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Web-page of Dennis Havlena


ARTICLESHEREINCLUDEDIYHOWTOBUILDSIMPLEBUTNICE
SOUNDING/PLAYINGFOLKINSTRUMENTS.
HiIhesitatinglyincludethisPayPal"Donate"buttontohelp
fundcurrent&futureprojects,materials&ideasforthiswebpage:

MYOWNMusicRelatedArticles

OTHERS'MusicRelatedArticles

LinkstoOtherMusicalSites

SomeGenealogicalinformation

HowtoPlayBagpipesAmazingGrace LinkstoMiscellaneousSites

CLICKHERETOSEEADDITIONALPHOTOSFROMMYWORKSHOPINAFRICA
Anyoneoverseaswantmetodoaworkshop?Nopayneeded,justflight&expenses.dhavlena@gmail.com.
CLICKHEREforashortYouTubevideoshowingseveralofmyinstrumentsbeingplayed

PantheonSteel,longtimemakerofsteeldrums(pans)ismakingandselling
their"Halo"handpanwhichistheirversionoftheessentiallyunobtainableHangdrum.
ClickHEREformoreinformationabouttheHalo,alsotoseeandhearitbeingplayed.
IjustreceivedaHapiDrumMiniGottasayI'mVERYimpressedatthetone
&volumeoutofthislittlebeauty!Highlyrecommended!FormoreinformationclickHERE
SpikeFinchinCaliforniaissellingverynice"HandPan"instruments.
Here'sashortYouTubevideoofmeplayinghis"ZenTambour"
CLICKHEREtowatchthisYouTubevideo.
ClickHEREformoreinformation
MYFRIENDDUDUBAINDAKAR,SENEGAL,MAKESANDSELLS
ABSOLUTELYBEAUTIFULOBJECTSOUTOFGOURDS(CALABASHES)
CLICKHERETOSEEMOREEXAMPLESOFHISWORK

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ACECRAFTSMANDAVIDKRONBERGHASMADEAVAILABLEBLUEPRINTS/PLANSFORCONSTRUCTINGTHREEDIFFERENTSTYLES
OFVERYHIGHCLASSHURDYGURDIES.CLICKHEREFORINFORMATIONABOUTOBTAININGDAVE'SPLANS
PLEASECHECKOUTTHECD"COOKIESANDCAKE"
BYFRIENDELEANORKING
CLICKHEREtohearashortsegmentfromEleanor'sCD
CLICKHEREformoreinformationaboutthisCD

MUSICRELATEDARTICLES(myarticles&ideas):

BAGPIPE:
HowtomakeHighlandpipesfromPVCpipe
Constructpipebagsfromnaugahyde/vinyl
Simplebellowsforsmallpipes&Uilleanbagpipes
Buildabagpipepracticegoosefromawineboxbladder
Makeanextremelyquietchanterforpipepractice,fromatinwhistle
Buildasimple,foolproofcheckvalveforHighlandpipes
BuildthisBagpipeCasewithroomforeverything
TheonlybagpipetuneIeverwrote'RichardLongstaffeofOrmond'

BANJO:
Athumbpickforplayingclawhammerbanjothatactuallyworks
Howtodoublethelifeofcertainmetalwrappedstrings
Pitchreferencebuiltforafewcents
Simple3stringbanjomadefromatennisracquet
Yetanothersimple,veryinexpensivebanjothisonefretless
Frettingtheabovefretlessbanjomadeitmyalltimefavoritebanjo
3instrumentsinoneBanjo,Bazoukey&TenorGuitarconversion
Howtomakea5stringCELLOBANJO
Howtomakea5stringGOURDBANJO
NEWHowtosalvageagourdthat'sstartedtogobadwhiledrying
Makea3stringfretlessbanjofromacookietin
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Ukuleleto5string"Ukejo"(uke/banjo)quickconversion
Buildasimple5stringfretlessbanjoinaweekend
Fiddle&banjowrittenmusicfortheoldtimetune"Gilsaw"
IfinditFAReasierto"clawhammer"abanjousingnylonstringsinsteadofsteel
SOMEHARDEARNEDADVICEONLEARNINGHOWTOPLAYANINSTRUMENT

