A Dulcigurdy Needs No Gap Betwixt Strings & Fretboard

A guitar can't be played properly if the strings are lying flat against the fretboard. I discovered today that a dulcigurdy can be played even if the strings are completely flat against the fretboard and even if the frets aren't perfectly level. I don't know if anyone else knows this.
This is very new and exciting to me. I don't know where it might lead. Possibly completely new sorts of instruments.

[@ssdtrain1]

Sounds like a 1950's horror movie🤣

[@MabInstruments]

I love horror film music.

[@axellaurence722]

Don’t know what I’ve stumbled upon but it seems to be an alternate universe where Matt Rose perused a career as a morally dubious magician

[@stonemanguitars]

Rat Moses fan spotted.

[@TheLegend-wz7fl]

Man the tones that thing makes give me such a deep mix of emotions. You could write some very sad music for this

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.

[@Communitis]

I think what's going on is, for plucking, the string isn't free enough to vibrate on its own. When the rosin wheel is engaged, it forces vibration at the resonant frequency all along the string that isn't stopped completely from either side. So the effect is the vibration is sustained by constant contact with an independent energy source (the wheel), so it still sounds a note that otherwise cannot be sounded by providing continuous agitation that can sustain it.

[@rehamkcirtap]

A mor e elegant way of explaining diagram I have in my head then I did.

[@indigo9738]

I think this has to be the most emotionally resonant instruments I’ve ever heard, incredible, I only wish it was mainstream so I could buy one online 😢

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.

[@Baribrotzer]

You could probably build yourself one, if you had a bit of carpentry skills and access to tools. He did. What does it really require, after all? An old hunk-a-junk electric guitar for the pickup and neck, some odds and sods of lumber and hardware, a bit of time - and probably a few tips, which you might get by asking Mr. Ocean Tardigrade.

[@MabInstruments]

The fretboard used in the video has frets tuned to 14 equal pitch divisions of the octave instead of the standard 12. It's flat rather than rounded.

[@MabInstruments]

I am happy to answer any questions about the instrument or how to make it.

[@Baribrotzer]

@@MabInstruments But if he built one, it wouldn't need to be in 14 EDO. It could be in 12. And he could tilt the wheel to compensate for a rounded fretboard.

[@emssej]

What a melancholic melody. I love it. Seems like a sort of advanced kaisatsuko/electric dulcigurdy.

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.

[@peteranderson037]

Ok KZbin algorithm, I watched it. Also, if I'm understanding how this dulcigurdy works, it seems like the wheel is causing the drone strings to vibrate perfectly parallel to the frets. This would cause only minimal energy loss. If the axis of vibration was even slightly off parallel, the strings would strike the frets instead of sliding on top of them and the vibrations would be dampened out very quickly. On top of that you have the wheel that is adding energy back into the drone strings to keep them vibrating.

[@reigny6256]

I agree, this is what I came up with as well.

[@stickyfox]

I think you're right.. it's just limited to one mode of vibration, like a laser.

[@scottwebster695]

The next Academy award for sound will feature this instrument

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.

[@BaconTomatoCheese]

So bizarre… And those eye fret markers are a trip, too

[@MrDaraghkinch]

The strings are vibrating laterally. When you pluck, a string vibrates chaotically. The fixed wheel and the contact with the frets only allows the strings to vibrate in one axis. Also, there is no sustain; the wheel is constantly reinforcing the vibration, which would be quickly dampened by the frets.

[@stinkymart3173]

This is it

[@kakashi392]

Well what can we do with this info?

[@MrDaraghkinch]

@@kakashi392 Sleep at night.

[@craniifer]

You're a madman. Great stuff!

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.

[@DwightNewton]

Brilliant! Love the horizontal wheel.

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.

[@mathias841]

Wow, what a warm tone. I freaking love it !!! Cheers From france

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you. You also asked about the timbre in my video My Mind Is Dark. A difference between that video and this video is that in that video, the pole pieces of the pickups are in the direction inwhich the strings vibrate, whereas in this video, the pole pieces of the pickup are perpendicular to the direction inwhich the strings vibrate. Having the pickup placed like it is in this video usually means that each string produces two pitches instead of one and the second pitch becomes more noticeable when you go to frets further towards the bridge of the instrument (shorten the length of the vibrating string). The second pitch is determined by the distance between the edge of the wheel and the fret being played at (the first pitch is determined by the distance between the bridge and the fret being played at). However, I'm not sure that you get the effect on this instrument in this video because the strings are flat against the fretboard. I need to experiment with that.

