SLIDE RATTLETINE

This is one of several rattled tine instruments I’ve made. You can see some others here and here and here. This Slide Rattletine has an additional unusual feature: In front of the point where the tines are mounted is an extended flat surface against which the tine rattles when plucked. You can vary the effective vibrating length of the tine by pressing it down at various points along this surface, almost as if you were pressing strings against a fingerboard. It helps to press with something heavy and hard, so a helpful accessory is a steel downpresser in the form of a short segment of steel pipe. You can play discreet pitches or create sliding effects. This playing method is not as quick and facile as fingerboard string technique, but the unusual and forceful sounds are worth the effort.