Filing my nut / Uilleann practice chanter

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Filing my Nut

Ever since Amy got me this Bouzouki, the B (2nd fret, 3rd course) has been sharp. As I moved up the fretboard to the octave fret, the notes got more in tune, so I knew the position of the bridge was okay. My suspicion was that the strings were too high off the fretboard, which meant the nut needed work.

The nut is a little block of wood, plastic, or bone, between the head (where the tuners are) and the fretboard. It lifts the strings up off the fretboard so that they don’t buzz against the frets. But if it lifts them too high, you can get the exact kind of intonation problem I was having.

Practice on the front porch

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been sitting out on the front porch every morning, practicing the slow session’s tune of the month on the mandolin. Last week, the kids who just moved in across the street heard me and wound up sitting in the lawn and just listening. That was a cool moment :)

Last night was the full session. Brought my mandolin this time, and, yes, confirmed, I can just about keep up with all the weird tunues they’re playing. Hopping around to A major and E major, good grief. No wonder I couldn’t keep up on the bagpipes.

Bouzouki on Neale Pickett

Filing my nut / Uilleann practice chanter

Filing my Nut

Practice on the front porch