[@caeliachapin5317]

You should do an album of classic rock covers using the dulcigurdy instead of a mellotron!

[@rumpires6485]

Love the concept. Very interesting. Just game me some ideas for my new guitar build. Thanks a lot. Just subscribed to your channel. Best regards from Portugal

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you. I listen forward to hearing your new build.

[@hybridizedhere]

You should make a sampler for this it would be so good for anything eerie/horror

[@SmashingJack]

So THAT'S what it sounds like inside a serial killer's head.

[@franklinbumgartener1323]

That song sounds like his hat looks.

[@bALDbOY85]

awesome dude

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.

[@JennaDearest]

I imagine it does so since the bowing action of a bow, wheel, etc violently shakes the string, and since the wheel is constant, the illusion of a constant sound is provided. That's my best guess! ^^;

[@MabInstruments]

It's not an illusion.

[@JennaDearest]

@@MabInstruments I speak metaphorically of course, it's no illusion.

[@michaelmoore7568]

put the automatic chord player on that thing - very cool

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.

[@christofferniemonen8872]

Love it

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.

[@rehamkcirtap]

I love the weird shit youtube sends me. This is brilliant. My bet is that it words because you're vibrating the heck out of the string so there are a bunch of bits of time where it's sort got enough string to get a harmonic. That's maybe why it sounds other worldly

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.

[@rehamkcirtap]

Ill be watching, ​@@MabInstruments

[@aguynamednathan]

I'm sorry, THAT'S the sound of it WORKING?? 🤔

[@MabInstruments]

There's no need to apologise. None of it is your fault.

[@xoanxil]

Great idea to use the wheel in that position. It opens a lot of possibilities. I would like to experiment by myself, if you don't mind. Could you share what material do you use on the wood wheel to rub the strings?

[@MabInstruments]

The wheel is made from plywood. Two pieces of plywood, each about 11mm thick. One is a circle. The other is an O shape. It is the O shaped piece that rubs against the strings. It's probably hardwood plywood. I apply rosin to the surface of the O shaped piece.

[@MabInstruments]

The two pieces of plywood are held together with screws.

[@MabInstruments]

I don't mind. I will be very happy for you to use any aspect of the design. Thank you for your interest.

[@xoanxil]

Thanks. I gonna try... I really like this approach

[@MabInstruments]

Cool. Thank you. Feel free to ask any questions. Also, please let me know how it goes and share videos or sound recordings of the results. The problem I have had most with this orientation of wheel is getting it to stay in one plane. I've developed a variety of ways to deal with this. The latest is using ball bearings in an 80 mm radius circle. A circle with a greater radius, ideally a greater radius than the O shaped section, would probably be better.

[@fletch4231]

I was not expecting it to sound so harsh tbh! But either way it is very interesting and cool

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.

[@andreasobuaculla9511]

PS I just subscribed

[@agustinsida8877]

drone hudrytar nice

[@MabInstruments]

I don't understand your comment. There are no drones on this instrument and I don't know what hudrytar means.

[@MabInstruments]

Oh. I think you put hurdy from hurdy gurdy with tar from guitar and then accidentally misspelt it. Thank you.

[@thomasmcnamara5929]

And these knobs, these go to eleven.

[@andrewhomeuser]

If you play like this long enough, you can summon the devil.

[@Stones_022]

i need one, there is something about the etherial quality of its tone that i just need, what is it tuned to

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you. The fretboard has frets tuned to 14 equal pitch divisions of the octave. In steps of that tuning, the strings are tuned 0, 5, 10.

[@adamhawkins3036]

Invasion if the body snatchers 😅..or were wolf of London..its pretty versatile for the spook factor

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.

[@indigo9738]

Does the wheel require a lot of resin to work ?

[@MabInstruments]

As far as I am aware, it doesn't need more rosin than other rosined wheeled instruments.

[@LincolnshireRose]

OK thats different, in a weirdly good way

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.

[@DaWizard11]

Have you ever thought about selling these? I'd buy one

[@MabInstruments]

I have considered it. I'd happily make you one. Something that sometimes gets in the way of making instruments for people is the expense of sending them to different countries. I'm in the UK.

[@LonginusFX]

kool

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.

[@Flaaaaanders]

Fairly involved manipulation with imperceptible change in output sound. Are you sure it’s on? It looked as if you were playing chords on it?

[@MabInstruments]

Yes. It is on. I can hear significant differences in the output, including clearly defined chords. I'm not the only one. Are your speakers working correctly?

