The invent a musical instrument thread

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Inspired by something I said on the prettiest instrument thread:

The instruments in commonest use are only a tiny fraction of the possible musical instruments. Many musicians build their own custom noisemaking devices. Talk about how you'd like to modify existing instruments or start from scratch on something unlike anything else. If you are speaking from experience, so much the better.

Like, how about a bagpipe that in addition to a melody pipe and several drones, has a bell that can be muted and 'wahwahed' akin to a trumpet or similar horn?

― Austin Swinburn (Austin, Still), Thursday, 24 March 2005 22:02 (twenty-one years ago)

tubular bells attached to the human hyperthalamus

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Thursday, 24 March 2005 22:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Like, how about a bagpipe that in addition to a melody pipe and several drones, has a bell that can be muted and 'wahwahed' akin to a trumpet or similar horn?

A friend of mine made a tuba like that.

― Rick Massimo (Rick Massimo), Thursday, 24 March 2005 22:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Peter Schickele shall be lurking this thread.

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Thursday, 24 March 2005 22:10 (twenty-one years ago)

a sousaphone that is actually a boa constrictor, squeezing out teh sound

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Thursday, 24 March 2005 22:11 (twenty-one years ago)

It is already haunted by the ghost of Harry Partch,

― PDQ Austin (Austin, Still), Thursday, 24 March 2005 22:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I would like to see some type of percussion cabinet that strikes acoustic objects but is controlled electronically. It should be some kind of relatively compact setup, not quite as large as a drumset but including many different acoustic drum shells & heads, bells, woodblocks, cymbals, etc. like an old orchestron (or nickelodeon? Calliope? Not sure of the terminology.). The different percussion pieces would be stuck, brushed, stroked and tapped by mechanical actuators which are voltage controlled by some type of complex digital rhythm generator.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 24 March 2005 22:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Some cool mods to help inspire:

Charlie Hunter's Eight stringed combination bass and guitar (built by Bob Novak), with seperate pickups and electronics for each and a fanned fretboard to make the bass strings longer than the guitar strings.

― Austin Swinburn (Austin, Still), Thursday, 24 March 2005 22:17 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.ciat-lonbarde.net/shinths/

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 24 March 2005 22:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Harry Partch's Cloud Chamber bowls - pretty much what it looks like, a giant rack of glass bells recycled from jugs.

― Austin Swinburn (Austin, Still), Thursday, 24 March 2005 22:19 (twenty-one years ago)

for a design of an instrument then a think about the effects you'd like to come out of it, you know, what could it add sound-wise...the thread below is related:

frank denyer and other instrument builders

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 24 March 2005 22:24 (twenty-one years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.