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VOLUME 7 #1, JUNE
1991
Letters & Notes. 2
pages.
In response to an article by David Myers' feedback systems,
Henry Lowengard notes the interactive possibilities of pitch
shifting devices and harmonizers. Francisco Lopez sends a
note on his city soundscape compositions. Ivor Darreg sends
a note on refretting following Bill Sethare's article on
19-tone equal temperament for guitar. Listing of EMI's
newest cassette tape containing recordings of featuring
instruments that were featured in EMI Volume 6. Articles and
interviews featured in the Canadian music journal Musicworks
issue #49 are described, particularly "Sounds of Invention,"
an exhibition of new instruments and their builders: Sylvia
Bendza, Bill Napier Hemy, Gordan Monihan, Ushio Torakai,
Nicolas Collins, among others.
"Computer Control for
Acoustic Instruments" by Bart Hopkin, with Alec Bernstein
and Alistar Riddell. 3 1/2 pages; 6 photos.
An article on computer-activated instruments with an
emphasis on electro-mechanically-played pianos. Its
historical overview mentions various manufacturers,
composers, instruments, and inventors, such as Conlan
Nancarrow, Disklavier, the Marantz Pianocorder, Richard
Teitelbaum, and Trimpin. Following the overview is a closer
look at the work of three composers, Alec Bernstein with
Daniel Carney, who work and perform together under the name
Aesthetic Research Ensemble, and Alistar Riddell's
Meta-Action project. *(An earlier article in EMI, August
1990 also focused on player pianos.)* [Additional
keywords: microcomputers, piano rolls, keyboard,
programming, MIDI, damper, hammer, controllers, software,
solenoids, interactive systems, machine control, digital
performance]
"The StarrBoard" by John
Starrett. 3 pages; 4 photos, 1 diagram.
The author reports on his motivation and construction of
this easy-to-play instrument, which is based partly on the
form of a guitar but also on harps and zithers. It is played
using a finger tapping technique called "hammering on," as
with the Chapman stick. It is essentially a very wide guitar
neck with 32 strings and 24 frets. Acoustic, electric, and
MIDI versions are illustrated. It can be played in just,
meantone, or other unequally spaced tunings. The article
covers construction materials, tuning, and playing
technique. [Additional keywords: scale patterns,
soundboards, keyboards]
"Driftwood Marimbas" by
Bart Hopkin. 1 page; 2 photos.
Hopkin's article gives step by step instructions for
assembling a marimba on the beach, without the use of any
tools and hardware. Tips are provided on finding, selecting,
and combining wood pieces. [Additional keywords:
xylophones, sounding bars, idiophones, glockenspiels,
vibraphones]
"Conjoined String
Systems: Reports From Builders" by Mario Van Horrik and Paul
Panhuysen. 3 1/2 pages; 3 photos, 4 drawings.
*(see also EMI Volume 6 #?)* The authors describe their use
of very long string instruments in a way that merges the
elements of sound, dance performance, and visual art on an
architectural scale, particularly with multiple strings that
are attached directly to one another. With text,
photographs, and drawings, Van Horrik describes three
constructions that use guitar strings, piano wires, rope,
and elastic cords to either conduct vibrations or electric
current, or both, while motors and piezo transducers produce
and amplify vibrations. Overtone patterns are their
outstanding sonic feature, sometimes varied by the
combination of transverse and longitudinal vibration. In his
"The Bird's Mouthpiece" springs, hinges, amplifiers and
feedback are also used. Panhuysen's many installations are
multiple-string systems conceived with their visual result
first, and are always related the architecture of the space.
Tuning systems and techniques are also described.
[Additional keywords: piezo pickups, Maciunas Ensemble,
Het Apollhuis, Eindoven, Netherlands, Ellen Fullman,
springs]
"A Day in the Patent
Library" by Bart Hopkin. 3 pages; 5 drawings.
*(see also EMI Volume 6 #? And volume 4 #2)* In a patent
search intended to find other instruments similar to a
variable-pitch wind instrument design of his own, the author
finds three related variable-pitch wind instrument designs.
The transverse flute by Jeffery L. Lewis is similar to the
author's own glissando clarinet, the Bentwood Chalumeau. His
other finds are patents for a wind instrument with helical
frequency determining means by John W. McBride, and a slide
saxophone by Martin Juhn. The text describes the principles
indicated by the drawings. Also, a drawing of the Hopkin's
own instrument illustrates its slit-tube design. Additional
keywords: law, lawyers, legal, tubes,
toneholes,]
"Book Review: Het
Apollhuis 1985-1990" by Bart Hopkin. 1 page.
Review of a retrospective catalog of exhibits and
performances at this Dutch center for the multidisciplinary
exploration of art based mostly in sound. Founded and
directed by Paul Panhuysen in Eindoven, The Netherlands in
1980, Het Apollhuis has played a leading role as a
presenting organization, a research center, and a publisher.
The catalog documents a large number of installations,
events, and concerts by over 400 artists in hundreds of
photos and brief texts. It is a follow-up to an earlier
catalog documenting the center's first five years of
activity. Hopkin adds brief descriptions of the work by
these documented artists: Gunter Demnig; Rolf Langenbartels;
Nicolas Collins; Pierre Bastien; Nico Parlevliet; Ron
Kuivila; Mark Laiosa.
