Oh wow John, you have too much fun! You did well with your new instrument and happy to hear you are learning a bunch about bowing.

And NO, NO You will not tempt me either.

By the way I think Robert Schuler on this site makes bowed Psaltrys and he may be a good resource if anyone is interested.

Hi Patty!  I think of the standard as a soprano voice.  I am not aware of where a specific sound sample might be.

John, I noticed Folkcraft sells a "standard" and the baritone. Do they have a sound clip of what their "standard" sounds like? Is it soprano or alto? My curious mind would like to know. Thanks!

Thanks Kristi!  I am aware of those bows, but (while the learning curve is steeper at first) I was told that I would ultimately be happier with the sound produced from the larger bow.  I got some great tips on bowing that have already made a HUGE difference for me, but I can totally see why many would prefer the smaller bow.  I may (eventually) as well, but I am going to give the larger bow a fair chance.  My second bow has arrived, so this will be the real test for me so far.

John,

It appears that you might be using a violin bow in your demo. Probably 97% of bowed psaltery players would suggest you get a bow specifically for the psaltery. Major differences in width, how surface acts on strings, etc..

Thanks for the tip, Lisa!  My second bow arrived yesterday, so I'm headed that direction today.  I received some great tips about bowing that have really smoothed out my approach.  Yay internet learning! 

John, I remember my thrill when I got my own BP, and my struggles with bowing smoothly.  Bowing is everything, and it's not easy!

Kristi- my bowed psaltery was a redwood-topped 32 string, made by James Jones- it sounded absolutely heavenly!  Rick Long made me some beautiful walnut bows for it.  I was pretty sad to sell my psaltery a couple of years ago, but I had simply stopped playing it- too many other projects I was working on.  It's a shame because I had actually gotten to the point of playing with a bow in each hand.  

I'd like to mention that there's a wonderful online community site devoted to bowed psalteries, where anyone wanting info about playing or making a psaltery, various kinds of psalteries and their differences, and various psaltery makers.  Donna Malus and Tish Westmen run that site, and everyone is wonderfully helpful there:   http://psalterystrings.ning.com/

We also have a thread right here on fotmd with lots of helpful info and links about bowed psalteries:  http://fotmd.com/forums/forum/adventures-with-other-instruments/1132/bowed-psaltery

Thank y'all for chiming in!  I've learned to lighten my bowing since videoing this, so it already sounds better.  The key is, you can't get wet if you don't dive into the water lol!  Thank y'all so much!

Great presentation John.  That's a first for me.  You tempted me with NAF, but you shall not temp me again.

You and Karen appear to have just too much fun for any two people.  Happy for you guys.

Rick Long is one of the premier bowed psaltery makers and his website is full of information.Ringing Strings.com