Arts and entertainment Junior Times Gardening View Comics General news Dorothy Neighbors doing Saturdoy, May 21, 1977 Jug-band style Make your own

Marc Bristol has a heritage of music. His fa­ . little larger than your string. Pass the string ther was in a champion barbershop quartet Bristol through, wind and tie it around the f~'.l1 inches left received his first guitar at CJ\ristmas, 1965, and he ' at the top for a handle. has been playing ever since. He sang and played in Or, you can drill another hole an inch above the Seattle cafes, then moved to Index, Snohomish first for a bolt with a wing . County.. He has publisJied a songbook and plays To piay the gut bucket, you hold the opposite guitar, hannonica, kazoo and washboard in the side of the tub down with a foot. Some players put Okie Doke String Band. this side of the tub up on a 2-by-4 to let the sOWld out. By MARC BRISTOL One variation has a hole drilled in the side to let , One way to save some money and have a good air escape. .' . time is to make your own music - and your own Adjust the tension of the string so that it stands musical instruments - at home. straight up when pulled taut. Pull back or let off on • And this is a good time to do that, as the North­ the stick to change tone, and pluck the string with west -Folklife Festival is scheduled for next week- your other hand. end at the Seattle Center.' . Make sure your foot rests only on the lip of the Anything that can produce a sound becomes a tub, or it will deaden the sOWld. musical instrument if it is played rhythmically. Here are some of them: The washboard The 'gut bucket' Another instrument is the washboard - a natu­ The "gut bucket," a close relative of the banjo, ral if you have ever been a table-top drummer. is basically a washtub, a stick and a string. The Just get a thimble to fit each finger and start to most expensive part - the tub - can be bought tap-dance - oh, don't forget to find an old, metal new for $10 or $15. But all three parts can be washboard. They go for about $5 at second-hand or scrounged. antique stores if there isn't one in the attic. . A No.1 or No.2 galvanized-steel washtub is The best tone is from brass, but I have seen used most often. The stick can be anything from a plenty of steel washboards used. whittled-down trunk of a hardwood sapling to an old Don't get glass. rake' handle or' even a piece of steel conduit at­ You may also want guitar thumb picks. tached with a strap hinge to the tUb. If you want to dance and play at the same time, The stronger the stick the better. A lighter stick attach some sort of a strap to go aroWld your neck. tends to absorb rather than transmit the vibration. , You can add old pans, tops, small cymbals, cow For the string. the best choices are a gut D-' bells, wood blocks or bells - the more different string from a fiddle, a piece of wire or a sounds you have, the more fun it is to play. plastic-coated, steel-core, nylon clothes line. The latter is the cheapest, but I encourage you to try The jug anything you can lay your hands on that looks like it The jug requires no alteration to become a might work. . musical instrument, other than being at least partly A friend once had a piece of telephone cord emptied. that sounded great while it lasted. Resiliency is The originals were old ceramic molasses jugs, important - it must stretch for higher tones and but a gallon cider jug will serve the purpose. spring back again. The sound is made with the lips and mouth. It's Here's how to punhem together: not the same as a pop-bottle whistle. You can get To attach the string to the center of the upside­ different notes and produce a sound comparable to down washtub, either bolt a small hasp or eyebolt bass notes on a pipe organ, and slide to the center with the string tied to it, or reinforce a combined. hole in the center of the tub by cementing a five­ inch disc of one-quarter-inch plywood inside. The string is knotted, taped to reduce wear, The kazoo passed though a couple of fiber washers, then up The original kazoo was probably waxed paper through the bottom of the tUb. Experiment to get and a comb. You wrap the paper aroWld the comb the sound you like. and press it to your lips, humming a tune. Other I've seen a variation using the top of a peanut­ paper works, too. butter jar instead of plywood .. Either way, reinforc­ Manufactured kazoos are available at music ing it will prolong the life' of the tub. .and toy stores, but they usually are cheaper at toy Take a 41jz-foot stick and. notch the bottom to stores. . Anything that produces a sound becomes a musical instrument. rest on the lip of the washtub. B.evel off one side of The Northwest Regional Folklife Festival will if played rhythmically, as these four musicians demonstrated. From the notched end so it won't touch the bottom of the last four days, is free and open to the. public, and overturned tub when the stick leans over it. has a lot of good music, dancing and crafts. left: Quentin Rhoton on the washtub bass, Marc Bristol on the To attach the string to the top of the pole, drill It's a good place' to try out your new instru­ washboard, Dan Kersten on the jug and Biff Bracht on the ax. You a hole about 5 inches down from the top that is a ment. can I.earn to play any of ·these instruments - except for one. Everybody knows you can't play an ax_