"Editor's Annual Report"
by Bart Hopkin. 1/2 page.
The author reviews past accomplishments and other prospects
for future Experimental Musical Instruments
publications.
"EMI's 6-year Index." 2
1/2 pages.
A subject index for articles that have appeared in
Experimental Musical Instruments since it began publication
in 1985. Articles are listed under 49 primary topics;
passing references are not indexed. This early index has
since been superceded by the listing you're reading now.
VOLUME 7 #2, SEPTEMBER
1991
Letters. 3 pages.
Hal Rammel offers some text on Edwin Teale's oversized
fiddles and harps. Hugh Davies mentions cat organs and Colin
Hinz discusses mechanisms in computer-controlled
instruments. On player pianos, Steve Peters talks about the
Musée de la Musique Méchanique in Paris. Skip
La Plante briefly describes an Indonesian instrument that
resembles rubber bands stretched around a shoebox. Other
mentions are ornate kalimba instruments by Nadi Qamar,
Dali's melting clock, music access national network, and the
May 1991 issue of Ear magazine's focus on environment.
"Famous Early Color
Organs" by Kenneth Peacock. 4 pages, 4 photos, 2 tables.
This history examines early attempts by philosophers, poets,
painters, scientists, and musicians to understand the
relationship of color- and light-perception to sound and
music. The eighteenth century mathematician Louis-Bertrand
Castel published plans for a clavecin oculaire, an
instrument based on Isaac Newton's theory that the
perception of color and sound were physically analogous,
e.g., that light waves and sound waves at different
frequencies exist on the same physical spectrum. In the
nineteenth century techniques using electricity, flames, and
mechanics, instruments for projecting colored light were
developed. A forerunner to modern lighting and projection
systems, Bainbridge Bishop's concept for painting music led
to a light-producing device using shutters and levers.
Frederick Kastner's Pyrophone ignited gas jets into crystal
tubes and reportedly produced sounds like human voice and
orchestral along with its visual display. Among the best
known is the Colour-Organ which Alexander Wallace Rimington
patented in the late-nineteenth century. It was called for
in Alexander Scriabin's famous 1911 color-symphony,
Prometheus, the Poem of Fire. The tables show differing
ideas of how colors of the light spectrum should correspond
to notes of the chromatic keyboard. [Additional
keywords: acetylene, aural, synesthesia, filters, chroma,
hue, intensity, multi-media, prism, optical, rheostats,
stereopticon]
"Earthsounds" by Ragnar
Naess. 2 pages; 6 photos.
The author tells about his role as visual designer, potter,
and clay technician in collaboration with Chinese composer
Tan Dan and producer, Mary Scherbatskoy for Tan's opera
performance at the Guggenheim Museum, New York.
Classifications of sound in traditional Chinese music are
described as well as the conceptual process and the
technical system developed for the ceramic instruments. The
article details the material composition and resonant
properties of fired clay and glazes. The results take the
form of gongs, cymbals, flutes, horns, drums, and stringed
instruments in both a visually and aurally attractive and
functional way. [Additional keywords: gamelan,
shrinkage, minerals, Jade Bells, jars, jugs, bowls, bottles,
tone holes, kalimbas, neck, pottery, stoneware, Taoist,
trumpets, vase, vessel, visual design]
"Cans and Springs and
Bars and Plates and Wheels" by Peter Whitehead. 2 pages; 5
photos, 1 diagram.
Whitehead's instruments use readily available materials,
simple construction methods, and have the appearance of junk
sculpture. These are described in the notes accompanying
each of the five instruments pictured. Their names partly
describe their material constitution. The Channel Bars is
basically an aluminum xylophone. The Single Bar consists of
a steel bar resting on two balloons. The Can-Can is a
hanging construct suspended by coil springs. In addition to
a bicycle wheel Spoke-Speak also uses metal bowls and a
garbage can, and The Metal Cone is a freestanding
construction using circular metal plates. The notes also
describe playing techniques and their sounds.
[Additional keywords: recycling, idiophones,
percussion]
"Ferdinand Försch:
Sound Images and Other Sound Works in Metal, Wood, and
String" by Iris Tenge. 4 1/2 pages; 9 photos.
Försch's new instruments have an equal connection
between their sonic function and visual form. Construction
materials and component parts are listed beside each of
eight instruments in this photospread. Many use a
combination of finely cut, shaped and machined wood, brass,
steel, copper and aluminum supports, bridges, strings, bars,
rods, and resonators. Some instruments appear in the form of
slit drums, while others are hybrid combinations of
percussion and stringed instruments. [Additional
keywords: idiophones, percussion, sculpture]
"Conjoined String
Systems: More Reports From Builders" by Jeff Kassel, Tom
Nunn, and Bart Hopkin. 2 1/4 pages; 3 photos, 1 drawing.
A follow-up article to one published in EMI Vol. 7 #1, June
1991. The instruments discussed here use standard string
lengths rather than very long ones, to produce more
conventionally playable instruments. Kassel's Tritar and his
plans for the three-sided Trila-Trarp, as well as Hopkin's
Trillium Cluster are pictured. Nunn describes three ways to
conjoin strings and the resulting tones and overtone
relationships. One system employs a knitting needle, another
a washer, the third a conical radiator in place of a washer.
[Additional keywords: harps, sounding
boxes]
VOLUME 7 #3, NOVEMBER
1991
Letters. 3 pages; 2
photos.
