What are the best strings for tap guitars. How to choose the right gauge for your playing style. Which string materials offer the best tone and durability. Where to find custom string sets designed specifically for tap guitars.
Understanding Tap Guitar String Basics
Tap guitars, such as the Chapman Stick, Megatar, and Warr Guitar, require specialized strings to achieve optimal performance. These unique instruments typically feature a longer scale length and are played using a tapping technique, necessitating strings that can withstand this playing style while delivering excellent tone and sustain.
When selecting strings for your tap guitar, consider the following factors:
- Scale length of your instrument
- Desired tuning
- Playing style (light touch vs. heavy-handed)
- Tonal preferences
- Budget
Tap Guitar String Gauges: Finding Your Perfect Match
String gauge plays a crucial role in determining the playability and tone of your tap guitar. Three main gauge options are available:
1. Light Gauge – “Sweet Fingers”
Ideal for players seeking maximum expressiveness and easy bending, the Sweet Fingers set offers the following advantages:
- Gauges ranging from .008 to .095
- Perfect for microtonal adjustments and blues-style playing
- Requires a delicate touch and good ear
- Excellent for melodic passages
2. Medium Gauge – “Medium Fingers”
A versatile option suitable for beginners and experienced players alike, the Medium Fingers set provides:
- Gauges ranging from .009 to .110
- Balanced resistance to finger pressure
- Allows for some bending while maintaining good sustain
- Ideal for chord-based playing styles
3. Heavy Gauge – “Power Fingers”
For those seeking maximum output and stability, the Power Fingers set offers:
- Gauges ranging from .010 to .120
- High magnetic output for powerful tone
- Excellent pitch stability under heavy pressure
- Preferred by many jazz players
- Suitable for heavier instruments
String Materials: Balancing Tone and Durability
The choice of string material significantly impacts your tap guitar’s tone and playability. Currently, the primary option available is:
Mello Tone Nickel-Covered Strings
These strings offer several benefits for tap guitarists:
- Sweet, brilliant tone with a silver color
- Gentle on frets, reducing wear and tear
- Balanced brightness and warmth
- Comfortable feel for extended playing sessions
While pure stainless steel strings were previously available, they are no longer offered due to their tendency to oxidize and potential for increased fret wear.
Custom String Sets for Various Tap Guitar Tunings
Tap guitars can be tuned in various ways, with two popular tuning systems being:
1. Bass in Fifths, Melody in Fourths
This tuning, similar to the Standard tuning developed by Emmett Chapman for the Chapman Stick, is available in all three gauge options:
- Sweet Fingers: Six melody strings (.008 to .034W) and six bass strings (.092W to .010)
- Medium Fingers: Six melody strings (.009 to .038W) and six bass strings (.110W to .016)
- Power+ Fingers: Six melody strings (.010 to .048) and six bass strings (.120 to .012)
2. Bass in Fourths, Melody in Fourths
This alternative tuning, popularized by players like Daniel Schell and Wolfgang Daiss, is also available in all three gauge options:
- Sweet Fingers: Six melody strings (.008 to .034R) and six bass strings (.092R to .013)
- Medium Fingers: Six melody strings (.009 to .038W) and six bass strings (.110W to .013)
- Power+ Fingers: Six melody strings (.010 to .048) and six bass strings (.120 to .026)
Specialized Features for Tap Guitar Strings
To cater to the unique needs of tap guitarists, several specialized features are available:
Exposed Core Strings
Bass strings with gauges over .060 are available with an exposed core at the ball end, measuring 7cm in length. This feature can enhance sustain and provide a brighter tone.
Full-Length Wound Strings
For instruments with longer scale lengths, some string sets are available with full-length winding from ball end to tip. This ensures proper fit and consistent tone across the entire string length.
Choosing the Right String Set for Your Tap Guitar
When selecting strings for your tap guitar, consider the following steps:
- Measure the scale length of your instrument (distance between nut and bridge)
- Determine your preferred tuning system
- Assess your playing style and tonal preferences
- Choose the appropriate gauge based on your experience level and desired feel
- Consider any specialized features that may benefit your instrument or playing style
By carefully considering these factors, you can select a string set that will optimize your tap guitar’s performance and enhance your playing experience.
Maintaining Your Tap Guitar Strings
To ensure longevity and consistent tone from your tap guitar strings, follow these maintenance tips:
- Clean strings after each playing session with a microfiber cloth
- Use a quality string lubricant to reduce friction and extend string life
- Store your instrument in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment
- Replace strings regularly, especially if you notice a decline in tone or playability
- Consider using a string cleaner/conditioner to remove buildup and preserve tone
Exploring Advanced Tap Guitar Techniques with the Right Strings
The choice of strings can significantly impact your ability to execute various tap guitar techniques. Here are some advanced techniques and the string characteristics that can enhance them:
Two-Handed Tapping
For clean and precise two-handed tapping:
- Medium to light gauge strings offer easier playability
- Nickel-covered strings provide a balanced tone for both hands
- Consider a set with slightly lighter gauge on the melody side for faster runs
Slap and Pop Techniques
To achieve punchy slap and pop sounds:
- Heavier gauge strings (Power Fingers) offer more resistance and volume
- Exposed core bass strings can enhance the percussive attack
- Full-length wound strings ensure consistent tone across the fretboard
Harmonics and Artificial Harmonics
For clear and resonant harmonics:
- Medium gauge strings balance sustain and playability
- Nickel-covered strings provide a bright, chime-like quality to harmonics
- Consider a set with balanced tension across all strings for consistent harmonic production
Experimenting with different string sets can help you find the perfect balance for your preferred techniques and playing style.
The Future of Tap Guitar String Technology
As tap guitar technology continues to evolve, string manufacturers are exploring new materials and construction techniques to enhance performance. Some potential future developments include:
- Hybrid string sets combining different materials for optimal tone and durability
- Nano-coated strings for extended life and consistent tone
- Custom-wound strings tailored to specific tap guitar models and playing styles
- Integration of sensor technology for MIDI compatibility and enhanced expression
- Biodegradable string options for environmentally conscious musicians
Staying informed about these advancements can help tap guitarists make informed decisions about their string choices and potentially unlock new sonic possibilities.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tap Guitar Strings
To address common concerns and provide additional clarity, here are answers to some frequently asked questions about tap guitar strings:
How often should I change my tap guitar strings?
The frequency of string changes depends on several factors, including playing time, environment, and personal preference. As a general rule, consider changing strings every 1-3 months for regular players, or when you notice a decline in tone or playability.
Can I use regular guitar strings on my tap guitar?
While it’s possible to use regular guitar strings, they may not provide optimal performance due to the unique requirements of tap guitars. Custom-designed tap guitar strings offer better tension balance, durability, and tonal characteristics suited to tapping techniques.
Are there any alternative tunings that require specific string sets?
Yes, some tap guitarists experiment with alternative tunings beyond the standard fifths/fourths or all-fourths arrangements. For these tunings, custom string sets may be necessary to achieve proper tension and intonation across the instrument’s range.
