Black Locust as music wood

deec · Post by **deec** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 9:58 pm

JPG40504 wrote:I am considering making a mallet from a piece of it.

(Quote from thread - "best tool for certain turning")

I made some mallets specifically for playing Melody Bars - an instrument I designed after reading an article about using Black Locust in Hungary for making Marimba and Xylophone bars. I'm tripped out by the way these sound.

After visiting with Professor Bouhey yesterday about wooden percussion mallets I had to start investigating what the ideal Melody Bar mallet would look like, and why? Meaning, what is the function of each specific parameter as it relates to performance, not appearance. I'm still not sure what the ideal mallet looks like, but I certainly have some ideas after making these. Mr. Bouhey and I discussed using ridges on handles to create certain effects with a scraping motion, but we did not discuss the need for two separate sweet spot striking zones as achieved with a tear drop or carrot top shape. We also did not discuss the ideal diameter and shape for striking a glancing blow between two bars creating what sounds like a hit with both mallets. We did not discuss holding the mallet at the balance point and rocking it end to end with a fast twitch wrist rotation (that I'm sure any real percussionist has much better control of than I do) to achieve trills across three bars when held horizontally, or across two bars when held at about 40 degrees. The far right mallet is designed optimize that technique, but I need the Professor to get his hands on these and tell me where to go from here.

Additionally, the weight and balance of any certain mallet creates an impact that will resonate a hard surface of a certain mass and elastic modulus. When the bars get longer, a mallet that works well in the alto range will start to whip out in tenor zone, and be useless for bass. I can't wait to see what a bass Melody Bar and mallet will look like.

First ever fully assembled basic Melody Bar prototype. Notes are C, D, E, G, A, C, and D. Screwed to my paint cabinet door for final inspection and fitting of the bar flanges to the rail.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 11:02 pm

The 'mallet' I was considering making was of the wood working variety!;)

Think trapeziod shape.

camerio · Post by **camerio** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:01 am

I would love to hear the result of your making ...
Happy Holidays to all on the forum and to you in particular for showing us your woodworking.

deec · Post by **deec** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 1:35 pm

JPG40504 wrote:The 'mallet' I was considering making was of the wood working variety!

Ha! Yes, I thought as much. I was mostly just making a segue to the music wood topic.

However, about 30 years ago I picked up a small piece of Oak firewood from the firewood stacker, ground off a protruding limb and started using itas a mallet. The remaining knot provides an impact resistant striking zone. It is a little light weight for many tasks and it might work better to have some contour such that the strike zone extends past a line through the handle. I have beat the crap out of it using it for more demanding hits than it is sized for but it has been a trusty tool for a long time. I have a similar but larger piece of Black Locust with a bend in it (where the knot protrudes) set aside for making a bigger mallet.
[ATTACH]15344[/ATTACH]

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 2:04 pm

deec wrote:Ha! Yes, I thought as much. I was mostly just making a segue to the music wood topic.

However, about 30 years ago I picked up a small piece of firewood from the firewood stacker, ground off a protruding limb and started using itas a mallet. The remaining knot provides an impact resistant striking zone. It is a little light weight for many tasks and it might work better to have some contour such that the strike zone extends past a line through the handle. I have beat the crap out of it using it for more demanding hits than it is sized for but it has been a trusty tool for a long time. I have a similar but larger piece of Black Locust with a bend in it (where the knot protrudes) set aside for making a bigger mallet.
[ATTACH]15344[/ATTACH]

I have been known to use a branch as a mallet myself. Even a rough piece of firewood. Not sure if it was necessity or laziness!:D

deec · Post by **deec** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 12:03 pm

Black Locust wood, more times than not, tends to do one of two things when milled. Depending on how the stress lies in the wood, and how the log lies on the mill, boards will tend to rip themselves apart down the middle or curl up from the ends. In the second case, as the tension is released in the log, the log also moves with the middle of the log lifting up from the mill bed. This make it rather inefficient to yield accurate lumber quickly. I'm very pleased to have found an application for chopping it into smaller and smaller pieces until I can utilize it's otherwise amazing characteristics. The best sounding wood for Melody Bars comes from a piece just like the left board in this picture. A 2 3/4" board with VG on the outside edge and rifting to something under 45 degrees on the inside edge almost always sounds better with more sustain the a clear VG or flat grain board.