Alistar Riddell, author of a previous article on
electro-mechanically played pianos, responds to Colin Hinz's
question about unwanted mechanical noise. Two photographs
and a brief letter describe Balanced Beams, a sound
sculpture by Ernie Althoff using a bamboo support structure,
aluminum bowls, suspended shells, and swinging poles. Ivor
Darreg writes about the piano's status and obsolescence.
[Additional keywords: computer controllers,
installations, solenoids, circuit design, history,
furniture, recycling, piano actions]
"Membrane Reeds:
Indonesia and Nicasio" by Bart Hopkin. 5 pages; 3 photos, 7
drawings.
An article on the author's solution to alternative reed
types for use in wind instruments. Single and Double reeds,
such as those used in clarinets and oboes, have a mechanism
for converting a steady air stream into a series of rapid
pulses which vibrate at the tube's resonant frequency. The
labial reed system uses a balloon neck pulled over the rim
of a tube, which provides an effective way to create
pressure-responsive gating of an air stream. The article
addresses design issues of pitch stability, pitch range,
tube lengths, spacing of toneholes, tuned air columns, air
chambers, pipes, and airflow. Accounts from Saul Robbins and
Jack Body describe similar instruments made and used in Java
and Sumatra. These are made of discarded plastics, namely
film canisters and cellophane membranes. [Additional
keywords: aerophones, mouthpieces, lips, diameters, blow
tubes]
"Famous 20th Century
Color Instruments" by Kenneth Peacock. 5 pages; 7
photos.
This article continues the extensive history that began in
"Famous Early Color Organs," which appeared in EMI's
September 1991 issue. Resuming with Alexander Scriabin's
color-symphony Prometheus, the Poem of Fire, the author
describes the attempts at inventing a machine to effectively
realize his color score, such as the Chromola, as well as
accounts of its various performances. The associations
between pitches and corresponding colors were often debated.
Some inventors claimed therapeutic benefits from their color
music. Mechanical and electrical operations of the many
instruments are described. Particular attention is given to
the development, construction, and concert performances with
Thomas Wilfred's Clavilux, an instrument that used prisms,
disks, and filters to project light to form geometric shapes
on a screen. Wilfred notated his light scores and the
performances of his Lumia Suite possessed dramatic effects.
This historical account concludes with a description of
Frederick Bentham's Light Console and recent laser light
shows and kinetic art. [Additional keywords: acetylene,
aural, synesthesia, filters, chroma, hue, intensity,
multi-media, prism, optical, rheostats,
stereopticon]
"Ukeful Ideas" by Brian
Stapleton. 2 pages; 5 photos.
Various ukuleles are shown and briefly described, all built
by the author, a London-based instrument restorer and
luthier. [Additional keywords: Polynesian,
wood]
"The Devil's Fiddle: Past
and Present" by Hal Rammel. 31/2 pages; 2 photos; 5
drawings.
Part one of a two-part article; this part describes the
history and curious culture of this instrument. A simple and
usually self-built instrument consisting of a stick and a
single string. Variations of it are found through history
and in many continents. Frequently used at taverns, street
festivals, parades, and carnivals, it likely served as noise
device and may be a crude cousin of the refined Tromba
Marina. It goes under many names: bladder and string,
Teufelsgeige, bumbass, ozembouch, nun's violin, stick
zither. In some manifestations it was topped with a carved
clown's head, sometimes with bells, wood block, and drum
attached, and played with a notched bow. [Additional
keywords: bowed chordaphones, idiophones, scepter, street
musicians, folk music, entertainers, carnivals, circuses,
clowns, dance, drums, Stumpf Fiddles, vaudeville, bumbass,
rumsterstang, krigsdjaevel, museums, musicking, notched
bows, vernacular, washboards]
VOLUME 7 #4, JANUARY
1992
Letters & Notes. 4
pages.
Stephen Malinowski, developer of a scrolling, sound
synchronized, bar-graph score for listeners called the Music
Animation Machine, responds to Kenneth Peacock's article on
Famous Early Color Organs. François Baschet provides
a drawing, photo, and observations on the slide clarinet,
namely a helical telescoping mechanism, as well as patent
information. [Additional keywords: colors, hue,
intensity, light receptors]
"Why Build Instruments?:
An Account of a 7 Year Process to Overcome Exoticism" by Guy
Laramée. 2 pages; 6 photos.
This article describes TUYO, a Canadian music ensemble who
perform with self-built metalophones, tuned shakers,
accordions blown by foot-operated bellows and aluminum tube
xylophones. The group is devoted to Harry Partch's idea of
"corporeal" music, one that is visual, gestural, and
microtonal. The article discusses theatrical staging of
large-scale events, touring with heavy instruments, the
aesthetic concerns with physicality and presence.
Instruments pictured are the harmonium, Métalo,
Tubes, Léléphant, Galére, and Tortue.
