Making musical instruments

[rich59]

Here is my first attempt at making a wind instrument. Tuned to the scale of G it makes a half decent scale moderately playable. They are pan pipes with a reed cut into the top edge, made from elder - making use of the hollow stems and stabilised by binding to split elder. Have you made any instruments?

 

[mark a.]

That's looking gorgeous. What a great idea!

I've never tried making any musical instruments (unless you can count hitting things with a stick as a drum). There must be some others that won't be too difficult. For example, take one of your elder tubes, make a plunger for it and hey presto - a swannie whistle!

 

[rich59]

Thanks Mark

It started out with just the long one thinking it might make some sort of flute. I had no idea how to get a note out of it at first. I think with S. American pan pipes they mostly just blow across the top. But I couldn't get that to work, so I found a web site describing a japanese flute with the top edge cut at an angle. That worked if I covered the end. But then I worked out that with a covered end it would not sound notes if I made holes in the pipe. So a set of pipes was the next idea. I looked up the mathematics of how long pipes should be for different notes and cut a set. At the higher/ shorter end I made a few mistakes and replaced tubes a couple of times.

I still have to sort out a permanent way to stop the ends as at the moment I am using my fingers. I might try candle wax. Chewing gum, plasticine, or wood filler are other alternatives.

Until this week it was just a pile of tubes. Finally got round to thinking how to join them together and it all came together in the last couple of days. The knots are a series of Japanese square lashings that make a handsome knot.


I heard a bit about making swanny whistles recently. I think the sliding bit has to make quite a good air seal, but I may be wrong there. I think I recall someone describing how to make a simple one out of a stick and its loosened tube of bark.

 

[mark a.]

That's true, I hadn't stopped to think whether the pan pipes are open or closed at the ends. Acoustically they're very different.

I look forward to seeing your super dooper swanny whistle!

 

[pierre girard]

I have made some Ojibwe courting flutes, different times. One of my sons is very good at playing them.

Here is an MP3 site:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tchin

 

[Toddy]

Neat, very neat.
Storm made a set of pipes a while ago, but he used horsetail and he left the joints in the pipes instead of sealing the ends. I used fennel stems and just blew over them like the South Americans do.

I'll see if I can find a link to Storms.

Cheers,
Toddy

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=9097&highlight=pipes

 

[Womble_Lancs]

Have you made any instruments?

Cap'n Badger has made a rather nice flute which he brought to the Bushmoot. It plays beautifully. In fact, I very nearly didn't give it him back

 

[Shambling Shaman]

That's looking gorgeous. What a great idea!

I've never tried making any musical instruments (unless you can count hitting things with a stick as a drum). There must be some others that won't be too difficult. For example, take one of your elder tubes, make a plunger for it and hey presto - a swannie whistle!

All of the above (are you my long lost twin)

 

[Cap'n Badger]

....The face says it all!!.....lol
Ye forgot t' say that it was made upside down.......but it still works......Made a few dij's out o' 3'' bamboo in the past couple o' weeks an' all.......I'm just a music nut......can get a note out o' most things.....
Lovin' yer pan's Rich......the trick is t' make them in a curve so's ye don't has t' move them so far across yer face t' play.
I think we gots the makin's o' a great band here peeps!.......something t' liven up the parachute tent next year eh?....

 

[Biddlesby]

We tried to make a swanee whistle at the recent Norfolk meet using elder with dislodged bark, to no avail (as far as I remember). I also tried making a simple elder whistle but no sound! Will keep trying.

 

[moko]

Excellent, well done mate. I'm a bit of a tecno idiot but wondered how difficult it is to post sound recordings? Might add an extra level of understanding and learning especially to such an excellent thread, not to mention to this forum in general.

Moko

 

[rich59]

Hi Folks. I have been away for the last few days on a music week - nothing directly to do with bushcraft, but ... wow, my head is now full of the potential for making simple musical intruments - particularly a variety of percussion instruments - and for exploring the musical instruments of various primitive cultures.

We used 3-4 different types of percussion instruments - shakers, drums, "frogs" made of wood, bells. A very enthusiastic tutor got us making great rhythms together. This would be a great activity for a bushmoot - make up some instruments and then play them together!