BASS:
NEWEasilyconvertacellointoaveryniceacousticminibass
Makeareal,4stringuprightbassusinganuprightwashtub
Acoustic,fretlessbassmadefromanoldguitarbody.40"stringlength
Acoustic,frettedbassmadefromanoldguitarinacouplehours.Veryeasy.
Oversizedacousticbassconstructionsimplifiedbykerfingthesides.Seepicturebelow
Buildthisacousticorelectric"Doodlebass"(4string,40"stringlength)forafewdollars
TurntheDoodleBassintoagreatsoundingElectricUprightBassforafewdollars
Asimplewaytomakeaverylowcost,fullyadjustableelectricbassguitarbridge
BuildaBassKalimbaaStringBassAlternative
Chartshowing2notechordpairsforbass
Chartsforeasilyconvertingstandardbassnotationintobasstablature
Basscleftobassfingerboardrelationshipchart(15frets)
Basscleftobassfingerboardrelationshipchart(22frets)
Howtosetupanuprightbass
Make&installuprightbassbridgeadjusters(forinstallingcommercialadjusterstoo)
Buildthislowcost,sturdyUprightBassplayingstand
Makeasimplewashtubbass
IverymuchlikemyChinesemadeCremonaSB1UprightBassAshortreview
MycommentsaboutChrisBadynee'sexcellentcardboardbass

BOWEDPSALTERY:
Makeabowedpsaltery

DIDJERIDU:
ReadymadedidjeridusoldatKMartfor97cents

FIDDLE:
Finetunersscuffingfiddlefaceplate?Averyeasyfix
ConvertaregularfiddleintoaHardangerfiddle
FiddleGurdyaVERYeasilybuilthurdygurdythatfingerslikeafiddle
Howtomakeafiddleveryquietforlatenightdiddling

GUITAR(&GUITARCONVERSIONS):
NEW:HowIconvertedabustedupguitartoaBouzouki/octavemandolin
CLICKHEREtohearashortclipofthisinstrumentbeingplayed
NEW(1212015)AfricanKoratunereworkedforguitar(tablature)AllaLaKe
NEWMakeanOudbyconvertinga6or12stringguitar
NEWHowtoretunea12or6stringGuitartosimulateanArabicOud
HomemadeSteelCapo
3instrumentsinoneBanjo,Bazoukey&TenorGuitarconversion
aFretlessGuitarinanhour
HowtomakeaHurdyGurdyfromaguitar
Kerfingthesidesofaguitarfamilyinstrumentgreatlysimplifiesconstruction
Acoustic,fretlessbassmadefromanoldguitarbody.40"stringlength
Acoustic,frettedbassmadefromanoldguitarinacouplehours.Veryeasy.
HowtoconvertaGuitarintoanOctaveMandolin
Pitchreferencebuiltforafewcents

HAMMEREDDULCIMER:
Buildaconduittubingdulcimer(includesajpgphoto)
Howtobuildasimple12courseHammeredDulcimer

HANGDRUM(INSTRUMENTSTHATPLAYSIMILARTOAHANGDRUM):
NEWanotherinventionasimple8notepentatonic"BalaPan",withnotesarrangedsimilartoaHandPan(Halo,Hangetc)inspitedbytheW.African
Balafon
NEWBuilda"GoniPan"SimulatesHandPanCanbetunedtoANYHandPanscale
NEWTemplateforSenegalese/French6kgpropanetankHankDrums"
BlueManGrouptypePVCinstrumentinspiredbythehangdrum"
PVCtube,AkeBonoscaledinstrumentinspiredbytheHALO&HANGdrum"
Makingastringedinstrumentinspiredbythehangdrum"
HANKDRUM(inspiredbythehangdrum)madefromapropanetank
MakingaHankdrumwithsamescale&pitchasPantheonSteel'sHalo

HARP:
Simple&cheapwirestrung,22stringCelticHarp
22stringCelticHarpbuiltaroundamountaindulcimerbody

HURDYGURDY:
Howtobuildahurdygurdyforunder$20
Howtoadda2ndmelodystringtothe$20HurdyGurdy
FiddleGurdyaVERYeasilybuilthurdygurdythatfingerslikeafiddle
HowtomakeaHurdyGurdyfromaguitar
DaveKronberg'shurdygurdyplansforsale

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INDIANINSTRUMENTS:
HomemadeEsrajinstrumentfromIndia
MakeanearzerocostIndianTamboura.Soundsample&photosincluded

KALIMBA/MBIRA
Builda"KORIMBA"(aKalimbathatplayslikeaKORA)
BuildaBassKalimbaaStringBassAlternative
BobbypinKalimba
2octavekalimbamadefromlawnraketines
Popsiclestickkalimba,byDorothyMay
,br>KORA:

