moonmilk » instrument-a-day

odd instruments on NPR

ranjit — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 03:27:39 +0000

National Public Radio’s All Things Considered did a little feature on odd musical instruments on September 28th, and they were kind enough to feature some of my 29 Noisy Noises along with a bunch of other strange and wonderful instruments. You can hear the segment, and see a slideshow of some of the odd instruments, on the All Things Considered website.

pix and sounds from 29 noisy noises

ranjit — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 04:59:29 +0000

Thanks to everyone who came to the 29 Noisy Noises party on March 1 and helped me celebrate finishing 29 instruments in 29 days! Lots of great people came over and made a lot of great noise on the 29 instruments — you can hear some of it below.

– more party photos from Andrew – more from me

electric jam Download audio file (01-electric%20jam.mp3)
“set up a groove” Download audio file (02-set%20up%20a%20groove.mp3)

coconut & foot Download audio file (03-coconut%20and%20foot.mp3)
your branca is leaking Download audio file (04-your%20branca%20is%20leaking.mp3)

konono no. 0 Download audio file (05-konono%20no.%200.mp3)
bang on a can Download audio file (06-bang%20on%20a%20can.mp3)

thing 29: dog

ranjit — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:31:06 +0000

It’s a dog. Eating from a metal bowl and then fighting with the blankets, he sounds like this.
Download audio file (dog.mp3)

If you’re in NYC and you’d like to meet this or other instruments-of-the-day, check this out.

I’m going to continue with the instrument building, one a week for as long as I can stand it. If you wanna keep up with the noise, bookmark or subscribe to my homepage. Thanks for putting up with the cacophony!

29 noisy noises: celebrate homemade instruments tomorrow!

ranjit — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:37:36 +0000

Gonna have a party on Saturday March 1st to celebrate surviving the building of 29 instruments in 29 days! It’ll be 3-6pm (or so) in Long Island City, Queens, NYC – contact me for more info. There’ll be beer and snax and making noises. Bring your own noisemakers and/or ideas for noisemakers.

I’m going to continue with the instrument-building, making one every week forever. Or until I get tired of it. They’ll all be posted here.

thing 28: rotten stick box fiddle

ranjit — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:15:49 +0000

I found the box in the garbage while walking the dog yesterday and I knew I had to make a fiddle. It looks like it was a chunk cut out of a cheap veneer door or something. This was my most ambitious instrument-a-day, coming in at 6 hours.

The bridge is cut from poplar, the strings are nylon guitar strings, the bass bar and sound post are garbage wood, and the neck/fingerboard is, of course, a rotten stick. This fiddle actually leaves mildew on your left hand when you play it.

The bow I made yesterday literally disintegrated overnight – the screws unscrewed themselves and the hairs fell out! So I played the fiddle with a rosin-coated popsicle stick. Bear in mind that (1) this is a horrible, horrible fiddle and (2) i have no idea how to play a fiddle, before you listen to the sound sample.
Download audio file (boxfiddle.mp3)

thing 27: awful horsehair bow

ranjit — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 07:04:52 +0000

Today my ebay order of mongolian horse hair arrived! So I made a fancy horsehair bow. It’s an awful bow, of course, and I have no idea how to use a bow anyway, but what the heck: here’s what it sounds like on the rotten stick tension guitar and the rotten stick electric guitar.
Download audio file (horsehairbow.mp3)

(I got to spend some time combing horse hair. Instrument making has more in common with My Little Pony than I knew!)

thing 26: rotten stick saxamophone

ranjit — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:54:59 +0000

Yes, it’s another rotten stick! But no walnuts this time. It’s a saxophone of sorts, using reeds made out of coke cans, subway passes, and whatever else I had lying around. Here’s what it sounds like with three different reeds.
Download audio file (saxamophone.mp3)

Construction details: I cut the stick in half the long way and chiseled out a rectangular trench in one half. I clamped the two halves together while I made the mouthpiece (which is coated with lemon oil and olive oil to protect it from spit) and tested the first reed. Then I glued the halves together and drilled the finger holes, and made a bunch more reeds.

(mouthpiece)

(reeds)

thing 25: oak box boo

ranjit — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:10:08 +0000

Bart Hopkin calls it a boo – a tongue drum made from a tube of bamboo or a box. It might not seem complicated compared to some of my earlier instruments, but for me, cutting and attaching these five pieces of wood was like brain surgery. Notice that no two sides are the same length, and the notches for the tongue are all slanted. Anyway, it goes a little bit like this.
Download audio file (oakboxboo.mp3)

thing 24: trumpet saline

ranjit — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:13:22 +0000

Ever since I saw it in the instrument collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I’ve been obsessed with the trumpet marine, a giant one-stringed instrument that’s supposed to sound like a trumpet. Besides its monstrous size, the most important characteristics of the trumpet marine are that it’s fingered at the harmonics and played with a bow (like Glendon’s harmonic violin) and that it has a buzzing bridge that gives it the brassy sound of a trumpet. The bridge has to be carefully balanced to get it to buzz, which is done by adjusting the tension on a string called the guidon that tugs the main string sideways. (You can see the guidon in the closeup shot.)

