HOMEGROWN MUSIC . . . AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS!

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Thismanual--which fills a large gap in the literature of musical instrumentrepair--would prove interesting to just about any banjo enthusiast. It paysa lot of attention to the special problems of the bluegrass instrument'sunique hardware, woodwork, and tone. Andeven though Sandberg's publicationdeals only with five-string banjos-it is applicable to other varieties,as well . . . since most repairs are performed identically, regardlessof the number of strings.

Still,I'd like to see an even more comprehensive book about the banjo's history,including tuning and chord information for all types of the instrument,plus some photos of its contemporary African relatives. Are there any banjoplayers--and writers--out there who are interested . . . or anyone who knowsof such a book that's already been published? PianoTuning by J. Cree Fischer (Dover Publications, Ins., Dept. TMEN, 180Varick Street, New York, New York 10014), 201 pages, paperback, $3.00.Is the old family heirloom a bit out of tune? Even more than a bit? Althoughhiring a piano tuner isn't really as expensive as you might imagine, youstill can't beat the cost of "doin' it yourself" . . . or the satisfactionof completing an intricate job with your own two hands.

AlthoughFischer's little book was first published way back in 1907, it's stillchock-full of timely information on the proper way to tune a piano . .. whether the instrument is an upright, square, or grand. The volume issubtitled "a simple and accurate method for amateurs", and that's exactlywhat it is . . . the author teaches you--using plain English--the easiesttechnique for "setting the tem. per" of your piano. You'll even learn howto remove and repair the entire "action" (or key and hammer works) of astandard instrument . . . and that skill--who knows?--could lead to a profitablehome business in restoring old, "worn-out" keyboard musicmakers.

ANDMORE GOOD READING

HammeredDulcimer by Peter Pickow (also from Oak Publications), 111 pages, paperback,$5.95. The hammered dulcimer--actually an ancestor of the piano--is a tabletopfolk instrument played by striking its strings with two wooden hammers.If you ordered Henry the Fiddler's album that I mentioned in MOTHER NO.60, you'll have heard the dulcimer's delicate, mystical tones on the veryfirst cut . . . which is a medley of "Mississippi Sawyer" and "Over theWaterfall".

Sinceits suitability to fiddle tunes and contradance numbers has become recognized,the traditional mountain instrument is attracting a lot of attention thesedays. In fact, you may even own one yourself, and could be looking forsome instruction and simple tunes to try . . . if so, Peter Pickow's bookis just what you need. It opens with a brief introduction to the tablature(notation) system used for hammered dulcimer music and then moves intoa section of scales and techniques for your practice sessions. Followingthis introductory material, the major portion of the book is devoted toa series of songs, which gradually increase in musical complexity and performingdifficulty. At the end of the tome you'll find a bibliography, a discography,and a handy list of resources (including places to get books, records,and kits, and a list of festivals where you can hear the instrument played).

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