Spoons

Spoons

Playing Spoons to the Music

Playing spoons starts with holding the spoons in the hand as shown here. Either hand will work, but most people use the hand they hold a single spoon in to eat their cereal.

Use the index finger to adjust the gap between the bowls of the spoons. Keep the tail ends of the spoons together in the palm of your hand and keep a firm grip on the spoons. I like to sit down to play spoons. Just tap the tip of the spoon bowl on your knee (either one or alternate between knees) You can also tap against your hand, fingers, forearm or any body part you choose. You can rattle down four extended fingers, then strike your knee and get five clicks in one stroke. Most anything goes as long as it fits the rhythm the band is playing.

The general rules for spoon playing are: only one pair of spoons per band or playing group, don’t play spoons while the singer is singing, and play only on your own body parts. The best advice is to listen carefully to the music being played and be sure to play a rhythm that complements the playing of the other musicians. Make sure you know where the beat is and play on it.

Play on either knee, from any direction or on hand

Play between hand and knee / Rattle down fingers

MAKE YOUR OWN SPOONS

If you would like plans for making your own spoons, download the GIF file of the pattern shown below and print it. (Just right click on the drawing below, then click "Print Picture" or "Save Picture As"). (The length of the spoons on the pattern should come out about 8-3/4".)

Two wood blocks are stacked and taped together and the top pattern is drawn on the wide side of the block. The pattern for cutting two spoons is drawn on the edge of the blocks lined up with the drawing on the top. There should be a profile of a spoon on each block. Band saw out the shape of the top. Tape all of the parts back together again. Band saw out the profile shape of the two spoons on the edge of the blocks.

When the sawing is done it will be necessary to gouge out the bowl of the spoons and saw/sand the bottom of the bowels to a round shape. After an overall sanding, give the spoons a coat of tung oil or a half and half mixture of turpentine and boiled linseed oil. Then play spoons.

Spoon Pattern

Play along with music from Bittersweet and Briers.

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