Subject: RE: Tech: Washtub bass in industrial music
From:
JohnInKansas
Date: 23 Dec 03 - 07:31 PM
I thought the barn door bass had been noted enough to be familiar. Sorry about that.
The basic construction is to tie a rope to a nail or some such handy bit of hardware, preferably in the middle of a large flat surface - like the middle of the door. In acual practice, it probably works better to use a rigid wall of the barn than use just the door. If you do use a door, it needs to have a good latch to hold it shut while you play.
Almost any sort of rope will do, but the usual practice was to use something pretty heavy (compared to tub bass string). Quarter inch or so should work pretty well, although I've seen half inch used.
It's pretty much a two-kid instrument. One kid puts the end of the rope over a shoulder and leans hard to get enough tension to make the string (rope) "sound" good. The other kid does the "plucking," which is usually more like "grab, pull, and let loose" than just a finger flick. Inventive kids will find that you can make a more annoying sound by rubbing the edge of a board on the rope (as a bow).
The usual session lasts until maw can't stand the "thump thump thump" noise any longer, or until paw notices that you're fraying the s... out of his best manila. (If there's any livestock in the barn, they may also complain after a while.)
As with a tub bass, invention arises. A cousin of mine once tried hooking the tractor onto the rope "to get a better sound" and did some significant structural adjustment of the side of a fairly large shed. Fortunately, the sort of kids likely (in that era) to play this instrument are mostly reasonable adept at salvaging a few nails and applying appropriate percussion instruments.
A good rope length, for light rope, would be something like 10 or 15 feet, but experimentation usually leads to an ideal length of "as long as you've got." With a good, and fairly long, rope one can sometimes raise the "longitudinal" mode, by "stroking" the rope lengthwise. Since the velocity of a longitudinal "wave" on a limp string is about 6 times the velocity of the normal transverse vibration (very roughly, and only genericly applicable), the "longitudinal" note is about 2.5 octaves higher than the "transvers" not. It's possible, under ideal conditions, to make the rope "yodel" by exciting both modes in rapid alternation, although this is probably more likely to happen by accident than by design. It does require somewhat more tension to get the longitudinal "squeak" note than is necessary for pretty good thumping in the normal manner. Rope characteristics are probably also more critical; but it's been quite a few years (50+?) since I've messed with one of these.
The typical longer string length might make an instrument of this scale more adapted to using a wire or cable, which might give better longitudinal response. The kids I knew were never allowed this mod, due to potential damage to the structures, and the awareness of those hairy little cable whisker and the damage they can do. (And decent cable was 'way too expensive to leave laying around where the kids could mess with it.)
John
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sj
