mhickler - Posted - 02/08/2013:  19:18:30

Rabab is a central asian instrument with a goat skin head.

I was talking to a professional rabab player who came to the shop. I asked him how he deals with climate changes since the rabab head is glued on and can't be adjusted. He told me that if the head seems too loose, the night before a gig he mixes lemon juice and water and wets the head with it. Next morning the head is tight again.

For the sake of perspective, a rabab head is a lot looser than a banjo head, so "tight" here is a relative term. Nevertheless I found this interesting and wondered if anyone has tried that trick.

jbalch - Posted - 02/08/2013:  19:26:53

That is a new on for me....Let us know if it works.

I'll link this to the hide heads group

banjopa1 - Posted - 02/09/2013:  04:04:04

Not sure about that but remember this: ONLY IN AMERICA DOES LEMON JUICE CONTAIN ARTIFICIAL FLAVORING AND DISHWASHER DETERGENT CONTAIN REAL LEMONS

Aradobanjo - Posted - 02/09/2013:  05:39:58

Hello,

Then we must squeeze our own lemons, dilute, and strain. Is this spritzed on or brushed on? Before installation or after?

Interesting topic!

mhickler - Posted - 02/09/2013:  06:07:20

Aradobanjo, all you said sounds right except I think it is applied with a cloth or paper towel. This process is to tighten an head already installed, but sagging due to humidity. Rabab heads are glued on so you cannot tighten them mechanically.

If anyone is interested in ethnic music, the rabab is really cool. There is lots of rabab music on YouTube.

Edited by - mhickler on 02/09/2013 06:11:22

stringbeaner - Posted - 03/23/2013:  17:26:29

The lemon juice is kind of an old wives tale. Doesn't make much  (any) difference. Wet a washrag and wipe the head with it just enough to dampen it slightly and let it dry overnite. Some folks stick a 40-watt bulb under it to warm it and make it dry a little faster.

ACFairbanks - Posted - 03/23/2013:  18:05:58

quote:

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Originally posted by stringbeaner

 

The lemon juice is kind of an old wives tale. Doesn't make much  (any) difference. Wet a washrag and wipe the head with it just enough to dampen it slightly and let it dry overnite. Some folks stick a 40-watt bulb under it to warm it and make it dry a little faster.

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Howdy,

Wouldn't that just bring the head back to the (approximate) tension it had before moistening it? I would think so because after the head dried, it would have the same amount of moisture as it had before wiping it down. That is, the relative humidity of the air surrounding it.

Warming the head would dry it, making it tighter if one had skipped the step with the water.

All the best,

A.C.

stringbeaner - Posted - 06/18/2013:  11:31:27

Water works!  You might want to tighten the head a little, but be careful! You can pop it if you're not!