NEW(1212015)Koratunereworked(tablature)forguitarAllaLaKe
NEW(5142014)easytablaturesystemforthewestAfricanKora
NEW(5142014)NEWDIYAKONTINGanancestorofour5stringbanjo
NEW(42314)informationaboutsolidSprucesoundboard,fullsizedkora
NEW(9413)HowtoinstallguitartypegearedtunersonaKoraneckthathasleathertuningrings
NEW(8213)plywoodtop,barebones"practice/learning"Kora
NEW(32013)QuestfortheleastexpensiveDIYKorafullplans
NEW(32013)20"new"KoraphotosfrommytriptoAfrica(scrolltobottomofpagetosee)
NEW(1413)Mymostsuccessful,mosttraditionalDIYKorafullbuildinginstructions
NEWBuilda"GoniPan"SimulatesaHandPanCanbetunedtoANYHandPanscale
NEWHowtobuildawestAfricanGoni.Similartothe"GoniPan".Seebottomofthisarticle
NEWHarpKorausingguitartypetuninggearsverynicesound
NEWMakeaKorausingasnaredruminsteadofacalabash(gourd)
NEWMakeasimple,easiertotunereplacementneckforaleatherring(konso)AfricanKoraneck
HowIbuiltaNorthernMichiganKORA.16newphotosadded412
Makea"HarpKora"asimple2sidedharpthatplayslikeaKORA.19newphotosadded412.
Builda"KORIMBA"(aKalimbathatplayslikeaKORA)
BuildacaketinKORA.AlthoInowownanAfricanKora&havebuiltseveralothers,thisiswhatIdothebulkofmylearning&figuringon.24newpics.
NEWHowtosalvageagourdthat'sstartedtogobadwhiledrying
NEWAnatomyofafailedKorabuildingexperiment

MANDOLIN(OCTAVE)&BOUZOUKI:
NEW:HowIconvertedabustedupguitartoaBouzouki/octavemandolin
CLICKHEREtohearashortclipofthisinstrumentbeingplayed
3instrumentsinoneBanjo,Bazoukey&TenorGuitarconversion
HowtoconvertaGuitarintoanOctaveMandolin

MUSICALSAW:
MusicalSawhowtofindone&playit(inexpensively)

MUSICALSTRINGS:
NEW:$1micrometerveryusefulforcheckingstringgauges
Renewthesoundofwound,metalstringsbyboilingthem
Makewoundmusicstrings
KMart/WalMartsells400'ofestringfor$2.99

NONMUSICALINVENTIONS&IDEAS:
Roastrawpumpkinseedsinmicrowavein3minutes
HOWTOMAKEHIGHQUALITY3DPHOTOGRAPHSWITHOUTASTEREOCAMERA
SimpledoityourselftestforSleepApnea
Secondhandleaddedtoashovelmakesitalmostfuntodig
Catboxstink??Trythis
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BeanbagHorseshoesafungame
Makeapressman'shat

ODDNOISEMAKERSANDIDEAS:
NEWHowtosalvageagourdthat'sstartedtogobadwhiledrying
Averytemporary"clarinet"madefromthestalkofazucchiniplant
Ukuleleto5string"Ukejo"(uke/banjo)quickconversion
Builda"whirligig"
Two"InvoluntaryTwangamadiddles"
Averysimpleandeffectivetypeofnut
AverysimpleKeyChangingChart
Using"Audacity"(freeprogram)tofacilitatetunelearning
Pitchreferencebuiltforafewcents

ARABICOUD:
NEWMakeanOudbyconvertinga6or12stringguitar
NEWHowtoretunea12or6stringGuitartosimulateanArabicOud

ORIGINALMUSIC:
TheonlybagpipetuneIeverwrote'RichardLongstaffeofOrmond'
Aslipjig(9/8jig)mybrotherandIwroteyearsago

PENNYWHISTLES,FLUTES&FIFES:
Instantdollarstoreecho/reverbforyourtinwhistle(withsoundsample)
Makea"flexfife"from3/4"Dx1/8"wallclear,flexibletubingforabout$1
HowtomakealowDtinwhistle
Addadronetoyourtinwhistle
Turnatinwhistleintoa"nohole,buglescaled"whistle

TAMBIROSVERYNEATINSTRUMENTSMADEFROMVARIOUS
HELIUM&PROPANETANKS:
MakeTambirosafelyfromanunused20lbLPtank
Makeatambirofromanemptyheliumorfreontank
HowImadeasmallerversionoftheabovetambirofromansmallcampingtypepropanecylinderLP