[@Flaaaaanders]

@@MabInstruments maybe not it’s iPad speaker. Not being critical, a wild looking instrument I was surprised at its UN wildness. And the chord shapes being applied indicate some considerable experience. Peace

[@stonemanguitars]

That sounds awesome, Is it microtonal, because it sounds like 14 EDO to me.

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you. You are right. It's 14ed2 (also written 14edo).

[@stonemanguitars]

@@MabInstruments I love 14 EDO. It's such a haunting yet beautifully resonant sound. Great stuff and super playing.

[@MabInstruments]

@@stonemanguitars , thank you.

[@MabInstruments]

A feature of the instrument (and most instruments I make) is that the fretboard is removable and can be replaced with other fretboards with frets in different places for different microtonal scales. I have fretboards for all the ed2s (edos) from 7 to 18, except 9 (which I lost somewhere), as well as 10 ed Phi (10 equal divisions of Phi, the golden ratio), 12, 13, 24, 25 and 29 ed 3 (equal divisions of a perfect 12th also known as a tritave) and a fretboard with movable frets.

[@steveg6199]

That drone kind of reminds me of 'Strawberry Fields'

[@MabInstruments]

I had a similar experience with a related instrument that I made.

[@abrakadeep8810]

Hey! Your instruments are pretty damn awesome! I would want to find out more about the dulcigurdy and how to build one :) Could you explain the process a little bit? Or do you have an email, where i could write to you for better exchange! :)

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you. I can explain the process more. I'll try to put some together in the next few days.

[@abrakadeep8810]

@@MabInstruments Thanks for your answer! That would be pretty wonderful! :)

[@MabInstruments]

Here's an almost half an hour long video that attempts to explain how my dulcigurdy works. Please let me know if there's anything important that I haven't covered in the video or you have any further questions. kzbin.info/www/bejne/enqzo5dpZdmkh9k

[@plantain.1739]

Man, I like my action low but this is ridiculous! *canned laugh track plays while I'm mauled to death by various audience members.*

[@lordvalentine471]

This is what is causing the hole in the ozone this needs to be outlawed

[@cheatsheet3325]

Lorn unplugged.

[@toddperry9860]

Why is this man trying to play a chair back?

[@thepagecollective]

John Hassell-ish

[@joehamjello]

Fucking cool

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.

[@ralle3447]

I took acid in the middle ages

[@Dudeface167]

Now thats goofy

[@TheSharp2500]

guitar from hell

[@OleJazzEra]

I'm not sure if you've stumbled on something or trodden in something. Either way I wouldn't rush to give up your day job. If this IS your day job then I'd certainly give it up.

[@MabInstruments]

Neither this, nor anything else, is my day job.

[@NORTH_CAROLINA_REAPER]

Why is your banjo trapped in a guillotine?

[@MabInstruments]

It's not.

[@cianmoriarty7345]

Thanks. I hate it 🤣

[@MabInstruments]

I'm always glad when something I do on KZbin provokes an emotional response. I have been deeply disconcerted that none of my recent videos have been officially disliked. The absence of dislikes suggests that I have been doing something wrong. (It may be a change of settings that I am unaware of.)

[@roachdoggjr1940]

Hat

[@user-nf3oq2ge3g]

Who can make the weirdest noise on the guitar and call it musicZ

[@MabInstruments]

Now there's a challenge.

[@user-nf3oq2ge3g]

All these weird instruments don’t really do it for me

[@MabInstruments]

I'm sorry for your loss.

[@indigo9738]

They do it for me, so I guess we cancel out

[@andreasobuaculla9511]

Don't go busking with that a museum of oddities would be grateful,but frankly the music sucks big time

[@MabInstruments]

It's all a matter of taste. I won't be expecting you personally to contribute.

[@MabInstruments]

Also, the thing about a musical instrument is that you can play lots of different music on it.

[@andreasobuaculla9511]

@@MabInstruments Well I really didnt mean to offend you perhaps I shouldn'thave been so harsh,You're hot though!I's be your groupee any day!

[@mikeythesquid1427]

no, it doesn't work.

[@MabInstruments]

What doesn't work?

[@mikeythesquid1427]

That God awful thing he is squeaking on.

[@MabInstruments]

@@mikeythesquid1427 , clearly it does work, 'cause it's annoying you.

[@mikeythesquid1427]

A fair point 😁@@MabInstruments

[@Gravitron89]

I'm not sold on the sound. Nice demo of spookiness though

[@MabInstruments]

Thank you.