My instrument with no bow at all is a pretty poor imitation of a trumpet marine, but it does sound a bit salty. In the sound sample, you can hear as I fiddle with the guidon to get a buzz that I like. On the last four notes in the sample, I supressed the plucking sound in software to simulate what it might sound like when bowed. (And I cranked the reverb way up.) It does kind of sound like a trumpet!
Download audio file (trumpetsaline.mp3)

What was I saying about making stringed instruments too big for myself? This one is over seven feet tall.

thing 23: rotten stick tension guitar

ranjit — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 08:16:31 +0000

Continuing to explore the variable tension theme from yesterday: the rotten stick tension guitar uses a hand lever to stretch the string and thus set the pitch. I had that bit of coconut leftover from the banjo, so I used it as a sound radiator. The walnut on the other end is for comfort when you prop the guitar up against your belly (the recommended playing posture).

It sounds kind of like this.
Download audio file (whammystick.mp3)

thing 22: automatic tension guitar

ranjit — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 09:00:45 +0000

I thought I’d try changing the pitch of a guitar string by pulling it with a solenoid – thus “tension guitar.” I thought I’d be able to get multiple pitches by turning the puller on and off very quickly (PWM) but that didn’t work well, so I was stuck with just two pitches. That was boring, so I added a little finger that frets the string. With the combination of the two, it can play four pitches. Over and over and over, thanks to the automatic strummer. Like this. There’s also video of the various moving parts here.
Download audio file (tensionguitar.mp3)

thing a day 22: tension guitar from ranjit on Vimeo.

Details of the strummer, finger, and puller.

thing 21: Syntho ‘77

ranjit — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:45:23 +0000

In my junkbox I found this vintage 1977 (or so) 76477 synthesizer chip- this model used to be used in arcade machines. It was gonna be another Matchbox Synth – you can see I have the case all prepped – but, whether because it’s old and broken, or because I wasn’t using it right, I couldn’t get any sounds out of it except for these.
Download audio file (syntho77.mp3)

Still, you may not have seen and heard the last of Syntho ‘77!

thing 20: scraper-shaker

ranjit — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:10:39 +0000

The scraper-shaker has a graduated series of notches, an aluminum sound cone, and, of course, a walnut shell full of steel washers. It sounds like this.
Download audio file (scrapershaker.mp3)

It’s kind of surprising how much the little sound cone amplifies the sound.

thing 19: coconut banjo

ranjit — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:37:27 +0000

I was inspired when I saw coconuts for 99c at the bodega, but when I got home it took me half an hour just to get all the delicious meat out of the nut.

I keep making instruments that are too long for my short arms to play comfortably. You’d think I would’ve learned from the rotten stick guitar.

The frets are bamboo skewers – I tuned them by ear so the tuning is kind of shaky. I might add more frets later. Note how the bamboo bridge rests on a point on the membrane (architectural vellum)- this helps to transfer the vibrations of the string. The pick is made of two layers of vellum glued together.

The coconut banjo sounds like this.
Download audio file (coconutbanjo.mp3)

thing 18: trespassers w

ranjit — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 04:34:31 +0000

Hammered aluminum, old bbq fork with corks stuck on the tines to discourage autodisembowelment. If I’d known how much work it would be to hammer the thing and that it would turn out to sound like this, I wouldn’t have bothered!
Download audio file (trespassersw.mp3)

thing 17: the toehorn

ranjit — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 07:31:01 +0000

The toehorn is made from a drinking straw double reed and a nerf missile launcher I found in the trash. It sounds pretty much like this.
Download audio file (toehorn.mp3)

(suggested use)

thing 16: gambang bambu

ranjit — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 03:29:03 +0000

Gambang kayu is a xylophone used in gamelan orchestras. This thing isn’t really that much like a gambang. It’s made from rotten sticks (my favorite ingredient!), string, and a bamboo windchime that was on sale at Rite-Aid for $3.49. It sounds like this.
Download audio file (gambangbambuhall.mp3)

thing 15: walnut bowl

ranjit — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 09:03:04 +0000

I carved this bowl out of some waste wood I found on the street. When I roll walnuts around in it, it sounds like this.
Download audio file (walnutbowlhall.mp3)

But the real reason I carved it is to use for hammering sheet metal into gong or cymbal shapes. Unfortunately, I don’t seem to have any sheet metal.