How do I know if my tap guitar requires full-length wound strings?
Measure the scale length of your instrument from the nut to the bridge. If it exceeds 34″ (86.36cm), you may need full-length wound strings to ensure proper fit and consistent tone across the entire string length.
Can I mix and match string gauges from different sets?
While it’s possible to create custom sets by mixing gauges, it’s important to maintain proper tension balance across the instrument. Consult with a knowledgeable luthier or tap guitar specialist before creating a custom set to ensure optimal playability and avoid potential damage to your instrument.
By understanding these nuances and exploring the various options available, tap guitarists can find the perfect string set to complement their playing style and unlock their instrument’s full potential.
Strings for the Tap-guitar – Clic Music
Available qualities
We are happy to provide the students with quality strings.
Daniel has redesigned the gauges in order to provide his students with the best feeling.
They can fit most types of tap guitar.
Please check the distance between the nut and the bridge before any purchase.
Pay attention to the fact that some instruments have a larger scale, with the result that the wounding will stop before the nut.
The usual tap-guitars we fit, like Stick TM, Megatar TM, Warr Guitar TM, Vassilevsky Pagaya have usually a scale of 34″ = 84cm between lower and upper bridges.
Some Chapman Stick tm of the last generation do have a longer scale. In that case, some of our strings will not fit. Read carefully.
Contact-us if you have any doubt.
OUr strings have an overall length is 45″ (115 cm).
Winding length (mesured from the ball end, not from the bridge) is 36.
5″ (93 cm).
We have also the bass strings (gauge over .060) available with exposed core (7cm) at the ball end.
The normal pack contains 16 to 19 strings. With these you can fit most types of tuning.
If you wish to know more about the various tunings in usage on the tap-guitar please consult http://tapguitar.net/index.php/tunings/
Metal quality: we provide”Mello Tone” Nickel covered, It is sweet to the frets and has a brilliant silver color. ( we do not provide anymore the “Ringing Bell” pure stainless quality, brilliant sound, more oxydisable, harder to the frets).
We provide also three different gauges sets: ‘Sweet Fingers‘ which is light, and has expressiveness in the melody strings. It needs experts fingers, good ears and is specially designed for musicians who want to render a melody with microtonal adjustments such as bending, blues or Indian classical. “Medium Fingers” is fairly resistant to the finger’s pressure, though allowing some bending.
Specially designed for beginners, or for experimented players who like to play chords. ‘Power fingers‘ offers a maximal magnetic output, resistant to the fingers, stays on the pitch whatever the pressure, fits the heavy instruments.
All strings sets are custom-made for us and fit both the crossed hands and the uncrossed hands disposition of strings.
| Article | Gauges | Price | Description |
| Quality “Mello tone” Nickel | W is for Wounded. Otherwise strings are plain | ||
| Light Gauge ‘Sweet fingers’ | 008 (2), 009 (2), 010, 012, 013, 016, W022, W025, W028, W034, W040, W044, W065, W095 | 45€ | For double regions bass/melody instruments. Light tension for maximum expressivity. Bends easy, but sustains less |
| Medium Gauge ‘Medium fingers’ | 009 (2), 011 (2), 013, 014, 016, 018, W026, W028, W030, W032, W038, W048, W060, W080, W110 | 46€ | For double regions bass/melody instruments. Medium tension, a good compromise between light and heavy gauges. Easy bendings and good sustain.Available with exposed core (7cm) at ball end.Availble entirely wounded from ball to end to fit longer scale touch boards. |
| Heavy Gauge ‘Power+ fingers’ | 010 (2), 012 (2), 013 (2), 016, 019,W026 (2), W030, W036 (2), W048 (2), W052, W068, W090, W120 | 63€ | For double regions bass/melody instruments. Small bends. Heavy tension, high volume output and punchy dynamics. Easy to stay in tune, preferred by many jazz players.Available with exposed core (7cm) at ball end. |
Tunings
Tuning bass in fifths-melody in fourths (similar to the Standard tm tuning of Stick Enterprises, developped by Emmett Chapman 1968)
Sweet fingers (Regular gauge, easy to touch, expressive bass, easy to bend melody.): Six Melody strings (gauges in 1/100 of inches): 08 (2 units), 09 (2 units), 12, 16, 25W, 34W.
Six Bass strings (gauges 92W, 65W, 40W, 22W, 13, 10).
Medium fingers (medium gauge, straight but expressive melody and bass) . Six Melody strings (gauges in 1/100 of inches): 09 (2 units), 11 (2 units), 14, 18, 27W, 38W. Six Bass strings (gauges 110W, 80W, 48W, 32W, 28W, 16).Power+ fingers (resists to the pressure, maximum output, fits heavier instruments) Six melody strings (gauges in 1/100 Inch): .010 (2 units) .013 (2 units) .019 .026 .036 .048 Six bass strings .120 .090 .052 .030 .016 .012
Six Bass strings (gauges 92W, 65W, 40W, 22W, 13, 10).Tuning bass in fourths / melody in fourths (as played by Daniel Schell, Wolfgang Daiss and others)
Sweet fingers (Regular gauge, easy to touch, expressive bass, easy to bend melody): Six “melody” 08 (2 units), 09 (2 units), 12, 16, 25R, 34R. Six Bass strings : gauges 92R, 65R, 44R, 28R, 22, 13.
Medium fingers (heavy gauge, straight but expressive melody and bass) . Six Melody strings (gauges in 1/100 of inches): 09 (2 units), 11 (2 units), 14, 18, 27W, 38W.Power+ fingers (resists to the pressure, maximum output, fits heavier instruments) Six melody strings (gauges in 1/100 Inch): .010 (2 units) .013 (2 units) .019 .026 .036 .048 Six bass strings .120 .090 .068 .048 .036 .026
Six Bass strings (gauges 110W, 80W, 60W, 30W, 16, 13).Fingers always stick to strings… lots of friction
Ok this is a big problem let me explain.. My strings always create friction with my hands and fingers… even if i switch to new strings…
Its like if i slide down the string there is alot of friction … I just put on brand new strings and this is still happening.. It affects my left hand fretting but even more it affects my right hand plucking… I cannot pluck fast cause of this “sticking” and friction i get
This problem really hurts the speed of my playing.. its like my fingers stick to the strings instead of glide easily…
Its worse with flatwound strings than with round…. but personally i just switched to flats and notice my fingers stick more
Click to expand.
..I had exactly the same problem. Same with flatwounds. I think some people call it “grippy” strings rather then sticky; it’s probably more accurate too. Here are some of my observations:
* Get used to it (seriously, it will go eventually). I can play flatwounds no worries now.
* Don’t use Fast Fret or any other string lubricants. It made it worse for me.
* The “grippiness” is worse in air-conditioned environment (but that’s sometimes hard to avoid)
* Stainless steel roundowunds are more “grippy” than nickel, so try using nickel if you prefer roundwounds. Also try different brands, they do differ. As for stainless steel strings I found DR strings best (got quite glidy after very short period, while still zingy). The most “grippy” ones were Rotosound.
