Bourne Marimbas

Don't Settle for Boring White Tubes!

2012-02-27T16:00:00.003-08:00

I'd posted earlier about Heather Stoker's great Bass tubes:

Now here comes more painted tubes, from the collection of Val Barton Ellet:

The marimba was built by the Ellet clan. A veritable rainbow of colors.

Here is a set of Bourne Marimba tubes with tons of color, creatively

dripped by one of Val Barton Ellet's 5th graders. WAY better than plain vanilla!

Chromatic Bass

2012-02-27T09:03:00.001-08:00

Was cleaning up the office and came across these shots from several years back - a Chromatic Bass Marimba I built for a school in Federal Way, WA. These are a blast to play, makes you want to join a band. A real handful to set up and transport, with lots of odd parts to fit together!

Note the angled bass tubes, otherwise this unit would be 6 feet tall.

..... not sure the angle cut on the tubes for the sharps and flats was necessary, but it looks cool.

... kind of has an Art Nouveau look about it.

One last parting shot:

2012-02-26T11:04:00.002-08:00

Last Day in Antigua

2012-02-24T14:56:00.001-08:00

Five Marimbas built and delivered in ten days and now one day off. First things first:

Rendevous Beach is reachable by boat or on foot (a mile walk).

I had it all to myself all morning. Hard to leave a place when it is all your own.

Then, off to Island Academy to see the completed instruments in situ.

Teacher Gilly with her son Jack and friend Alex - natural musicians.

Some 5th graders with new Lowriders. Gilly says the new instruments are

already having beneficial classroom effect.

Next, a late afternoon visit to Half Moon Beach, site of the only glitch in my visit.

An unexpected wave stole my prescription shades! Fortunately this shot was taken

BEFORE the event, thus it is in focus. The rest of the afternoon was an impressionistic painting.

Two beaches in one day!

Afterward I bought pizza for all at Famous Mauro's.

Best pizza this side of Village Pizza in Roslyn, Washington.

And finally, a parting message (click to expand):

this spotted on the road to Rendevous Beach.

A Day at the Races

2012-02-21T09:36:00.000-08:00

Started out with a hike along the bluff....

Yachts of various sizes and types congregate for the big race: The RORC 600, a 600 mile race that ranks as one of the world's most prestigious.

A buoy forms the starting line with the judges tent near our bluff. At 11AM the judges fire the cannon and off they go.

Four different classes leave at 10 minute intervals, from catamarans to the really big boys:

Click this shot for fuller size to see the furious onboard activity. The winners will be first to return to English Harbor in around 40 hours.

Payday

2012-02-20T04:08:00.000-08:00

The 5th graders arrive

Last Thursday was payday. That is to say the 5th graders from Island Academy paid a visit to the shop to see their newly completed Baritone.

First contact

The first instinct is to touch and tap the new instrument. Makes for a very interesting sound.

Everyone takes a turn

Following my demo and question answering, everyone gets a chance to try it out.


Post demo

Apparently I and the instrument passed muster.

Afterwards, we posed with shop owner and parent Andrew.

One marimba down, four more to go.....

You are correct Professor Corey!

2012-02-18T14:46:00.000-08:00

Two thin panels glued together. Wrap in plastic, duct tape completely and pump out the air. (Subject's head cropped to protect privacy)

Two blue stars for you ...

2012-02-18T04:07:00.000-08:00

if you can guess what these boat wrights at Woodstock Boats in Antigua are doing.

Antigua from the Inside

2012-02-15T18:55:00.000-08:00

So now I've been in this tropical destination for five full days and have yet to hit a beach or hear a steel drum band. Haven't quaffed any rum daiquiris with an umbrella swizzler either. I'm too busy working to get ahead of the curve on the assigned duty that brought me here - working next to boat wrights from around the world and performing my awkward daily interactions with the locals. Shuffling home to meet Gilly for a sporty drive into St. Johns to rustle up some tone woods, (rumour had it the best lumber was available at an unsigned seafood outlet) I passed the Risk Takers Superette and appreciated that I am experiencing a new land from the inside, as a working stiff mingling on equal (if less confident) terms with the island working class. So as any teacher in an international school knows, I will leave with a fuller sense of the place than I could get from the deck of a cruise ship and the window of a tour bus. Still, I am on track for at least couple days sightseeing.

Working in Antigua

2012-02-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

Got to the island a couple days ago and have been quite busy getting a handle on the work situation. Here's home for the next two weeks....

...the estate of Gilly and Jay Rainey - music teacher and commercial photog.Great folks, great family. Gilly drove me about today to track down a much needed random orbital sander. We ended up at Mike's house - he's a teacher also and has this view out his veranda:

.... Sheesh! Other views in the neighborhood:


Gilly and "The View"


Tom and another view

OK, time to go to work:

At Woodstock Boats. If I kick butt here for a few days and finish my assignment I can earn a few more days seeing more sights, maybe visiting a neighboring island or two. Hopefully I will finish just as Patty arrives.

