a blog by Peter Leonard
What good is an instrument if you have nothing to play it with? Jean-Claude, our savior, did the hard work of expertly carving the pernambuco hardwood into the right shape for a nyckelharpa bow, which is a smaller device than the violin bow:
In order to hold its shape correctly, the bow wood must be heated briefly in a hot (alcohol) flame:
Now both key elements, the bow and the "frog" which holds the bowhair in place, are ready:
A small wire will hold the frog in place, while allowing for adjustability:
And what would a bow be without hair? As with the animal bone earlier, we were grateful for the language barrier that allowed us to not ask very many questions about what had happened to the horses that these tails were previously connected to:
If you've never stretched hair on a bow before, be glad. All the hairs have to be exactly at the same tension and position laterally. Be sure not to crush the expensive pernambuco wood in the vise, either. There's a reason I was too busy to take very many pictures during this task.
