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Please help how to build a 3 strings jouhikko / shetland gue / Talharpa ?? size etc............

I'm trying to build a 3 strings jouhikko a verry old instrument from Finland play with a bow !!

It looks pretty easy to build, but i can't find blueprint anywhere !!

This instrument works with verry expensive horsehair strings, but can be played with alto strings !!

So if somoene can help me ...............................

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Permalink Reply by FerneL on January 6, 2015 at 5:11am

And thanks Ron for the lot of info you gave me !! And i was thinking about puting guitars tuners but didn't know if it was a good idea, but if you to think that it work it's cool !! And again thnks for all your info !!

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on January 6, 2015 at 5:51am

Do NOT use guitar tuning pegs if you intend to use horsehair strings - even gut strings may be too thick to pass through the holes in the tuner post. For horsehair strings I recommend violin pegs as you can easily drill out the hole in the peg to suit that larger diameter that you will need. Buy a cheap violin peghole reamer and use ordinary violin pegs- this will work better and look more authentic. For gut strings, zither or harp pins will work and look OK - I have successfully used both violin pegs and zither pins for gut strings on my instruments.

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Permalink Reply by FerneL on January 6, 2015 at 10:58pm

thanks !! It's strange , last night i was thinking about this guitar tuners and change my mind to take violon tuners !! Looks better !! But for a first test i will bye violon strings goat or horse strings are to expensive !!

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Permalink Reply by Matthew Borczon on January 7, 2015 at 2:47am

This is an exiting post. I love the look of the instrument and may build one myself. I can see any number of ways to do it. Still, I am wondering if you would not be better off building something like a fiddle dulcimer. It is tuned essentially the same and has frets and a finger board. If you already play fiddle then I can see how this would get your attention but if not I think you might find it easier to go another way. There is also a ton of available dulcimer music to learn to play with a bow. The sound would be pretty close to the same as well. Just a suggestion. If I am way off base of what you want it for I apologize in advance.

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Permalink Reply by FerneL on April 8, 2016 at 7:37am

It's so diferent from a fiddle, one is playing on the neck, the talharpas is playing by moving the strings with your hand, more close to an harpa than a fiddle !! Sometimes closed to the Hurdy-Gurdy !! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Q17A01SzA

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Permalink Reply by Moritz Voegeli on April 8, 2016 at 7:59am

On the finnish youtube video you see very clear how a jouhikko is played touching the strings through the hole with the backside of the fingers. Examples for using the bow you find on sound samples on a finnish site.

What you are building is not a finnish jouhikko but an estonian hiiukannel or swedish talharpa played in the same way, though you can find some finnish videos where people claim wrongly this instrument being a jouhikko.

A hurdy-gurdy is something totally different from these instruments, as a turning wheel replaces the bow and a keyboard the fingers touching the strings.

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Permalink Reply by Charlie Bynum on April 29, 2015 at 8:45pm

Hey Guys,

Iḿ Charlie, the guy who makes these, Silver Spoon Music. You know some makers get bent when they see people trying to figure their design, but I have no problems. Infact CB Nation started me in instrument building, so have at it folks!

a couple tips.... .025 black carp line for cheap strings identical to horsehair, standard length is about 55-60 cm, and check out....www.facebook.com/silverspoonmusic

then go to photos/albums/bowed lyre building. Its pictures for language barrier sake, but you should get the idea.

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Permalink Reply by Matthew Borczon on April 8, 2016 at 2:33am

ok so it took awhile, but I finally made one of these. Dead easy. I made a 2 stringed one. Basically I built a frame around a cigarbox and attached 2 ukulele strings, which work surprisingly well with my bow. I am using an old violin bow. It sounds pretty good. I did not worry about dimensions and just used what I had. I will put up a video soon. I just want to get a song down. The whole thing took only about 3 hours. I could have gone faster or slower if I had wanted. Lots of possibilities but not much needed to make it work.