[Additional keywords: Montréal, theater, opera,
just intonation]
"John Hajeski's Portable
Anarchy" by Mike Hovancsek. 1 1/2 pages; 3 photos, 1
diagram
Hajeski built several homemade electronic instruments by
modifying circuit boards of car radios and Walkmans. The
article suggests that anyone with an old radio, soldering
tools, and ammeter can add normally-open switches to the key
transistor that effects tone control, and tuning, to create
their own Kraakdoos, or "cracklebox." The analog sounds
produced are more earthy and shifting than more complex
digital instruments. [Additional keywords: cracked,
hacked, circuit bending, contacts, foot
switch]
"My Life… For A
Sound…If the Tune Begins With A YOU" by William Louis
Soerensen. 4 1/2 pages; 14 photos
The author writes about his large-scale projects that
integrate environmental sound sculpture, outdoor and indoor
sound installations, and one string instrument. Seven works
are pictured and described which have been built and
exhibited internationally. Their design and structure
integrate visual and acoustic functions with environmental
conditions, either by combining readily available
manufactured materials and devices with natural materials,
tree branches in one example, or by using naturally
occurring light, wind, and water energy. One of his
intermedia works combines multi-channel tape loops and
electronic tone generators with projections, photocells, and
ultrasound transmitters. Another temporary sidewalk
installation was intended for as many as one hundred
pedestrians to play at once. The other projects incorporate
existing soundscapes, parabolas, landscape, architecture,
standing air columns, revolving tubes, reflective thunder
sheets, gardens, pile drivers, and the ecology of chosen
sites. The artists also discusses the broader historical and
cultural issues and motivations behind his efforts.
[Additional keywords: audience interactions, bottles,
locations, site specific, solar activated, strings, tidal
actions, resonators]
"Sound, The Re-conquering
of Space and Slow Time: Some Reflections on the Sound
Sculptures of William Louis Soerensen" by Jean Fischer. 1/2
page.
This article places Soerensen's work within a historical
context, particularly in relation to modern and postmodern
paradigms. The author defines and classifies his work in six
categories, typified by the work of other artists or trends:
Dadaist machines; extended or homemade instruments;
soundscapes; New Age and nature-idylls; wind-harps.
"The Devil's Fiddle: Past
and Present, Part Two" by Hal Rammel. 5 pages; 9 photos, 1
drawing
The second half of Rammel's report on the history of this
string and percussion instrument, which is found in diverse
forms and under various names throughout Europe, North
America, and beyond. Part one (see VOLUME 7 #3, NOVEMBER
1991) traced the early history, evolution, and curious
culture of this instrument. Part two focuses on the fiddles
more recent history of its players and makers.
[Additional keywords: bowed chordaphones, idiophones,
street musicians, folk music, entertainers, carnivals,
circuses, clowns, dance, drums, Stumpf Fiddles, vaudeville,
bumbass, rumsterstang, krigsdjaevel, museums, musicking,
notched bows, Peripola, vernacular,
washboards]
"The Aerophor-A Breath
Saving Device" by Margaret Downie Banks. 1 1/2 pages; 4
photos
Reprinted with permission from the Newsletter of the
American Musical Instrument Society, written by the curator
of The Shrine to Music Museum, describes a tone-sustaining
device for wind instruments invented by German flutist,
Bernhard Samuels in 1911. Its purpose was to artificially
supply an uninterrupted airflow to his or her instrument. It
used a foot- or arm-operated bellows to force a continuous
air supply, heated by an electric lamp to player's breath
temperature, via a rubber tube held in the player's mouth.
According to the inventor this also provided certain health
and hygenic benefits. [Additional keywords: air
pressure, breath controllers, circular breathing,
embouchures, wind passages, extended techniques,
tubes]
VOLUME 7 #5, APRIL
1992
Letters & Notes. 4
pages; 5 photos, 3 drawings
Jeff Kassel supplies photo of a Rain Chime manufactured by
AG Industries in Redmond, Washington. Ernie Althoff comments
on the Cat Organ. François Baschet responds to Ivor
Darreg's article on piano harps in the Piano Reincarnation
Project (Volume 7 #3), labial reeds and the Pathé
Brothers' loudspeaker used the early 1900s, comparing it to
a 1940 US Army patent for the same design. Colin Hinz offers
information and photos of his electro-mechanically operated
piandemonium, and responds to Alistar Ridell's comments
(Volume 7 #2 and #3) about noise and solenoids. Notes on
Jew's Harp Festival, Instruments of Sound exhibition,
Leonardo Music Journal, Sound Symposium, Melody Chups candy,
and plastic water bottle congas.
"The Instruments of
Qubais Reed Ghazala" by Mike Hovancsek. 2 pages; 6
photos
A brief biography and introduction to work of the inventor
and well-known proponent of circuit bending. Later issues of
EMI featured the series of articles Q. R. Ghazala wrote on
his discovery, philosophy, and techniques of circuit
bending. Five of his interactive, bio-modulated electronic
instruments are shown here, the Photon Clarinet; Harmonic
Window; Solar Bug Box; L' esprit En Piege; and The R.A.P.
