Homemade Miusical Instruments

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 1:15 pm

Speaking of annyoying, I am actually looking for a bagpiper.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:35 pm

I love all pipes.
I know a good piper, but I don't know if I can get her to go.
The rest I know are all in Ireland and Scotland.

Oldguy · Post by **Oldguy** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:12 pm

The last weekend in April at Yolo County Fairgrounds in Woodland, CA. are highland games. They have pipers, dancers, and athletes. http://www.ccsna.org/games/calendarapr.html

http://www.yolocountyfair.com/scottish-games.html

other sources :
Callie Club of Sacramento, http://www.saccallie.org/games/
St. Andrews Society of Modesto, http://www.standrewsmodesto.org
St. Andrews Society Woodland Hills, http://www.standrewssociety.org

You might consider in your obstacle couse some highland events: tossing the caber, stone lifting, stone throw for height( over bar), hammer throw, wrestling, etc..

There's a local piper guy in Yuba/ Sutter area that does military/ police functions and funerals. He competes in the Edinburg Tatoo also. " Amazing Grace" bagpipes, Dick Marquette, 530.755.0115. He might know someone in your area.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:07 pm

Yeah, I mean someone who's already going to BM.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 6:36 pm

You know, I'm sure that ESD had a piper for 2002 and their ceremony for the dead of 911. I know that they are around, and actually, since there are a lot of piper bands associated with firemen, esd might be worth contacting. That's 911 at Burningman dot com.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 10:19 am

So I picked up a half barrel at Home Despot. Once I get some rawhide I can make a big drum!

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:19 pm

[youtube][/youtube]

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:20 pm

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Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:21 pm

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Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 1:27 pm

It's Obon season!

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littleflower · Post by **littleflower** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:21 pm

Ugly Dougly wrote:[youtube][/youtube]

OMG i gotta get me one of these ...

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 3:27 pm

Fun site for inspiration:
http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/
EG:
LEGO Harpsichord
Created and built by Henry Lim, with the exception of the wire strings, the LEGO Harpsichord is entirely constructed out of LEGO parts--the keyboard, jacks, jack rack, jack rail, plectra, soundboard, bridge, hitch pins, tuning pins, wrestplank, nut, case, legs, lid, lid stick, and music stand are all built out of interlocking LEGO plastic bricks and related pieces.

With a 61 note range, the instruments size is 6 x 3 ft. weighing approximately 150 lbs, and built with an estimated 100,000 LEGO pieces!

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:16 am

So, yeah, I am thinking of a construction. It would have a bunch of aluminum pipes of different lengths, that would be held above the ground (8-10 feet) so that the wind would blow across their ends and make sounds. These would also be installed so that they could be played like a xylophone. Anyone interested in working with me on this?

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:19 am

[youtube][/youtube]

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:27 am

[youtube][/youtube]

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:31 am

Ugly Dougly wrote:So, yeah, I am thinking of a construction. It would have a bunch of aluminum pipes of different lengths, that would be held above the ground (8-10 feet) so that the wind would blow across their ends and make sounds. These would also be installed so that they could be played like a xylophone. Anyone interested in working with me on this?

are you thinking of doing this as placed art, or, related to a theme camp, Dougly?..........seems a fun idea.......

I might have some time.......and, there is a guy up here selling a lot of, IIRC, 6" dia aluminum pipe................

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:47 am

and, there is a guy up here selling a lot of, IIRC, 6" dia aluminum pipe................

Ahh.. synergy!

Sounds like something good could come of this.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:48 am

Some sort of weird music camp... The idea is still forming....

Six inches diameter might be too large...
I know, I know, I know...
PM me if you got nothing better to do...

illy dilly · Post by **illy dilly** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 12:36 pm

I was thinking of a similar idea, but using bamboo instead. (They have a lot at the Salvage Construction Materials place here)
I was thinking of making a pan pipe sort of thing, or trying to figure out how beer bottles make that hum when you blow across them.

Is this kinda what you were thinking?
I figure I could make the largest one about 4 feet in length, and the smallest a foot. So it would be an art project I could actually fit in the truck with all our gear. I've heard bad things about Bamboo on the Playa though.
Any thoughts?

