Skaldic Works is my place to share a bit of who I am to the world. It is my outlet where I can share my music and possibly introduce new instruments and new styles of music. I may even recite some poetry. Who knows. Most of my work is centered around my Norse pagan/heathen beliefs. I primarily play what is called Nordic folk music, but I may post some videos of other styles and genres I come up with.
I do not, won't, and will not even entertain the idea of monetizing my videos through ads. If you see ads, it's not me, it RU-vid. Only financial gain I will except from my work is through streaming my work, or through things like Patreon and members here, and everything gained from it will go back into creating new content.
All my music is free to use and cover by content creators as long as you credit me and link my channel. Just contact me before hand and then later link me the work you did, so I not only have a copy for proof, but also that I may try to share.
Thank you. It's not my best work, and I was just playing around with rythmns as the camera rolled to demonstrate the tone difference in the willow branch vs the video I had done with the plastic or fiberglass switch inhad gotten with the wooden mallet. I have then switched to using besters that I had made because I like a more softer muffled tone on the accented beats than the loud reverberation this wooden mallet gives off.
Lol. If I were one, I would be able to play all my instruments at one's, creating a one man band and not worrying about not finding members who similar music genre interests as I do.
This was a sound sample demonstrating the difference between the willow branch and the plastic/fiberglass switch. I jad to make two separate videos for that. I was just beginning to learn the techniques at the time of recording. My nails are painted for the same reason I died my hair, because I wanted to.
It's called a tagelharpa. It's a form of bowed lyre from Scandinavia that is speculated to exist as far back as the viking age, despite no clear archeological evidence of its existence from that time period.
Thank you so so so much! Ive been going through your series and my bowing in particular has improved exponentially, through learning proper rosin and bowing techniques. I played violin when I was smaller til age 13, tragically had my violin stolen and now Im 19 learning the talharpa. To say I was overwhelmed by it is an understatement. I can stress enough how helpful your vids are, thanks so much again! :D
When I die I need you to show up to my funeral playing some Viking funeral music I already got the other dude to do the opera singing part lined up I plan on dying sometime in the next 20 years if our government doesn’t give all our money away and starve us before then
That's good to hear. Hope you stick with it. I need to pick mine up and write some more. My life has been so busy, and my inspiration has been lacking that i find it hard to pick it up and play as often as I need.
I always swear to black(to make them look like horsehair) nylon strands when making strings,- they dont break,dont react to temperature/light/moisture and when they settle on the instrument,they more or less stay tuned. There is little to no difference in the sound of those two from what i`ve heard...
Yeah, but it's also on personal preference on how traditional you want to be and what your desired goal is into playing such an instrument, for instance, live shows versus only desiring to play at home with a few friends. For me, the switch would need to be the former if I were to get anything that didn't fight me for stability. The same goes for changing my friction legs for mechanical tuners. I also tend to leave whatever the luthier who built the instrument on as it was that instruments intention to use those materials. The only exception is if I custom order a tagelharpa for a mixture of causal playing and live performances, then I can switch the instrument to whatever I need to manage that situation. But, that instrument would also need a built-in piazo pickup for various reasons.
This video made me discover I can actually move my bridge! I kept complaining about my bridge being off-center until I realised i can just put it in the right place myself :D
Thank you for this series, just got myself a second hand Tagelharpa, and coming to it with no bowed instruments experience left me feeling a little overwhelmed 😅
You are welcome, and thank you for the kind words and support. It can be a bit overwhelming with no bowed instrument experience, however, once you get the hang of it, it becomes easier as you go to learn new things and you will find that it is fun to play.
I'm so glad I found this channel, I literally just ordered a talharpa and the only thing I have going for me there is a couple years of classical violin, a couple decades ago. Beautiful instrument, love the history and the artists who play it. Thanks for posting this series! ᚺᛖᛁᛚ!
Thank you for the kind words. Having g previous violin experience really does help a lot when it comes to learning the instrument. I was glad I had experience in both violin and fiddle music growing up. Every now and then, I will pull out my old fiddle and play it, but due to my carpal tunnel syndrome, it really affects how long I can play it. I'm glad the tagelharpa isn't as brutal on it as the fiddle is. The pain and numbness are minimal with the former.
Changing strings varies on how the instrument is made. Mine has parts similar to a violin, so the way it is strung is quite similar. Basically, if I wanted to change them, I just hook one end (which has a knot) to the string cradle on the tailpiece and the other end (has another knot) through the groove on corresponding turning peg. Some instrument builders don't use friction pegs like mine and instead use modern tuning mechanisms. I really haven't had to change my stri gs since I purchased my instrument back in 2021 due to the fact that mine are made of horsehair and synthetic horsehair, which lasts for a long time depending how often you play the instrument. This is probably the reason I haven't made such a video.
Rule of thumb. Learn to play an instrument before you try to teach others. If you can't play a simple major scale, you shouldn't showcase your videos as "how to..."