* LaBella flats (Jamerson set) seemed the least grippy as far as flats were concerned. Rotosound flats were the worst.
* You can use some “nose grease”. Works perfectly, but it’s gross and ruins the strings quickly.
Hope this helps
MP
PS.
Disclaimer: When I said “best” and “worst” I didn’t mean the quality of strings but their susceptability to “grippiness” issue. Some of them are awesome strings tone-wise.
The Stick: When Six Strings Aren’t Enough
“Right now I have 12 paid admissions, which is exactly my target.” It’s Tom Griesgraber talking about the upcoming series of Stick seminars and concerts he’s hosting in conjunction with the Mira Costa College Music Department and the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad.
By Stick Griesgraber means the Chapman Stick, a rare stringed instrument that has a distinctive look, feel, and sound. Like the Sitar or the Turkish Oud or the Japanese Koto there aren’t very many Stick disciples around San Diego, meaning one’s chances to hear Chapman’s invention being played out are slim to none.
“The Stick community is so small.”
Griesgraber, from Encinitas, thinks he may be the only guy doing shows here.
He discovered recently that one of his Stick contemporaries had relocated to Temecula. “That’s the closest I’ve ever been to another [Stick] player in my world.”
You don’t go to a neighborhood Guitar Center to buy a new Stick. Unless purchased used through collectors, all Sticks still come from the workshop of their inventor, a musician named Emmett Chapman.
“It’s still a little family business in Woodland Hills,” Griesgraber says. “They started the company in 1974.” To date, he thinks they’ve produced around 6,000 of the instruments. “The big corporate expansion was when they added a second garage a while ago.” Chapman’s daughter helps run the business and his wife still answers the phone.”
Griesgraber says a 10-string model is the least expensive option, retailing for around $2,000. It may seem like a lot of coin, “But,” he says, “they actually go up in value.” How many Sticks does Griesgraber own?
“Right this second? I own five.” He has models that range upward to 12 strings, and one in which eight of the strings are tuned like a bass guitar.
Famous Stick players include Tony Levin who gigged and recorded with Peter Gabriel during his “Shock the Monkey” phase. Griesgraber now owns Levin’s silver Stick but says he doesn’t play it.
“It’s on loan to the Museum of Making Music.”
The Chapman Stick bears the name of its inventor, Emmett Chapman. It is a relatively recent addition to the stringed arsenal of the world, having come to be in 1969. As the story goes Chapman, a guitarist, was never satisfied with just six strings. He’d made himself a nine-string guitar and somehow along the way discovered that he could tap the strings with his fingers and get sound, rather than just by picking or strumming.
He liked the tones he got so much he eventually mutated his nine-string into a 10 -string wide neck with an electronic pickup embedded into it. In time Chapman learned to play chords and bass lines with his left hand and melodies and chords with his right hand simultaneously, something more along the lines of what a piano player does but on a stringed fretboard instead.
The net? An impossibly rich and textured performance that sounds as if three guitarists are all going at once.
From the landing page of the Stick Enterprises website: With Emmett’s method, both of your hands are equal partners. As they approach the fretboard from opposite sides, your fingers line up parallel to the frets and a powerful new musical language emerges – bass lines, lead melodies, chords, and rhythm, simultaneously, and in any combination you desire.
Although never a tapper, an entertainer named Robert Johnson was doing this sort of thing in the Mississippi Delta in the 1920s on a beater six-string Gibson L-1 acoustic. Johnson’s playing (he learned from Ike Zimmerman, not the Devil) is hard to re-create in that Johnson sounded as if more than one guitarist was playing. This came from his habit of fingering/picking bass notes on the bottom strings while chording and picking the melody on the remaining strings. That took compartmentalization and a division of purpose, both traits that are endemic to Stick aficionados.
Chapman, in fact (and not Eddie Van Halen or slide guitar genius Sonny Landreth) was the first musician ever to fully use both hands in this manner, with the fingers of both hands playing perpendicular to the strings in what has become known as the free hands technique. The left hand plays a tuning that amounts to an upside down cello and the right hand plays something resembling conventional guitar tuning.
But here’s where the Stick gets really interesting, at least from a gear-head perspective: Sticks are split down the middle electronically, meaning that each string set has a separate output which allows the player to produce multiple sounds simultaneously with multiple musical parts.
“The Stick,” states Chapman’s web site “is unique, expansive, versatile, like each of its players; a blank slate upon which to “tap your potential.”
But the Stick is an engineer’s dream that possess none of the sexy-ness of the modern electric guitar. It is a playing machine, an ugly thing with a wide guitar neck and no body.
Like lap or steel, the Stick is, as Bugs Henderson would say, a sit-down guitar. A performer props the extended fretboard along one’s chest and shoulder.
Henderson, a Texas guitar master with roots going back to pre-ZZ Top sock hops says conventional guitar is simple. “These things are easy to play.” Not so the Chapman Sick: it appears to be a devilish instrument to master. That said, Stick players, however few they may be in number seem more cerebral than Stratocaster players. No one lights their Stick on fire or skewers their amplifiers with the spear-like instrument.
Griesgraber says he started out on piano as a child and switched to guitar as a teen. He was good enough to be accepted into the program at Berklee College in Boston. After graduation he came home to San Diego with a case of what he describes as post-grad Berklee guitar burnout.
“I felt like I wanted to do something different.” He saw his first Stick performance at a NAMM (an annual music instrument manufacturer’s trade show.
) Tony Levin was there playing. Griesgraber was hooked. But now, is it lonely being the only Stick player in town?
“Yeah. But it’s a double-edged sword. So many people don’t know what it is. You don’t get called for gigs like a guitarist would. And not too many corporate event planners are gonna say hey, I want a Chapman Stick player.” The trick, he says, is getting people to listen. Once that happens, in his experience they are usually hooked. “People are used to the sound of guitar or piano. But with the Stick, they just stop and stare.”
On Friday Night March 23, 7:00pm the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad is hosting an open mic event called Exploring The Stick. http://www.museumofmakingmusic.org/events/events/details/57-exploring-the-Stick
On Saturday and Sunday March 24 and 25 Mira Costa College’s Music department will host two days of Stick workshops, instruction, and concerts. Registration and ticket information is available online at http://www.thossounds.
com or by calling 760-942-1031.
10 CREATIVE NATURE STICK CRAFTS FOR KIDS
We love the fall season for encouraging kids to play and create with nature finds from the outdoors like leaves, twigs and sticks. It’s our favorite season when the weather turns cooler, but not too cold to explore the changes in colors and get excited for a new school year and fun holidays like Halloween. Collect twigs and sticks with your kids to make these creative crafts like musical instruments, yarn string ornaments, frames, mobiles and more to hang up as beautiful fall decorations.
What are your favorite stick crafts?