(Readily Avaible Phonemes). Components used include tone
generators, digital samplers, solar cells, photocells,
microprocessors, typewriter keyboard, and voice
synthesizers. [Additional keywords: cracked, hacked,
body contacts, switches]
"Bridges: An Indian
Perspective" by David R. Courtney, Ph.D. 4 pages; 4 photos,
8 drawings
The Indian concept of the string instrument bridge differs
to the Western because, in addition to a mechanical coupling
of strings and resonators, it serves an additional function
of modifying timbre, and produces far richer harmonics. A
brief history, descriptions and comparisons of the
proto-bridge, simple bridges with solid resonators and
simple bridges with membrane resonators are provided. Five
types of bridge mechanisms are used in the Indian
subcontinent. The unique flat bridge is often referred to as
the jawari and is found on instruments such as the rudra
vina, sitar, sarasvati vina, gotuvadyam, surbahar, and
tanpura. Another type is the combination of flat and
membrane bridges found in drone strings of the sarangi and
sarod. [Additional keywords: banjo, sympathetic
vibrations, tamboura, esraj, dilruba, saringda, ektar,
dotar, ravinhatu, folk instruments, adjustable
bridges]
"The Till Family Rock
Band" by Dr. A M Till. 2 pages; 3 photos
The author writes about his research into family members who
toured widely in the British Isles and America in the 1880s.
His discovery of an aging photograph shows them playing a
lithophone or xylophone made of stones laid on a trestle,
with wood hammers as mallets. Named a Rock Harmonicon, the
instrument used at least 50 stones in two layers, which
suggests they were tuned in a modern chromatic scale. Other
families made similar instruments. They and the whereabouts
of these instruments are listed in the sidebar. Many now
reside in museums. [Additional keywords: sounding bars,
glockenspiels]
"Air Column Shapes for
Winds: Basic Principles, Part 1" by Bart Hopkin. 6 pages; 6
drawings
This article is an explanation of practical wind instrument
acoustics. It provides an overview of wind instrument bore
shapes, and how different shapes affect sound and
playability. The physical properties of airflow and the role
of chamber resonance are described. Comparisons of
cylindrical to conical bores and their effect on harmonic
overtones, the effects of standing wave patterns in air
columns, and other considerations are discussed. Formulas
and bibliography provide further useful information
sources.
NOTE: This and 3 subsequent articles have been reprinted,
with substantial updates, corrections, improvements and
additions, as the book Air Columns and Toneholes, available
from Experimental Musical Instruments.
[Additional keywords: aerophones, flutes, tubes, modes,
nodes, toneholes, mouthpieces]
"How To Build the
Pianorad: Construction of the Instrument Combining the Piano
and Radio" by Clyde J. Fitch. 2 pages; 2 drawings
Originally published in Radio News magazine, this 1926
article explains how to build a truly vintage electronic
instrument. Predating analog synthesizers, transistors,
integrated circuits, and microprocessors, each of its 25
home-built audio frequency oscillators uses, among other
components, a vacuum tube, a condenser, and a transformer
winding less its iron core. It instructs builders to use a
nail in place of the core, moving it back and forth by hand
for oscillator tuning. The disturbing superheterodyne and
beating effects of tunings gone awry are described,
suggesting the equivalent sound quality of the ring
modulator. Partial schematics included. [Additional
keywords: amperes, filaments, rheostats,
keyboards]
"Sound by Artists: Book
Review" by Bart Hopkin. 1 page.
Review of an anthology of writings, edited by Dan Lander and
Micah Lexier, about sound art. It assembles essays by over
thirty artists', including an extensive bibliography and
discography. Published in 1990 by Art Metropole in Toronto,
these texts are informed by Luigi Russolo's Futurist Art of
Noises and John Cage's electronic music credo, and are aimed
at opening the artistic use of sound to uses that extend
beyond music; where listening, recorded sounds as material,
the avant-grade, radio and mass media all offer many new
ideas and methods for the art of sound.
VOLUME 7 #6, JULY
1992
"Process And Development
of the Waterharp" by Richard Waters. 3 pages; 5 photos
Well-known for his invention and marketing of the
Waterphone, Waters describes some spin off ideas and varied
approaches to his design of acoustic water-oriented
instruments, as well as the construction of the waterlyre;
history, materials, and dreams. Four photos detail his
waterharps, illustrating the bridges, stainless steel bowls,
tree branches, tuning pegs, resonators, and attachment of
strings. [Additional keywords: nature
sounds]
"Aspects of the Terrain
Instruments" by Leif Brush. 5 pages; 14 photos
Brush's article describes his systems for creating and
listening to and sometimes modifying the sounds of hidden
natural events. In one of his outdoor installations,
galvanized and stainless steel wires strung between trees
can be monitored. The large-scale site-specific pieces use
special contact sensors or transducers, attached to wood or
ribbons, to amplify microsound events. FM radio transmitters
are used to carry preamplified vibrations of atmospheric
phenomena acting upon man-made sources. In some cases sounds
are presented as they are, in others sounds are manipulated
electronically. Among the many installations shown here are
Insect Recording Studio, Chord Draft Monitor, Meany Ice
Floe, Treeharps Network, Terraplane Chorography II, and The
Telephone Finally Earns Its Keep. One concept involves solar
powered electronics and satellite transponders.
[Additional keywords: electroacoustic, nature sounds,
soundscapes, interactive arts]
"Air Column Shapes for
Wind Instruments: Basic Principles, Part 2" by Bart
Hopkin
The second half the article featured in issue #6, this one
focuses on acoustic behaviors of air columns and chambers in
more practical detail than Part 1. Provided are comparisons
of conical and cylindrical tubes; frequency and wavelength
calculations; information on effects of air column thickness
(cross sectional shape and bends). The properties of bells
and mouthpieces are divided into discussions of radiation
and reflection at tube openings, the effects of mouthpieces
and reeds on resonances, and overall shape. Hemholtz
resonators are also discussed. Formulas and bibliography
provide further information sources.
