Summer Class in Bellingham, Washington - Crafting Your Marimba, with Tom Bourne

Weekend class with marimba builder Tom Bourne - June 27-29

Where: Bourne Marimbas in Bellingham, Washington USA

Cost: $250, plus your accommodation and food

Escape the summer heat for a long weekend in Bellingham, Washington and learn everything you need to know about building marimbas for your local school or marimba band. Since 1995, Tom Bourne has built around 1500 marimbas of all sizes for schools and invites you to his shop to share his knowledge.

We will focus on the fabrication and tuning of marimba bars. As you gain hands on experience, you can expect to make and leave with a high and low bar for your planned marimba - the first step toward measuring out and building your instrument.

Also in the workshop we will explore the acoustics of marimba bars and resonators, along with ways of constructing and outfitting frames of all sizes. Discussions will include wood selection and various practical matters for builders, with plenty of time to address special concerns and gain experience with various woodworking tools. We can also discuss the possibilities for your marimba project, focusing on how to plan and design your instrument.

Bellingham, Washington is located just south of the Canadian border between Seattle and Vancouver B.C. It is near all kinds of great summer activities on the water and in the mountains. Bellingham has a modern airport with direct flights to Denver, Las Vegas and other cities in the western USA.

This class is suitable for adults and teens who can use, or are willing to learn to use, a few basic power tools and hand tools safely.  Helpful also is the ability to distinguish musicals pitches relative to one another (which of two tones is higher or lower, for instance). If you have any concerns regarding your qualifications, let me know and we can figure it out.

I can provide suggestions in procuring lodging in Bellingham, many options available.

Class limited to 10.

To sign up:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1VnnaSkNUwhX_9yAI0MsVwMIqf_EFB1YHjkVwIYdLHRI/viewform

for further questions, contact Tom at:

Bournemarimbas@gmail.com

World Music Drumming Summer Events

Including Walt Hampton, going "Nationwide" with a week in Boston and a week in Portland.

http://www.worldmusicdrumming.com/workshop.html

Zimarimba Event at UW

Worth attending folks, and a great way to pick up some clock hours too.

http://music.washington.edu/events/2014-02-21/zimarimba-celebration

Click here for The Click Song.

Or for Under Pressure.

It was pointed out to me that some of my links on this new web site/blog are outdated. Here are a couple crucial corrections, the links to pdf files of two marimba arrangements/transcriptions I've done in the past year. The Click Song, and Under Pressure.

http://208.106.163.253/the%20click%20song.pdf

http://208.106.163.253/under%20pressure.pdf

Assembling a Big Bass

Alberta Bound

I always liked that song by Gordon Lightfoot, and indeed these three instruments ARE "Alberta Bound", specifically to Strathcona Tweedsmuir School in Okotoks. I wish I could drive them up there, they have wheels to make the trip. No chains for snow, alas.....

Boxy Bari

Got an order for a Box baritone - haven't made one of these in a while. This one has purpleheart bars and thinner sides on the box 1/4" instead of the usual 3/8". It REALLY resonates. This Bari is destined for Alberta, Canada.

Now Why Didn't I Think of That?

Here's a new collection from Beatin' Path Publications: In the Modes, Instrumentals for Orff Ensemble Using the Modes, Grades 4 to 8.

14 songs in 7 different keys playable on yer standard issue marimbas and Orff instruments. 

click here for a preview:

http://beatinpathpublications.com/CJL/ITM_Pre/index.html

Gitcher marimba hub caps HERE!

Some inconsiderate fellow told me that my wheeled instruments look like marimbas with lawn mower wheels. He was right! So now I am putting hub caps on my lawn mower wheels so you wont know that my marimbas have lawn mower wheels.

Reminds me of my favorite group from the 60's: Hub Kapp and the Wheels:

Zooming into the future: the NEW Bourne Marimbas website/blog

note: this is just a clumsy metaphor - DO NOT actually try this!

In this age of information overload it's good, once in a while, to hitch up your most important and useful stuff and leave the rest behind. So I am ditching my old web site and re-casting this blog as one-stop-surfing for my products, general info, maintenance advice, news from the school marimba world etc. Blogs are alot easier to update, trim and rearrange than web sites. Who needs both?

So welcome to the NEW Bournemarimbas.com. This column will continue to run the usual bloggerific bloggifications, while the column of links on the right side of the page provides info on my instruments, prices, maintenance suggestions and especially useful or interesting blog entries.

Now that we are all consolidated, may I point you to one past entry in this blog that I am particularly  proud of. It's that link on the right under "Highly Check-outable" that says "Watch Tom Make a Lowrider". Go ahead, give 'er a click and Zoom into the Future!

