Thanks for the comment / question! I think on this kora, I tried smaller holes but found that when the strings wind on the tuner rods, they tended to bind up once the string wrapped on itself over and over (an issue with the thicker strings much more than the thinner, naturally). So that's why the holes seem bigger than necessary, visually.

Thanks! And yeah, fishing line. Berkley Trilene monofilament to be precise! I recommend against weed-eater line. It can have ridges (makes cutting grass / weeds easier) and also be of inferior sonic / resonant quality. The lb. tests I use are 30, 50, 80, 100, 130, 250, and a twisted string for the bass (or a 300-350 lb test monofilament)

@@willridenour thank you. They do make a round weed eater string, but I could try braiding. Which two strands would you braid?

@@kellysturgeon6727 It's more of a twisting / winding technique than a braid, although it looks like a braid! It's hard to describe the process, and I'm not great at it myself (yet!). I usually use 150 or 250 lb test for the twist, depending on how think I want the finished bass string to be and what key the kora will be in.

Thanks! I only play it for that one split second; the 90-second time limit was too tight to include a good sound check unfortunately.

Will do! Thanks David!

Hi, I'd be glad to help. To get connected, please head to my website's Contact page at willridenour.com/contact and send me an email. Thanks!

I sent you an email. Thanks

@@HighChiefBeatmakerhey- I haven’t received anything from you yet. Maybe try again in a bit? I avoid listing my email here on YT due to spam…

Hi, I'd be glad to answer your question except I don't know what you mean by "fishing rod"... could you explain differently?

@@willridenour sorry i totally said that wrong what type of material did you use to connect the fishing line to the base of the metal ring

@@TonythekillaB gotcha. I used 250lb test braided fishing line. It's very strong and doesn't vibrate and create buzzing sounds like regular monofilament sometimes does. I don't actually like the brand I was using here (0.80 mm Super Power Ashconfish)- the green pigment comes off onto your hands when using it and it's kind of a pain. Otherwise, it's working great.

In my experience, string breakage has little or nothing to do with number of rotations on the tuner rods; it's all about tension / using a correctly-sized string for the desired note. It's tricky!

@@willridenour I see, thank you for your advice!

Sure. Here's a full list with LB test, inches, and mm for others who might have the same question. I use 7 sizes of Berkley Trilene Big Game brand fishing line; which size I use for which string depends on the note I need considering the length of the string. You need the right tension, very tight, but not too tight to break often. Bass string is 4 strands of twisted 250 lb 250 lb test / .063 in / 1.6 mm 150 lb test / .047 in / 1.19 mm 100 lb test / .039 in / .99 mm 80 lb test / .035 in / .89 mm 50 lb test / .028 in / .71 mm 30 lb test / .022 in / .55 mm 25 lb test / .019 in / .48 mm

Thank you!

Thanks!

Thanks! I'll see if I can put some more out in the near future!

Thanks!

Thanks for the comment! It wasn't too long ago that I also couldn't afford to pay someone and didn't know where to start... but I just experimented and tried stuff out. Basically there are too many parameters / variables at play from kora to kora to be able to give exact directions at the moment. I'm still doing a lot of trial and error and R&D on the process anyways; trying to make jigs and other tools in order to make things easier and faster. Right now it's very slow and very careful.

Thanks! The wrap at the end is an Ace Bandage to keep the twisted skin down tightly, especially where the beginning and ends meet. It's not totally necessary, but just assures a tight twist while drying.

Hey - I'd be glad to discuss. Send me a message through my website contact form at www.willridenour.com and we'll get the conversation going.

Good to hear! Best wishes and hope it turns out well.

Great to hear! At the moment I'm not creating any tutorials of kora music for public consumption, but I make them for all my students. If you might be interested in that, don't hesitate to get in touch here: willridenour.com/lessons

Thanks! We are currently working on a new album, including this composition! Sign up for info and everything at www.rumibycandlelight.com

Hi - sorry I don't quite understand the question, but I'm glad to try and help you. Are you talking about the thickness of the 3 highest strings?

@@willridenour THANKS MR.... The thinnest doesn't sound good to me, So I changed the bridge, but I distinguish another not very pleasant sound on the thinner strings I put the previous bridge and the thinner strings still give a bad sound, I already changed to thicker and much thinner and I do not find the sound as my kora arrived What can be?

@@alexenriquez5900 hmmm sounds like an interesting problem. So you have tried a different bridge and also larger and smaller strings, and none of that worked? Describe the bad sound you are getting and also the sound you are wanting to get. Also- this problem might be hard to figure out with us messaging back and forth. Id be glad to help you over Zoom sometime. That way I can see your kora and hear the problem you are getting.

Thanks!

Thanks!

It works because the crack goes all the way through from the bottom to the outside of the stem, making a channel for the suction and the glue to go all the way inside.

@@willridenour you need to show where the other end of the crack lays on the stem to better understand what your are doing with the shop vac.

@@ColtanFree it was a crack that opened up in several places among the carvings; was really hard to get good suction. You can see me moving around the vac tube to find a good spot. The crack also opened up on the inside of the stem, and I taped it off in order to get better suction to the areas of the crack near the outside of the stem. If I make another video like this, I can try and show all the cracks better before and after the fix.

It was Titebond 3… good stuff!

Nice to hear! Yes, the tuning was G major w/a raised 4th degree: Sauta/Tilibo tuning.

@@willridenour thank you 🙏

@@willridenour Sorry to bother you again 😂 Sarce information online on these things. G major Sauta would be G, A, B, C#, D, E, F#?

@@Konchog_Ngodrup yes exactly!