Wobble board
Encyclopedia
The wobble board is an instrument popularized by the Australia
n musician and artist Rolf Harris
and featured in his best-known song "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport
". A wobble board, like some other musical instrument
s, can be ornately decorated as its large surface area can act as a canvas
without detracting from its musical capability.
The instrument is played by holding the board lengthwise, hands at the sides and flicking the board outward, making the characteristic "whoop-whoop" noise. The angle the board is held at and the way the board is "flicked" can alter the timbre
of the wobble board. It is similar to the boards used to imitate the sound of thunder in the theatre of Shakespeare's time.
Wobble boards are not commercially made, and most are made by the player. Almost any large, rigid but flexible sheet of material can be used as an impromptu wobble board, although some materials are markedly better than others. Harris's instrument was originally made from a type of wood
composite known as hardboard
(Masonite
in the United States and Australia). According to an interview he gave to Tony Barrell
for The Sunday Times Magazine
in 2001, Rolf discovered the musical properties of hardboard by chance, when he was about to paint a portrait of the conjurer Robert Harbin
in 1959. Before his subject arrived, Rolf prepared the background, covering a large piece of hardboard with Prussian blue
oil paint
mixed with turpentine
. But the surface refused to dry. "It was all sticky and nasty. He was due to arrive in about half an hour." In desperation, Harris propped the board over a paraffin
heater. When he touched it later, it was so hot it burned his finger. "So I propped it between the palms of my hands and shook it to cool it down. And ... I thought, 'What a marvellous sound.'"
Rolf Harris said:
A wobble board used by Rolf for more than 40 years is now part of the National Museum of Australia
collection.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n musician and artist Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
and featured in his best-known song "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport
Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport
"Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" is a song written by Rolf Harris in 1957 which became a hit across the world in the 1960s in two different recordings . Inspired by Harry Belafonte's calypsos, it is about an Australian stockman on his deathbed...
". A wobble board, like some other musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s, can be ornately decorated as its large surface area can act as a canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
without detracting from its musical capability.
The instrument is played by holding the board lengthwise, hands at the sides and flicking the board outward, making the characteristic "whoop-whoop" noise. The angle the board is held at and the way the board is "flicked" can alter the timbre
Timbre
In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...
of the wobble board. It is similar to the boards used to imitate the sound of thunder in the theatre of Shakespeare's time.
Wobble boards are not commercially made, and most are made by the player. Almost any large, rigid but flexible sheet of material can be used as an impromptu wobble board, although some materials are markedly better than others. Harris's instrument was originally made from a type of wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
composite known as hardboard
Hardboard
Hardboard, also called high-density fiberboard , not to be confused with 'hardwood', is a type of fiberboard, which is an engineered wood product....
(Masonite
Masonite
Masonite is a type of hardboard invented by William H. Mason.-History:Masonite was invented in 1924 in Laurel, Mississippi, by William H. Mason. Mass production started in 1929. In the 1930s and 1940s Masonite was used for many applications including doors, roofing, walls, desktops, and canoes...
in the United States and Australia). According to an interview he gave to Tony Barrell
Tony Barrell (journalist)
Tony Barrell is a British journalist, known for his humour and his exploration of the unusual and the unexplained. He has written many major features for the Sunday Times, and has also contributed to The Times, The Idler, and Cornucopia magazine, among others. He frequently writes about people with...
for The Sunday Times Magazine
The Sunday Times Magazine
The Sunday Times Magazine is a supplement to The Sunday Times newspaper. It was launched in 1962 and was redesigned in November 2008.-References:...
in 2001, Rolf discovered the musical properties of hardboard by chance, when he was about to paint a portrait of the conjurer Robert Harbin
Robert Harbin
Robert Harbin was a British magician and writer. He is noted as the inventor of a number of classic illusions, including the Zig Zag Girl...
in 1959. Before his subject arrived, Rolf prepared the background, covering a large piece of hardboard with Prussian blue
Prussian blue
Prussian blue is a dark blue pigment with the idealized formula Fe718. Another name for the color Prussian blue is Berlin blue or, in painting, Parisian blue. Turnbull's blue is the same substance but is made from different reagents....
oil paint
Oil paint
Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the...
mixed with turpentine
Turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
. But the surface refused to dry. "It was all sticky and nasty. He was due to arrive in about half an hour." In desperation, Harris propped the board over a paraffin
Paraffin
In chemistry, paraffin is a term that can be used synonymously with "alkane", indicating hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2. Paraffin wax refers to a mixture of alkanes that falls within the 20 ≤ n ≤ 40 range; they are found in the solid state at room temperature and begin to enter the...
heater. When he touched it later, it was so hot it burned his finger. "So I propped it between the palms of my hands and shook it to cool it down. And ... I thought, 'What a marvellous sound.'"
Rolf Harris said:
A wobble board used by Rolf for more than 40 years is now part of the National Museum of Australia
National Museum of Australia
The National Museum of Australia was formally established by the National Museum of Australia Act 1980. The National Museum preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation....
collection.