NOTE: This and 3 subsequent articles have been reprinted,
with substantial updates, corrections, improvements and
additions, as the book Air Columns and Toneholes, available
from Experimental Musical Instruments.
[Additional keywords: aerophones, apertures, flutes,
modes, anti-nodes, nodes, oscillations, overtones, partials,
toneholes]
"Building a Color Organ:
The Harmonicophone Shows Notes and Harmonics Sounded" by
Manuel Comulada
Originally published in Science and Invention, this 1922
article describes the construction and principles of
electrical circuits selectively tuned in response to
different frequencies by means of Helmholtz resonators. Not
only can this system be used for pure aesthetic results, it
also can be a tool for the study of acoustical physics,
e.g., a spectrum analyzer. For a full history of color
organs see Ken Peacock's articles in Volume 7, issues #2 and
#3. Also mentioned is the patent for an
acoustically-controlled submarine torpedo. [Additional
keywords: lights, lighting, oscillations, overtones,
partials, science, vanes]
"Rocks in Rut" by Robin
Goodfellow 2 pages; 3 drawings
Goodfellow's report on natural rock whistles focuses on
barnacles and clams, found among rocky Pacific coastal
waters and beaches. The acorn barnacle or Balunus glandula,
has a conical shape and high, piercing tone. Another sea
creature, Penitella penita bores holes into rocks, leaving
them suitable as panpipes of relative greater range and
prettier tones. The curious biology of Penitella penita and
Balunus glandula are also described. [Additional
keywords: oceans, shells, natural materials, tunnels,
zoology]
"The Zil" by Liza
Carbé 1 page; 1 photo
Carbé's article describes her invention, a string
instrument that has a metal cone resonator shaped like a
megaphone. Multiple strings (piano wire) runs across the
large end opening, with a wood bridge attached to the lip of
the cone. Other strings pass through the cone and are
attached to a tuning mechanism mounted along its length.
Pitch bending capabilities are available and it is tuned to
a pentatonic scale. [Additional keywords: harps,
harpsichords]
VOLUME 8 #1,
SEPTEMBER 1992
"Mobius Operandi: Instruments by
Oliver Di Cicco": Peter Whitehead. 5 pages; 9 photos.
A description and tour of instrument builder Oliver Di
Cicco's sound sculpture instruments that consist primarily
of percussion and stringed instruments made from steel,
aluminum and wood and fitted with pick-ups. [Additional
keywords: sound sculpture, Mobius Operandi]
"The Ondes Martenot": Thomas Block. 5
pages; 14 photos, drawings and diagrams.
A concise article describing this early electronic
instrument, invented by Maurice Martenot, that consisted of
a keyboard along with a pull-cord and finger-ring to adjust
frequency. Its history is given in evolutionary stages and
its performance techniques are addressed as well.
[Additional keywords: theremin, keyboard
instruments]
"Improvisation with Experimental Musical
Instruments": Tom Nunn. 3 pages.
A short treatise on one's personal approach to improvising
with experimental musical instruments. Topics addressed are:
advantages and disadvantages of improvisation, physical
limitations of the instrument and the relationship between
the instrument and the player.
"Musical Pillars Commentary": Matthieu
Croset. 1 page; 1 photo.
Brief description of the musical pillars of Tamil Nadu in
South India. [Additional keywords: stone pillars,
harmonic overtones, lithophones]
"Scrapyard Percussion": Bill Sethares and
John Bell. 2 pages; 3 photos.
The authors discuss the instruments that they built with
materials gleaned from visiting metal scrap yards. Cymbals,
scrapers and spring reverb arise from a heating element,
corrugated tubing and a coil of BX cable. [Additional
keywords: found instruments]
"Introduction to Spectrum Analysis":
David R Courtney. 5 pages; 10 diagrams & tables.
The author describes how spectrum analysis is a tool for
looking at timbre and leads the reader through its
background, the process of sampling and the use of Fourier
transforms. [Additional keywords: sampling, waves,
oscilloscope, Fourier transforms ]
"Circuit-Bending and Living Instruments":
Qubais Reed Ghazala. 6 pages; 17 photos.
Ghazala lays the foundation for his experimental
electronics, which often involves deliberately mis-wiring
existing, inexpensive, low-voltage electronic components,
toys and gadgetry, in search of interesting sounds. He gives
the reader definitions, explanations of general practice and
rules, procedures and safety tips for dealing with audio
circuit boards. [Additional keywords: experimental
electronics]
"Trans-atlantic African Organology: The
Tradition of Renewal": Richard Graham. 7 pages; 7
pictures.
An article dealing with organological change in Africa and
diaspora. There is an in-depth focus on two musical
instruments, the steel drum and the tamborim. Numerous
examples are given throughout and a through bibliography is
given too.
VOLUME 8 # 2 DECEMBER
1992
Letters and Notes: 3 pages; 3 photos and
1 drawing.
Rene van Peer: Views on Akio Suzuki. John J. Maluda:
Discovery of Ron Konzak's Puget Sound Wind Harp. Wesley
Brown: Description of bass flutes at the National Flute
Association. Description of labial reeds. Description of the
Yamaha Disklavier
"Complex Acoustics in Pre-Columbian Flute
Systems": Susan Rawcliffe. 11 pages;18 line drawings and
diagrams.
