DIY tagelharpa string

[@msprague22]

I’d like to add, after messing with a few of these builds, although the number of strands isn’t exact, the basic process has been, figure out the treble string, then double it for the bass string. Add about 50% of the treble strands to create the middle string. A few more or less will mostly just alter the tension. If it’s too tight and you think it may break, remove a few strands. Too floppy, add a few strands and tighten it up a bit.

[@alysmarcus7747]

what a nice job you did there - put some rosin on there !

[@msprague22]

Hey Thanks for having a watch! In the time since this I have definitely gotten the rosin worked in and it sounds much better!

[@derwishrenegat743]

The sound is very good, authentic. It is wonderful to have natural materials to make such ancient musical instruments.

[@michaelrizzi2885]

Tank you very much. I've been searching this infos since a long time.

[@msprague22]

Glad it helps. I may be making a new more standard sized instrument soon. Stay tuned?

[@msprague22]

I made several and tried them all getting bigger and bigger as i made more. This (60strand) is the largest. I started at 24 and added 6 or so with each larger one.

[@infinitysynth6306]

Gotcha, just good 'ol trial and error!

[@bearshield7138]

Thank you this is helpful Where do you get your horse hair?

[@msprague22]

I bought the longest available “Mongolian horse hair” from a seller on eBay. I’d have liked black or white but this dark brown seems pretty nice. It’s a lot thicker than the hair on my violin bows for sure.

[@bearshield7138]

@@msprague22 cool thank you

[@Bullski123]

@@msprague22 Personally i prefer monofilament nylon fishline for strings,its a personal preference for some like horsehair,nylon,gut strings etc...and nylon is little to no difference in the sound,compared to horsehair,easier to keep in tune and the strands dont break. I use black horsehair only on the bows.

[@arindamsaifullah2501]

Thank you very much খুব কৃতজ্ঞতা জানাচ্ছি। স্রষ্টা মঙ্গল করুন আপনার

[@dimitriyhaiyadre5077]

i guess i am gona start making instruments now

[@infinitysynth6306]

sounds awesome man! How did you know how many horse hairs to use? Was there a calculation for length/Gauge/Tension?

[@msprague22]

I should add that the scale length from pegs to bridge is about 26 inches. The first set i used 20, 30, and 40 hairs. The treble side sounded ok till i tried to “fret” a note. Then just sounded wispy and bad. The bass side was way too loose to do much with. I figured more mass meant i could use more tension to achieve the desired tuning so ended up trying more and more until the tension felt similar to the other 2. I had trouble keeping the strings from having slack parts, probably from gluing the ends and the lengths not being perfectly even when i tried just twisting the whole mass. This is what drove me to try this “flemmish twist” technique

[@Aftenstorm]

Interesting. I personally make them in a different way, by adding a resistance with a sewing thread in the beginning. And I definitely do not do these braids. But they sound good though.

[@msprague22]

I’m not sure what you mean by a “resistance” but it sounds cool. I did originally wrap the loop end by the tailpiece with some thread like fiddle strings.

[@hotuish]

Great video. I am new to tagelharpa and woods like to use horsehair, but have no idea how until now. Thanks. Have you found any other sources for hair? What is the best source? Is that a bass tagelharpa. It looks large.

[@msprague22]

Thanks! It’s the same scale length as a cello, I even tried cello strings on it but they were too heavy. So far the pound of horsehair I purchased on eBay has been enough, and I haven’t needed to look for more. I’d experiment with the strings a bit before twisting them this way. At this point, I’ve been trying other ways of twist and other materials. Like fluorocarbon fishing line. To quickly get in the general area of how many strands, I’d just cut them to length plus 5 or 6 inches and glue the tips. Install one end on the tailpiece and just do a regular twist to tighten (and slightly shorten) them. See how tight it is when tuned and either add strands if the tension is low or remove some if the tension is high. It may sound fine, particularly on smaller normal sized instruments and save you some time

[@blytheslaughter]

How many hairs for each string? Like C String but also your D3 and A2

[@msprague22]

The d3 is 24 strands, the A is 36. I did notice the hairs have some variation in thickness, some very coarse and some very fine. This should be a decent starting point. The idea was to double the mass between the low and high D, and get the middle string somewhere in the middle. There’s probably a better formula but I don’t know it.

[@fnersch3367]

This is close to the Morin Kuur which is fingered using the fingernail, a very strange method for westerners.

[@MY_PLAYGROUND777]

If you don't use horsehair. What can be substituted?

[@msprague22]

I’ve heard of folks using fishing string. Seems like they had the most success using multiple strands the same way the horse hair is stranded. Just less strings. The string may need a very light sanding, or rosin applied to them to get the bow to stick. I haven’t tried this personally so I can’t say for sure. I did try a set of cello strings since this instrument has the same scale length. Sounded ok but not great and the tension was pretty loose on the bass string.

[@Aftenstorm]

0,25mm to 0,30mm Fishing line. Works literally the same way as horse hair, sounds almost the same as well. No need to apply rosin on the string. Just applying on the bow is enough

[@Kromosomaofficial]

@@Aftenstorm how much fishing line for a string? i've tried only one but sounds very screeching...i have to use them like horseair and make a rope of sixty string???

[@isaacerickson6312]

What about dirty gut strings? This looks labor intensive. Gorgeous sound.

[@msprague22]

@@isaacerickson6312 I can’t say that I’ve tried any sort of gut strings at all. Glad the sound pleases you!!

[@Varg580]

Does it work the same with nylon strings?

[@msprague22]

I have not tried nylon. I’ve seen videos of other people using nylon though. They just twisted it together

[@Bullski123]

Yes. Another thing to add when using nylon is to use 0.50 mm thickness instead of 0.20/0.25 mm which is about the thickness of horsehair strands,-that way you dont need 20-30-40 strands per string,just for example 6-9-14 strands per string....

[@Alik_msk]

Как же ребенок пойдет в школу, совсем лысая?😮

[@FjolnirSyverson]

Can I ask a question I am making a four string GDGD could you recommend a amount of hairs for each string you would recommend thanks brother

[@msprague22]

I haven’t made anything similar so can’t really say for sure honestly. I’d start with a 20-25 strand and see which pitch feels like it has the proper tension once it’s in tune. After that, if you need lower tuned strings add 5 to 7 and see how the tension feels. If you need a higher pitch, take away a few.

[@FjolnirSyverson]

@@msprague22 thanks brother that’s somewhere to start much appreciate