Yes, that's right, folks! A fiddle from a cornstalk.
Get a cornstalk. Now cut it about two feet long so that you have two joints and some stalk left over. Mark where you will have four stings using something as a straight edge and a pen or pencil. Trim away all of the outer skin of the stalk except where you marked to keep strings. Carefully trim away about half the stalk that is underneath where you marked out for the srings. Get a small piece of wood, a piece of a popsicle stick does well and place that about 3/4's of the way down the strings close to the middle joint. This is the "bridge."
You'll need a bow to play it. Either use a real fiddle bow, well-rosined, or make a cornstalk bow Get another cornstalk, or use what you have leftover from the first one. Trim away some of the stalk betwixt two layers same as you did to make the fiddle part but leave more of the stalk fibers than you did when you made the strings. Cut them finely so they're shreaded like bow hair. Now get a broken hunk of rosin from some fiddler who might be happening along. I always save my old broken rosin blocks. Put the hunk in a plastic bag and smash it to a fine powder using a rock or a hammer or your boot heal. Dust the cornstalk bow hairs with this powder and play a fine tune!
You'll need something for a bow.
Now fiddle away!
Maybe no Stradivari, but something to snap out a rhythm and a tune.
