Monochord in C
I occasionally get asked to build unusual musical instruments.  I’m always up for a challenge and when local musician Ed Mikenas...
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EXPLORING THE MAKING AND PLAYING OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
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james83812
- Mar 26
- 1 min
The Trichordian
At the end of 2022 I was contacted by the producer of a Cleveland, Ohio performance of Howard Shore's award-winning score of Lord of the...
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james83812
- Mar 21, 2022
- 5 min
Brendan, an electro-mechanical, computer-controlled system to play the hammer dulcimer
In October 2021, I was approached by Stan Humphries, a New Mexico based electrical and computer engineer, who obviously had too much time...
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james83812
- Apr 30, 2017
- 1 min
Building a 16/15 Indian Santoor
After having built a number of aspects of Indian Santoors, I finally got a commission to build a complete instrument based on a...
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james83812
- Apr 12, 2017
- 12 min
A Midi Hammered Dulcimer?
Years ago Randy Machany, dulcimer player with the group No Strings Attached, created what became the first attempt at creating a...
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james83812
- Apr 7, 2016
- 5 min
Designing an Electric Hammered Dulcimer
A long time customer who plays one of Linear Chromatic Hammered Dulcimers in his band The Botanist requested I make him an electric...
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james83812
- Mar 8, 2015
- 2 min
The Flipped Linear Chromatic
Working with Steve Shmania in 1998, we brought to life the first Linear Chromatic; a hammered dulcimer which gave players a more logical...
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james83812
- Apr 8, 2012
- 9 min
The Indian Santoor
Lately I’ve become increasingly interested in other instruments in the worldwide dulcimer family so when Dipu Deshmukh (an accomplished...
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james83812
- Oct 27, 2011
- 2 min
Tonewoods
Garret our youngest son has taken a shine to the West of late so we have been doing some traveling out in that direction over the last...
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james83812
- Aug 12, 2011
- 2 min
The Yangqin
As the yangqin is a type of hammered dulcimer, it shares many elements of construction with other instruments in the hammered dulcimer...
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james83812
- Mar 28, 2011
- 2 min
Sound Hole Designs
Making unique artistic sound hole images has always been integral to the overall design of my hammered dulcimers. My first sound hole...
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james83812
- Jan 11, 2011
- 1 min
Tsimbls
Although I don’t sell a lot of them, I offer another version of the hammered dulcimer, the tsimbl. This fully chromatic instrument is a...
211 views0 comments
james83812
- Oct 23, 2010
- 1 min
Four Octave Bowed Psaltery
I make three different sizes of bowed psalteries, the three octave Baritone, the two and half octave Alto and the two octave Soprano. I...
200 views0 comments
james83812
- Oct 14, 2010
- 1 min
Precautions - Humidity Extremes
As we approach the heating season, I’ll throw out my usual advice about instrument care. Keep the humidity up! Wood in an instrument...
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