Thanks, Rio. I've picked up a couple of pretty good pointers from you already. I began making boxcalls a few years ago, myself, and have picked up a trick or two from watching other people run them. You have demonstrated a method of holding the tang between your 2nd and 3rd fingers. Well, I have about 20 boxcalls in front of me and have found that that method works great on some and not so well on others. These calls are made from different woods, but from the same demensions. Some are walnut over poplar, some spanish cedar, and some red cedar. The differences can be heard even among the calls of common wood.

One thing that I have found is that your grip on the tang can have a lot to do with the sound or tone. I have found that if you grip the tang lightly between the first knuckle of your index finger (the one by your fingernail) and your thumb with your thumb on top of the tang, you will get a slightlly different sound. Also, WHERE you grip the tang will also affect the sound. There will usually be a point of resonance somewhere in the neck of that tang. If I can find that sweet spot, I can get a much richer tone out of it. Gripping the tang in the same manner, but from the sides will also produce a different sound.

Lastly (and I think you covered this somewhat, but please allow me to expound) WHERE you hold the call in your other hand will affect the sound. holding it at one end or the other, or even in the middle will affect the tone. You can even apply pressure to key spots on the sides while you strike the lid to mute the sound for up-close work.

Like you said, treat these things like a musical instrument and learn how to play them. I hope you don't mind me throwing in my 2-cents. Keep these posts comming -- I'm learning stuff!