This week is Paul’s spring break. He is working on his percussion auditions for Birch Creek summer camp during the day, and I’m making it home early enough for us to make good progress on the marimba. Last weekend we cut the last of the bars (except for do-overs that we may still need to correct…).
We are now moving down the scale from C4. We just completed E3, and have only 16 more bars to shape. The harmonics remain perplexing. We have moved to using a good microphone and professional software to analyze the tones. The iPad app we were using for the higher notes is out of it’s league. As Paul put it… “The wood is still in charge”. True. We are slowly getting more proficient at shaping, but the lower notes also take more work. The result, however, is mind-bogglingly beautiful. The wood is so rich, so stunning, it will be difficult to watch Paul strike the keys forcefully with a hard mallet. We cannot wait to drill the holes and do final 600 grit sanding, for then we can oil the bars with natural oil and resins, and stand in awe as the grain and deep color is finally revealed. Oh, the patient waiting…
Some pictures from last weekend’s final key cutting:
Remember “The Cat in the Hat” and the pink dress?