minstrel: cool instruments

[nickolas kaugon]

there was talk of ethnic instruments that can be given
a medieval personna. i was just playing a saz and a
cumbus at a local music store. i'm sure people are
familiar with the saz, and the ones with friction pegs
and one piece body are definately medieval or
rennaisance, but the cumbus is an oud with an alumium
pot body--i know it's out of period , but they are
cheap amd they can be played exactly like an oud for a
quarter the price of a decent oud--unless you get
lucky(so to speak)/  i don't know if many would
complain about the aluminium body as few would even
know what it was--but you might get a little flak.it
does have machins heads, which ar good news bad news.
the good news they are easier to tune than an oud, the
bad news they are out of period.

i have noticed that ebay is awash with ouds and sazes
the last few years so perhaps that's the route to go.

of course i'm still a fanatic for junk shop finds and
i heartily encourage any and all to troll the out of
the way second hand stores and pawn shops. the odd
ball ethnic instruments often go incredibally cheap as
the shop owners have no idea what it is. i got a
laud(a spanish citern guitar transational instrument )
for $150 canadian a few months ago, this was a
raimundo--a decent name maker.and the shop owner was
glad to see me get it up and running rather than he
having to do it. it does have the notorious brass
fretts so you have to sort of jump over certain notes
but you get used to it. it's out of period but again
very close to the late period spanish citterns. i
would love to see if the portugues cittern , has
period tuning mechanisms. they are based on watch key
technology from the renaissance(as are the tuners on
german waldzithers) but i have only read of them going
back to 1720--although i haven't really done serious
research. has anyone else?

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