Return After Long Hiatus

After about a 6 month hiatus from my last blog post, I will be returning back to posting more on kantele related subjects. Between starting and working at my new dream job, and other instrument builds (2 hardwood driftwood didgeridoo, erhu restoration, and planning for a new Chinese guqin I will start building shortly), I haven't focused very much on the kantele lately, however I have recently started to get back into more kantele playing and making. I have also just recently finished a new kantele in the past few days that I will be posting about in upcoming posts. It was a prototype and experimental kantele exploring a unique open back kantele design utilizing a live-edge redwood slab. I wanted a very unique looking design, which incorporated both the natural and raw aspects of the piece of wood alongside carved and shaped features. It has become my favorite sounding kantele yet, and I love the sound and look of redwood for the tonewood for kantele. I will definitely be making more of these live edge redwood kantele in the future, and will work on a kind of hybrid/fusion design between the kantele, natural wood instruments, and aspects of the Chinese guqin. Check out the next post in a few days for pics of the new kantele!

23rd Woodworkers Showcase This Weekend!

Well I am pretty pumped to go attend the 23rd Woodworkers Showcase presented by the Northeast Woodworkers Association this weekend. I missed the one last year, but this March I am definitely ready to check out some amazing woodwork from local and regional craftsmen and women. For those of you in Upstate NY area, it will be located in the Saratoga Springs City Center, 522 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY. It will go both Saturday March 28th and Sunday March 29th, from 10am until 5pm. So what will be there? Everything wood related! From wood turning, scroll saw, carving, furniture, musical instruments, and everything in between. From what I have heard, it is supposed to be a very big woodworking show. There will also be vendors, talks, demonstrations, and workshops as well. Definitely a must-see event to attend for amateur and professional woodworkers alike. The cool thing too is that anyone, both hobbyist and professional, can enter their work in the show, either for just showcasing or in the judged competition, which covers pretty much all areas and categories of woodworking. The submissions have to be turned in before the deadline, and I hope to enter some pieces for next year's show, both in the general showcase and in the judged competition. I will try to take a bunch of pictures while I am there tomorrow, and will upload them in the next post or two depending on what I can get to. Looking forward to this great show and learning experience!

New Kantele Sheet Music! Melody #3

Just another kantele sheet music update for a newly added kantele sheet music composition. Titled Melody #3, this song is a simple composition for the five string kantele in D major. Like my other posted sheet music pieces, it includes staff notation and tabs for the strings, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. The song is available as PDF for download either in the link below or in the Kantele Sheet Music page at the top.

This particular piece is one that I wrote last year on my Kantele #001. It is a simpler melody, but one of my favorites to play. When I wrote it in sheet music form I wanted to simplify it with a repeat bar, but the timing and note placement did not work out cleanly for it to be implemented. It has a nice, upbeat and calming feel to it, and is a piece I play often, whether practicing or just plucking the strings. Have fun and enjoy, and check back for more sheet music and updates!

Melody #3
 

New Kantele Sheet Music! Melody #2

Just a quick update for a new available kantele sheet music! This composition, titled Melody #2, can be found on the Kantele Sheet Music page or in the provided link below. This melody is a composition for the five string kantele in D major. Like my previously uploaded sheet music pieces, the sheet music includes both staff notation and tabs, and is available as a PDF file for download. This is a fun but slightly challenging song which has overtones inserted into the phrasing of the melody, and requires smooth change in alternation between the overtones and the normal plucking technique. I will definitely need to upload a video for this song at some point for reference for the technique to make it easier to visualize and learn. In addition with the normal notes and overtone tabs as discussed in previous sheet music updates, this song includes a simple 2 note chord, which in the staff notation, consists of the stacked notes, and right underneath in the tabs are the two rows corresponding numbers representing the plucked string for the chord - in this case, the chord used consists of a "3" (marking the middle string on a 5 string kantele, or the F# note when tuned to the D major scale), and a "1" right under it (marking the lowest string, or the D note). All this means is to pluck both strings simultaneously when playing. Have fun and enjoy, and remember, practice makes perfect!

Melody #2

New Kantele Sheet Music! Melody #1 - Overtone Ending

Just an update for a new piece of kantele sheet music. This sheet music can be found in the Kantele Sheet Music Page tab located at the top, or in the link provided. This sheet music, as mentioned in my prior post, is the full version of Melody #1, with the overtone ending. I have just posted them separately since the overtone ending can be difficult to do quickly, but again, the music can be interpreted as fast or as slow as you want. Just as a reference, the octave overtone notes in the sheet music are marked with the string number followed by an "o", which is the format I will stick with for now for the tabs in the sheet music. So the octave overtone for string 1 (the longest string on the kantele) is marked as "1o" on the sheet music under the staff notation. I will try to post some videos at some point, both fast and slow versions of the song for reference and tutorial material. The music is in PDF form and is available for download. Check back for more sheet music to come, and enjoy!

Melody #1 - Overtone Ending