Sunday, 29 April 2007

another lyre - even stanger than the first


A lyre is a very simple device, but it's very simplicity means it can take a variety of forms.
This one I made from the fork of a Norther Ti Tree, known locally as a weeping ti tree.
I call it David's Lyre.
You remember the David from the Old Testament. The first mention of him is when King Saul, who was having a few professional problems at the time, commanded his helpers to find someone who could play the lyre and thus cheer him up. David, a shepherd boy, was brought before him, and his playing cheered up the grumpy king. In fact Saul sent a message to David's father saying he had decided to keep him. Then, when Saul's kindom was invaded, David took on Goliath, and killed him with a stone from his sling. Ultimately of course, David became King in place of Saul. But he started as a shepherd boy, who played, and I have no doubt made, his lyre. And if he, a poor shepherd boy, made a lyre, what did he make it from?
He didn't have a luthier's shop available, probably not even a corner music store. So what more natural, given the shape of the lyre, than that he found a suitable tree fork, and worked from there.
I guess he didn't have bronze music strings available, as I have used, but then I couldn't get my hands on sheep or goat gut, nor the sinews of the lion or bear, as I'm sure David did.
The top bar is of Northern Territory stringy bark (see previous post) and the partly completed sound board is a slice of Darwin Black Wattle. All the best from vsquared47.

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