TOY - an instrument my girlfriend built

Great concept! I gotta say I really do enjoy the idea immensely!

If you'll allow me to interject a few bits. I really believe in this as a project, and something that would be useful to society:

1. I love the idea of a performance sculpture. Like being in a please touch museum, it would be great if everyone were allowed to use it. On thing is most people don't go around with a violin bown in their back pocket, so maybe a good Idea would be to make a sculpture that is playable with: The hands, coins/loose change, keys, cell phones, wind, other parts of the scuplture, etc...

2. Kids love playing with things, and it gives parents a time to relax. But I don't think metal is a good option for kids, cause they could get hurt. Maybe PVC pipe or other material would be safer.

3. I know it's the lighting, and maybe this is the desired effect, but it looks a bit ominous with metal and dark tones. Lightening it up slightly might be more pleasing to the "unconditioned" eye.

I think this project could be very useful in public play areas, and would have the potential to produce a livable income for your girlfriend as well. I understand if this is not the route you want to take it, but that's my feelings.

Well done!
 
Wow Nitai. I am not sure whether you are showing off your girl friend or her instrument by posting this. Both gave me a pleasurable sensory experience when I watched the video. ;)
From a music standpoint, this is something quite unique. How would you categorize this type of music?
 
Thanks Gandalfe.

John, it was to show the instrument...
Well, I wouldn't really categorize this type of music. But in the art world it has a name. It's called Sound Art http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_art
It's not really a type of music, but a type of art that also uses sound.

Drew, your post is a little strange. You are basically suggesting she should do something different than what she did. Like someone posting about a clarinet and suggesting they play oboe for example. Obviously your idea can work in general, like someone posting about a clarinet, and in general, playing oboe might also be a good idea.

This sculpture was specifically made from this iron chimney. It was specifically made for the purpose of playing it mostly with bows. It was specifically made for the purpose that she will play it. The purpose of this sculpture is not to stand there and have everyone play it with their hands. Though people can do that if they want. However, after this concert, a lot of adults and children did play it, with the bows and with their hands. An instrument made from a different material, played without bows, would sound different and is not what she wanted to do in this case. She wants the sounds she got from these materials and type of playing.

Here is a photo of her Stringed Tree http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2277/5796078404_5138097541_b.jpg
This is an olive tree with strings stretched on it. Since there is no resonance chamber they put pickups for each string and used amplification.

Here is a partial video of her first Stringed instrument http://youtu.be/DEEnfYVatsk
It has very long strings stretched around a room and uses a long steel pipe and a couple of cellos as soul and resonance chambers.
 
clarnibass said:
Like someone posting about a clarinet and suggesting they play oboe for example.
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Ya know, that idea never occurred to me. My next posts will be amusing :p.
 
clarnibass said:
Drew, your post is a little strange. You are basically suggesting she should do something different than what she did. Like someone posting about a clarinet and suggesting they play oboe for example.
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I agree to the above.

I like what you and your girlfriend have done, and I look forward to seeing more. Good job!
 
It is a cool piece of sound art. It is also just cool to look at as an abstract object. Some of the very high pitched sounds are a bit harsh on the ears. I was wondering where they originate from. Also would is matter whether the main metal part was solid or hollow, and if hollow, whether square or cylindrical. Does it play any part in the sound making? Perhaps this is obvious from the video but I could not really tell. Finally, a comical thought was that for the particular "instrument", having front row seats to a "concert" requires a helmet and protective clothing. Quite something when she starts to rotate the contraption. Cheers!
 
steen said:
Also would is matter whether the main metal part was solid or hollow, and if hollow, whether square or cylindrical. Does it play any part in the sound making? Perhaps this is obvious from the video but I could not really tell.
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Look at 0:45. You can see through it for a moment. Some other parts also show that it's hollow. It is a square and hollow chimney. This is critical to get those sounds. It acts as a resonance chamber and a solid "chimney" wouldn't work in the same way. It "amplifies" both its own sounds but also the sounds coming from the big screws and stones, etc. not to metnion a piece of solid iron this big would be crazy heavy! She found it and decided to build the sculpture around it, but it turned out to be important that it's square too. Both for holding it and for playing it. It plays a different sound depeneding on which side edge she is playing on.

Some of the harsh and high overtones are on purpose and are meant to be this way. Some are because it is a little tricky to use the bow just right and if only one hair from the bow was catching on the chimney edge it would cause that. It is harder to get the control like playing on an actual string because the edges are uneven and some hairs from the bow can catch of ridges and bumps.

steen said:
Finally, a comical thought was that for the particular "instrument", having front row seats to a "concert" requires a helmet and protective clothing.
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Yes, we actually told a few people to move before the concert and they didn't understand why... :)
 
I got that it was hollow, alright. Not the rest. Thanks for your reply(ies). Really cool. About the front row. I would love to see it in action at the BSO. Not only do people complain when something/anything other than Mozart, Beethoven or Brahms etc is played, the image of the square tubing swinging over the heads of the front row audience would indeed add to the visual effect of sound art. BTW, interesting pun there, sound art.
 
steen said:
I got that it was hollow, alright. Not the rest. Thanks for your reply(ies). Really cool.
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Oh I see, I thought since you asked if a hollow or solid chimney would make a difference, I misunderstood that you were also asking if it was hollow or not.

Anyway, here is another video/trailer which was just finished. It is actually a much older project using strings and pickups. The strings (spring steel wires) are stretched between houses and trees in the middle of the street in the city center.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF-v5leRTpo&feature=autoshare
 
Your friend is wonderfully creative and talented. This widens my concept of "improvisation" to not only include notes but sounds as well.
 
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