I actually started using it more after I was trying to match the key that Seidrblot was in. I fell in love with the tuning, and now I'm conflicted as to which to use because I still like the one u used that was a half step down
You're welcome. A violin bow isn't that uncommon to use if you don't have the skills to make or have access to a traditional bow for the instrument. I have seen where many use one in its place. Rosin isn't that much of a maintenance. You don't have to apply it every session unless you are playing hours on end. I always apply it once to my bow and strings every 3 to 4 sessions when I pick the instrument up to play. The same rule applues to any bowed instrument such as a violin. The only difference is that only horse hair or synthetic hair strings really need rosin applied directly to them. I think you can get away with applying it directly to gut strings as well, but once you get to materials such as mylon, then it should have no problem resonating on I s own without the aid of rosin on the strings. However, since bows are always made of either real or synthetic hair, it's always best to use rosin to add that extra grip. Again, you don't need a lot, just about 5 passes both ways for every 3 to 4 hours of play should do fine unless you are just sawing down on the strings vigorously with tons of pressure, which is common among passionate musicians during performances. 😆
Sorry, I forgot to address that issue earlier. No, mine can move, especially if enough pressure is applied or if the strings lose tension. I lost a bridge once because I applied too much pressure to the strings while carrying it in my arms, and that popped the pegs loose, making the strings slack, and thus the bridge fell off in the dark outside. So, I had to get a replacement. They best thing is to avoid bumping it if you can. Most bowed instruments bridges are designed to just rest on top of the soundboard using the tension of the strings. This allows the sound to travel through the bridge I to the body
@Kampfwageneer most tagelharpa have a limit on their tension rating and how high or low you can tune. I have gotten mine up to 3 full steps above what I normally tune (C3 G3 C4), and I get worried if I should go even higher. One way to stop peg slippage is to rub chalk on the peg where it makes contact with the wood in the hole on the instrument.
My apologies in advance, but I honestly don't know how to respond to this comment due to a lack of understanding the context. I'm not sure if this was done in jest or if you actually don't know what this instrument is. If so, the later, I will gladly be able to help.
Thanks. I actually thought I released this 3 weeks ago, but it was actually set to private the whole time. I was wondering why it and the previous videos weren't getting any views. Lol. I didn't realize this until I was uploading another video I had recorded last night to be scheduled for release later, that they were both set that way.
Thanks. Yes, it would be cool. I'm still figuring out the editing process and trying to learn how to do the multiple video windows technique. Also, the drum I have is a bit small and phigh pitched for my liking, and I don't have any room in my budget for a larger hide drum atm. One of mybdistant cousins has a djembe that we found to sound really good with the tagelharpa. We are using that in place if some percussion in some of our recording sessions.
Please help! I have what is called Jouhikko but has flat bridge, so tagelharpa. Horse hair strings Dflat Aflat Dflat. Tuning. I cannot get a clear note, sounds scratchy and horrible. Plenty of rosin but not too much. This is truly a difficult instrument. What am I doing wrong? I've tried different tensions on bow, still sounds dreadful
Whether the bridge is flat or not had no difference in what the instrument is called. Jouhikko are smaller than the average tagelharpa and have a smaller hole, which gives you access to only 2 strings instead of all 3 on your noting hand. It is also usually tuned differently than a tagelharpa would be traditionally. Try rosin on the strings where you bow if you are using horsehair.. Pay also attention on where your bow is going and how it is tilted. If the bow isn't moving straight enough across the strings or you tild the bow stick to much then, it can affect the sound you get out of the instrume. Mostly, it takes time and practice to get a good sound out of it, especially if you don't have experience playing other bowed instruments.
@@Skaldic_Works Thank you. I was told Jouhikko has curved bridge. I stand corrected. The thickest string does not 'ring'. It sounds flat and dull abrasive. No resonance. Do broken strands of horsehair in the string make it dull? Maybe new strings are needed.
Broken strands don't have e an effect on resonance at all, however, I have personally observed the tone change in a string if you ad more twist to it. Mostly the thickest lowest string will have a rapier tone to it. Mine has this, but it's not designed for melody work and is more of a drone string.
Merci beaucoup. Grace à vos vidéo, j'ai pu accorder ma talharpa. Je suis en France et ici, personne n'en joue.. en tout cas, que je connaisse. C'est un instrument méconnu
Pierrick Valence, who used to play in Skald, plays the instrument, and he is from France. The whole project started out with Fench members. I'm not sure how many are from there since the lineup changes, though.
Yeah, I feel as if I'm the only one who plays here in my state as well. It is an old and unique instrument, and there isn't a high percentage of players in the world. A majority of the population of players is mostly found within the Scandinavian communities throughout the world.
On est certainement plusieurs. Je viens d’en acheter une. Maintenant, il faut que j’apprenne. Rosin? Check! Tenir l’archet? Check! Accorder? Check! Faire du bruit? Check! Maintenant, il faut de la patience!
@@jp16k92 beaucoup de patience. Mais le fait de le tenir, l'accorder est simple. C'est surtout les notes ... De suivre une partition qui est un peu complexe.
I just got my first tagelharpa and your videos are a great help in figuring out how to play this amazing instrument! Thank you for making these videos.
Thank you, and you're welcome. I'm still no expert. I'm just sharing what I know and what I discover or learn. Still need to develop my skills and learn to teach actual songs. Lol
Thank you. I want to learn to make one myself. Unfortunately, I don't have the space where I live to put a full wood shop to make one of my own. So, I'm stuck with just buying mine until I can find a space and learn to build them myself.