The author describes the advanced techniques of construction
that were used in manipulating sound in Pre-Columbian clay
flutes. She addresses the designs of flute apertures and
hoods, body shapes, vessel flutes, tubular flutes and hybrid
forms, such as ball and tube flutes, whistles and ocarinas.
Timbre and tuning is also touched upon and the article also
includes an extensive appendix, notes and bibliography.
[Additional keywords: ceramics, ocarinas, whistles]
"Kitchen Drums": C. Luc Reid. 2 pages; 2
pictures.
An article on the construction of drums made out of plastic
food service tubs. Attention is also paid to the formation
of the instrument's frame. [Additional keywords: found
objects]
"Circuit-Bending and Living Instruments:
The Odor Box": Qubais Reed Ghazala. 7 pages; 6 photos.
Ghazala gives the background and evolutionary stages of his
Odor Box, a machine that opens new possibilities for the
basic electronic oscillator. The reader is taken through his
first body-contact player interface to its more complex
forms; from early concertizing in the sixties to recent
gallery showings.
"A Hole is to Hit": Robin Goodfellow. 4
pages; 6 drawings.
An overview of several world percussion instruments that
incorporate skins over a hole, such as an African conical
drum and a Mexican and Nepalese drum. [Additional
keywords: membranophones]
"The Sound of Crystals": Bill Sethares
and Tom Staley. 2 pages; 1 diagram.
A mathematical approach to mapping the molecular data of
'noiseless' crystals into musical patterns by turning
diffraction patterns into sound. [Additional keywords:
Fourier transforms, auditory crystallography,
diffraction]
"DNA Tunings": Susan Alexjander. 2 pages;
1 picture.
The author describes how she went about mapping molecular
light absorbtion spectra into sound. Her piece entitled,
"Sequencia" was based on the ratios of light frequencies in
the light absorption spectra of certain DNA molecules. She
also talks of programming the synthesizer for the sonic
realization, and performance issues.
"Motorized Guitar Objects": Glenn
Engstrand. 4 pages; 9 pictures and photos.
The author investigates electric guitar pickups in
interaction with small electric motors held in proximity, in
a historical overview and an in- depth look into how these
"motorized guitar objects" work. The author's various
projects, such as Godzilla, Flying Glove and TBF Avenger are
mentioned. [Additional keywords: electromagnetic
pickups]
VOLUME 8 # 3 MARCH 1993
Letters and Notes: 5 pages; 2 drawings
and 4 photos.
Alan Tower: Butterfly sounds. Peter Denny: Kitchen drums.
Pete Hurney: Guatemalan Marimba. Gordon Frazier and the
Sumpter Valley Jew's Harp Festival. 3rd Annual Chicago
Invented Instruments Festival.
"Ken Butler's Hybrid Instruments": Ken
Butler. 5 pages; 15 photos.
A background and description of Ken Butler's hybrid
instruments and their playing techniques. The instruments
are made up of household objects or other found objects
fitted with strings and other sounding devices, usually
employing a pickup. His notion of 'hyper utility' is clearly
evidenced in instruments such as the Bicycle Seat Violin,
Machine Gun Viola and Baseball Bat/Cane/Cello.
[Additional keywords: sound sculpture ]
"An Experimental Slide Bass Clarinet":
Wes Brown. 3 pages; 2 photos and 3 diagrams.
The author describes his Experimental Slide Bass Clarinet, a
cylindrical tube with a slide and a bass clarinet
mouthpiece. There is a description of its design, how it was
constructed and the technical formulas used to achieve it as
well as its possible musical range and how to perform on it.
[Additional keywords: reed instruments]
"Wind Instrument Toneholes": Bart Hopkin.
7 pages; 7 drawings and diagrams.
Part one of a pair of articles focusing on the placement,
sizing and design of toneholes for wind instruments. The
author introduces theoretical methods from guesswork to
calculation, formulas, rules to base your decisions on and
added comments on register holes and globular flutes. NOTE:
An updated, augmented and much improved version of the
information appearing in this article appears in the book
Air Columns and Toneholes by Bart Hopkin, also available
through this web site. [Additional keywords: flutes;
woodwinds]
"Still Nothing Else Like It: The
Theremin": Ivor Darreg and Bart Hopkin. 5 pages; 2
pictures.
A history and description of the instrument and its
inventor, Leo Theremin. There is also detailed information
on how the theremin works as well as approaches to playing
the instrument. Important sidebars on oscillators and
capacitors and theremin making are also given.
[Additional keywords: oscillators,
capacitors]
"A Simple Theremin from Schematic to
Performance": Bonnie McNairn and James Wilson. 2 pages; 2
diagrams.
A concise description on how to build your own very basic
theremin and what materials are needed. NOTE: a correction
to the schematic appearing in this article will be found in
the letters section of the following issue,
EMI Volume VIII #4, June 1993.
"The Music Atrium: A Musical Playground
for Kids": Dean Friedman. 4 pages; 6 photos.
The author discusses his six acoustic and synthesizer-based
sound sculpture instruments for kids, with attention paid to
design and the harmonic templates available. The instruments
are designed for use in exhibits and public spaces. Such
instruments as the Bobble, a globe mounted with bicycle
horns that play whistles and recorder mouthpieces, the
Honkblatt, stools that play fog horns when sat upon, and the
Jingle-Lingle-Lily, a bouquet of plastic flowers that
trigger a Proteus sound module when touched, are described.