Yarn Wrapped Stick Photo Mobile (via hello, Wonderful)
Create your own dyed yarn and turn this colorful stick mobile into a fun hanging photo mobile.
Nature Stick Weaving (via Artzy Creations)
Check out this creative way to weave and display a pretty nature-inspired yarn hanging.
Owl Stick Craft (via I Heart Crafty Things)
You can pretty much find all these DIY materials on a nature walk to make this adorable owl stick craft with the kiddos.
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Stick Pyramid (via Non Toy Gifts)
Find out how to construct a pyramid and paint it anyway you’d like with this fun building stick tutorial.
Twig Photo Frame (via Make It Your Own)
Let the kids collect sticks to show off their favorite photo in this beautiful rustic frame idea.
Painted Pasta Branch Sticks (via Art Bar)
Go craft crazy with this awesome stick craft using paint, pine cones and pasta!
Twig String Art (via Pink Stripey Socks)
Make these adorable string art ornaments which also double as festive decorations for the Christmas tree!
Painted Stick Instruments (via Twodaloo)
Make music out of nature with this clever painted stick bell craft.
Painted Stick Dolls (via Mollymoo Crafts)
Sticks never looked so cute as in these cheerful and colorful branch dolls.
Twig Boat Craft (via Easy Peasy and Fun)
Set sail with these adorable twig boats. Wouldn’t it be fun to make a bunch and set off on a boat race?
Check out more fall nature crafts and lots more creative projects for kids!
The Secret Life of String Cheese
Brian Baker is obsessed with string cheese.
He talks about it poetically, rambling about the string factor, the machines that pump out individual-sized ropes, the flavor profile of the stick.
But Brian’s love for string cheese is almost forgivable: His grandfather Frank may have invented it.
It makes sense that string cheese was most likely invented in Wisconsin, cheese capital of the United States. Brian (referred to by his first name here to avoid confusion between various members of the Baker family involved in this story), is the president of a family-owned and operated cheese brand named Baker Cheese, a company that has made cheese for nearly 100 years. Over the course of four generations string cheese has become close to the entirety of their business.
Baker Cheese began as a small operation. Starting in 1916 they sold cheddar cheese in St. Cloud, Wisconsin. It was one of many local cheese shops scattered throughout the dairy state. “It was just a small cheese plant, our great grandfather and my great-grandma made the cheddar cheese,” Brian said.
“It was their career. They lived right next door to the plant.”
Then the 1950s came, and with it, the pizza craze—changing the cheese business forever.
American soldiers returned home from Italy with a hankering for a bread topped with tomato sauce and cheese. The bread and tomato sauce weren’t too difficult to reproduce but mozzarella was a hard find in postwar America. Italian immigrants substituted the buffalo milk that the cheese was normally made from with cow’s milk, creating a rubbery white mound that melted perfectly onto bread—perfect for the takeout pizza business that was popping up throughout the Midwest: Pizza Hut (Kansas) in 1958, Little Caesar’s (Michigan) in 1959, Domino’s (Michigan) in 1960.
Baker Cheese, in America’s dairyland and in the eye of that delivery pizza storm, was positioned perfectly for a mozzarella takeover. So the outfit switched gears and met the surge in demand for the pizza-topping cheese by transforming from a cheddar cheese company to a mozz maker.
For these early pizza joints, Baker Cheese would make six-pound loaves or 20-pound blocks of cheese that restaurants would then cut and slice for their pizzas. But then Baker Cheese started getting requests for consumers who were addicted to the hot white melted mass of cheese on their pizzas. They wanted smaller units that they could eat as a snack.
The question was: how? Baker Cheese had to figure out a way to produce and package smaller units of their mozzarella for individual consumption. That wasn’t something they had ever done before.
At the time, the third generation of Baker Cheese had now come into management, but the old guard was still around. “My grandfather, Frank, was playing around with mozzarella” in the plant, Brian said. Frank remained an active participant of Baker Cheese, visiting the plant to watch over the mozzarella-making process.
“My grandfather was an innovator by nature,” Brian said. “He wanted to see if he could seek to do something with the product and packaging for these one-pound packages of mozzarella.
Mozzarella was already shredded and cubed, but we didn’t want to compete and invest in that market.”
So Frank started experimenting in the factory with these one pound packages. Normally, mozzarella is molded into a shape from a continuous flow of cheese that is then shaped into a block or square. Frank wondered what would happen if he took this continuous flow of mozzarella and simply chopped them into strips?
“He would cut off strips and hand stretch them and roll them up and cut them into ropes, into little three, four, five inch pieces,” Brian said. “He’d soak them in the salt brine—this highly concentrated salt water—and he realized by doing it this way, cheese would have ‘stringing’ characteristics.”
Et voila: string cheese.
Of course, at the time Frank had no idea he had stumbled upon the future lunch snack of children across America. In fact, children were not the consumer he first tested the stringy cheese logs out on. This being Wisconsin, his idea of market research was simple: Head to the local bar.
“The marketing plan was very elaborate,” Brian laughs. “It was going to parties and taverns and asking people, ‘What do you think?’”
What they thought was this: It was easy to snack on. It had a mild, pleasant flavor profile. It wasn’t offensive. It was stringy. And it was popular among the bar goers.
“[String cheese] certainly wasn’t targeted specifically to kids,” Brian said. “It was meant to be a functional, high quality piece of cheese you could peel and stretch.” From its humble three- to five-inch length origins, Baker Cheese quickly designed a stick that was thinner, more holdable, and lighter (current string cheese clocks in at 28 grams; prehistoric string cheese was in the 40 to 45 gram range).
“The marketing plan was very elaborate,” Brian laughs. “It was going to parties and taverns and asking people, ‘What do you think?’”
That was in 1976. But it wasn’t until the a few years later, when string cheese had become cylindrified from its original twisted rope state and retail opportunities abounded, that string cheese catapulted from a local oddity to a national craze that caught on with the younger set.
A key part of that was packaging, Brian said. Rather than stuffing 15-16 sticks into a one pound bag, they started making the individually wrapped mozzarella tubes we know today.
“With the one pound bags, parents would get [the entire bag] but have to throw them out because it would start to spoil,” Brian told me. “But we invested in vacuum packing to extend shelf life. Pretty quickly, kids thought it was cool and the adults liked it, too.”
So, Baker Cheese invented string cheese. But were they the first? The answer to that question is hard to find.
“Certainly in the Midwest, we were the first, I can confidently say that,” Brian said. “That is the birth of the string cheese in our facility. At that point, there was no string cheese in the market, probably in the nation. But I can’t say that for sure.”
There might have been simultaneous Frank-like cheese experimenters out there, breaking mozzarella into bits, making them into sticks to snack on. But there aren’t any patents for string cheese, and those inventors’ stories have been lost to time.
Regardless, it seems string cheese is here to stay. Baker Cheese has even gotten into dietary trends, creating a reduced fat string cheese, an organic string cheese, and a “twisty” string cheese of white and orange-dyed mozzarella swirled into a cheesy twist.
