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Kenny Wolin Rosewood Bones deliver a remarkable dynamic range of strong tones that are powerful, yet not too sharp
I love my Kenny Wolin Rosewood Bones. Four pairs are in my favorites bag. What makes them so great? They are easy to grip, comfortable, well balanced - and they deliver a remarkably dynamic range of tones. Handcrafted by Kenny Wolin (a professional percussionist who serves with "The President's Own" Marine Band), the ingeniously simple design extracts a rich musical timbre from rosewood that is quite powerful, yet not too sharp.
Flat Design is Great for Small or Large Hands
What is a flat design? Like most musical bones, the sides are curved when you look at them in profile. The arch aligns perfectly with my standard 28 degree template. But unlike minstrel style bones or natural rib bones which are oval when you look at the ends, Kenny's bones are flat in cross-section, like Shooting Star Bones.
"They are Going in the Show"
In the summer of 2009 I saw Doc Watson and David Holt perform live at the Sheldon Auditorium here in Saint Louis. Who is David Holt? David is a four-time Grammy Award winning multi-instrumentalist who comes from five generations of bone players. In fact, David started his musical career as a bone player. (David is also a gifted teacher whose popular Folk Rhythms dvd shows you how to play 5 folk instruments: Spoons, Hambone, Washboard, Bones and the Paper Bag.) Fortunately, I arrived at the Sheldon early enough to stop backstage and visit David before the show. Turns out his luggage with the bones did not arrive at the airport. As luck would have it, my bones bag was in the van so I went out and brought it in. The bag carries around 30 pairs of bones. David's clear favorite were the Kenny Wolin Rosewood Bones.
This is what David Holt says about Kenny Wolin Rosewood Bones:
"The rosewood bones are wonderful...very wooden, not too bright and yet forceful...They are going in the show."
Exquisitely Simple Design
The design is elegant and ingenuously simple. The shape is not much more than a refined curved plank. But examine them up close and you will find superior quality in every detail. For example: The squarish side edges are rounded along the top face and finely beveled along the bottom. This makes for a comfortable and secure grip. And the rounded top edges help deliver a broad tonal range - at least if you play both the edges and faces, as I am fond of doing. What's more, both ends of the face are finished with a slight broad bevel that gives you increased face-to-face contact when you choke the bones way up high, as I usually do in my less-dominant hand. But no matter how you look at these bones, they are elegantly simple in design and deliver a great sound. Which is what it is all about. And if that's not enough, each pair is branded with Kenny's wood-burned "KB" (Kenny Bones) signature logo.
Handcrafted by the World's Best Bone Player
Everyone likes Kenny. He is a friendly, personable and non-assuming guy. Kenny is also a very serious bone player. Notable advanced players consider him the world's best bone player. Below is a sample of Kenny's creative rattlin' on YouTube.
Kenny Wolin rattles his Rosewood Bones at Bones Fest X (2006) in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Limited Supply
The bones on this page are in very limited supply. I was fortunate to get a small quantity of them from Kenny at Bones Fest XIII in Louisville. But Kenny tells me that he no longer plans to offer bones for sale via retail outlets. So this might be your only chance to purchase Kenny Wolin Bones here at this online shop. I cannot say for sure if you will be able to get them directly from Kenny in the future or not. So at this point in time, when these Rosewood bones are gone, they're gone.
Who is Kenny Wolin? Kenny Wolin serves as percussionist and resident bones and anglo concertina player with the "Presidents Own" United States Marine Band. He is also "The President's Own" musical adviser and co-leader of the White House Irish Ensemble. He teaches advanced workshops at the Rhythm Bones Society's annual Bones Fest, and has performed on bones at The Kennedy Center under guest conductor John Williams. Besides his professional percussionist day-job, Kenny also sings, plays guitar, bodhran, and is a superb spoon player.
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Figures are approximate (but pretty darn close)--
- Length: 7-1/2"
- Width: 1-1/8"
- Thickness: 1/4"
- Composition: Rosewood
- Camber (arc): 28 degrees
- Weight: 2 oz
- Color: Reddish orange-brown
- Specific Gravity: .96 (Stronger Tone)
- Density: 60 pcf (Strong Tone)
- Hardness: 2720 Janka (Sharper Tone)
Who is Kenny Wolin? Kenny Wolin serves as percussionist and resident bones and anglo concertina player with the "Presidents Own" United States Marine Band. He is also "The President's Own" musical adviser and co-leader of the White House Irish Ensemble. He teaches advanced workshops at the Rhythm Bones Society's annual Bones Fest, and has performed on bones at The Kennedy Center under guest conductor John Williams. Besides his professional percussionist day-job, Kenny also sings, plays guitar, bodhran, and is a superb spoon player.
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Features
- Rosewood Hardwood: Delivers strong powerful tone.
- Natural Smooth Finish: Very comfortable wooden grip.
- Flat Profile: Excellent shape for small or large hands.
- Masterful Design: Produces remarkable range of dynamic tones.
- Hand Signed: Quality wood-burn branded product.
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