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justinalderfer
Aloha
USA
27 Posts |
 Posted - 09/13/2007 : 03:32:19 AM
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I was just given an antique Hawaiian Tremoloa from a friend who's grandmother had given to him as a young boy. Any tremoloa enthusiasts out there?
Aloha oukou,
Justin
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ka loku mele kaona |
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thumbstruck
Ahonui
USA
2168 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2007 : 04:05:10 AM
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| Check with Slipry1. He knows about a bunch of strange instruments. |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2007 : 07:08:50 AM
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I've heard that they are difficult to make music with, despite their popularity about a hundred years ago.
Jesse Tinsley |
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slipry1
Ha`aha`a
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2007 : 2:05:47 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by hapakid
I've heard that they are difficult to make music with, despite their popularity about a hundred years ago.
Jesse Tinsley
OK, here's the scoop. The Marx company, in New Jersey, made a bunch of weird instruments in the first part of the 20th century: the Ukelin, the Tremoloa, the Marxophone, and the autoharp. They are all based on the zither. The first 2 have sets of 4 or 5 strings, one bass string and several treble strings, each set representing the I, II, IV, and V chord (C D7 F G7) which are played by the left hand with a flat pick. The rest of the ukelin, then, is a bowed psaltry, with a slew of meelody strings and slots to put the bow to play the melody. The Tremoloa has a single string for melody, with a pantograph which has a thumb pick and a rolling cylinder (like a steel) with the note positions marked on the body of the instruments. The Marxophone looks like an autoharp, except the bars are replaced by an rack of spring steel thingies with a ball on the end, kind of like a keyboard. When you press down on a thingy, its end strikes the string and bounces up and down so you get a tremolo sound. Most all of us know what the autoharp is - Oscar Schmidt took over the thing, and people like Led Kaapana (add the ' if you like - I've been reading THAT thread) play it today. Except for the autoharp, these things sound ATROCIOUS!!! They were designed so people who were not musicians could play something. Believe me, the Tremoloa is not even remotely Hawaiian - it was developed along with the "wicky-wacy-woo" Hawaiian craze that enveloped pop music in the 'teens and twenties. I personally have played the Tremoloa and the Marxophone. I played in a band in LA (Gross Junction, which was known for tommfoolery), and for the McCabe's Xmas show, we did Christmas carols on the Tremoloa, the Marxophone and the Ukelin. We also threw in "Over The Waves" as an encore. We also craacked up at least once a song, especially when my pal John Zehnder took the lead on the second part of OTW on the tremoloa. I hope this helps. |
keaka |
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2007 : 2:19:34 PM
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This is perhaps the funniest thing I have read since William Gibson's trilogy that started with Neuromancer. Now, I really am starting to believe that 3Jane and holodecks sound sensible.
Jack, I salute you. (Yet again.)
...Reid |
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rendesvous1840
Ha`aha`a
USA
1055 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2007 : 2:53:53 PM
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http://www.broadwaymusicco.com/Tremoloa.htm
Try this link, somebody else knows what the tremoloa is. Sounds like the zither family is larger than I ever knew.
Paul |
"A master banjo player isn't the person who can pick the most notes.It's the person who can touch the most hearts." Patrick Costello |
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Bd1
Lokahi
USA
114 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2007 : 3:14:26 PM
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| Slipry1, Gad I love it when you talk technical!!! THINGY............ |
BD1 |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2007 : 07:42:11 AM
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Actually, this isn't the first time this subject came up.
Two well-respected musicians continue to play Marx instruments and have recorded with them:
Claudia Schmidt has done wonders with the Ukelin. Check out her Flying Fish recodings from the 80s.
Joan Doan, the harp guitarist, has played concerts on the various Marx instruments as part of his infatuation with parlor music. He may have recorded with them, too. As have several others.
I'm generally not one to contradict Jack, but it actually is possible to play music on these things. The Marxophone in particular can sound way cool, in a boingy-boingy kind of way.
The Tremolo, though, usually sounds like Fido's *ss, to quote my old studio partner. Particularly when I played it. I've owned most of 'em at one time or another.
BTW- thay aren't worth anything on e-bay or anywhere else, though sometimes people sell them to the gullible for a couple C notes. A fool and his money...
And, yes, they have zip to do with Hawaiian music. |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2007 : 08:21:18 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Mark
Claudia Schmidt has done wonders with the Ukelin. Check out her Flying Fish recodings from the 80s.
Technically speaking, she played the Pianolin, a similar instrument from the Marx folks. Back in the '80s, I recorded her playing it in concert a couple of times. Last time I asked her about it, she said it's just too fragile to take on the road any longer (as well as being a hassle to deal with.)
I know Dusty Strings has some sort of odd Marx instrument up high on a display shelf; I'll see what it is next time I'm in there. |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2007 : 08:29:04 AM
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| Well that tremoloa thing that Paul put the link sounds not so swell. Still better than me plunkin' the banjo `uke though. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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slipry1
Ha`aha`a
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2007 : 10:30:46 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Reid
This is perhaps the funniest thing I have read since William Gibson's trilogy that started with Neuromancer. Now, I really am starting to believe that 3Jane and holodecks sound sensible.
Jack, I salute you. (Yet again.)
...Reid
Mahalo, Reid, and to the rest of you who responded. I was suffering from a major attack of whimsy when I posted. What I forgot to tell y'all is that the pantograph has the slide (roller) follow up the thumbpick about 2 whole tones below, so it sort of "automatically???" damps the string, which resembles a tightwire. Oh, for a picture!! |
keaka |
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slipry1
Ha`aha`a
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2007 : 10:33:39 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Mark
Actually, this isn't the first time this subject came up.
Two well-respected musicians continue to play Marx instruments and have recorded with them:
Claudia Schmidt has done wonders with the Ukelin. Check out her Flying Fish recodings from the 80s.
Joan Doan, the harp guitarist, has played concerts on the various Marx instruments as part of his infatuation with parlor music. He may have recorded with them, too. As have several others.
I'm generally not one to contradict Jack, but it actually is possible to play music on these things. The Marxophone in particular can sound way cool, in a boingy-boingy kind of way.
The Tremolo, though, usually sounds like Fido's *ss, to quote my old studio partner. Particularly when I played it. I've owned most of 'em at one time or another.
BTW- thay aren't worth anything on e-bay or anywhere else, though sometimes people sell them to the gullible for a couple C notes. A fool and his money...
And, yes, they have zip to do with Hawaiian music.
"Boingy-Boingy" captures it exactly! I have had great fun with the Marxophone, but music???!!! Kinda-sorta. It's a great amateur instrument because it's impossible (IMHO) to sound professional on it. |
keaka |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2007 : 7:09:01 PM
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quote:
It's a great amateur instrument because it's impossible (IMHO) to sound professional on it.
Hey, your descibing my steel playing!!!!
Gregg -- Right-o once again. Pianolin rings a bell. If memory serves, it was pretty much just a bigger version of the Ukelin, right? I'll dig out the old FF records when I get home.
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