our MUSICAL trio
Here is a description of our mission to make a trio of handmade musical instruments. We created our version of a piccolo, a set of waterglass chimes, and a one stringed take on a violin.
Water Chimes:
Our percussion instrument consisted of four wine glasses and three glass vases. On the wine glasses, we found a G at one hundred fifty milliliters. This was our highest note since it consisted of the least amount of water. From there on, we added more water to reach the next notes that were lower. When the wine glasses couldn’t hold all the notes, we used vases to hold higher levels of water. The higher the water level, the lower the note, or the lower the frequency of the note. An empty glass has less material for sound to move through. The sound moves much quicker, therefore resonating at a higher frequency. The more water, the more matter for the sound to move through. The sound moves slower, therefore resonating at a lower frequency.We chose glass as our host for the water because it has more resonance. Plastic is soft. WIth plastic, sound has has less material to vibrate against, therefore resonating less. Glass is more brittle and thick. With glass, the sound has more material to vibrate against, therefore having more resonance. Here is a chart with the water levels for each note:
NOTE:
Water Level (mL):
A (Vase)
2750
B (Vase)
2280
C (Wine Glass)
615
D (Wine glass)
305
E (Wine Glass)
252
F (Wine Glass)
200
G (Wine Glass)
150
A (Silver Cup)
80
NOTE:
Water Level (mL):
A (Vase)
2750
B (Vase)
2280
C (Wine Glass)
615
D (Wine glass)
305
E (Wine Glass)
252
F (Wine Glass)
200
G (Wine Glass)
150
A (Silver Cup)
80
- Notice - There was a drastic change in water from B to C because the wine glass by itself had a higher frequency since it was thinner and had less material to move through compared to the thick glass vases. The same applies between G and the higher A. In order to reach an A in an octave higher, We needed a material with a higher natural frequency. This silver was even thinner than the wine glasses so it had a higher natural frequency. Also, it had better resonance because silver is more brittle.
Piccolo:
Our flute was designed to make an octave of notes. We used a metal pipe made of brass to build our flute. It had a length of thirty and a half centimeters and a diameter of one and a half centimeters. We drilled a mouthpiece twenty-six centimeters from the end of the flute, and plugged the other side of the flute with clay and PVC pipe. This is so the air won’t escape until it reaches it reaches the holes we drilled in down the flute. The holes down the flute were determined by the the wavelengths of each note frequency. We divided the wavelength by four since only a quarter wavelength goes through the flute. Here is the chart we used to determine each notes’ frequencies (we used octaves four and five):
NOTES:
FINGER POSITIONS:
WAVELENGTHS (cm):
QUARTER WAVELENGTHS (cm):
E4
plug all holes
104
26
F4
plug top 5 holes
98
24.5
G4
plug top 4 holes
88
22
A4
plug top 3 holes
78
19.5
B4
plug top 2 holes
69
17.25
C5
plug first hole only
65
16.25
D5
open
58
14.5
By following these finger positions or plugging holes, we created different wavelengths. The shorter the wavelength, the higher the frequency. The longer the wavelength, the lower the frequency. This proves that frequency and wavelength are inversely proportional. This can be shown in an equation for wave speed:
NOTES:
FINGER POSITIONS:
WAVELENGTHS (cm):
QUARTER WAVELENGTHS (cm):
E4
plug all holes
104
26
F4
plug top 5 holes
98
24.5
G4
plug top 4 holes
88
22
A4
plug top 3 holes
78
19.5
B4
plug top 2 holes
69
17.25
C5
plug first hole only
65
16.25
D5
open
58
14.5
By following these finger positions or plugging holes, we created different wavelengths. The shorter the wavelength, the higher the frequency. The longer the wavelength, the lower the frequency. This proves that frequency and wavelength are inversely proportional. This can be shown in an equation for wave speed:
- When the air escapes closer to the mouthpiece, the wavelengths become shorter creating a note with a higher frequency. When the air escapes closer to the end of the flute, the wavelengths becomes longer creating a note with a lower frequency. (Notice - Wavelength measured trough to trough.)
- To help you understand how waves travel through a flute, there is a diagram below that explains transverse waves. There are terms that appertain to transverse waves like amplitude, trough, crest, equilibrium, and wavelength.
String instrument:
String instruments make sound through the vibration of the strings. The pitch of the sound produced by the vibrations can be controlled by varying the tension, thickness, and length of the string. For example, tighter strings produce a higher sound than looser ones, and thicker strings produce lower sounds. This is why each string on a guitar produces a different sound, even if they are all the same length.
