Homegrown Music and...Musical Instrument! The homegrown ""bonker box""

Image Gallery Marc Bristol and other Washington State grassroots musicians wail away on a gutbucket, washboard, and jug (the axe is a gag). For Marc's original homegrown music column which featured gutbucket, washboard, jug, kazoo, musical saw, and spoons ""makin' and playin' ""instructions-see MOTHER NO. 50. Inset shows gutbucket""notch and bevel""details.

Even homesteaders need to relax and enjoy themselves from time to time, right? And almost everybody these days wants to cut his or her cost of living. So how about a little do it-yourself entertainment?

 And that's what this column is all about. Down-home music that you can make . . . and the instruments (which, in some cases, you can also make!) to play that music on.

 We may also publish some songs, discuss music as a potential home business, run discographies, bibliographies, and/or include whatever other do-it-yourself music topics you'd like to see.

 The important thing is that this is a new column. If you like it, write to me and let me know. If you have some ideas for this feature, let me know that. I'm open to any suggestions or information you care to contribute. I'll even try to answer your questions about down-home music . . . but-both for the benefit of all MOTHER's readers and to ease my correspondence load-I'll deal with those questions, whenever possible, here in this column . . . rather than in personal letters.

 Address your correspondence for this column and this column only-to Marc Bristol, 31722 N.E. 180th Place, Duvall, Wash. 98019.

MOTHER-reader Irene Scyriver wrote me-not long ago-to ask for information about building a "mystery drum" . . . which she described as "an oblong wooden box-with a grooved surface that's played with padded sticks."

As luck would have it, soon after I received Irene's letter I happened to hear Mark Filler playing such an instrument (he called it a "tongue drum") on a local "live" radio show. So I contacted-Mark and got the whole scoop on these unusual percussion musicmakers.

It seems that the wooden instruments go by any one of a number of names. So to eliminate any unnecessary confusion (and because we'll be talking about building our own "drums" and ought to be able to call 'em what we like), I've chosen the name "bonker box". Here's how to make one for yourself:

IF I HAD A HAMMER . . .

To begin, gather a supply of 3/4-inch planks. The lumber that will be used for the top of the box-which is the sounding surface-should be a hardwood . . . such as oak or Honduras mahogany (oak planks can often be scrounged from pallet boards or even junked furniture). You shouldn't have much trouble locating this material at a reasonable price. After all, small sections of lumber are pretty easy to come by (and most "bonkers" are around a foot long, while the biggest I've ever seen was only 27 inches in length). Hold your chosen board by a corner and rap it with a knuckle. If it rings, you've got yourself a good one!