WeenieCampbell.com
The Unwound Third => Gitfiddles, Harps, Washboards & Kazoos => Topic started by: waxwing on March 06, 2006, 03:23:09 PM
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Well, as those who attend PT know and as many might have surmised from my avatar, I'm a big fan of the jug and have begun to dabble a bit when there were other guitarist around. Well, I've finally created my own jug rack, like my hero Gus Cannon, so I can practice guitar and jug at the same time. I twisted it up from what they call tension wire, which is sort of a heavy maleable wire used for affixing chainlink fencing ($11 at HD for enough to make about 10 racks). Fortunately, I sorta play outa the corner of my mouth so I was able to mount the jug over my right shoulder, especially since I left knee my guitar. The big curved loop goes over my shoulder and the two smaller lops across my chest and side. pretty comfy actually. Eventually I'll get some loud suspenders instead of the cord to strap it on. Attached a few picks below
Anyway, it is a blast! Miller and I have added jug and kazoo to a few guitar and mando numbers we have been working on, as you can see from the last pic. I'll post Meat Shakin' Woman on the BP. It cracks me up to listen to it. But I was mentioning to John M in an email last week what fun we were having and that all we needed was someone to play rack harp and washboard and we could hit the road, one instrument up on the Jug Stompers. Well, I called sometime poster Mike Billo the next day and, would you believe, he told me he already has a washboard with harp rack attached! And he'd love to get together with us. That's pretty exciting, as Mike is a multi-multi-instrumentalist who is a certified jug band nut, not to mention the kind of guy who, having met me only once or twice outside this forum, pitched in and helped us move last year.
Well, just thought I'd keep ya'll posted on our latest developments.
All for now.
John C.
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What a hoot!
Wax, I'm glad you posted a picture of how you hang that contraption --- as I had a hard time visuallizing exactly how you played a rack mounted "jug" - still cannot quite believe it! Haha :P I'd say your galvanize jug has certain advantages over a crock jug --- like lighter weight!
Miller, you look a little constipated! (Actually, love the expressions on both of your faces.)
"Meat Shakin Woman" sounds great! - a veritable two man band, will look forward to hearing the Billo addition... just think, when you guys go out and gig -- you'll be getting twice the pay!
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Haven't had a chance to listen yet, but that's quite a pic! First glance I couldn't tell whether you were blowing into it, or taking a swig out of it. Second glance I got to wondering what the neighbors must think. Not that I care what neighbors think, but kazoo, jug, reso and cigar box mando on an actual porch might just be a bit much round my parts!
tom
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Nope, ain't no blockage over here! ;D
This tune, playing it, hearing it again, is just so damn much fun to play. I am having a blast! Getting my lips to purse around the kazoo while smiling and chuckling is difficult to do... :P
Will start working on a lead break for the mando--jeesh, just yesterday we tweaked the call/response with verse/kazoo back and forth action , as well as the turnarounds, which really kicked it up a notch in my opinion, and we kept on playing and playing, laughing and laughing.
Slack: ain't my little yellow lady sweet? My Partagas Box is my baby! You are the proud Papa! 8)
All for now...
Miller
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Slack: ain't my little yellow lady sweet? My Partagas Box is my baby! You are the proud Papa!
Very sweet -- and somehow fits perfectly with the kazoo and jug!
It really is a great pic. ;D
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Brilliant jug rack, Wax. Patented it yet?
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Like John said, I've got a Harp Rack mounted on a Washboard (doesn't everybody?) and I can't wait to play with thses guys
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Out of interest, where does one obtain a 'jug' and how is it played?
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Waxwing... you got's any jug tabulature?
Neil
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Waxwing... you got's any jug tabulature?
Thanks, Neil. Am now cleaning the English Breakfast tea off my computer screen...
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Heh heh heh. Neil, try jugola.com, some decent tab there, and maybe juggorragh.com, but that's mostly Irish music.-G-
Seriously though, I am trying to create a jug line that doesn't just follow the melody, or the guitar, so I do work it out, but just in my head, rather that bank on "improvising" every time. Altho' it may not come out exactly the same every time, that's for sure.
Slim, if you're looking for one of these old galvanized lamp oil cans, try eBay, that's where I got mine. I can't really remember, but I think I was the only bidder at about $20 (US) and there was a second one from the same seller that I then offered him $5 for and he shipped them together. I searched on "oil can". You can also search on "jug" if you want one of the big ceramic ones that a lot of folks use, but you also might find those in an antique/junk shop, even in the UK I would imagine. I've also seen ones that were custom made by a potter. Google "jug band" or "musical jug" and you'll find a fewe interesting websites. Maybe I should hgunt some down and list them in Weenie Links.
