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Instruments designed and built by Edward Powell

RAGMAKAMTAR

The ragmakamtar is an original instrument now manifested in ten versions. The first four versions were essentially double-neck fretless guitar-type instruments with sympathetic strings. The original concept was to combine elements of an oud, a sarod, and a fretless guitar. Versions #5 onward abandon the acoustic guitar body concept in favour of an oud's rounded back, and versions #7 and #8 have just one single wide neck. From version #8 onward the sympathetic strings have been eliminated.

The dzuddahord was build by Edward in 2008 for Vladiswar Nadishana. It is modelled after the ragmakamtar version #3's visual design however both necks are fretted and have have steel strings. The upper neck is a six string guitar with a fully adjustable sitar bridge. The lower neck is configured like a mandola. The result is a marriage between a guitar, sitar, and mandola.

Edward fell in love with the sound of simple African stringed instruments, in particular the Moroccan "gambri". An original gambri has an very simple neck, just a round broomstick with the strings tied on with leather straps. There are no tuning pegs at all. Although a gambri is ideally suited to the local music from where it came, Edward felt the urge to get a similar sound from an instrument that would have a standard fingerboard and tuning pegs, hense the 'gambri-bass' which is a Moroccan gambri exactly except with a bass guitar-type neck. The "afro-bass" is simply a larger and more sophisticated version of the "gambri-bass"... both of these basses can be heard throughout Edward's recent CDs.

Edward has designed and build two original ouds. The baritone oud has a longer than normal string length and a wide body to produce a great bottom end. The alto-oud is the opposite, with a small body and tight soundboard bracing this instrument has strong punch and projection.

The result of Edward's early experiments in designing and constructing original instruments these are essentially two very long necked fretless guitars, although their bodies share little with those of most guitars. The sargamtar's very delicate sound belies it's very primative construction, which resembles that of simple African instruments made from stretched skin (as soundboard) over a rough structure. The sartar is a more sophisticated version sharing building techniques with those of ouds and guitars, and having 7 double courses of steel strings. This is a very powerful instrument but difficult to play and hold!

(c) 2012 edwardpowell.com