Our string bowl consists of a metal bowl, a wooden board with several holes, a wooden bridge, two screws to hold the strings, and one violin string. The wooden board is placed over the metal bowl. The holes allow more sound waves to exit. The metal bowl provides more resonance since its sides are brittle and the sound has more material to vibrate against. The bowl’s shape amplifies the sound when the sound waves reverberate and echo off each other. The two screws are placed at opposite ends of the board, and the string is tied at both sides. A bridge is placed three quarters of the way up the string to make the string taught. This tightness provides a higher frequency so we can hear the sound when the string is plucked.
To measure where on the fingerboard we need to make frets, we found the natural frequency of the string, which was A. To produce the notes higher in the scale, we pressed on the fingerboard to shorten the wavelength of the sound that comes from plucking the string. This creates a higher frequency. Progressively, we made marks for frets that will determine which note to play. Here is a chart with the notes and their wavelengths, or distances from the bridge:
NOTES:
WAVELENGTHS (cm):
A
24.5
B
23
C
22
D
20
E
18.25
F
16
G
14.5
By pressing down on the frets, the musician is creating different wavelengths to produce different notes.
Notice - The highest string (high E) is the thinnest and the lowest string (low E) is the thickest. Also, there are tuners at the headstock of the guitar to tighten and loosen the strings. By tightening a string, the pitch becomes higher. By loosening a string, the pitch becomes lower and deeper.
Our string bowl consists of a metal bowl, a wooden board with several holes, a wooden bridge, two screws to hold the strings, and one violin string. The wooden board is placed over the metal bowl. The holes allow more sound waves to exit. The metal bowl provides more resonance since its sides are brittle and the sound has more material to vibrate against. The bowl’s shape amplifies the sound when the sound waves reverberate and echo off each other. The two screws are placed at opposite ends of the board, and the string is tied at both sides. A bridge is placed three quarters of the way up the string to make the string taught. This tightness provides a higher frequency so we can hear the sound when the string is plucked.
To measure where on the fingerboard we need to make frets, we found the natural frequency of the string, which was A. To produce the notes higher in the scale, we pressed on the fingerboard to shorten the wavelength of the sound that comes from plucking the string. This creates a higher frequency. Progressively, we made marks for frets that will determine which note to play. Here is a chart with the notes and their wavelengths, or distances from the bridge:
NOTES:
WAVELENGTHS (cm):
A
24.5
B
23
C
22
D
20
E
18.25
F
16
G
14.5
By pressing down on the frets, the musician is creating different wavelengths to produce different notes.
Notice - The highest string (high E) is the thinnest and the lowest string (low E) is the thickest. Also, there are tuners at the headstock of the guitar to tighten and loosen the strings. By tightening a string, the pitch becomes higher. By loosening a string, the pitch becomes lower and deeper.
Peaks:
Quality:
I feel that we worked very hard on the accuracy and precision of our instruments. Especially the piccolo and water chimes.
Research:
For this project we researched all that we could. We wanted to make sure that we knew how all the concepts worked together before we attempted to make an instrument.
I feel that we worked very hard on the accuracy and precision of our instruments. Especially the piccolo and water chimes.
Research:
For this project we researched all that we could. We wanted to make sure that we knew how all the concepts worked together before we attempted to make an instrument.
pits:
Time Management:
While we really worked on the quality of our instruments, when it came down to it we were left with very little time for our string instrument. Compared to the other two the string instrument was quite sloppy.
Accuracy:
While we spent much of our time researching and trying to create an instrument that sounded as authentic and accurate as possible, our final products could've used some work. We could've worked more on tuning the notes.
While we really worked on the quality of our instruments, when it came down to it we were left with very little time for our string instrument. Compared to the other two the string instrument was quite sloppy.
Accuracy:
While we spent much of our time researching and trying to create an instrument that sounded as authentic and accurate as possible, our final products could've used some work. We could've worked more on tuning the notes.
Wavelength - distance between crest to crest, or trough to trough in a sound wave
Wave Speed - Wave Length x Frequency
Frequency - number cycles, vibrations, oscillations, or repeated event per time; measured in Hertz
Wave - a disturbance that travels through matter or space that transfers energy.
Wave Speed - Wave Length x Frequency
Frequency - number cycles, vibrations, oscillations, or repeated event per time; measured in Hertz
Wave - a disturbance that travels through matter or space that transfers energy.