Vintage Marbled Gretsch Humanatone

Today, relax, just a few pictures of an vintage marbled Gretsch Humanatone just added to the collection.

5th International & Interspecies Nose Flute Day!

Here, at Noseflute.org, we regard the Nose Flute day as the perfect moment to spread nosefluting, and particularly to initiate someone to our noble art. That's the reason we decided to make a specific little nose flute for our C.E.O., my cat Patafix.

I also wanted to test a new device I received (I intend to use it at School of Architecture): it is an extrusion pen. You plug it on USB, stuff it with a ABS plastic wire, and the pen melts the wire while extruding the plastic. With it, one can build (literally 'draw') small (and fragile) little structures.


So, I wanted to see if it was possible to build a small nose flute for Patafix. I chose 'glow in the dark' ABS wire to do so, and began to draw a basic shape, then to fill it. It is rather difficult to master the pen and I was not able to produce a regular shape. I felt like drawing with a pastry bag disgorging custard.


Then I created the inner airway (very uggly, uh?), and a nose hood adapted to Patafix' snout:


Finally, I sharpened the labium and sanded the flute as I could to smooth the surfaces, added an elastic cord with 2 pink beads (Patafix is a girl, don't forget it!):


Yoohooh! It glows in the night!



At first, the moustachioed C.E.O. of noseflute.org was a bit reluctant in trying the instrument...



But after a while, Patafix adopted the nose flute and played a beautiful music piece (unfortunately, I hadn't my recorder with me at this moment...). Anyway, she will mostly use it as a bird call…

What are you going to do for INFD?

14th of June — tomorrow – is the International Nose Flute Day. The date was chosen as an homage to William G. Carter, inventor of the mordern and urban nose flute, which patent was registered Jun. 14, 1892.
Each year, on the 14th of June, united nosefluters around the world do something special to honor the little instrument. And you, what will you do for the International Nose Flute Day?




Our friend Don Luis, from Mexico, just realized a video in which he plays the nose flute, juggles with a pair of tennis balls (Juggling Day stands on 18th!), and read a book by James Joyce (Bloomsday on the 16th!). Hahaha! very creative!



--

On his side, sensei Mosurin organizes an nose flute exhibition in Saitama (Japan), that will stand from 14th to 19th of June. During five days, the work of 13 hanabue makers will be exposed. On the 19th, a concert will close the event (we wish we could be there, with a thick wallet:).


2016/6/14 (Tue) to 19 (Sun)
open from 11:30 to 16:00
Community Restaurant, Saitama Prefecture Tsurugashima Gomiketani 230-3
Parking available. TEL: 049-287-1792
http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/mosurin01/diary/201605140000/



--

And you, what will you do for the International Nose Flute Day?

4 Hanabue by Tida (Nobuyuki Takaba)

'太陽（てぃだ)'('Tida':'The Sun' in Okinawan dialect) is a little workshop in Tsu (Mie Prefecture), Japan, held by Mr. Takaba Nobuyuki, who began producing nose flutes December 2014.



Takaba-san has already handcrafted about 80 hanabue, and will present his work at the Saitama Nose Flute Exhibition (June 14 to 19).

M. Nobuyuki Takaba also makes interesting devices dedicated to fasten a nose flute to a mike stand:



---

I ordered four Tida hanabue. All Nobuyuki's 'Solar Nose Flutes' are crafted with much care in the choice of the woods. They are generally made with 3 pieces of wood, although early ones were composed of 4. They all are individually numbered and finished either with beeswax or a mixture of beeswax and rapeseed oil.


#23: Rosewood (cypress airway) - Oil finish

This early model was made with 4 pieces of wood. Indeed, a thin cypress shim goes along the airway and forms its inner wall on the rear side. It is a small flute (4.4 x 6.2cm), very smooth and well finished, unless the nose cavity (see below), which a bit coarse. All in all, this is a nice little nose flute, very agreable to play, sharp oriented and loud.

#32: Ebony - Oil finish

This darky is a super small baby (4.8 x 5.0cm) and is very funny. The air intake – at the bottom of the nose bowl – is a very thin cut line (less than 1 mm!!). Since the nose bowl, which is far better finished than on #23, collects the breath, the is no problem to align nostrils and intake. However, the flute is lightly squeaky in the very sharp notes.

#37: Zelkova - Oil finish

A small instrument again (5.0x5.5cm), with a slightly more woody sound. The intake is less wide, but also just a bit less thin (1mm). No squeaking problems noticed, and a rather wide tone range.

#67: Jirikote - Beeswax finish

This flute is the most recent among the four. It certainly dates of 2016, and I can notice a real improvement in the finishings. The nose bowl has now a peanut shape and is smooth and regular. It measures 4.9x5.6cm, but is a bit thicker that the other ones. The two-colored Jirikote wood is stunning, and the flute is a real little wooden jewel in the hand. Without any doubt, Takaba-san evolved in his craft, and the flute is loud, precise, quick...

Details

Each Solar Nose Flute is provided with a plastic cord, with a pair of chromed beads, and an unscrewable fastener, that allows to remove quickly the cord from the flute. Any of the Tifa hanabue is numbered, and a little wooden label is mounted on the cord, with the number engraved. Each flute comes also with its identity card, detailing the woods used, the finishing, and the serial number.

As said before, a great care is applied to the choice of the woods. Here are some details of my #67, made in a beautiful piece of Jirikote. Please notice the 'peanut' shape of the nose bowl, and its nice and smooth finish (last pic.):

Conclusion

Whether there is (always) a place for improvement – in a total perfect finishing and sound purity –, the Tida nose flutes have really quickly evolved in a good way, reaching now a good fair level of quality and playability. The woods used are beautiful and the details (cord, beads, label with sn#, id. card) make them desirable instruments.

Here is a short sound sample, please excuse my unsecure playing, it was 5:30 in the morning :)



We wish Mr. Takaba Nobuyuki a good success at Saitama Nose Flute Fair next week, and to continue to produce great and beautiful Solar hanabue!