Dear Colleagues,
This morning I invented the egg slicer finger harp. See image. It must be round or, if square, all the notes will be the same pitch. My cat was alarmed since he never heard these sounds before. This instrument did not require any reconstruction or retrofitting. You might get a good ensemble together with people playing glass harmonicas and and oatmeal box drums.
SCIENCE: Length of metal string and pitch demonstrate physics properties of wave lengths of sound.
I am curious what other common materials work well as musical instruments. Any experiments that you have tried? Please share them here. We will be happy to know more.
Thanks,
Gloria McMillan (PROJECT: The ART and SCIENCE CONNECTION)
Let me introduce you The Veggie Orquestra from Catalunya ;-) : all their music instruments are used for a soup after the concerts... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8ChYGhnp8g
The great example of recycling common things into musical instrument is the kalimba, also called a thumb piano. You can make the lammels of everything - metal spoons, bicycle wheel spokes, steel tins etc.
In Poland quite popular folk instrument is the sawblade - you can play on it using a bow.
There's a whole culture around "cigar box" guitars or diddly bows - very popular in culture of bluesmen.
Also i have seen a marimba - like instrument made of PCV pipes, on which some guys played with a silicon dough scrapers/kitchen shovels.
Of course you can use crystal wine glasses and your fingers rubbing the rims.
Ian Curtis of Joy Division used an empty aerosole bottle to make this characteristic, percussive hi-hat like effect in "She's lost Control". :)
Dear Colleagues Romero and Moaskowski!
I think these are wonderful examples of re-fitting objects into musical instruments. Gave you ever made a "jam session?" Possibly using real jam, given Fred's example.
Dear Colleagues,
I personally have had the pleasure to perform many times as an "object-player."
In Serge Verstockt's piece, DRIE (https://youtu.be/QvzbBAHIbhg), I've played matchbox.
The "Jaspers" strung IKEA baskets with bicycle tubes in Quakea: https://youtu.be/XxwdjH-2pOE
Stefan Prins also uses common everyday objects in his pieces, especially in the percussion parts. See styrofoam cups in Third Space (https://youtu.be/UwPiSjc2pIY) and Mirror Box Extensions (https://youtu.be/HDXFIRqjRgM) and glass bottles in Generation Kill (https://youtu.be/P0zAplC4pk8).
Speaking of Generation Kill, half of the musicians man Playstation 3 controllers as their instruments.
All the best,
Thomas
Thanks, Colleague Thomas Moore,
I forwarded them to my Facebook page. I always love instruments made from trash.
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