The Sardinian connection.

[Johnnythefox]

I found some photos from my Sardinian road trip.

The first time I used my knife bought in Nuoro was sitting on a little wall (in the shade) eating local produce, bread,and delicious cheese.

Its what I love to do, its much better than sitting in a cafe when you are on the open road with a nice view.



The sign from Corsica (the first part of my trip) is a wild card photo of my favourite sign ever.

It says somethingf along the lines of dont wash your animal's in the fountain.

Honestly you can not get more rural and out of the way of city life than that.

 

[Âchillepattada]

Stop smoking said the dr

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[kamagong]

Stop smoking said the dr

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A much more sensible use for your Euros.

 

[RayseM]

My humble version of the above knife by DAVIDE STERI ~ The Gonnesa Panciuta, aka, POTBELLY KNIFE

 

[Âchillepattada]

Hello RayseM ,

Your video is in Sardinian
Even I've never heard this instrument in Sardinia, I'm not surprised at all. Of course it has its particularities but it's a bagpipe. You have to keep in mind that for a Sardinian all what is produced in HIS island is UNIQUE

First this island has been colonised by a lot of peoples, vikings, Normands from France, Catalans, etc
Then these instruments were typical from the European middle age. We know them from the Celtics countries ( UK, Spain, France) but they can be found in a lot of other places.
You can find it called zampona in a lot of regions of Italie :



But you can also find it in Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia and Albania, Romania and Moldavia, Turkey, Malta, Georgia, Belgium, Germany, etc. etc.
We were in an open world far before Internet even if Mark Zuckerberg doesn't know it

The only instrument I play is the Jaws harp. And exactly like the bagpipe I've found a version in north Sardinia. It's called in italian scacciapensiero and in Sardinian sa trunfa.



It came from the nomads of northeast Asia with the invasions and you can find it almost all over Europe en even in India.

Have a great week end Ray.

Â

 

[Âchillepattada]

Talking about music without sound is not fair
And of course a jaws harp is .. forged

 

[RayseM]

Hello Âchillepattada - Jean-Marc from what I read it predates all of the bagged versions. Perhaps the LAUNEDDAS can be considered in the bagpipe "family", as it shares the similar reeded pipes and creates a similar sound but, as I understand it, the LAUNEDDAS predates all the bagged versions. Why take that away from the Sardinians? Quite a cool instrument with a long history.

 

[GaiusJulius]

Hello Âchillepattada - Jean-Marc from what I read it predates all of the bagged versions. Perhaps the LAUNEDDAS can be considered in the bagpipe "family", as it shares the similar reeded pipes and creates a similar sound but, as I understand it, the LAUNEDDAS predates all the bagged versions. Why take that away from the Sardinians? Quite a cool instrument with a long history.

Most shepherds all over the world figured out how to make simple hornpipes using a reed to produce sound and some holes to play different notes. Most of these pipes were later modified and improved with a bag and air tube. I think it would be hard to say which country or where they appeared first. Probably ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia. Every country in Europe (and many other countries too) have local versions. I always thought this was fascinating, since in America we think of the genre pretty much exclusively in terms of a clarinet or more specifically, a Scottish “great highland” army pipe.

 

[RayseM]

All as you say G GaiusJulius is not disputed by me. I merely make representation that specifically the Launeddas instrument, in it's 3 pipe form, is considered an ancient form with very long ties to Sardinia.This takes nothing away from bagpipes or Shepard's flutes as part of the tradition.

Watch the video for more details or check out this WEB SITE PAGE on the subject. I didn't expect to create a controversy simply sharing what I am coming to understand. Are these Sardinian historians/archeologists so self serving as to be making exaggerated claims? I don't know if, for certain, Sardinia is "the only place in the world" where the very specific form of musical instrument that is the LAUNEDDAS is being made - cousins of it around the world notwithstanding - I am willing to trust the Sardinians on the matter.

From the Web site page noted ~

The early history of the launeddas is thus still completely in the dark, the material leaving us free to form two hypotheses:

1. The launeddas has developed locally in Sardinia in the first millennium before Christ out of a double pipe of common Mediterranean type, being and remaining a unique instrument for the entire span of its existence.
2. The launeddas is a representative of a sub-group among the primitive clarinets which existed in, for istance, the Western part of the Mediterranean already in the first millennium before Christ, and passed an unnoticed existence during the Roman period, to die out at the end of the Middle Ages when they were converted into bagpipes.

However this may be, it can be stated that the launeddas has an unbroken history on Sardinian soil for 2500 years, surviving from from the tribal culture of the Bronze-age by adapting itself to the ever changing conditions of a society in evolution, and ending up as we find it today, an integral part of a 20th-century peasant community.

I find it very interesting and intriguing.

 

[kamagong]

As much as I love looking at resolzas I think I have bought my last one. I really don't care for how much they move. During the summer months mine becomes distressingly loose, opening simply through the force of gravity. Strange too, the horn is adequately seasoned as the pins stayed flush.