And they’re not just innovating on cheese types either. Brian is now looking to spread the string abroad. “We’re in Vietnam and southeast Asia, we distribute there,” he said. “We ship out our label [to wholesale suppliers] that have gone to the Middle East, Korea, South America, and Mexico.”
No matter where string cheese goes next, though, there is one quality that Brian refuses to compromise on.
“It must string.”
Lift Ice Cubes with Chemistry
Key concepts
Chemistry
Freezing
Melting
Freezing-point depression
Introduction
Did you ever wonder why they use salt to de-ice roads? Did you know that snow more readily sticks to pavement treated with salt? Why would this be the case? In this activity you will use the same principles to pick up ice cubes with a string.
Is it possible to do this—without getting your hands cold? Do the activity and see what a pinch of salt can do!
Background
Water is made up of tiny building blocks called molecules. These water molecules don’t sit still—they wiggle and move around all the time. The water’s temperature is a measure of how much these molecules move. When you cool water you lower its temperature, and the molecules slow down. Eventually after you cool the water enough they move so little they can form strong connections and the water freezes, turning into ice, which is a solid. For pure water this transition happens around 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit). Conversely, if you add heat to a block of ice, its molecules will start wiggling more; eventually they move around too much to stay stuck together, and the ice melts, turning back into a liquid. These transitions, however, do not happen instantaneously—water and ice can coexist. (That is, a whole ice cube does not turn to liquid water all at once.
) To visualize this process you can think of a group of excited children—like molecules at higher temperature, they move and wiggle a lot. The higher their excitement, the more they move. Calm them and they will slow down just like molecules slow down when you reduce the temperature. Eventually you might get these children to hold hands and stand nicely in line—so they behave like a solid.
When the water is not pure, the water molecules cannot connect as readily to form a solid; other particles get in the way. That is why salty, sugary or other water solutions’ freezing points—temperatures at which they turn solid—are lower than 0 degrees C. This explains why treating roads with salt in winter can prevent them from icing over. The salt dissolves in the water, lowering its freezing point, which will only turn to ice at temperatures well below 0 degrees C. In this activity you will use this characteristic in a clever way to pick up an ice cube.
Materials
- Ice cubes
- Three glasses
- Cold water
- Salt
- Three strings, each about 20 centimeters long (Yarn works well. )
- One sticky note
- Watch or timer
- Thermometer (optional)
)
Preparation
- Gather all of your materials on a work surface that can tolerate spills.
- Fill your three glasses with cold water
Procedure
- Put a few ice cubes in the first glass of water. They float because ice is less dense than water.
- Search for a cube whose surface is at about water level. Lay one end of a piece of string across that ice cube. Do you think the ice will stick to the string?
- Lift the string. Does the ice cube stick to the string? Why do you think this is the case?
- Do you have ideas on how you can lift the ice cube with a string, without touching the cube with your hands?
- Try again, but now, sprinkle some salt over the string and ice cube. Do you think the ice will stick to the string if you lift it?
- Lift the string. Does the ice cube stick to the string? After all, salt is not glue, right?
- What do you think would happen if you left the ice cubes with the strings on top out for a few minutes?
- Take the two other glasses filled with water, add a few fresh ice cubes to each glass.
- For both glasses, lay one end of a piece of string across an ice cube whose surface is about water level; let the other end of the string hang over the edge off the glass.
- Sprinkle salt over the string and ice cube in one of the glasses, and mark this glass with a sticky note. Wait for about two to three minutes. Do you think the ice will stick to the string after you give it some time? Would both, only one or none stick? Why would this happen?
- After about two to three minutes, lift one string at a time. Can it pick up the ice cube? Can you explain what you see? If you cannot pick up any ice cube, try again but wait a little longer this time.
- Extra: Try some other substances, such as sugar or food coloring. Can these make the ice cube stick to the string?
- Extra: Make two identical water-and-ice baths. Add more salt to one bath, leave the other as is. Measuring the temperature of each water-and-ice bath every minute for the next five minutes. Graph your results. What do you observe? Is one colder than the other? Why would that be?
- Extra: Can you re-create a mini iceberg in a saltwater ocean in a bowl at home? What temperatures can prevent your “iceberg” from melting and “ocean” from freezing?
Does the ice cube stick to the string? After all, salt is not glue, right?
Observations and results
Could you lift the ice cube you had sprinkled with salt and left untouched for few minutes? Did you fail to pick up the cube in all the other cases? Why does this happen? First, the ice around the string melts when you sprinkle it with salt, then the string freezes to the ice cube.
You probably wonder why it happens only when you sprinkle salt over the ice cube and string. When you sprinkle salt over ice it dissolves in the thin layer of water above the ice. Because saltwater freezes at a lower temperature than pure water adding the salt makes some ice melt and absorb heat in the process. The area just around it thereby cools and freezes water molecules to the ice cube, also freezing the string on. Without the salt, the water and ice are both at the same temperature and the string does not freeze to the ice. In both cases the ice cube gradually melts as it absorbs heat from the air around it, but without the salt the string cannot freeze to the cube.
If you used sugar, you would see the same effect. The cube sticks to the string. Dissolving other substances in water will also lower the freezing point and create the same effect.
Cleanup
Pour the water and ice cubes in the sink, and wash the glasses.
More to explore
Scrumptious Science: Making Ice Cream in a Bag, from Scientific American
High Seas: What Happens When the Glaciers Melt?, from Scientific American
Freezing-Point Depression, from CK–12
Freeze Your Fruit with Science, from Scientific American
Science Activities for All Ages!, from Science Buddies
This activity brought to you in partnership with Science Buddies
Welcome to Stick Music Scores
The scores
New instrument, new language.
It is by noting the absence of literature for this instrument that came to us the idea to develop a new musical notation system dedicated to the Stick® : stickmusicscores.
The scores are composed of three systems. A first double system of solfeggio type: bass clef (for the bass) and treble clef (for the melodic block). A second double system of tablature type. But specially created tablatures for the Stick®. One representing the 6 bass strings and the second the 6 melodic strings. The whole working like classical tablatures: rhythmic notation and number corresponding to the frets.
And finally a G key line for the melody and the lyrics if it’s a song. To allow to rhythmically position the Stick part in relation to the melody in the arrangement.
The whole being declined in 2 versions. One for the standard tuning and a second one for the Matched Reciprocal tuning (one whole tone down on melodic group). These scores are written at the beginning for the 12 strings Stick®, for the 10 strings a small work of adaptation of fingering will be necessary.
But the versions differ little, that’s why we didn’t think it was necessary to make a specific version for the 10 strings.
The songs are presented in their tonality to allow you to play back the original recordings. If some songs seem too high pitched to you (pop singers often sing very high pitched !) and therefore very high up the neck, especially for the Matched Reciprocal versions, you will be able to transpose it a few tones lower once you know the title well. The Stick® easily allows this. Same if you want to sing the song and the melody is too high for you. But be reassured that the case occurs rather little on the whole of the proposed pieces.
