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+--- Thread: Introduction (/showthread.php?tid=22176)
Introduction - Drvstan - 02-23-2013
Hi everybody,
I'm Drvstan (Benjamin Simao) a music instruments maker (Wind & Stringed instruments for early music), Musician and a young reenactor.
I'm also the Bard of Letavia reenactment group.
It would be a pleasure to learn and share many things on this forum with all of you !
Feel free to ask me if you have any questions
Drvstan
Introduction - Robert Vermaat - 02-23-2013
Hi Benjamin, and welcome! I can vouch for your beautiful music!
Introduction - M. Demetrius - 02-23-2013
Welcome aboard, Drvstan! I've thought about building a cithara. Are the vertical "horns" solid, or hollow wood? What is a good type of wood to use for the sounding board?
Introduction - Drvstan - 02-23-2013
Salve Demetrius !
What kind of lyre do you mean exactly ?
The arms of the Cithara are not horns.
Maybe you mean a Chelys or a Testudo ?
The use of Wood was different in the Antiquity.
Most of the time, we used the current wood in the area.
Since the 16th century, luthery changed radically, (Technique & Wood), and we use more Maple and Spruce.
If it's just to build your own instrument to have fun, you could try Linden for the body and spruce for the soundboard.
Linden is a very sounding wood.
Introduction - M. Demetrius - 02-24-2013
Salve, Drvstan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Britannica_Cithara_Phorminx.jpg
Like that one, only probably not quite that big. 8 strings is good, and I'll probably tune it so each note in an octave in some key is represented. That will get me started, I guess.
I knew the upright arms were not really made from animal horn, of course.
Introduction - Drvstan - 02-24-2013
This one is A Greek Cithara not Phorminx.
Phorminx is a primitive greek lyre beginning with Four string.
Its a really good & serious project Demetrius !;-)
On this Cithara, the arms are not hollow.
It's a complete "monoxyl" instrument and note that the "3" just under the scroll is probably a metal stuff to create a typical cithara "wave" sound.
Don't forget that the pegs are not like a violin as well, but a piece of Leather.
Fell free to ask me if you need.
Drvstan