen and their role in our times, followed by a three page informative article on the care and main tenance of keyboard instruments with drawings. There are also interviews, or visits with three luthiers: violin maker, Andre Gadoury; harp maker, Alain Beaudoin; xylophone-marimba — vibraphone maker, Denis Grenier; all with black and white photos. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 5, 2010May 23, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: Building the Kamanché by Nasser Shirazi Review: Building the Kamanché by Nasser Shirazi Reviewed by Barbara Goldowsky Previously published in American Lutherie #92, 2007 Building the Kamanché by Nasser Shirazi Includes full-scale plan Available from Nasser Shirazi P.O. Box 4793, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 $30, including shipping and handling The kamanché is a traditional Persian stringed instrument, widely played in classical Iranian music ensembles in Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, which is thought to be one of the ancestors of the violin. It appears often in historical paintings and has been described in literature by travelers to Iran and other Middle Eastern countries as early as 1418AD, but it dates back as far as 1500 to 2000 years. The word “kamanché” means “small bow” in Farsi. The general shape has remained the same throughout its history, but changes have been made in construction techniques and materials. Steel strings similar to violin strings replaced silk strings, and, in the past century, the number of strings was increased from three to four. Approximately 35" in length overall, the kamanché is a spike fiddle, held upright as the player sits on the floor and braces the instrument on his calf or the floor. The instrument is slightly rotated by the player, who uses a variable-tension horsehair bow. The kamanché has a round hardwood neck; a soundbox made either from a gourd, coconut shell, or from wood that has been carved or bent; a worked metal spike on the bottom; and pegs carved from walnut, maple, or sometimes ebony. The soundbox, fingerboard, pegs, and crown may be decorated with bone, shell, exotic woods or semiprecious stones. Makers interested in building a kamanche will have to find the somewhat unusual materials needed to cover the opening of the soundbox — for instance baby lamb skin (commonly used in Iran), fish skin, or pericardium (the membrane around a cow’s heart). If the above are not available, you may substitute deer skin. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