"'"""n mike"' on Itt. ColiSfum 510'" from 2:30 The Food Circus Courl Slolle hos music I,om 106 p.m. oolololko to sehuhploltiers. from noon IG 6 T~e Slrlnll Band Stolle has slrlnll oond> and p.m. N~orthwes.t Dlher counlry music Irom noon 10 • p.m. AI 7 p.m.• loin in Inlernotional Folk Dancing' AI 6 p.m .. United Indian. 01 All Tribes' holds In the Food Circus Cou rl. Or IIslen to blues D Pow Wow and War Donee In the Arena. You and contf:!mpor'ory folk music In the Playhouse.' can loin in ""k dancing wUh Ihe Skandlo lCa· or the Block Music Heritage Show wllh Ewalo ""II In Ihe Food Circus Courl 01 7 p.m. A con· Dancers and Black Academy or Music. among Folklife cerl 01 old·tlme fiddlers ond siring oonds be· others. In the O~rD House. Both ere at 8 p.m. Social Secu,-ity Gallle D 91n5 01 II p,m. in the PlaYhouse. Sunday Workshops MONDAY, TUESDAY AND SATURDAY Festival Folk dancing from Israel. Greec •• Scoltand Musk workshQJls from song: swopplng ond and other aroos IS on lhe Mural Amphllhooltr dobra 10 P.A. svslems and publicity are held Stage from noon to 6 p,m. > noon 10 • p.m. Solurday. Sundov and Mondoy Winning numbers for Saturday, May 21: Folk musIc. fram ·Thai strings 10 oolololka In Ihe Ihlrd floor ot the cen ler house. and Mexican dances. occupies Ihe Food Circus Donce- workshops Including snternoliOflol folk schedule COIJrl Siage from noon 10 6:JO. dancing, square dancing and clogging, for be­ The Strln9 Bond Sloge has mar. .Irlng glnn Ing to odvc need dancers, ore held In the SOCIAL 1)::I:i\~UIU'r\' bands. blu~rcss and other country music Olvmplc Room noon 10 4 p.m. Salurdov. The Northwesl Folkl". Fesllval fills SOQllle from noon 10 I p.m. ~r ~/ 4 CenSer over M~n'lorfol Dav wfi!kend. Admission The Plovhouse has ",,"'rmances Includ Ing 15 fr!:1! to perrormonces bv music, donee and B11I Moeller as Mark Twain and North lndlor> it rains Ii Sheeler groUps Irom throughoUr the Pacific. Done" from I 10 5:30 ".m. If The Coliseum Slo"e and Northwesl FestiVal I! Northwest. Events start about every hair hour Outdoor sloges will move IndOOrs In rose 01 I'! 538·50·3183 ttlrouohout the ofternOOf"l and Ito.-Iy evening:. Court Stage hove singing and solo performers ,'1 541·50·5756 '\ raIn: Mural Amphltheoler "."formers 10 Ihe i Thf:! annual fesllval is sponsored by SeoUle from noon !o 7;30 p.m .• with on wen mlklt ot Food Circus Courl; Coliseum Siage to Orcas Ii ! Folklore Soclelv. National Pork ServIce. KRAB Ihe COliseum from 2:30 10 6 ".m. and LOPe. Rooms. Norlh Coliseum Court; Radio and SOQ"'. Center. AI 7 p.m .• folk dance with Ihe Allspice donee bond In the Food Circus Coorl. Vletnomes •• In· SIring Bond Slog" 10 Rainier Room. North Col. I.. urn Court; Old Time Fiddlers 10 the Center I WINS $500 WINS$10D :1 dian. ChInese and Bul-garlcn music ore per­ Hovse, third floor, room H, and Northwest formC!d in the non·Western concert 0' 8 p.m. in I Friday the Ptovhouse. Fe.tlval CoYrl 10 Cent.r House. Ih Ird floor. A Festival Sompr~r Concert is ot S p.m. In room A. You con (oln In SQuare danclnfil at 7 I',m. In ttle OPera HDuse. with Romonlan music. Eski· Ihe Food Circus Courl, or IIslen to a down· mo Dancers cnd others. home cone«1 sponsored by KR.o.S radio 01 • And later __ . SOCIAL /if:SECUUIT\' p.m. In Ihe Playhouse. Folk culture d"".n·1 vanish ofter the festival. ~~ '<~/ t]~ M~nday Seattle Cenler has fr.Quenl evening on gOSP1!1 music. Irom end-cnernoon fOlk music and 1o1k donclng. 1M Shlnin9 Llohl and Insplrationol Seven to (Wolcr. The Times' Frldav "Tempo" and lhe There will -be lolk ·donclnll Irom noon 10 • the Mlghtv Warriors ond Ihe Hotv Gt>Ost TrOy' Saturday "Doing guide'· 10f" schedules.l 538·34·1837 i:;= 531·07.30490 1 ".m. on the Mural Amphll".",l.r SIOlIe. f'~r5~ from noon to 7 p.m. Sooille Folklore Soclely has reguior week.nd Theater In Ihe Plavt>ou.. Includes More sf ... Jng bonds and country sounds on concerts at its clubhouse 01 5257 University "laYS 01 1:30 p.m .• Conadlon ThOOfl 10 7;30 p.m •• ...,,,,, !he, microPhone 01 the moor Pork In R~mond. Along with music and Coliseum Stope ond the Nortnwrst F~stJ\loJ' Coliseum _ 10 anyOM /r"", 2:30 ID 7:10 dancing. you con see foUe: crofts from spinnIng You are a winner if the numbers on your Social Security Cou,' SI