Also present in the folder to download a text file to talk about the piece, its history, its conception, the way to work it etc … and an audio file extracted from the score software.
The repertoire
We have chosen a very varied repertoire encompassing a wide variety of styles: classical, pop (Beatles, Bowie, Sting …) jazz standards and pop 60’s / 70’s.
We have also thought about a classification of difficulties : easy / intermediate / advanced. All this is obviously just given as an indication.
And finally pedagogical pdf files, in free access, dedicated at first mainly to the harmony with the Stick.
At the same time, lessons (by Skype or Zoom) will be proposed. Do not hesitate to contact us.
The English version of the site was created by us with the help of the online translator DeepL. English speaking friends if you have suggestions for wording leave us your comments on the blog page.
The Chapman Stick® is an exclusive trademark of Stick Entreprises.
90,000 One stick, two strings – I am the master of the whole country !: honzales – LiveJournal
It is unlikely that anyone would object that one of the pillars of national self-identification is national culture and national traditions.
Speaking about national culture and traditions, one can hardly ignore that part of it that is usually called “folk instruments” – after all, it is they, their specific sound and musical structure, that give a particular melody a national flavor, thanks to which we and we distinguish between different national musical cultures.
But are there really so many differences between them?
A typical representative of the “one stick, two strings” family – kylkobyz. Wood, leather, horsehair.
During my October voyage to Almaty, I happened to visit the Museum of Folk Instruments, which occupies the building of the former Officers’ Assembly of the city of Verny.
Here is an example of his exposition and speculate about the similarities and differences.
The exposition of this interesting museum is very diverse – it contains more than forty types and varieties of purely Kazakh folk musical instruments, one listing of the names of which immediately brings to mind the glazed cobalt domes of minarets and madrasahs, the cries of muezzins, the aromas of the spices of the eastern bazaar, the ringing bells of camel caravans, specific sounds of oriental melodies, guttural mournful songs and the mysterious twilight of the harem rooms filled with odalisques, as if descended from the paintings of Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (well, you are cultured people – you understand me;)).
..
Listen only to these names: dombyra, kobyz, dabyl, zhetygen, syrnai, kerey, sherter, sabyzgy, adyrna, sazgen, dudyga, tokyldak …
Do you feel the aroma of antiquity that goes into the darkness of centuries?
No?
In vain – the museum clearly demonstrates that the instruments, not much different in design, in appearance, and in the principle of operation from those used very recently, some 100 years ago, were in use even in the Neolithic era:
In the photo – “Altar shaman “- a rock painting of the IV-III centuries BC.e., depicting a shaman playing a musical instrument, surrounded by spirits. (Ulytau, Zhezkazgan region)
Actually, a shaman with an instrument, apparently, is here:
And this muschshchina with a solid “instrument” leading in the camel is, in all likelihood, a sexually preoccupied spirit.
However, we digress, let’s return to our rams, in other words – instruments.
Considering the various varieties of Kazakh musical instruments, I could not get rid of the thought that, according to the principle of their action, they differ little from the well-known guitars or violins, pipes or drums: shankobyzov – reed instruments, in other cultures known as khomuz, komus or jew’s harp.
Here are the Kakhakh shankobyz:
And here is the Altai komus (1) and the Tuvan khomuz (2):
By the way, in Tuva we were told that the khomuz comes out of a nail perfectly – a hundred and fifty;))
My impression is that the differences are much longer between the names of national instruments than in their design or the principle of operation.
The same varieties of jew’s harps are spread practically all over the world – from Bali and Cambodia to Ancient Russia (6 jew’s harps were found on excavations in Novgorod) and Belarus.
Kazakh clay wind instruments uskirik (left) and saz syrnay (right) resemble Russian whistles or Italian ocarins:
However, ocarins are used all over the world – in Latin America, China, Korea, Japan, Africa, Eastern Europe and many other places including New Guinea.
Perhaps this is one of the oldest wind instruments.
Wind instruments – on the left, a saz syrnai carved from wood, in the middle – sybyzgi, a reed pipe, and a wooden wildeck:
There are also a lot of varieties of such pipes all over the world – from Latin America to the territory of the Russian Federation.
Bashkir kurai (2 pieces), a piece of Tatar surnaya is visible:
Bow instruments – I don’t remember the names, but they look great, they strongly resemble violins, don’t they?
The original plucked multi-stringed instrument in the form of a stretched bow – its appearance is specific, according to the principle of action it is similar to a harp. is not it?
Different types of Kazakh sherters – stringed plucked instruments with three strings:
This sherter has an entire soundboard – leather:
And this one – although the shape is somewhat different:
Kylkobyz, stringed instrument with a rather erotic resonator shape:
And this instrument is called narcobyz, although it looks like it is still the same kylkobyz;)):
And again narcobyz – who would explain the difference with kylkobyz? 😉
And this is a drug call.
Shaitan …
And this is a dombra, a two-stringed spike instrument, to play it, unlike kobyz, you do not need a bow: ) – Kazakh folk poet and performer:
Do you recognize?
That’s right – this is, of course, a bagpipe, and on the left – varieties of alpine horns:
I, unfortunately, did not remember the name of this original percussion-rotary instrument – but I am sure that even I, who had a herd, could play it bears on the armored train drove over the ears;))
And what is there to be able to do?
Know yourself twist back and forth – everything else will be done by the moment of inertia;))
Compare the Mongolian morin khur (4) and the Tuvan byzaanchi (3) – bowed string instruments:
Except that the strings are of a different number, and the tones they are different due to the different thickness of the strings.
Morin Khur Mongols will clearly sound bass.
And now – strings, more precisely – multi-strings.
A pair of zhetigens – plucked multi-stringed instruments – on this, the length of the strings is limited by the articular bones of animals:
And on this zhetigen – with wooden pegs:
Chadagan – Tuvan multi-stringed instrument, similar in Kazakh design
Zhetigen
accordion:
Ukrainian bandura and Russian zhaleika (4):
Do you see many differences between bandura, gusli and Tuvan chadagan?
If someone did not recognize – zhaleika, domra, tambourine, and balalaika – Russian folk instruments.
Are there many differences from those you have seen before? ;))
Is that one stick – three strings;)
That, in principle, is all about the similarities and differences in musical instruments of different peoples and cultures;))
One stick, two strings, I am the owner of the whole country.
The Russian edition has collected 10 of the most striking quotes from Yanukovych
Photo: AP
Speech incidents often happened in Yanukovych’s speeches
The Russian edition of Euromag has chosen the most striking, in their opinion, incidental statements by Viktor Yanukovych during the four years of his presidency.
“I’ll tell you, this is not a balalaika: one stick, two strings, I am the owner of the whole country” – with this phrase, even before the elections, Yanukovych made voters laugh during the broadcast of the “Real Candidate” program of the ICTV channel. True, the question that Yanukovych answered in verse was not at all funny – about terrorism and the IAEA.