So here's my world for the next week plus. Hey, not everything in paradise is glamorous.

How to pack for a working vacation:

2012-02-07T14:31:00.001-08:00

Warning: Gloat Alert!

2012-02-03T12:41:00.000-08:00

If you need to contact me in February....

....... my "office" will be somewhere in this environ. This is a working vacation, as I will be on location here to build 5 instruments for a local school. Can you guess what part of the world this is?

Also this month, within a few days in fact, I should have my work schedule for the coming year worked out, so that patient customers can finally know when they will get their instruments!

What To Do With a Cracked Marimba Bar

2012-01-21T20:58:00.000-08:00

subtitle: Enough is Enough!

2012-01-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

Mallet malladies

2012-01-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

Occasionally there will be a problem with mallets - after all, that's where the action is. Mallets take a real beating, right along with the marimba bars that are the brunt of the bonking.

I'm not sure how this pair of mallets got in this condition, but it's an easy fix. As long as your mallet heads are not cracked or somehow disintegrated, then they are mendable. I'll put a spot of glue in the grooves on the sticks and force the heads back into place. Generally the depth of those grooves keeps the mallet head from shifting, but in this case, not so.

Now cracked sticks are MUCH more common, as wood is easier to bust than mallet heads made of spage age polymers. Young malleteers tend to display enthusiasm and vigor and so things happen. Masking tape seems to be the fix of choice and lasts about as long as the next tune. So if your sticks crack, send in the kindling that is still attached to the mallet head - it's easy for me to punch out the damaged stick and replace. Voila! New mallets.

This goes as well for the mallet heads on your old old "Stacy" Sticks, if you are lucky enough to possess them. Never throw those away, they are primo heads turned individually on a lathe by Stacy Sabella, who is no longer in business, as far as I know.

So hang on to those broken mallets and replace the wood.

Walnut Aussie

2012-01-03T12:40:00.001-08:00

The Last of the Purpleheart Baris

2011-12-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

This Baritone goes to a school in Vermont and will probably be my last Bari with purpleheart. Purpleheart is another of those exotic woods I would like to replace with an American grown species. So my next Baritone will most likely be made of Ash, and I predict it will sound just dandy.

My Christmas List

2011-12-11T00:09:00.000-08:00

Note to friends: This is all I need for Christmas:

The Elwood Hybrid - Renovo Hardwood Bikes

Name That Scale!

2011-12-08T00:09:00.000-08:00

When purchasing a Bourne Marimba, many customers will include F# and Bb bars in the order - these extra bars are commonly used in the Orff curriculum. I used to include these extra bars in the price of my instruments, until I began to notice classroom closets full of unused F#s and Bbs! So now I charge a bit more for the option and make it the customer's choice.

One design advantage of my marimbas is their ability to accept a quick swap out of, say an F# bar for the F bar, getting you into the key of G. Or a Bb for the B, getting you into the key of F.

So that thin cording you see snaking over the bars allows them to remain on the instrument no matter how fortissimo they are bonked, whilst allowing, with a simple twist and pull at the end of any bar, removal of said bar. It's worked in thousands of Bourne Marimbas for well over a decade now. Also then, the bars remain on the instrument as it is tilted upright for wheeling and storing.

While many opt for the F# and Bb bars so common in Orff music, I occasionally get a request for OTHER accidentals as well. How about C#s to get you into the key of D. Or whatever keys or modes are represented in THIS array:

name that key

One advantage to being a one-person operation: I can create whatever scale you are dreaming of!

How Many Marimbas Can you Fit on a Semi?

2011-12-04T19:06:00.000-08:00

Check out the Grantham (Washington) Marimba Ensemble, led by long-time customer-from-way-back -when Loa Vornholdt. I suggest clicking on the captions to experience them in full cinemascopic splendor. Un...be...liev...able!

Grantham by night

Grantham by day

Un...be...lievable!

A Source for Cordage

2011-12-03T11:57:00.000-08:00

nceHere is one source for what is currently my favorite cord to use on marimbas. A roll of this will last you a long time:

For suspending the bars you can use:


#5 gauge, available through SJM Parts

And for the lighter gauge restraining cord you can try:


#3 gauge, available through SJM Parts

This is great stuff, very tough and kinda cool looking too. This type of cord is vastly more durable than any common cordage you will find in the stores. Considering what it is used for, as pull cord for starting small engines, you know it needs to be pretty hardy.

Cordage Mysteries Revealed!