things 13 and 14: fish organ with breath controller

ranjit — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 09:53:54 +0000

Yesterday’s Thing was a breath controller- blow into it to control the volume of today’s Thing: the Fish Organ, so named because the box used to contain smoked fish. And it sounds a little something like this.
Download audio file (fishorgan.mp3)

The keyboard is copper tape cut to shape. It’s tuned (approximately) to the twelve tone Just scale based on 2’s, 3’s, and 5’s. When the little red plug is plugged into the "No breath" jack, the thing plays at full volume without the breath controller.

thing 12: rotten stick upgrade

ranjit — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:53:51 +0000

I added a fingerboard to the rotten stick electric guitar for easier fingering– it’s still only long enough to play about 5 notes. And I made the worst bow ever from another rotten stick and some waxed string. Together, they sound like this.
Download audio file (bowedstickbass.mp3)

thing 11: the brass toad-o-phone

ranjit — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 05:50:44 +0000

Today’s instrument is a recurved brass horn with a plastic reed made from a drinking straw from these instructions. It looks so pretty, but it’s my solemn duty to inform you that it sounds like this.
Download audio file (brasstoadophone.mp3)

thing 10: glass garbage gong

ranjit — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 01:42:33 +0000

It’s not very complicated, but it’s one of my favorite instruments-of-the-day so far! I found this piece of glass– I think it was a coffee table once– in the garbage. Suspended from jute and struck with a rubber mallet, it sounds like this. (Use headphones or good speakers if you can – the stereo effects are great.)
Download audio file (glassgarbagegong.mp3)

I think I should tie it to a frame in three directions so it doesn’t swing around so much.

thing 9: electric jasmine kalimba

ranjit — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 06:51:49 +0000

Kalimba with steel and bamboo tines in an old tea canister, with piezo microphone and 1/4″ output jack. It sounds like this (I did a bit of simple layering with a Loopstation.)
Download audio file (jasminekalimba.mp3)

Inspired by the amazing kalimbas of RP Collier – listen to his music at soundclick and see the beautiful instruments on flickr.

thing 8: tiny wooden whistle

ranjit — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 09:52:14 +0000

I only had a few minutes to play today, and my first attempt at an instrument today broke, so here’s a teeny tiny little wooden whistle. It sounds like this.
Download audio file (tinywoodenwhistle.mp3)

I’m proud of myself for drilling a 1/8" hole in a 1/4" dowel without breaking it!

thing 7: triple wooden gong

ranjit — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 09:06:32 +0000

Made of discarded wood from a nearby street construction project. It sounds like this
Download audio file (woodengong.mp3)

thing a day

ranjit — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:13:32 +0000

I’m making a new musical instrument every day in February. On March 1st I think I’ll have to have either a concert or a bonfire. Follow my adventures at flickr or thing-a-day.com!

Some highlights so far: matchbox synthesizer, diet cocarina, rotten stick electric guitar. You can hear sound samples from all of them at their respective pages.

thing 6: egg whistle

ranjit — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 05:16:25 +0000

A whistle made from an eggshell, fimo clay, and a straw. It sounds like this.
Download audio file (eggwhistle.mp3)

With my egg and the earlier turnip whistle, I tried poking some holes in the body to make an ocarina, but I found that it just stops whistling unless I cover the holes. On the other hand, the soda can ocarina worked just fine, relatively speaking. Are there any ocarina experts out there who can shed some light on this?

thing 5: rotten stick electric guitar

ranjit — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:12:55 +0000

For today’s thing-a-day: a damp, rotten stick from the park; an old guitar string; a hand-wound electromagnetic pickup.

It sounds like this. (Sorry, I’ve only had a few minutes to start learning how to play it)
Download audio file (stickguitar.mp3)

thing 4: the diet cocarina

ranjit — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 03:34:32 +0000

Can I make another musical instrument every single day of the month? We’ll see if my head explodes first.

Today: An ocarina made from a coke can, straw, and poster gum. It sounds like this.
Download audio file (cokarina.mp3)

UPDATE: here’s how to make a Diet Cocarina!

thing 3: matchbox synthesizer

ranjit — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:43:23 +0000

Sticking with the musical instrument theme: the teeniest little synthesizer. Video and sound here.

thing-a-day: matchbox synthesizer from ranjit on Vimeo.

day 2: turnip whistle

ranjit — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 06:42:41 +0000

Made from a turnip, held together with toothpicks. It sounds like this.
Download audio file (turnipwhistle.mp3)

walnut whistle

ranjit — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 08:08:30 +0000

Yesterday I went to a whistle workshop, so today I thought it was time to make a whistle out of a walnut shell.

On the inside there’s a piece cut from another walnut shell which directs air from the hole at the end up to the fipple.

It sounds like this:
walnutwhistle.mp3
Download audio file (walnutwhistle.mp3)