Gourd resonator
Gourd resonators are particularly popular in African traditions. This can be a very easy project, if you already have an instrument that you can place inside the gourd resonator. If you don't, this is probably the most challenging project here, as you will have to also make the instrument to go inside the resonator. Some suggestions:
- A small lamellophone. Please see
below for links to
kalimba instructions.
- Other
idiophones , for example, small xylophone-type instruments.
- Small stringed instruments. This can be either student-made, anything from a simple rubber-band zither (see
Sound and Music Activities ) to a small tunable stringed instrument (see
below ), or it could be a toy lap harp or small harp, psaltery, or zither.
- A recorder, harmonica, jaw harp, or student-made kazoo (see
Percussion Fast and Cheap ) held near or at the mouth of the resonator.
Materials
- A small instrument to place inside the resonator.
- Very large (calabash) gourds, large enough that the instrument can easily be placed in or on top of one half of the gourd.
- A hand saw that will cut large gourds. If necessary, experiment by making cuts in the side of the gourd that you will not be using for your resonator.
Procedure
- Before cutting, decide whether you want the resonator to have a wide flaring mouth, or a mouth that curves in again slightly. The latter may give you more resonance, but may be more difficult to get instruments past. Cut the gourd in half so that its bottom (away from the stem) produces the desired bowl shape.
- Clean your gourd bowl inside and out, and allow to dry.
- If desired, decorate the gourd bowl on the outside (for example, with paint or carving) and/or coat with varnish or some other wood sealant that will leave a hard, dry finish.
- Experiment to find the relative positions of instrument and gourd resonator that gives the loudest or most pleasant sound.
Gourd guiro
A
guiro is a scraped
idiophone that is popular in several music traditions scattered throughout the Americas, including in Peru, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. The instrument has a series of parallel ridges and/or furrows set very close to each other. It is played by scraping a stick quickly across the series of ridges, producing a rapid clicking sound, similar to the effect that a "washboard" instrument gets.
Guiros are now made of many materials, including bamboo and carved wood, but the most traditional way to make one is to use a gourd.
Materials
- The traditional
guiro gourd is a long oblong, with a very thick shell that can be carved without breaking or tearing it. Other gourd shapes can be used; look for surfaces that have, on some surface, a fairly long, fairly straight line which can be crossed with many ridges. Avoid using very curved surfaces for the working surface of the
guiro , as these will be difficult to scrape smoothly and quickly.
- To make the notches, you will need a large, heavy-duty, metal file, a knife that is appropriate for cutting wood, or a small hand saw suitable for fine work. Before beginning on the notches for the
guiro you, or the student, may want to test or practice using the tool, for example on the discarded gourd end.
- If cutting notches in the gourd is not an option for your students, you can make a series of ridges on the gourd instead. In this case, you will need a strong glue and either a lot of twine or a lot of bobby pins (or other hard objects similar in size and shape to bobby pins).
-
Guiros are often decorated by painting the non-playing surfaces or by carving or burning decorations into them. Assemble any materials you will want for decorating the instrument.
