L'Ham de Foc

[Dagger Gordon]

I'm currently really into a Spanish band called L'Ham de Foc. They're influenced by a lot of Turkish and Greek music.

If you want to see a truly amazing collection of instruments (and yes, there is some mandolin interest) have a look at this.

www.lhamdefoc.com/

[Tom C]

What the heck are some of these things?

Viola De Roda
http://www.lhamdefoc.com/web_catala/images/instruments/violgran.JPG

http://www.lhamdefoc.com/web_catala/images/instruments/violajm.JPG

Moraharpa
http://www.lhamdefoc.com/web_catala/images/instruments/mora.jpg

[mandolooter]

cool link, I'll have to explore them sometime soon

[Jason Kessler]

The top two pix in Tom C's post are hurdy gurdies. The third pic seems to be a variation on the theme, with notes still sounded by pressing the appropriate keys but with a bow instead of the bow-like crank the other two use.

[Avi Ziv]

The third pic seems to be a variation on the theme, with notes still sounded by pressing the appropriate keys but with a bow instead of the bow-like crank the other two use.
The third picture is of a nyckelharpa. It's a Swedish bowed instrument with the keys pressing on the strings instead of using fingers directly. The keys drop away from the string by gravity, when not pressed. You can see more about them here (http://nyckelharpansforum.net/global/types.htm)

The band Väsen uses one - I highly recommend catching them in concert if you get a chance. Here's a link to their web site (http://www.atmos.washington.edu/~brash/vasen.html)

Avi

[zoukboy]

The third picture is of a nyckelharpa. It's a Swedish bowed instrument with the keys pressing on the strings instead of using fingers directly. The keys drop away from the string by gravity, when not pressed. You can see more about them here (http://nyckelharpansforum.net/global/types.htm)

Avi
The photo is of a moraharpa, the medieval form of the nyckelharpa.

Roger Landes
--
Bouzouki duo CD
http://janissarystomp.com
--
ZoukFest Rigel Octave Mandolin Raffle
http://zoukfest.com/instrument_raffle.html

[Avi Ziv]

Thanks Roger. It does look simpler than a nyckelharpa. At least I didn't say Oud http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Avi

[Jason Kessler]

<<At least I didn't say Oud>>

Oud & In The Way?

[Dagger Gordon]

The guy does have ouds, and lots of other things including mandolines, bandurrias and things I don't know much about from Afghanistan like the rubab and tanbur.

Seems to be able to play them as well.

It really is an impressive collection.

[danb]

Hmm, I've seen Hurdy Gurdies like both of those two.. I think one of them was briefly sold at Lark in the Morning in San Francisco.

Interesting instruments. A digital fiddle? When you get them all working & in tune (tricky, lots of little bits to adjust) they have a pretty cool tone. You turn the crank with your right hand, reach over the box and operate the keys with your left. It's strangely not that hard to do, you get used to "fretting upside down" pretty quick.

Very droney.. they are to the fiddle what the bouzouki is to the mandolin..