This multi-dexterous phenomenon has become something that churches outside the Pacific Northwest have been interested in experiencing, so my father has helped me take things a step further by purchasing a new stool, taking it apart, and creating a way for it to be shipped in a smaller box and re-assembled with washers and wing nuts. Now when I fly to gigs, I can play “Four Limbs.” I can ship the apparatus anywhere, and all the hosting venue has to do is cover shipping, and to loan me a guitar which I can re-string and play with my feet. Below are all the necessary components that I ship out, including the stool, which breaks down into 13 pieces.
My creative musical pursuits took flight in 2004, when I decided to play two guitars simultaneously. An elder at a church I was performing at basically "challenged" me to do this. One of my trademark songs, "Four Limbs," was the result. My father, Tom Harsh, came to my aid by creating what we now call the “Four Limbs Foot Cradle.” It's basically three pieces of aluminum that hinge together to create a "U" shape. Mounted on one extension of the "U" is a piece of wood that cradles the guitar neck near the nut. On the other extension is a strap that goes over the sound hole but under the strings, to hold the guitar firmly in place. Below is a picture of the prototype, and below it, the second generation of it.
The "Four Limbs" Apparatus was debuted in concert on July 25, 2004.
Since then, “Four Limbs” continues to be a great closing song at concerts, and it is available on my 2006 album, "Traveling Companion. To watch a video of “Four Limbs,” please click the screen below.
The "Four Limbs" Apparatus:
A tool that makes it possible for me to play two guitars at the same time...one with my feet
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To listen to a sound clip from the studio recording of "Four Limbs," please click here.
To learn about the specific guitar tunings involved with "Four Limbs," please click here.
The cradle is attached to a wooden stool that has special notches cut at the bottom of two of the legs, allowing the cradle to be bolted to it. On my "fretting/sliding" foot, I use something I call the "foot fretter" - a creation of my father's, that's made of a piece of teak wood with plastic PVC and leather from an old wallet. As I play a guitar with my feet, I strum with my right foot, which has picks duct taped to my heel and toes.
The original "Four Limbs" stool (which I use at all performances I drive to) is shown below, to the left. Notice that the two side legs have notches in them, reinforced on the inside with metal plates. To the right is the new stool, which is held together at each joint by a wing nut and a washer, tighly threaded over a bolt that has been permanently glued into the receiving dowel or leg. Assembling this stool takes approximately 20 minutes, but it is worth it to be able to perform this song anywhere. To learn more about the process of shipping the "Four Limbs" apparatus to a church outside the Pacific Northwest, click here.