During his 2010 election campaign in Lvov, Yanukovych made the mistake of calling voters “genocides.”
“The best genocides of the country have gathered here!” After prompting from his aides, Yanukovych was not at a loss and corrected himself.
“Yes, and the gene pool too.”
In July 2010, at a meeting with law enforcement agencies, Yanukovych was outraged that drugs can be bought on the Internet. “Why are there still chain stores for the distribution of narcotic drugs? Why are they still working? Why is Ukrainian legislation and international obligations freely violated? Who is responsible for this, who is poisoning people and youth? ”
But the main phrase that was remembered by many was the president’s metaphor: “this is banditry with an office face” .
In January 2011, Yanukovych had an embarrassment at his performance in Davos, Switzerland. He was unable to pronounce the slogan of the promo campaign of Ukraine – “Turn on Ukraine” (“Umkni Ukraine”).
Then the president continued: “ In order to ‘invade’ Ukraine , it is enough to look at it with your own eyes when the chestnuts begin to bloom in Kiev. And women will start to undress in Ukrainian cities.
Seeing this beauty is wonderful. “. One of the European journalists was outraged and considered Yanukovych’s statement politically incorrect.
Speaking about corruption in Ukraine, Yanukovych assured that everyone, regardless of their positions, will be held accountable for violations. “ Whoever gets caught will be in prison” – Yanukovych summed up.
Continuing the topic of corruption, during the Ukrainian-Armenian business forum, Yanukovych again stood out with his “loud” speech: “I know that there are skeptical views, I can even see them on their faces now, you know, my vision is 360%. You smile, sit, and I will say this – we will kick out, kick out.Those who only fall under the fist – only spray will fly. There will be no mercy. No. Got it? Are you standing in the way of economic development? Collecting corruption tax? Just get caught. If you get a hand, we’ll tear off your head. ”.
In December 2011, when the President summed up the outgoing year at a press conference, a rather catchy phrase was also uttered.
“You cannot go to the future sideways, or, as they say, backwards” .
In January 2013, at a meeting of the Committee on Economic Reforms, the President stressed that the government, as well as officials, should contribute to improving the quality of life of people. “There is no need to look for a reason that hinders bad dancers” .
“Nobody, as they say, puts their fingers in the door to anyone and does not force them to assume obligations,” , Yanukovych said.
In August, the president raised the issue of improving Ukrainian roads, which are still broken and in decline. Yanukovych thanked the Ukrainians for their criticism, telling TV channels: “I say thank you for criticizing and at least not hitting” .
In November last year, during an interview, Yanukovych commented on his dissatisfaction with the EU conditions: “Don’t humiliate us. We are not small children, we don’t go for sweets ”.
Recall that on February 22-23, the Verkhovna Rada, by its resolution, amended the constitution, changed the leadership of the parliament, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defense and the Security Service of Ukraine, and also voted for a resolution to transfer the powers of the President of Ukraine to Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov before the presidential elections on May 25.
90,000 Thin strings of Baikal or 400 km on skates!
04 May 2012 | Daniil Korzhanov
Start
Part II. Oltrek – Khoboy
Today is a story about dragons, friendly cats, Shamans and a difficult choice of path.
12 March
Slept off at the Oltrek base, ate in the omul canteen.
The hostess Lena received us very good-naturedly. Let’s go for a drive to the islands of the Maloye More. Yura wanted to skate with us, but we missed each other – he went earlier, and after yesterday’s drive we were slightly dried … But we braced ourselves – and rolled out on the ice after lunchtime. On the way to Lake Baikal we were accompanied by a cool black cat, also very friendly good-natured.
There are many fishermen on the Sea. They sit in their “Kamchatka” and catch fish all day long.Mostly omul.
The capes and grottoes of the Maloye More capes are very picturesque: everywhere you can find a cave, climb into it, look at the splash-sokui. And Baikal is restless here. You sit down to rest on the ice – and you feel like in a cauldron of boiling water.
Strongly something gurgles inside, the sensations are such that each gurgle is given off by the vibration of ice. Gastronomic comparisons come to mind again – when is dinner?
Near the Oltrek base there is amazing turquoise ice, with small bubbles, needles and threads frozen in it.There are often huge fragments of bricks lying on the ice. And where did they come from here? The ice is even everywhere, there are no cracks nearby …
There are wonderful icicles and splashes on Oltrek Island. These are the so-called sokui. If sokui began to form, it means that soon nature will catch Baikal in the cold chains of winter. From autumn to winter, the water level in the lake decreases by as much as half a meter, or even more, so such bizarre mushrooms, ice caves and icicles are formed near the islands and on capes.
Moreover, the joker wind splashes water on the rocks: the ice freezes off the coast earlier – and the waters of Lake Baikal break with strong splashes on the coastal ice floes.
The stormy nature of the Legend Lake creates such pictures. And if the snow also goes wet … They say that in some years even Cape Kobylya Golova was completely covered with juices, from top to bottom. And there are almost 30-40 meters in height.
Oltrek Island is easy to climb.For some reason, when you climb to the land of the islands, you embrace some kind of sacred, high sense of calmness and serenity. You feel the power.
Oltrek from afar looks like 2 islands: white and brown, Yin and Yang, connected in one impulse.
You can safely go to both parts along the top, touching the rocky outcrops that look like a monument to Burkhan on the way. In the photo – Cape Hadarta:
Here is an excerpt from the wonderful book “Around Baikal in 73 days” by Eric Butakov:
“Here on Baikal everything has two inseparable sides and each side is no worse than the other, each complements the other and cannot exist without it.Well, for example: Russian (Irkutsk region) and Buryat coast. Both Russians and Buryats live on both sides of the Lake. Both those and others venerate the Buryat spirits (Burkhans) and pray in Orthodox Churches. Huts, clothes, cuisine, language, children, way of life and way of life, and practically everything – is connected and eternally mixed (mestizo). But on the other hand, when certain representatives of the peoples of the Glorious Sea get drunk, they immediately become either an ardent Buryat or a thorny white-boned Russian.
And … it started! In the morning, soaking bruises, they get drunk together with either Russian vodka or Buryat tarasun, more often with both of them and at the same time.Here are the villages, almost all: now Small, then Big. Apparently, the two brothers of the Buguldeytsa will get drunk, they will loose themselves into dribadan, and the younger brother wandered over the hillock to cut his estate, and he named her Malaya. In my opinion there is something in this … “
The ice of the Small Sea is amazing. It is impossible to tear yourself away from the cracks, gullies that reflect the generous Sun of Siberia with a kaleidoscope.
In the silence of winter Baikal one can hear the beat of its heart.
You can listen to the wind, look at the ice cracks …
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What is tremolo?
Sometimes you may come across electric guitars equipped with a strange handle dangling from the bridge. The name of this “handle” is tremolo; also known as vibrato, or car.
Tremolo guitars can be found in almost any music store. Despite the popularity of the new models, used vintage guitars with original tremolo are more valuable.
