source file: mills2.txt Date: Fri, 10 Jan 1997 07:39:09 -0800 Subject: RE: building an mbira From: Manuel.Op.de.Coul@ezh.nl (Manuel Op de Coul) > I would like to have a double-level style like those found in Zimbabwe > (do we say Rhodesia?) but probably a second tier on either side. I > don't know why they usually are only double-tiered on the left. I am > also wondering if a fine-tuning mechanism could be devised, better > than just wiggling the tongues back and forth while hoping for the > best. I use a little hammer to tick the tongues back and forth gently, it works ok. I never finished the one I started to build, so I can't give any building advice, but I have a "real" one from Zimbabwe. I thought about replacing the bottlecaps with seashells, but couldn't drill a hole in a shell so I gave that up. The keys on the right hand side on my mbira are pretty close together, and not flattened to such a great width that having two tiers is necessary. I think that would make playing more difficult. You will need a big gourd for it too of course, as a soundboard. Manuel Op de Coul coul@ezh.nl Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Fri, 10 Jan 1997 19:23 +0100 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA19494; Fri, 10 Jan 1997 19:26:23 +0100 Received: from eartha.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA19510 Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for id KAA14943; Fri, 10 Jan 1997 10:25:31 -0800 Date: Fri, 10 Jan 1997 10:25:31 -0800 Message-Id: <199701101824.KAA14890@eartha.mills.edu> Errors-To: madole@mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu