Search found 212 matches
- Wed Jul 08, 2020 9:08 am
- Forum: Learning
- Topic: Practice Video - Danza Morena
- Replies: 10
- Views: 25173
Re: Practice Video - Danza Morena
Beautiful playing and using the accompaniment strings for pedals and counter parts is one of the great resources of the zither. I use that approacvh a lot when playing O'Carolan tunes to get a more harp-like sound. During this time of staying at home, having an instrument that is "the band in y...
- Sat Apr 25, 2020 7:37 am
- Forum: Learning
- Topic: Question about Trills
- Replies: 8
- Views: 15835
Re: Question about Trills
I execute trills doing what is described here but maybe the terminology that Pete Seeger invented might be easier to understand. He called these actions a hammer on and a pull off. You play the note and make sure that your noting finger is firm on the note. You use an adjacent finger and literally &...
- Thu Apr 16, 2020 9:00 am
- Forum: Learning
- Topic: Practice Video - Basket of Turf
- Replies: 27
- Views: 67321
Re: Practice Video - Basket of Turf
Back in the 70's Rudi Wacek gave me a stand that is exactly like this. I don't know where he got but it certainly is a clever and compact design!
Ken Bloom
http://www.boweddulcimer.org
Ken Bloom
http://www.boweddulcimer.org
- Mon Apr 13, 2020 7:01 am
- Forum: Learning
- Topic: Practice Video - Basket of Turf
- Replies: 27
- Views: 67321
Re: Practice Video - Basket of Turf
I have found over the years that angleing the zither away from me on the left end and sitting higher has helped me a lot. I have a chair that has adjustable height. I tend to tuck my legs under so that I get good clearance from the table. Positioning the instrument lower in relationship to the body ...
- Wed Feb 05, 2020 8:30 am
- Forum: Learning
- Topic: adding harmony
- Replies: 1
- Views: 5891
Re: adding harmony
Hi Rudi, I guess my approach may be somewhat different from others with different backgrounds but I see nothing wrong with what you describe. I often tell my students "it's written on paper, not carved in stone". I think it's better to be able to play the piece and make it your own. In the...
- Tue Jan 07, 2020 10:02 am
- Forum: Places and Events
- Topic: ZITHER SUNDAY
- Replies: 6
- Views: 22282
Re: ZITHER SUNDAY
Please send Ludwig my fondest regards. I think about him often and the wonderful help he gave me early on in my zither explorations.
Ken Bloom
http://www.boweddulcimer.org
Ken Bloom
http://www.boweddulcimer.org
- Thu Jan 02, 2020 9:05 am
- Forum: Learning
- Topic: Harmonics on the Free Strings
- Replies: 21
- Views: 26926
Re: Harmonics on the Free Strings
Hi Rudi, Yes we're talking about the same thing. We're just using different terms to name them. I never got my info for doing harmonics on the zither from zither books. I just transferred what I already knew and used from playing guitar, mostly using the octave and fifth harmonics as those are the e...
- Wed Jan 01, 2020 8:40 am
- Forum: Learning
- Topic: Harmonics on the Free Strings
- Replies: 21
- Views: 26926
Re: Harmonics on the Free Strings
I was simply making the point that where the right hand plucks the string makes a difference in how easily the harmonic sounds. Everyone else is addressing what the left hand does in lightly touching the node point of the string to get the particular harmonic required. You have to use both hands. Ho...
- Tue Dec 31, 2019 11:29 am
- Forum: Learning
- Topic: Harmonics on the Free Strings
- Replies: 21
- Views: 26926
Re: Harmonics on the Free Strings
Here are a couple of tips to make sounding the harmonics a bit easier. You can use the 12th fret of your fingerboard as a guide for the closer accompaniment strings and you can then "guesstimate" the other octave locations by moving up a bit toward the luftresonance from there. You can oft...
- Sat Dec 21, 2019 10:05 am
- Forum: Repairs and Restorations
- Topic: information on an old zither
- Replies: 6
- Views: 7835
Re: information on an old zither
Beautiful old zither! Be careful with those tuning machines for the fingerboard. I would carefully remove them and clean and oil the gears so they work freely. Those ivory knobs can crack fairly easily if not afforded some care. With that string length you will want "concert zither" string...