Making and repairing tuned percussion
We interrupt our series on Herman Winterhoff for an update on my "vintage" xylophone build (I suppose that should be "semi-vintage", a true vintage xylo would be a strohfiedel). The instrument is finished except for a final round of tuning (and fitting castors).
When I started making marimbas and xylophones someone said "So where do you get the bars?" -- I was tempted to reply "Ikea" but the real answer is I get them from a tree.
It's time to pay credit to the man who invented the vibraphone, the well tempered marimba bar, and the musical element, Herman E Winterhoff of Indianapolis.
I would have liked to head this post with a striking photo of the talented Winterhoff, but the first image the internet turned up for me was this one:
Never mind, he will appear alive below the fold. ...continue reading Thank you, Herman E Winterhoff