I thought about hammering the pivot, but I wanted to wait until the winter to see how it behaves. Now that it's wet my knife has snugged up again, acting like a friction folder should. Argh! I'm glad I waited. If I had tightened the pivot during the summer it would have ended up impossible to use during the winter.

Alas, I think my resolza is strictly for winter coat carry. Pity, as it is such a beautiful knife.

 

[RayseM]

Funny you say that today. I just took out my Steri Gonnesa Panciuta and the blade has absolutely no tension on it. A winter problem as we are in the heating season and it has loosened up. I did hammer the pivot end of summer, after waiting to see if seasonal humidity would tighten enough. A bit of hammering was still needed and that was sufficient to make it right. Today though - all for naught. This is one of 2 problem knives out of 6 various Steri and Sechi knives I have owned that needed this care. All the others are consistently good, yet they are ALL with horn scales.

 

[draggat]

I have to admit, I am sometimes annoyed by the 'alive' aspect of friction folders, but not enough to stop them from being among my favorites.

kamagong I used to live in Crockett, which I believe is near you. Living that close to the ocean had a pretty wild effect. Some of my friction knives wouldn't even fully open in winter. I guess it helps that we have many knives to choose from.

We've since moved to the Sacramento area and they've settled down quite a bit. I also frequently rub the horn handles with pure lanolin.... not sure if it makes any difference.

 

[Âchillepattada]

Hello,
To my small experience this problem lasts about two years , two seasonal cycles. Then the horn stabilizes and stay like it is several years.
The Sardinian knives are really adapted to a particular way of life. You can't expect a Pattadesa the characteristics of a Laguiole of a Jack knife.
But if you have a problem with it it will be easy to fix. If you have a problem with your Jack knife you will have to be not so far from a specialist

Â

 

[waynorth]

As much as I love looking at resolzas I think I have bought my last one. I really don't care for how much they move. During the summer months mine becomes distressingly loose, opening simply through the force of gravity. Strange too, the horn is adequately seasoned as the pins stayed flush.

I thought about hammering the pivot, but I wanted to wait until the winter to see how it behaves. Now that it's wet my knife has snugged up again, acting like a friction folder should. Argh! I'm glad I waited. If I had tightened the pivot during the summer it would have ended up impossible to use during the winter.

Alas, I think my resolza is strictly for winter coat carry. Pity, as it is such a beautiful knife.

View attachment 2478008

Thanks for the real world test, Christian!!

 

[RayseM]

Hello,
To my small experience this problem lasts about two years , two seasonal cycles. Then the horn stabilizes and stay like it is several years.
The Sardinian knives are really adapted to a particular way of life. You can't expect a Pattadesa the characteristics of a Laguiole of a Jack knife.
But if you have a problem with it it will be easy to fix. If you have a problem with your Jack knife you will have to be not so far from a specialist

Â

Well good - this will be my last time to tighten the pivot. To be clear, I don't hammer on the pivot, rather I squeeze in a vice between 2 brass hinge plates. Sneak up on it.

 

[kamagong]

I have to admit, I am sometimes annoyed by the 'alive' aspect of friction folders, but not enough to stop them from being among my favorites.

kamagong I used to live in Crockett, which I believe is near you. Living that close to the ocean had a pretty wild effect. Some of my friction knives wouldn't even fully open in winter. I guess it helps that we have many knives to choose from.

We've since moved to the Sacramento area and they've settled down quite a bit. I also frequently rub the horn handles with pure lanolin.... not sure if it makes any difference.

View attachment 2478113

That's exactly it Steve. We used to live nearby in Martinez. We've since moved, but our house is still in the same climate within a mile of the Delta. Being so close to the water has an undeniable effect on this knife.

Hello,
To my small experience this problem lasts about two years , two seasonal cycles. Then the horn stabilizes and stay like it is several years.
The Sardinian knives are really adapted to a particular way of life. You can't expect a Pattadesa the characteristics of a Laguiole of a Jack knife.
But if you have a problem with it it will be easy to fix. If you have a problem with your Jack knife you will have to be not so far from a specialist

Â

I remember you mentioning that Sardinians often need a couple of years to get used to a new home when they immigrate JM. That's the reason why the sanguinato was left untouched. I wanted to give him time and space to acclimate to a strange environment. But if he's still uncooperative next year we are going to have issues and remedial action will be taken.

 

[Johnnythefox]

I have been lucky with mine the tension is the same all year (and thge ones I sold).

In Corsica the lady in one shop had a small anvil and pin hammer and would tighten a knife if you asked her (different material I know,but obviously same occasional problem) I have photos somewhere.

 

[lambertiana]

My small Steri had the same seasonal variation for the first few years, but has settled down now and has stayed reasonably tight for the last couple years. My large Steri has not had this issue at all.