The Schaschlikstäben Violin is an instrument I built quickly in Augsburg, Germany in 2018: an oval board drilled with rings of holes around its perimeter, into which wood dowel rods and bamboo skewers (Schaschlikstäben) of varying lengths are set upright into board, forming a dense array of tuned rods. It's a direct descendant of Hal Rammel's amplified Sound Palette and Tom Nunn's electroacoustic percussion boards, the instruments that first drew me toward building my own.
A piezo pickup mounted on the board amplifies it. It can be played by bowing the rods with a violin bow, drawing out sustained tones from the cluster, or by plucking individual rods for a more percussive, pitched attack — each length ringing at its own pitch.
- Built in Augsburg, Germany, 2018
- Oval board drilled with two rings of holes, fitted with bamboo skewers and wood dowel rods cut and glued to varying lengths
- Amplified with a piezo pickup mounted on the board
- Played by bowing with a violin bow or plucking individual rods
- Related in concept to Hal Rammel's Sound Palette and Tom Nunn's EPB
