Some of the instruments we play:

• Appalachian mountain dulcimer
• Scottish small pipes
• Hammered dulcimer
• Tin whistles
• Bodhran and tambourine
• Rope-tensioned tenor drum
• Irish flute
• Vocal
• Arm-loaded, chin-suspended, lesser downy fiddle
• Fife
• Bones
• Triangle
  
• Jaw-harp

The Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer is a genuine American musical instrument developed during the 18th century. It belongs to the zither family of Western Europe. The fingerboard is fretted and positioned across the hour glass or 'tear' shaped body. It has four strings and is played across the lap (expect to pay more than $40 for anything more serious) Legend has it that the dulcimer replaced the bagpipe when they were outlawed during the 1750's. The dulcimer was traditionally used to accompany dance music. Today it is often associated with Bluegrass music.

Scottish Small Pipes

Ken's pipes are a set of Scottish small pipes made by Kevin Kehrly in Pennsylvania - that hot-bed of Scottish culture. They are based on a 17th century drawing, with the exception that they have been customized as mouth-blown pipes rather than bellows-blown. They are maple, with faux ivory mounts and have a tenor, bass and baritone drone. They are pitched in A with the drones tuned to 1, 5 and 8 (A, E and A). Designed for indoor playing with other folk instruments, these pipes are part of the family known as diminutive pipes, popular because they can be played near where there are people.

Hammered dulcimer

The Hammered Dulcimer is a string instrument of the box zither family. The instrument is struck by the player using small wooden hammers rather than via a keyboard action. My Dulcimer has two bridges (treble and bass) with each note (or course) comprised of two strings. 12/12/11? 12 notes to the left of the treble bridge (centre of the instrument), 12 notes on the right side of the treble bridge and 11 notes to the left of the bass bridge (right side of instrument - facing it). With a total of 35 notes the instrument is designed to play in the common folk keys of D and G, with the keys of F and A as other/if not popular choices with me. This version of the hammered dulcimer was made by Capricorn Strings in Prince George B.C. .Do not take internally. As a more portable version of a piano-like instrument, the hammered dulcimer was a popular choice for travelling shows (Samuel Pepys' diary mentions it as being used for puppet shows). Dulcimer's of the 18th century could have many bridges and as many as 6-8 strings per course.

Bodhran

Both the bodhran and the tambourine are simple frame drums with goat skin stretched over the frame. Bodhran is an Irish term pronounced boo-ran, bo-drine, bran, boh- drin, bo-jangles... etc. The Bohdran is played with a two headed mallet called a tipper. The medieval tambourine is played in the Turkish style and is equipped with over sized novelty brass jingles.

This WWII era rope tensioned tenor field drum was close to demise when it was rescued and rebuilt by Gin Lane. As a rope tensioned, wood shelled, all natural material instrument, it is similar in premise (if not in dimension) to historic drums of the 18th and 19th century. It is held together with one rope over fifty feet in length and has genuine calfskin heads on the top and bottom. It sports the most beautiful painting of a most horrible scene and is emblazoned with our original band name 'Three Big Dummies'. Often it is seen as the first thing rolling away at a party.

Irish flute

Ken's flute comes from the land down-under, where women glow and men plunder. It was made by master flute-maker Terry McGee in Canberra - based on his extensive research into classical period Rudall and Rose flutes. It is an air-cooled, wind injected, blackwood, with six silver keys and can go from 0 to over 1000 hz in only a few seconds. It is also Ken's pride and joy, with tremendous volume, beautiful tone and overall excellent workmanship.
Note - this particular flute is not featured on the recording "The Idle Prentices' " as Ken acquired the instrument subsequent to its release.

Vocal

The vocal chord is almost as old as man himself. To avoid technical jargon I will explain it this way. A magic throat box converts kinetic energy (and roughly 83.5 % of the electrical impulses from the brain) into sound using a variety of magic throat box wind pressures. Occasionally when the sound produced harmonizes into noises that we as a society (or more accurately a culture) accept as pleasing, a vocalist is born. Once this status is achieved the performer can be paid as much as $5.00 - just to go away! In our very early years , the band never intended to sing songs, none of us being particularly pleased with our individual magic throat box skills. When combined however we found that we could arouse the interest of cats, small children and the very angry. Since then we have worked hard to try to make things right

Fiddle

The violin was the dominant instrument of the 18th century. The fiddle is a derogatory term used for the violin and its performer a variation (in title alone) of the violin. The fiddle can play over four octaves. The fiddle can be used to destroy vast empires and is not a good fire extinguisher as proven by the Romans when "Nero fiddled and Rome burned..." The instrument is useful in a tavern despite occasional uncontrollable juddering and the spread contents of the fiddle case can be helpful in locating Peter. The fiddle sounds by drawing a horse hair bow across the strings. Strings transmit vibration through a bridge, sound post and body of the instrument. F-holes increase resonance... Say F-hole five times. N.B. Despite the bargain it may seem to be... don't buy the twenty dollar fiddle.

Fife

The fife is a member of the transverse wind family (don't let anyone call you that). It is a very simple instrument, essentially a wooden tube with 7 holes drilled in it and a cork (just beyond the blow hole) used to adjust the tuning. Chosen as a military instrument because of it tremendous volume, a really good fife player can clear a room in less than 2 songs. Much of the appeal of the fife is best noticed at distances over 500 yards. Using this to advantage highwaymen would often use fifes stopping wayward carriages with a downed tree and declaring "Your money or I'll fife!" There is reference to Martin Luther being accompanied by fifes and drums during his graffiti phase in Wittenburg and prior to the Diet of Worms. The fife was used militarily (as both singaller and entertainment) through the 18th century and the early 19th ultimately being replaced by the bugle.

Tin whistles

The Tin whistle or penny whistle is so named because the instrument looks like a penny and was commonly sold in tins (unlike sack and crate whistles). Likely derived from the flageolet this member of the fipple family can only be firmly dated to the middle of the 19th century when the Clark family began producing them (1843). A light and airy instrument the whistle was both portable and malleable. This is important because any person who has experienced a small child with one would relish the opportunity carry it somewhere and beat it into a thin sheet. Whistles come in many keys ranging from the very annoying to intensely annoying

Bones

There are two trains of thought as to the origin of Bones. Some say, bones are without a doubt the oldest instrument ever. From the earliest studies of paleontology it can be proven that even dinosaurs used bones- you can scarcely go to an excavation without encountering these early primal instruments- often that is all that paleontologists find. I have also heard it said that it was the early use of these instruments that separated us from the invertebrates. The second train of thought is that bones are a more recent Neanderthal construct so named for their descriptive acronym Bi-digitally Operated Noise Emitting System. (taken from a cave painting). Although we may never know their true origins I suspect that bones will be with as long as we walk on this planet.

Triangle

The triangle has been handed down to us by the Greeks. Pythagoras was one of the first triangle players but Euclid could really make it sing. There have been many variations over the years but the simple equilateral is still the preferred format. Someday Ken hopes to play the rhombus or maybe even the coveted dodecahedron.

Jaw-harp

The jaw-harp is one of the few musical instruments that enjoys a truly symbiotic relationship with the "musician". When this obscure musical instrument was first discovered, it was mute. However, when combined with the jaw of its human "host", the jaw-harp finally found its voice. Throughout the ages young and old alike have brought the jaw-harp to life by temporarily transforming themselves into a resonating cavity. Much amusement and jocularity can be obtained by placing the harp between the teeth, twanging the strip of steel, and repeating the phrase "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto" over and over again across the vibrating strip..