2011-11-27T13:03:00.000-08:00

Just about the only real maintenance on a Bourne Marimba involves updating the cordage every once in a while - Cordage? That's the ropes or cords that suspend and hold in place the tone bars. This cordage is the suspension system and shock absorber of the marimba, taking hundreds, nay thousands of hits day by day. So it's no surprise that after a year or two or three, depending on how enthusiastically your malleteers are bonking away, there may be fraying of the lower suspending cord, and various adjustments needed for the top restraining cord. But how do you actually replace or adjust worn out cordage?

Wonder no more! This series of videos pulls the veil on this enduring mystery. Now at last, you can replace that welter of makeshift knottage that over the years has accumulated on your poor instrument with a couple simple and sightly tie-offs. Let's take a look under the hood, shall we?

Introduction

Under the Hood

Installing the Low (suspending) Cord

Tying off the Low Cord

Installing the Top (restraining) Cord

Installing the Bars

Removing the Slack

Tying Off the Top Cord

Testimonial of the Month

2011-11-24T22:04:00.000-08:00

Here's the kind of note one likes to receive:

Hi Tom – these are a huge hit at school! We already did our first performance and several teachers came up to me to tell me it was one of the coolest things they had ever seen. They are easy to play, easy to move, sound great and are sturdy. Our department is stoked. Thank you so much! Believe it or not, we are toying with the idea of ordering some more.....

Hope to hear from you soon,

David Cameron
New International School of Thailand

And now for something completely different...

2011-11-21T11:21:00.000-08:00

This has nothing to do with marimbas, but here it is anyway - a demo recording I did in Garageband of possible soundtrack for "A Midsummernight's Dream". The recording and performance are not perfect, but it came out OK for being a scratch recording ....

Marimbas: Big Hit in Pittsburgh

2011-11-17T12:35:00.000-08:00

I wish I could have made this evening marimba jam at the recent Pittsburgh AOSA (Orff) Conference.


recognize anyone you know?


Jam leader Scott Tarantino is ordering three of something.

Just in Time For Christmas

2011-11-14T08:37:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest from Doug Edwards, as published by Heritage Music Press

Available at: http://lorenz.com/product.aspx?id=30_2736H

Inspiring Malleteers

2011-11-13T07:10:00.000-08:00

Parents of young malleteers are naturally inspired to see their kids immersed in a school activity that instills so many grown up habits, with its emphasis on group collaboration, preparing for presentations, concentrating and executing a plan, sharing a passion. One local parent, artist Lynn Fleming, was led to her own act of creativity: this full size mural, which has adorned the music classroom for several years. Here's more on artist Lynn Fleming: http://www.cottagelakeartistguild.org/Lynn.html

Walnut It Is!

2011-11-11T12:47:00.000-08:00

I just finished two Minnie M's with bars made of Oregon Black Walnut, which is a variety of Claro Walnut. Sounds great! So I am moving full steam ahead with this source of Walnut as the replacement for padauk in my higher range tone bars.

This walnut all comes from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, USA.
It is all "urban salvage" - not the result of any sort of clearcutting or overcutting.
It actually costs me a little more than African padauk, in part because the persons cutting and milling the wood are getting American wages. Walnut is considered by woodworkers to be a premium wood and is priced accordingly.
The sound is every bit as strong as padauk, but not as ringy. Definitely more "ethnic" or "folk" in its sound and definitely not as "European" in the way that orchestral marimbas are. That's fine with me, given the music most folks play on these instruments.

Meet the Bourne Marimbas Employee of the Month: Mr. Van Agon

2011-10-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

Van Agon, on the job at Scatter Creek Rest Stop

- Head of Shipping and Employee Relations
- AKA, Boxful o' Memories
- Veteran of dozens of Seattle/Portland deliveries and lumber hauls
- 158,000 miles @ 20mpg, with no major repairs
- AKA, Getaway Van
- Veteran of dozens of rest-stop snoozes
- Beloved by smiling children everywhere
- Veteran of dozens of Snoqualmie Pass ascents (at 40 mph)
- AKA, Lil' Woody
- Congratulations, Van!

Welcome to Walnut

2011-10-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

Due to a current shortage of padauk I am switching to walnut as the tone wood for my soprano instruments. Whatever the long term availability of padauk may be, my goal is to replace tone woods harvested from the shrinking rain forests with tone wood harvested domestically.

Does walnut sound as good as good ol' padauk? Let me share with you this sound recording of Patricia Bourne's school marimba group performing on marimbas outfitted with, firstly, padauk bars and, secondly, walnut bars. Have a listen and tell me what you think. Also available, with more readable text, at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCyJyLZoX1o

Of course sound recordings never quite capture the live experience but I would be very interested to learn what reaction registers in that space between your two finely attuned ears.

