Bukkehorns!

[Folthrik]

Lutes are too expensive for me and I probably can't get a teacher for it either so I've moved on to something much more Viking. A bukkehorn!

These instruments are a very simple type of wind instrument with 4 finger holes at the most, and no one has a set way to play it from what I've heard so it's just having fun experimenting. They sound like this (apparently):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjiIc9MlqNs

I want to buy one and the only place I can find is from this guy:

http://www.naturinstrumenter.no/Instrumenter/Bukkehorn/Bukkehorn.htm#bukkehorn

He looks kind of sketchy so I want to buy from somewhere else but I have no idea where.
There has got to be at least one more site. Also, I have no idea how expensive they are since I can't seem to find a price. Does anyone know anything about this?

EDIT: If you can find the price that the guy in my link charges I'll give you a hug.

[gislig]

Pris fra

Nok 3000,-

dont know how much that is in your currency

[FrisianDude]

3000 NOK = 517.64 USD  according to http://nl.coinmill.com/NOK_calculator.html#NOK=3000 http://coinmill.com/NOK_USD.html#NOK=3000.0

Though I suppose shipping wouldn't be included in that price.

[Folthrik]

Okay. Thanks, I found a cheaper site though that looks less sketchy.

http://www.ancientmusic.co.uk/ancientinstruments/Blowing_Horns.html

[FrisianDude]

Ah, alright. That looks good.

[Temeraire]

Very cool, if you ever get tired of it it should look great on your mantel. 

[Folthrik]

Also, if I ever get good enough I shall post a video and or mp3 file so you can hear my bukkehorn skills!

[Úlfheðinn]

I approve of more Viking shenanigans.

[LordOfShadows]

Folthrik, find out if there is a judaica store (sells jewish ritual items) near you, and see if they sell shofrim(plural, singular is shofar) and put in the side holes yourself. A shofar generally goes for about twenty bucks, maybe less in America. Generally they are rams horns, but you can also get goat horns.

edit to add pic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jemenittisk_sjofar_av_kuduhorn.jpg

[Folthrik]

Folthrik, find out if there is a judaica store (sells jewish ritual items) near you, and see if they sell shofrim(plural, singular is shofar) and put in the side holes yourself. A shofar generally goes for about twenty bucks, maybe less in America. Generally they are rams horns, but you can also get goat horns.

edit to add pic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jemenittisk_sjofar_av_kuduhorn.jpg

Hey, that's really neat. Thanks for telling me that. 

I just want to know if it has the same sort of sound to it as a bukkehorn does. I'll pull up a video for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5NAECkJ5ak

[Farmind]

The in addition to bukkehorn, there is large variety of similar ancient musical instruments. The easiest one to build yourself is a horn made from birch-bark or alder-bark.

Here is a picture of birch-bark cowherd's horn:


A 4-hole bukkehorn made from goat horn, or a 4-hole wood horn can be used to play some simple tunes, but the birch-bark horn is usually used only for signaling. However, birch-bark horn is very light and can be build to be much larger than a bukkehorn.

"The sound of the forest" has a small selection of traditional instruments used in northern Europe.
http://www.uulu.fi/shop/index.php?cPath=21_35

Some instruments, such as the "lepenelauta" can be very simple and still produce complex tunes.

[Folthrik]

That horn looks very difficult to make. Is there a how-to guide or something on how to make it?

[LordOfShadows]

A shofar does not sound like that naturally as they are made with very little change from after the bone is taken out. However if you boil it it softens and can be shaped which will alter the sound. I have in fact made them from scratch, and after hearing that absolutely beautiful music, I think it may be possible to alter one to sound similar.

However, the problem is is that the shofar started off as an instrument for military signals, and generally has a high piercing tone, and is sounded like a trumpet, whereas the bukkehorn has a medium low, very musical tone, and to me sounds very flutelike. The tone is made by the length of the shofar, so you would want a fairly long one for the lower tone and then you would have to experiment for the placement of the finger holes.

However for one twenty-fifth the price I figure it couldn't hurt. I might try it out, just to see what happens.

edit to add:
The sound may actually be achieved by a reed insert.

[Gule]

Try asking in the Scandinavian forum, since it is a traditional Norwegian instrument it can probably be bought on markets all over Norway, i have never seen them in Sweden(of course I've never looked for them) so they seem pretty unusual outside of Norway. My point is you could probably get a Norwegian forumite to buy one and send it to you.