Category: music

Restringing my Mandolin

On By CarynIn music

The 1895 era American Conservatory bowl back mandolin I purchased a couple months ago finally has new strings.

Photo description: bottom of the bowl of the American Conservatory Mandolin with aged strings and the wrist cover removed

I was nervous about restringing her, but she was quite supportive for the whole procedure. Mandolin strings have a loop at one end of that hooks onto raised metal tabs. I changed out pairs of strings, one set at a time, so that I didn’t move the bridge. I used cheesecloth to wipe away the dust, but did not do a deep clean or try anything aggressive.

Photo description: end of the mandolin with the wrist cover removed, showing the string loops and metal tabs

I am also experimenting with alternative tuning. I tuned to DGBE, as the top four strings of a guitar are tuned. These notes are lower than typical mandolin GDAE tuning and make the strings softer to press. Plus, it might make learning chords transferable to guitar. So far the mandolin is accepting the new tuning, and when all the strings are tuned, she still resonates with my voice. New strings take a long time to settle in and require frequent tuning. I will also keep a close eye on her construction to make sure the new tuning doesn’t cause stress damage.

Callus building

On By CarynIn Craft, music

I played my mandolin for a little while, until my fingers started to hurt. The top strings are thin and feel sharp. To deal with it I need some calluses.

“Calluses develop from repeated friction, rubbing or irritation and pressure on your skin.” (Cleveland Clinic)

Traditionally string players develop calluses from playing their instruments; one recommendation is to play for 10 minutes multiple times per day, rather than one long session. I would love to this, but my schedule doesn’t always allow for that, and I am easily distracted. I started to look for other ways to apply sharp pressure to my finger tips. I tried several home grown things, a block of wood wrapped with old guitar strings, a hand strengthener wrapped with wire, but they did not fit easily in my pocket and so would not be readily available throughout the day. I ended up making a triangular stick.

Photo description: two lengths of flame maple cut with a profile of right triangles, sealed with Howard’s Feed-N-Wax

I squared up a small piece of flame maple to 3/4”, then cut it down the middle to make two triangular shaped sticks. I sanded them to 320 grit and sealed the wood with feed-n-wax. I made two lengths, one to sit by my chair, and the shorter one to go in my pocket.

Photo description: gripping the triangular flame maple stick

To get the edge of the triangle to bite into my fingers, I place my thumb at the wide base and my fingers on the apex.

Photo description: grooves in my fingertips from gripping the wood, which are similar to how my fingers look after playing a string instrument

It takes a month to develop proper calluses, so I will update y’all later on the efficacy of this method. I can say that in the past few days I do pull out the stick (I need a better name) and use it several times a day. Even if calluses don’t develop, it makes a useful fidget.

Mandolin

On By CarynIn music

I’ve been holding back some of my holiday gift money and keeping an eye on the marketplace. I like small instruments and have been eyeballing mandolins. Then one came up that was for sale in the next town over, and looked to be in good condition, so I bought it.

Photo description: face of a American Conservatory bowl back 8 string mandolin
Photo description: bowl back of the American Conservatory mandolin

The seller put me in touch with the previous owner, who had purchased the mandolin from a man who was clearing out his Dad’s house. The instrument had been his grandfather’s and had been sitting in the top of a closet for years. It was made by Lyon & Healey, back when they made more than harps, somewhere around 1890.

I tuned the mandolin, and it keeps pitch well. There are no cracks, and the tuning pegs hold. Absolutely amazing for an instrument that is over 100 years old.

Fixing paper tears

On By CarynIn Craft, Life Hack, music

The roomba ate a page of my kid’s guitar lesson book. I’m not sure how the book ended up on the floor, but I suspect a cat.

Photo description: classic guitar lesson music with multiple messy, wrinkled tears

I ordered document repair tape, because I didn’t have any, and regular transparent tape applied at this magnitude would put further stress on the paper.

The hardest part was getting the tape away from the liner the first time. The box is conveniently set up to dispense the tape and manage the separation process. Getting is started is just a little tricky.

Photo description: paper repair tape set up with the box as the dispenser, with the tape on the left and backing on the right

The tape doesn’t look transparent, but when applied to the paper the ink and pencil marks show through clearly. The tape is also thin, which is why it needs the backing, but is nearly imperceptible when applied. I made sure the tears lined up and where the paper split, that the ink side was visible. To reinforce the repair, I put the tape on the back of the page as well. The damage to the page was extensive, however, I was able to get it stabilized and usable, but not pristine.

Photo description: repaired page with all notes intact and readable

Overall, I can recommend the document repair tape for quick repairs on paper that is referenced frequently, or eaten by the robot vacuum.

Standing up

On By CarynIn Life Hack, music

I received a synthesizer from a neighbor who was cleaning out. It has a “learn” function, something my 1928 upright grand doesn’t. What it doesn’t have is a music stand. (My upright grand has an awesome music stand that can hold many piano books.) I looked up the manual online and saw that the issued music stand was just a thick wire fitted into two holes. Hm. I took an old wire hanger, snipped off the hook, and bent the rest into the right shape. I took a second hanger and made a page stop at the bottom, which does not stop the sheet music from bending and sliding out the open wire frame. Hm.

Photo description: music stand on a synthesizer made from wire hangers

To fix the open frame, I used a grocery bag to make a sheath over the wire. It works, and was a zero cost solution. A little washi tape on the channel works better than the wire to keep pages from sliding.

Photo description: wire and grocery bag music stand on a synthesizer

Sheet music is my crutch. I’m struggling with the teaching method on the synthesizer, since it only shows the note on the staff when it is played, not before.