As we’ve discussed before, some musicians aren’t content to just make music; some like to make the things that make music, then use them to make the music! This affects musicians of all levels and in all walks of life. Don’t believe me? Find a professional oboist (or bassoonist) who doesn’t hand-craft their own reeds. :-)
Anyway, I ran across this great article from our friends at Instructables explaining how to make your own bongo cajon. If you’re a percussionist, especially one who plays la musica latina, you may already be familiar with the concept…but for non-percussionists, a bongo cajon is a cajon (“large box” in Spanish) that produces pitches like a bongo: high and low. This allows the percussionist to play bongo patterns on the cajon. It’s a rather clever instrument and looks like it would be relatively straightforward and fun to make.
Whether making or playing, keep the music coming!
Musically yours,
Mark
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Tags: bongo, build, cajon, craft, DIY, do it yourself, how to, Instructables, instrument, make
General, Percussion | admin December 14, 2011 | 
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There are a number of Part-Time Musicians (PTMs) who enjoy building instruments nearly as much as they enjoy playing them. I’m not gifted enough to do that, although I’ve made several aesthetically-pleasing and functional repairs over the years. 
For those who need to go deeper, this is for you.
An ocarina is a fun little instrument similar to a very basic recorder. Our friends at Instructables posted this article on how to build one for yourself; pictures and sound clip are included with the instructions. If you’re itching to hit the woodshop and build something musical, this project is much more attainable (for most of us) than attempting to craft your own guitar or violin.
Have you built your own instrument? Drop us a line or leave a comment below. We’d love to share your experiences doing so with your fellow PTMs, whether resulting in triumph or cautionary tale. Sometimes one is just as good as the other… :-D
Keep playing,
Mark
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Tags: build, craft, DIY, do it yourself, how to, Instructables, instrument, make, ocarina
General, Woodwinds | Mark March 24, 2011 |
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This was sent my way recently and I just had to pass it along. With apologies to all of the good conductors out there; hat tip to Vitally!
How to Cook a Conductor
Ingredients
- One large conductor, or two small assistant conductors
- Ketchup
- 26 large cloves of garlic
- Lard
- 1 cask of cheap wine
- 1 pound of bean sprouts
- Honey (optional, but highly recommended)
- 2 pounds of yuppie food such as tofu or yogurt
- 1 abused orchestra
Method
- Catch a conductor. Remove tails and horns. Carefully separate the large ego and reserve for sauce.
- Remove any batons, pencils (on permanent loan from the Principal Second Violin), and articulations; discard.
- Remove hearing aid and discard (it never worked anyway). Examine your conductor carefully – many of them are mostly large intestine. If you have such a conductor, you will have to discard it and catch another.
- Clean conductor as you would a squid, but do not separate the tentacles from the body. If it’s a good quality conductor such as from a major symphony orchestra you may wish to make it more tender by pounding the conductor on a rock with timpani mallets or by smashing the conductor between two large cymbals.
- Pour 1/2 of the cask of wine into a bath tub and soak the conductor in wine for at least 12 hours.
- When the conductor is sufficiently marinated, remove any clothes the conductor may be wearing and rub it all over with the garlic.
- Cover your conductor with the lard using vague, slow, circulating motions. Take care to ensure that every inch is covered.
- Take your orchestra and put as much music out as the stands will hold without falling over, making sure that there are lots of really loud passages for everyone, big loud chords for the winds and brass, and lots and lots of tremolos for the strings (Bruckner might be appropriate).
- Rehearse these passages several times, making certain that the brass and woodwinds are always playing as loud as they can and that the strings are tremolo-ing at their highest speed. This should ensure adequate flames for cooking your conductor. If not, insist on taking every repeat and to be sure to add the second repeats in really large symphonies. If taking all the repeats does not generate sufficient flames, burn the complete set of scores and parts to all of the Bruckner symphonies.
- When the flames have died down to a medium inferno, place your conductor on top of the orchestra (they won’t mind as they are used to it) until it is well tanned, the hair turns back to its natural color, and all of the fat has dripped out.
- Be careful not to overcook or your conductor, or it could end up tasting like stuffed ham.
- Make a sauce by combining the ego, sprouts, and ketchup to taste, placing it all in the blender, and pureeing until smooth.
- If the ego is bitter, sweeten with honey to taste.
- Slice your conductor as you would with any turkey.
- Serve accompanied by the yuppie food, and the remaining wine with the sauce on the side.
Warning
Due to environmental toxins present in conductor feeding areas such as heavy metals, oily residue from intensive PR machinery, and extraordinarily high concentrations of E. coli, cryptosporidium and other hazardous organisms associated with animal waste, the Department for Conductor Decimation (DCD) recommends that consumption of conductors be limited to one per season.
Keep playing (and cooking!),
Mark
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