[Alan Brinton]

Ingenious! How do you suppose weather stripping would work? The kind used around windows and doors, which come in various sizes and shapes. On my heavy sliding patio door, there is heavy hard rubber stripping that’s about 1/2 inch thick. It seems like the higher the ridge, the easier it would be to produce the kinds of effects you’re getting, and the less the body surface (apron or whatever) would matter.

At the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, I saw an instrument (can’t remember whether wind or string) with a half coconut shell that the player cups against his bare belly. I think is was a Polynesian folk instrument. I have not been able to find something like this on the Internet, though use of coconut shells in folk instruments is common.