Submitted by Becky Olson, Union Grove, Wisconsin

Idea posted January 13, 2004

Here are the directions for making the cornstalk fiddle and shoestring bow. It will sound confusing until you actually have a cornstalk in your hand, and then you'll see right away what I'm talking about!

Cornstalk Fiddle

The main cornstalk is round, and there are rings at intervals called nodes. You need to find a section of the green cornstalk with an ear of corn still attached. Pull off the ear off the corn, and you will see that under the ear the cornstalk is not round, but has a groove in it where the corn was growing. The groove will run between two nodes. Cut off a piece of the cornstalk anywhere from 12"-18" long, and make sure that you have stalk on both ends of the nodes on either end of the groove. In other words, the groove is about the center of the fiddle, and there is extra stalk on both ends.

There is a sort of ridge at each side of the groove, and these ridges will become the strings of the fiddle. The next part involves cutting, and of course you can't let the students do that. (I had 19 parents with me on my trip, and they each did the cutting for their small group.) Between the two nodes, along each side of the groove, you need to cut under the ridge on each side, but leave it attached to the node at both ends. All you do is stick the knife in and cut a thin slice under the ridge on each side, so that you create a "string" on each side. If you accidentally cut it loose at one end, just pull it off and make a new cut. It doesn't seem to matter how thick the strings are, so if you feel safer cutting them thick, go ahead. Now, you need to find a small stick, no more than 1/4 inch in diameter, and break off two pieces, each about two inches long. Carefully lift your strings and insert the sticks under the strings. Move them back toward the nodes. These are the bridges, like the bridge on a violin, and they hold the strings up from the surface of the cornstalk to allow them to vibrate. That is all there is to the cornstalk fiddle, but of course you can't play it until you have:

The Shoestring Bow

To make the bow, you need a flexible stick anywhere from 12"-18" long and 1/2" or less in diameter. Willow branches work great, but any flexible stick will do. (I used the thin, flexible ends of suckers cut from the bottom of our maple trees.) Take all of the leaves and stems off of the branch, so you have a bare stick. Now, again with the cutting... put the stick down on a hard surface and cut a slit about 1/2" into each end of the branch. You might be tempted to stand the stick up and push the knife down into the cut end of the stick, but believe me, that is a good way to get yourself cut, so LAY IT DOWN! You now have a bare stick with a 1/2" slit in each end. Now, for the bowstring. A cotton shoestring works well. That is why they call it a shoestring bow. However, after some experimentation, I have found that one of the best bowstrings is 1/4" cane, like you use for caning chairs. I have a friend who canes chairs as a hobby, and I just asked if I could have several lengths of old cane. I soaked the cane in water for several hours before the kids made their bows, and cut it into 18"-24" lengths as they were ready to use it. Gently work the piece of cane, or the shoestring, into the slit at one end of the bow and tie it in a knot at that end of the bow. Work the other end into the slit at the other end of the bow. Now, brace it against a table or your thigh and pull the bow into a curve by pulling on the loose end of the cane and bending the stick. The stick will be shaped like an arc. Tie the second end of the cane in a knot, making sure that the string is tight. The kids did amazingly well at this. It isn't nearly as hard as it sounds. The bow is now ready, but you will need to rosin it. I brought two cakes of rosin, and it was lots of fun for the kids to rub the cane across the rosin!

There are various playing positions. Lay the fiddle on your lap, stand it up on your leg and play like a cello, or, a favorite, stick one end of the fiddle in your armpit to steady it. Pull the bow across the strings, and you'll get a "lovely" screeching sound, sort of like chalk on a blackboard. My kids were great at sawing away to keep the steady beat.

The cornstalk fiddle is an authentic folk instrument, perhaps originating in the Midwest, but I'm not sure about that. It is definitely not a melody instrument, but lots of fun to play!