[Additional keywords: sound sculpture]
"Circuit-Bending and Living Instruments:
The Photon Clarinet": Qubais Reed Ghazala. 4 pages; 4
photos.
An article focusing the author's Photon Clarinet, consisting
of a box photo resistor that houses an audio oscillator that
is triggered when a hand is waved. Details on how it
operates and its design are given. In an extended
introduction to this, the author looks at instruments of
magical sounds in voice and playing technique like the
Hungarian cimbalom, the Chinese tiger gong and the
Renaissance racket. [Additional keywords: theremin,
photo resistors]
The Soundscape Newsletter:
World Soundscape Project, reviewed by Tom Nunn. 1/2
page.
A report on of the World Soundscape Project and its
newsletter. It is an organization devoted to awareness of
the sonic environment.
VOLUME 8 #4, JUNE 1993
Letters and Notes. 5 pages; 7 photos.
Phil Krieg: Corrections to the digital theremin schematic
that appeared in the previous issue. Mike Hovancsek: Groan
tubes [additional keywords: toy, reed, plastic].
Miekel And: Walker Art Museum, Fluxus, sound installations.
Peter Hurney & Andy Cox: Mirliton membranes, marimba
books. Duane Schultz: Many-belled free-reed horn
[additional keywords: schalmei; Martintrompete]. Hal
Rammel and devil's fiddles. Haags Gemeentemuseum, technical
drawings & plans for musical instruments. Dreamweaver
hand-carved electric guitars. Volker Hamann and the
Brusselhorn. Vestel Press.
"Stardust" by Reinhold Marxhausen. 6 1/2
pages; 9 photos; 1 drawing.
Reinhold Marxhausen makes beautiful metallic sculptural
sound instruments, most of them small enough to be
hand-held. In the article he describes his lifelong romance
with sound, much of it through the eyes of child, set in
blank verse. [Additional key words: stones; rocks;
welding; styrofoam; prongs; lamella]
"Hal Rammel's Sound Pallette" by Mike
Hovanksek. 1 page; 2 photos; 2 drawings.
A description of the Sound Palette, an instrument consisting
of a set of wooden rods mounted on what had been a painter's
palette, played by bowing or plucking. It's amplified with a
contact mic and the sound may be enhanced with electronic
effects.
"Computer Analysis of Clarinet
Multiphonics" by Kenneth J. Peacock. 4 pages; 6 charts; 1
drawing.
The author presents and analyzes computer-generated
spectrographic displays representing FFTs (Fast Fourier
Transforms) of clarinet tones using special fingerings to
achieve multiphonics. [Additional keywords: spectrum
analysis]
"Incantors" by Qubais Reed Ghazala. 3+
pages; 2 photos.
After a brief preliminary discussion of historical attempts
at speech synthesis, Reed Ghazala goes on to describe his
Incantor. The Incantor is an aleatoric electronic instrument
made by deliberately mis-wiring and short-circuiting the
electronic toy called Speak & Spell. [Additional
keywords: Paget, formants. VODER]
"Wind Instrument Toneholes Part 2" by
Bart Hopkin. 4+ pages; 5 drawings.
Following the more theoretical text in Part 1 of this
article (see EMI's previous issue), this second part
emphasizes practical aspects of tonehole making and tuning,
as well as home-buildable tonehole key levers and pads.
Note: a much improved and updated version of this article
and the others of this series is available in the booklet
Air Columns and Toneholes, available through EMI.
[Additional keywords: Side holes, Leonardo da
Vinci]
"Don't Sue Me, I Just Want Your Sounds,"
by David Barnes. 3 pages; 4 photos.
The author describes his compositional and instrument-making
work based on other people's instruments that he has seen
described in earlier issues of EMI. He discusses his
instrument based on Tom Nunn's T-Rodimba, his Trash Can
Platter based on instruments from Peter Whitehead, a bass
tubulon (steel conduit marimba), and his PVC Monster based
on Phil Dadson's end-slapped plosive aerophone tubes.
[Additional key words: slap tubes, metallophones, metal
rods]
"Systems for Non-Linear Instruments and
Notation, Part 1" by Dan Senn. 5+ pages; 6 photos; 3
diagrams.
Instruments which can't be prescriptively controlled by the
maker or player, but which follow their own unpredictable
patterns of sound, can be called, in author Dan Senn's word,
'non-linear.' This article talks about several such
instruments made by Dan Senn as well as other makers, and
the devising of notation systems for them. Among the makers
and instruments discussed in Part 1 of the article: Phill
Niblock, Volker Staub, Stuart Saunders Smith, Joel Chadabe,
David Zicarelli, Johannes Schmidt-Sistermanns, and Joe
Jones. See Part Two of this article, in the following issue
(EMI Vol. 9 #1) for more on the author's own instruments.
[Additional key words: scrapercussion; improvisation;
computers; sampling; photovoltaics; sound
sculpture]
Book Reviews. 1 1/2+ pages.
Douglas Kahn & Gregory Whitehead, editors: Wireless
Imagination: Sound, Radio and the Avant-Garde.
[Additional keywords: sound art]
C.A. Fortuna: Microtone Guide [Additional
keywords: just intonation; equal temperaments; tuning
theory]
*******************************
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