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 12:45 pm

(1) set of pan pipes out of 6" aluminum cut to length to tune to harmonic scale, mounted and fixed in location.

(1) step ladder

(1) large squirrel cage fan and motor (electric and/or pedal power?)

(1) flexible hose to be carried up to ladder and controlled by the musician and directed across the edges of the aluminum tubing.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 12:54 pm

Bamboo is bad? Bamboo burns most sweetly, that's all I know.
I like aluminum because it's light. Usually cheaper than the wider variety of bamboo.
Something like the panpipe, but larger of course, and tuned to the natural sub-harmonic series.

And assembled such that the pieces would also function as a xylophone; aluminum would ring louder than bamboo I think.

Interested to hear input.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 12:58 pm

LeChatNoir wrote:(1) set of pan pipes out of 6" aluminum cut to length to tune to harmonic scale, mounted and fixed in location.

(1) step ladder

(1) large squirrel cage fan and motor (electric and/or pedal power?)

(1) flexible hose to be carried up to ladder and controlled by the musician and directed across the edges of the aluminum tubing.

You need to provide artifical wind? Are you a birgin?

I was just thinking of a tail piece that would catch the wind and turn the pipes into the wind.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 12:59 pm

Just a random pic. This is a "party fiddle" or "pogo cello".

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 1:03 pm

I know a burner who plays the bagpipes. Don't know if he has, or would, bring an instrument to the Playa, but I could e-mail him and ask. If somebody comes up with home-made bagpipes, I could steer Bob your way to try a little jam session.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 1:06 pm

The largest piece I could carry would be about eight feet. This would provide the fundamental frequency.
So half of that is four feet = 1/2
One third of that is 32 inches
One quarter is two feet
Four/fifths is 76.8 inches
I don't know that a two-foot long piece would make an audible sound with the wind if it were six inches in diameter. Probably 3-4 inches for all pieces.

This is all cocktail napkin stuff at this point.

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 1:41 pm

Ugly Dougly wrote:
LeChatNoir wrote:(1) set of pan pipes out of 6" aluminum cut to length to tune to harmonic scale, mounted and fixed in location.

(1) step ladder

(1) large squirrel cage fan and motor (electric and/or pedal power?)

(1) flexible hose to be carried up to ladder and controlled by the musician and directed across the edges of the aluminum tubing.
You need to provide artifical wind? Are you a birgin?

I was just thinking of a tail piece that would catch the wind and turn the pipes into the wind.

Oh, sure the wind would no doubt do it well, but I just had the thought of how much fun it would be to spice it up! You should know by now that, with me, if it can be built, it can be overbuilt. I like the tailpiece idea a lot though... a singing windmill.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 1:51 pm

My idea of over-built is to suspend them from nodal points so you can reach up there and play it as percussion. Not sure if the idiophone would be in tune with the aerophone. We may be able to work together, although you are in far-away Kaintuck.

illy dilly · Post by **illy dilly** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 1:55 pm

Ugly Dougly wrote:Bamboo is bad? Bamboo burns most sweetly, that's all I know.
I like aluminum because it's light. Usually cheaper than the wider variety of bamboo.
Something like the panpipe, but larger of course, and tuned to the natural sub-harmonic series.
And assembled such that the pieces would also function as a xylophone; aluminum would ring louder than bamboo I think.

Interested to hear input.

Aluminum would definitely be louder than Bamboo. Only reason I say bamboo is that the salvage store by my work has a bunch right now.
I know nothing about the lower harmonic range.
I was thinking about a possible way to add caps on the tops, so that not all the pipes were open at once. Putting a flap on the top of each, (like the rubber thing in the tank of a toilet) would allow for certain ones to be opened at a moment. So that it could be played like an instrument, other wise each will hum all at once.
(Any idea how to load a CAD drawing on here? I could convert to .pdf, .jpg, or almost any format)

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 3:29 pm

illy dilly wrote:(Any idea how to load a CAD drawing on here? I could convert to .pdf, .jpg, or almost any format)

Many people use Sketchup.
http://sketchup.google.com/intl/en/

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 3:35 pm

Hosting it as a jpg on photobucket or similar will work as well, then just paste the link in a post here with the [img] function.

Homemade Miusical Instruments

Wind power