FYI this tune is a choral accompaniment that Patty Bourne arranged for her elementary school kids.

Any impressions of Walnut vs. Padauk?

Walnut Lowrider

2011-10-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

Just finished 4 Walnut Lowriders, destined for a school in Brush Prairie, WA.

Walnut may indeed be my replacement for Padauk, we'll see. Recordings of these Walnut Lowriders forthcoming!

Perils of Padauk II

2011-10-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of a padauk log being milled, somewhere in central/western Africa. Note the orange dust, which permeates every nook of my shop and stains clothing permanently pink.

I am almost out of padauk now, with only a small batch reserved for replacement bars. My next four soprano marimbas will have bars of walnut. From Oregon, USA.

The Perils of Padauk

2011-10-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

Construction has slowed a bit as I approach the bottom of my padauk (tone wood used for bars) inventory. I've spent several many hours in the past weeks scrambling for a source of padauk, and experimenting with a possible replacement wood. Fact is, in the 15 or so years I have been building marimbas for schoolkids, no other wood competes with padauk in terms of ringiness and availability of large quantities in preferable grain patterns. But the recession has dwindled our local supplies considerably and a variety of issues prevents me from obtaining a usable supply of padauk from other regions.

My dream has always been to replace padauk, which arrives stateside with a murky and questionable environmental pedigree, with some American tone wood. Along with the eco concern, in these tough times I would love to be able to claim "made and grown in America".

So, as the photo here documents, I am making Lowrider bars from a veritable rainbow coalition of wood types, in a renewed quest for some suitable padauk substitute. Can you name these wood types?

p.s. If you are getting hungry looking at this photo, it may be the resemblance to a certain perennially favorite flavor of ice cream!

Malleteers are Making Music in Massachusetts

2011-09-29T17:44:00.000-07:00

Here's some great new music published by two of my longtime customers on the Eastern Seaboard: Scott Tarantino and Dave Ruggiero. They are building up quite a marimba scene in the suburbs of Boston.

This book contains 10 marimba pieces. They are presented according to their degrees of difficulty, ranging from the beginner to the advanced levels. All of the arrangements were inspired by authentic, Shona-style marimba music from Zimbabwe, but each has its own unique groove.

A Customer Asks:

2011-09-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

Music teacher Marybeth Norby asks:
"Walla Walla (WA) is very hot and dry. My marimba bars, especially the Aussies, are looking very dry. Is there an oil that I can put on them to keep them moisturized but won't change the pitch?"

Answer: Absolutely, you can re-oil your bars if they are getting dingy or dry looking. Of course this applies to the entire instrument, but in regards to the bars, I would not overdo it - for instance don't be oiling the bars every year or something. I have heard theories about over-oiling affecting the tone, and I am skeptical, but really the wood is pretty durable oiled or not, so I would just put on the least amount you would need to re-vitalize it. Before doing that you should wipe the bars clean with a very slightly damp rag, just to get the accumulated muck off.

Tung oil, Danish oil, Teak oil, any variety will work, but I would rub it on with a rag, don't be flooding the bar surface with oil.

As far as all the things that might change the bar pitch, this is probably pretty low on the list, as long as you don't overdo it. Chances are if you've had an instrument for a few years, many of the bars are already slightly sharp or flat, and the effect of any added mass of oil would be noticed in terms of a cent or two, not a generally noticeable pitch change.

Prettify Your Bass

2011-09-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

I wish I could do this to every bass I sell. Alas, it is up to you!

This bass graces the classroom of music teacher Heather Stoker of Tacoma, WA. The design was achieved with an initial "wash" undercoat to provide a colorful background, followed by the actual drawing and hashmarks, followed by a protective clear lacquer coat.

Sooo... any marimba with tubes is a blank canvas waiting to be filled. Recruit some creative students, a local artist, or ....

New Bass Mallets

2011-09-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

I have re-designed my Bass and Baritone mallets! Folks might prefer these to my traditional big and bonky doggy chew ball mallets. These are lighter and smaller, with a tough rubber ball that is 2" in diameter compared to the old 2 1/2" version. The stick is slimmer too: 5/8" as opposed to 3/4". I detect no sound difference between these and the old mallets, and being lighter they work perfectly on my Baritone marimbas as well. So I am selling these as either Bass or Baritone mallets. Check out the foam handle, ey? I'll get these on my web site eventually (as in when I finally take a good picture of them...), but they are available now at $25 a pair. The old doggy chew ball mallets are still available if preferred.

Welcome

2011-09-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

A blog for Bourne Marimbas

to provide updates on my building schedule
to share news and comments from music teachers and school marimba programs around the country (and the world!)
to provide advice on marimba maintenance
to introduce new stuff
and whatever else I think of .....