The system was invented and introduced into production in the late 1940s and 1950s, providing guitarists with new opportunities for creative ideas.
The original concept of the device was aimed at creating a vibrato effect.
The tremolo effect was already present as an electronic effect in amplifiers, and became very popular.
Vibrato is the result of changing the pitch. Whereas tremolo is the result of changing the volume. For some, these definitions are consonant.There was confusion, and, as a result, the term “tremolo” has spread among guitarists.
The devices work very simply. The strings are attached to a tailpiece and pass through the bridge. The bridge has special springs that allow it to float. The springs actuate the tremolo lever. The springs push the bridge up or down and this increases or decreases the tension on the string. Thus, by moving the lever up or down, you can change the pitch of the notes on the guitar.This is how the vibrato effect is achieved.
The first to use the tremolo system were Lonnie Mac, whose song “Wham!” may relate to the so-called “whammy” -lever, and Leo Fender. Later it was actively used by Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck.
Guitar wizards Eddie Van Halen and Steve Wei have taken the use of this device to the next level.
Go to a record store, pick up a tremolo guitar, just as an experiment. Playing these guitars is a real pleasure.You will be amazed at how much tremolo can add to your playing. This system has no analogues, it is unique.
Written by Danie L Wright
Translation: Oksana Konstantinova
The following types of tremolo are available in the POP-MUSIC store:
One stick three strings: urb_a – LiveJournal
The riddle of three strings
Sergey Vinogradov 24.09.2021
What the boys have Slavic faces, four to one Bgggg
A bear in a kosovorotka and bast shoes strumming a balalaika – which stereotype about Russia is stronger than this? In reality, bears in Russia – in forests and zoos, kosovorotki and bast shoes – in museums and at folklore concerts.
But the balalaika has won its place not only in the philharmonic poster of almost any Russian city, but also on the international stage – in classical halls and even at rock concerts.
Today balalaika museums are being opened in Russia and factory production of the Russian instrument itself is being revived. The secret of the sound and popularity of this three-stringed instrument has not been solved in the more than 130 years of the balalaika’s existence. Many believe that it ideally reflects the soul of the Russian person – it is simple, uncomplicated, but deep and original, and it is not revealed to everyone.
An instrument that sounds
The balalaika has a lot of relatives, almost every nation has something similar.Experts believe that once the balalaika, like the domra and other sisters, was round. The triangular appearance is believed to have evolved from ease of manufacture. Literally – tore the board off the fence, sawed once or twice, glued two triangles and went to play.
In any case, when March 20, 1888 (celebrated as the birthday of the balalaika) in St. Petersburg took place the first performance of the “Circle of fans of playing the balalaika”, the instruments were triangular. <>
______________________ ———– ______
Curious
The very name of the instrument, which is typically folk, is curious, conveying the character of playing it by the sound of phrases.There are several versions about the origin of the name.
According to one version, which is adhered to by A. N. Chudinov (“Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language”, 1910)) and A. D. Mikhelson. (“An explanation of 25,000 foreign words that have come into use in the Russian language, with the meaning of their roots.”) The word has Turkic roots. It is likely that it comes from the word “bala” (child, child). The Turkic origin is indicated by the phonetic sign of Turkic borrowings: vowel synharmonism, practically in Russian it gives a repetition of the same vowel in a word – shoe, farm laborer, balda, cockroach, eggplant, booth, balagur, balamut, bagatur.
Another version speaks of the Proto-Slavic origin of the name. The root of the words “balalaika”, or, as it was also called, “balabaika”, has long attracted the attention of researchers by its relationship with such Russian words as balakat , balabonit , balabolit , joke , which means’ talk about what -nothing insignificant, chatter, razdobarivat, empty ringing, kalyakat ‘(go back to the common Slavic * bolbol of the same meaning, compare the similar onomatopoeia barbarian ).All these concepts, complementing each other, convey the essence of the balalaika – a light, amusing, “strumming” instrument, not very serious.
PYSY The top photo of children with balalaikas is delivered by boys with primordial Caucasian-Asian faces. So it begs to be called “Adna stick two strings, I am a khazyain throughout the country!”
And now the Sunday Yumor.
BGGG
Northern Nigeria, with love!
Jargonisms – Guitarist Dictionary | Articles and reviews for guitarists on Strings.ru
Home – About us – Articles and reviews – Musician’s dictionary. Part 1: Jargon
Let’s imagine a situation: you find yourself in a group of avid gamers talking about one of your favorite online games. Tell me, will you understand everything they say? If not all, then how well do you generally understand what is at stake? How many new words will you learn? It will probably seem to you that you are in another country and are trying to understand the local language: this will be a real stream of hundreds of jargon and even more narrow professional words.
A similar story is found in absolutely all spheres of human activity.
In the army, on the ISS, in the operating room and on stage, everyone speaks their professional slang.
Especially for you, the Strunki.ru team has prepared a musician’s jargon dictionary, which will help you “show off” your knowledge in any music company.
Bend – string pulling with the fingers of the left hand. In another sense, the word “band” means a musical group (from the English.band).
Stick is not a drum stick, but a low quality no-name guitar. Sometimes this guitar is also called paddle . An acoustic, classical or semi-acoustic guitar is often referred to as the can of .
“Bold” sound is a rich and heavy sound that makes musicians and listeners want to indulge in slam and mosh.
Battery – accordion or accordion.
Bits are the electronic counterpart of your drummer in the band.
Samples – a digitized fragment of a previously recorded instrument.
Backing pad – music that includes beats and samples. Quite often used in groups that use electronic music or pre-recorded instruments in their arrangements. As a rule, it is switched on from a laptop.
Groove is an elusive and almost elusive moment, inaccessible to most beginning musicians. Means a competent combination of bass and percussion, which should make the listener move to the beat of the music.
Fills – they are also ear monitors.
Click – metronome sound directed to the musicians’ ear monitors.
Clipping is not the production of clips, but just distortion of the sound that occurs when the signal amplitude is cut. In simple terms, the more powerful the pickups and the higher the “gain” level on the sound card, the greater the chance that the equipment will start clipping. The main symptoms of clipping are crackling and hiss.
Lead – the leading instrument in composition (lead guitar, synthesizer, etc.
)etc.).
Label is a music publishing company that promotes musicians for profit for both parties.
DAW -program – digital sound workstation (FL Studio, Cubase, Studio One, etc.).
Typewriter – aka tremolo or Floyd Rose. Allows you to smoothly loosen or increase the tension on the strings, resulting in a controlled change in pitch.
Minus – composition without vocals or any instrument.
Sand – the deliberate addition of high frequencies with a characteristic predominance of hiss in the sound.
Spit-stick , or spacer between vocalist and microphone – pop filter.
Polivalovo – an incredibly huge number of notes played per unit of time.
Lotion – a device for processing sound, usually called a pedal of effects.
Fish – unmixed and raw material recorded in five minutes and on the knee.
Glass – clear and clear sound of an electric guitar.