Minnie M

Big sound, little box! I designed the Minnie M in response to requests from parents wanting something affordable for home practice. The Minnie M is stackable for improved storage. It can sit upright and has 2 different handles for carrying. Versatile! The current Minnie M is 2 full octaves starting at middle C. $400, add $25 for optional F#/Bb bars.

Mallets

Mallets are available in 3 hardnesses: soft, medium and hard. The hickory sticks are strong and durable and the mallets heads are cast polyurethane - virtually indestructible. $20 a pair.

Big Bass

A Big Bass generates big time enthusiasm, with 9 low notes beginning 2 octaves below middle C. Casters provide classroom portability. Buzzers are standard on all my basses*. $1600, add $100 for optional F#/Bb bars. 

* I utilize a simple rubber band system allowing you to "dial in" the buzziness, from in-your-face maximum buzz-tone, to no buzz at all. 

Here is a wheel-less bass with 8" wide bars and 8" tubes on the lowest notes, plus my usual 6" tubes on the upper notes. Price on these will vary, depending on what dimensions of the components you opt for.

related links:

http://bourne-marimbas.blogspot.com/2013/01/new-from-bourne-labs.html

http://bourne-marimbas.blogspot.com/2012/02/chromatic-bass.html

Baritone Marimba

The Baritone covers a range of G to G. It is portable, with heavy duty and lockable casters for easy moving. This instrument REALLY fills out the ensemble. $1400, add $100 for F#/Bb bars.

I also offer a low standing box resonator Baritone - moves about quickly and stores upright.

And the design popular with Zimbabwean groups. On this style of instrument in all range, I like to build the frame so the long rails supporting the bars angle outward. This splays the legs outward as well, providing stability. The tubes are removable from below, then the legs fold in for very compact storage.

related links:

http://bourne-marimbas.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-box-baritone.html 

http://bourne-marimbas.blogspot.com/2012/03/ash-bari.html

Lowrider

Featuring a range of two soprano octaves on wheels!  I don't recommend hitching this unit to the back of your car, but otherwise, it's about as mobile and manageable as you can get. Stores upright. Little malleteers stand to play, big 'uns sit. $1000, $50 for optional F#/Bb bars.

Here it is without wheels. $900.

Tenor Marimba

Here is a tenor 2 octave marimba on casters for easy moving about the classroom.
The range is 2 full octaves starting at an octave below middle C. $1200, add $50 for F#/Bb bars.

Also available without casters. This is a common design amongst Zimbabwean groups - with the tubes removed from below, the legs fold in for compact storage and transport.

3 1/2 Octave Box Resonator

This instrument stretches 3½ octaves, beginning at the "C" below middle C. That's enough room for 3 or more young malleteers! If you can only afford one marimba, this one gives you the most bonk for your buck. 

I have modified this popular box resonator design by adding wheels, allowing the teacher to "break down" the instrument, roll it about and store it upright - a real plus since many music classrooms are so small! $1200, add $100 for optional F#/Bb bars.

Here's a great video from South Africa showing this type of instrument (not built by me) in action.

Fall Harvest

A bouquet of the newly designed mallets from Bourne Marimbas - hard, medium and soft. 276 pair of these are destined for Yakima School District.

A Big Bass

Just completed a nice and big bass marimba, destined with a complete set of Zimbabwean style instruments for the Music Department at University of Washington. 8 inch tubes from Low C to G, individually removable, then a cluster of 6 inch tubes on the upper end. Buzzers are located in the plugs of the tubes.

The funnest part of this build was under the hood, so to speak:

Fine Tuning a Marimba Bar

You can fine tune any bar with a surform and an app tuner.

A "surform" is a cheese grater for wood, very effective for shaping and shaving. It's available at hardware stores or online for $10 or so. It's use is non-electric, and not NOISY, and it does not create enormous dust like electric sanders.

In this video I show briefly how to fine tune a slightly flat or really sharp bar with a surform. So this is how to keep ALL your bars in tune, unless one goes REALLY flat, in which case more drastic steps are required. 

This process leaves the bottom of your bar with scrape or cut marks, but that wont effect the sound quality. Wear gloves and experiment carefully with an out of tune bar and you and your students can keep your instruments in perfect tune for less than $10. If you have ever grated cheese, you can do this!

Here's the item: STANLEY SURFORM # 21-297

Questions? This is a simple skill ALL marimba owners can benefit from.

http://youtu.be/LVGCXgUu4i4