As for playing, there's a good description of Gus Cannon's playing style in the article that Bunker Hill recently posted on Furry, Gus and Willy. Basically you are creating the tone with your lips, similarly to a trombone or tuba, but with your lips a bit away from the opening so that the sound can get back out. I don't actually get my tongue involved as the article describes. There is some debate about how much throat tone added to mix is "correct", but I wouldn't worry about that too much. My partner Gre says, "It's a great instrument for boys who love to make fart sounds." She has a lot of experience with this, being a pre-K thru 3 Orff music teacher. (Cleaning off the screen again, UB?)
Anyway, it's a blast, so to speak.
All for now.
John C.
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Slim, if you go for the ceramic jug, there's some good information from the late Fritz Richmond at www.johnsebastian.com. You have to navigate through to find the article in Fritz's column, as Sebastian's site is totally Flash dependent (annoying!)...
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Too bad he never finished his discussion about playing jug. At the end of page two he says the next instrallment will be about playing, but then top of page three he says the editor wants him to talk about when the Lovin' Spoonful was getting started, and he never gets back to the jug?!? \
Good information about cleaning a ceramic jug tho'. I was noticing how much, uh, "juice" I was getting in the jug after playing last night. Hope the galvanizing holds up and it doesn't rust thru. Good thing I have a back-up.
All for now,
John C.
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Here's one identical to mine and in much better condition, label and all:
NEAT-OLD-GALVANIZED-GAS-OIL-CAN-WITH-LABEL (http://cgi.ebay.com/NEAT-OLD-GALVANIZED-GAS-OIL-CAN-WITH-LABEL_W0QQitemZ7224057619QQcategoryZ35682QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)
The fact that it still has both tops in place may mean that there is still a lot of oil residue inside, which could be a problem to get rid of, so's you don't get nauseous every time you play it.
Plans for my "patented" jug rack, with complete instructions, $20, or a bottle of Black Bush at PT this summer.-G-
Now let's see if this causes a bidding war for that jug.-G-
All for now.
John C
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Hey John
You have got a winner there. I have emailed a link to your post to my friends in our Jug Band. This will prove most helpful in expanding our jug tunes.
Thanks
Russ
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I've been getting email and PMs requesting more detailed instructions on how to make this rack and what modifications I made for the second prototype. Rather than give the info out privately I thought I'd post it here. It's really not that different from the first except that I did it with one long wire and only had two ends, one of which I let hang out. You know, I don't think pics of the new one are gonna help you much if you can't get the idea and extrapolate from the first pics. And I'm just too busy right now with work and SF Jug Fest/House Concert and recording a CD, etc., etc., to take pics and post them.
I'll try to explain again. You already have the idea of the tension wire for chain link fencing from Home Depot. You need to straighten out a pretty long piece. Then, start at one end and measure up, maybe, 20 inches (your dimensions may vary depending on your size and where you want the jug). At that point bend the wire back 180 degrees on itself. Use pliers or clamps, a pipe, whatever. It's not easy, but you can do it. Now measure from the bend another, say, 25 inches and make another 180 degree bend straight back. This time measure, maybe, 32 inches (this will be the long loop that goes over your shoulder) another 180 bend, 32 inches, 180 bend, 25 inches, 180 bend, 20 inches and either cut it off here or let the tail hang a little long say 10 inches or so. You should end up with two bends and maybe a tail on one side and three bends, one of which is longer, on the other side. Put the end with the three loops, which will anchor to your body, in a bench vise so that the place where they come out of the vice is the beginning of the stalk and what is held flat in the vice, and anything sticking out below will be the right length to loop over your shoulder and across your chest. Then, clamp the other end so you just have a good grasp, maybe an inch or so, of the short end, with a "Jorgy" hand screw clamp, as big as you can get (I have a 14 inch one but that's unusual). The two clamps should be parallel. Now twist the clamp a few turns and you will create a stiff stalk between the two ends. All that is left is to fashion one end to fit the jug and the other to fit your body and get the jug where you want it. You're on your own with that. I added a strut, another piece of the wire, just wrapped around the top of the stalk at one end and around the loop where it goes over my shoulder at the other end. This makes a triangle and really stabilizes things. You can figure out how to tie it to yourself so that it doesn't move around too much.
As you saw in the original pictures, this is for playing the jug off the corner of my mouth, so to speak, where I happen to get a good buzz with my lips. However, I have started learning to play straight away with my tongue between my lips, getting a much louder buzz so I'm probably gonna have to modify the whole idea and make something different to hold the jug out front.
To the fellow who claims he can't figure out how to post but can figure out how to send a personal message: Go to the bottom of the page, type your message in the white box and click on the button that says Post. Then listen to Bo Carter's Double In A Knot and change your username appropriately.-G-
All for now.
John C.
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Thought I'd offer up my Jug Rig for consideration. Using 2 part epoxy, I glue a 3/8" floor flange to the bottom of an old crock jug. It then screws onto a standard mic stand. After a couple years, the threads on the mic stand can't hold a mic, but the jug stays on fine. I use a quick release stand so I can get it out of the way when I don't need it. When I need it, I just raise it up, lean over and whomp it. Much better than my previous method of just sitting the jug on the top of the guitar.