XYLOPHONES:
21/2octaveconduittubingxylophone"
VerysimpleKid's"xylophone"
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HOWTOPLAYTHEBAGPIPEAMAZINGGRACE:
Howtoplay"AmazingGrace"ontheBagpipenotefornote
ReturntoTop

MUSICRELATEDARTICLES(otherfolk'sarticles&ideas)
PLEASENOTE:ITHASBECOMEINCREASINGLYHARDTOKEEPUPTODATE
WITHEVERCHANGINGLINKADDRESSES.PLEASEFORGIVEMEIFSOMELINKSHERE
DONOTWORK.ASIHAVETIMEI'LLTRYTOFIXTHEM:
ToseeJimDoble'sexcellentBIGtank,thickmetaltonguedrums!Theyarebeautiful
LindsayDavidson'sexcellent,free,onlinebagpipeplayinginstructions.Finesiteingeneral!
"BOGDONBOXBASS"Areallygoodsoundinguprightcardboard(!)bass
"BOGDONBOXBASS"Areallygoodsoundinguprightcardboard(!)bass
Oddmusic.comareallyexcellent"different"musicalinstrumentwebsite
YuichiOnoue'sinnovativeKaisatsuko
AveryneatfreestandingAeolianHarp
BillKoch'shandsomeoblongtub4stringbass
EricReiswig'sexcellentScottishSmallpipe(&otherinstruments)buildingplans
CompleteonlinebookdetailingSteelDrummaking
MakeaPVCfluteMarkShepard'sinstructions&webpage
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LINKSTOSOMEOTHERMUSICALSITES:
WebpageoffriendSamKingacemusician,songwriter&otherwisemultitalentedindividual
WebpageofKORAplayerMamadouDiabate
JeffSadler'svintageinstrumentwebsite
TorClausen'sneatmusicalfurniture
"RootsofAmericanFiddleMusic"320old78RPMfiddletunesonasingleCD
KeithDavis'webpageU.P.makeroffineviolinsetc.
DavidGilden'sexcellentKora/Corawebpage
RichardRobinson'sTunebook
HurdyGurdyhomepage
OldTimeMusiclinks
MusiciansandInstrumentMakersForum
CeolasCelticmusicarchive
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The"BagpipeWeb"
TheHardangerfiddlehomepage
ElderlyInstrumentCo.homepage
Fiddle&banjowrittenmusicfortheoldtimetune"Gilsaw"
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AFEWGENEALOGICALLINKS:
LDS'sPedigreeResourceFile.My(searchable)familytreeisnowonthissystem(Laternote:seelinktonewinfobelow)
AncestryWorldTree.My(searchable)familytreeisnowonthissystemtoo(Laternote:seelinktonewinfobelow)
OldFamilyPhotos(onmywife'ssideandmine).Ihavelotsmore.
TreeofmyHavlenaancestorsincludingmuchNEWINFOyettobesenttoLDS
GEDCOMfileofmyentiregenealogicaldataincludingNEWINFORMATIONthathasnotyetbeensubmittedtotheLDSsystem.BESURETOIMPORT
NOTES
HavlenafamilyinZahrobi,Bohemiashortfamilytree

AerialphotoofZahrobi,Bohemia.Havlenahousesarenumbered)
SketchImadeofhouse#24,Zahrobi,Bohemia,wheremyGtGrandpa,JosefHavlenawasbornin1851
FahndrichfamilyinAllfeld,Germanyshortfamilytree

Descendantsofmy5thGreatGrandfatherMathiasBecker,fromPeterswald,RhinelandPralz,Germany
Chart:AncestorsofDennisHavlena(me)
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MISCELLANEOUSLINKS:
FriendSamKing'swebpage
Mapquestworldwidemapgenerator
ReturntoTop
DennisHavlenaW8MI(formerlyW8UR,KL7GRQ,WA8DDI)
TheURLofthiswebpageis:
http://www.DennisHavlena.com
Pleasenote:Thingshavegottenextremelybusy
aroundhere.IapologizethatImaynotbeableto
answeremailinatimelyfashion.
Ifyouemailme,pleasementionmusicalinstruments
prominentlyinthesubjectlineIgettonsofspamdaily.

Copyright2010DennisHavlena
TheURLofthiswebpage,formanyyearsWAS
http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~dhavlena/or
http://edcen.ehhs.cmich.edu/~dhavlena/

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