ROSE ROCK CONSORT
Latest Work: Follow the construction of
a Medieval Rebec…
Bandura
A Ukrainian instrument in the
zither family. With fretted bass strings,
it’s a good compromise for people like me who want to play a harp with
one hand.
Bass Viol
Similar to a string bass or
double bass, the viol family has many different sizes of instruments. Some were
large viola da gambas (see
below). This “Celticized” instrument uses
the modern bass tuning (EADG) and scale length. It is ornamented with Celtic
knot work and has a carved dragon head for a peg box.
Bodhran
This thin, frame drum from
Ireland has been used as a cadence instrument since the 1600s but has come into
Irish traditional music only in the last 100 years. Varying tones may be
produced by moving the left hand to different positions inside the skin head
and playing with the right hand. The Bodhran may be
played with the bare hand or with a stick called a tipper. This one has a
coopered maple frame with a deer skin head.
Bowed Harp
Bowed Harps were some of the earliest stringed instruments. This one is modeled after an Egyptian bowed harp.
Irish Bouzouki
Also called a cittern or octave
mandolin, the Irish bouzouki is a variation of the original Greek instrument.
It is tuned an octave lower than a mandolin with 4 double courses, usually
GGDDAADD. Celtic musicians began adding this instrument to sessions in the
mid-twentieth century. It provides a good drone quality and is excellent for
playing modal chords.
Cantigas
De Santa Maria Citole
I used figured maple for this
citole with a rosewood fret board. It has scalloped fretting, allowing the
played to adjust tuning by pressing harder on a string.
Stuttgart Citole
Perhaps one of the earliest
citoles (pictured in the 9th century Stuttgart Psalter), this recreation has the same scale length as a guitar with
strings DGAE. I carved the body and neck from a single piece of
2x6 western red cedar. The arched top is also red cedar with walnut fret
board and fittings.
Citole
A small 4-string citole carved
from a single piece of basswood. The mahogany top gives a warm, muted tone. Walnut fittings. I carved a relief rose and vine on the
back.
Citole
Based on the only extant citole,
now in the British Museum, this one has an unusual neck structure.
Citole
This instrument is modeled after
the sculpture in a baptistry in Parma, Italy.
Citole
This instrument is modeled after
the sculpture in a baptistry in Parma, Italy.
Cittern
A Renaissance instrument that
likely derived from the citole. Citterns were very widespread and played by all
classes. They are similar to mandolins and bouzoukis. This one is mahogany with
wedged brass frets.
Crwth
A Welsh instrument, usually
bowed.
Dulcimer
aka… hammered
dulcimer, dulcimore, hammered psaltery…
A very old and simple instrument
with many variations throughout its history. This one is modeled after some medieval types with a bridge
dividing the courses into 2/5 and 3/5 sections, and without bass courses. The
double strings are struck with a mallet (hammer) producing a piano-like sound.
Gittern
aka… guisterne, guitarre, guiterne, guiterre, quinterne, quitaire, quitarre, chitarino, chitarra, guitarra…
Introduced into Europe in the 13th
century, the Gittern may have been Arab in origin. The back and sides of this
one, like most early models, are carved from a single piece of wood. The
mahogany top is carved into an arch. It has four single strings tuned DGBE.
Gittern
Solid walnut body and neck, with
carved griffin peg box.
Harp
The harp is one of the oldest
stringed instruments. Almost any set of strings stretched over a frame could be
considered a harp from zithers to lyres. This is a smaller Celtic harp, also
known as a folk or lap harp (in contrast with large concert pedal harps). Sharping levers on some strings extend the available keys.
This harp is strung with nylon strings although metal strings are common in
Celtic music.
Harp Guitar
This instrument has been around
for centuries in one of its many variations. Some look more like harps with
guitar features and some more like guitars with an add-on harp. The goal is
usually to be able to play a fretted guitar neck and add bass or treble harp
notes. Also, the sympathetic effect of having the harp strings gives a haunting
resonance when only the guitar component is played.
Hummel
A traditional Swedish instrument
that is likely one of the direct ancestors of the mountain dulcimer. This instrument is made of seventy-year-old pine from my
grandparents’ smokehouse. Two melody strings are Mixolydian-fretted
over three drones.
Lute (Flat-back Oud)
Beginning in the early
Renaissance, lutes encompassed a wide range of stringed instruments similar to
the Middle Eastern oud and the modern guitar. They
had varying numbers of courses (strings or double strings) and could be
unfretted or fretted with gut string. wood, or metal.
Most lutes had rounded, stave backs with a peg box that was sharply angled to
the neck. They were usually strung with gut strings and had ornately carved
sound holes. This particular lute with a flat back and wooden frets, is more in the style of a middle Eastern oud.
Lute (Long Lute)
Having a neck longer than the
body, the long lute originated in the East. It typical had only two strings.
Lute (Short Lute)
The Lute was common in many
forms throughout the Middle Ages. This one has a
rounded stave back made of walnut and maple and is tuned EADGBE nylon strings
as with classical guitar. Frets are tied gut strings.
Lyre
Modeled after the turtle shell
lyre described in Greek mythology.
Mandolin
The name is likely derived from
the Italian term for “hand violin” since the mandolin is much like
a violin played by plucking instead of bowing. Mandolins typically have 4 double
courses tuned GGDDAAEE and are used in several music genres.
Monochord
Not really an instrument, but
more of a teaching tool. Similar ones were used as early as Pythagoras to study
the principles of string vibration and harmony.
Orpharion
So far, the most challenging instrument
to build and to play. This orpharion, modeled after
the Palmer instrument, has 12 strings over the unusual fanned fret
configuration. Maple and mahogany with a spruce top, and carved mahogany
pegbox.
Psaltery
Rebec
A bowed, stringed instrument
common in Medieval Europe. It typically had
3 gut strings. Unlike most other stringed instruments, the body of the rebec
was carved from a single piece of wood.
The angel playing a rebec in the
painting shown is a section of "Virgin among Virgins" (1509), by
Gerard David.
Recorder
The recorder is one of the
earliest wind instruments, consisting of a conical tube and a whistle-type
mouthpiece. They are played by covering holes on the sides with the fingers.
Recorders come in various sizes and keys, and are common in the music of many
cultures. They were especially widespread during the Renaissance.
Vielle
A European stringed instrument
played with a bow. Vielles were common in Medieval times and were the precursors to modern violins.
Strung with 4 or 5 gut strings, they did not have sound posts under the bridge,
thus were not as loud as present day bowed instruments. Vielles
were usually fretted with gut strings.
Vihuela (Guitarra)
Five-course, based on a
Stradivarius model. Brazilian cherry and maple with
Cocobolo fretboard
.
Viol
Da Braccio
Modeled
after a plate from a treatise by Sebastian Virdung in
1511, this instrument has 3 strings and a carved dragon head for the pegbox. The body is a hollowed piece of poplar covered by a
spruce top.
Viola Da Gamba
This member of the viol family
was typically played “on the leg” which the Italian name implies.
Viola Da Gambas were
typically strung with 4 to 7 gut or overspun strings.
The neck was usually tied with gut frets. They had no sound posts or bass bars
inside which made the volume softer.
Whistle
Similar to recorders and flutes,
whistles are one of the simplest wind instruments. Most have six holes and may
also be called fipples, tin whistles, or penny whistles. Whistles are typically
used in Irish traditional music.
