Roll Your Own

One might think that with several hundred different tunes available for under-the-strings playing, that would be good enough.

But I can't resist making my own as well. Partly because there are songs I want to play that aren't commercially available, partly just because I can.

I suspect it is at least partly a control issue: When I make my own, I free myself from the whims of the publishers, and am able to make my own choices.

Usually, I start with a pad of lined paper intended for elementary school penmanship. The lines are at half inch intervals, and run the long length of the paper (landscape format), which makes them just what I need to be able to rim and play as soon as I am finished with the transcription.

By marking the lines at one edge or the sheet with the note letters, keeping track of position is easy. By beginning at the bottom line with the note corresponding to the key pitch (the "tonic"), the key transposition to the instrument occurs automatically, at least for the more common instruments.

From then on, it is mostly a mechanical process, based on a minimal study of music notation and of examples provided by the instrument makers.

Once I have trimmed and tested it on a basic instrument, then I can make additional copies, enlarging or reducing as necessary to fit their string spacing, and trimming in alternate shapes and formats. I tend not to fill the page any more than necessary in order to provide more flexibility for the latter.

It has been well worth the effort: my own projects have provided some of my favorite Pluck Play.