I have been Playing……

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This topic has 16 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 7 months ago by Liam M.

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September 12, 2009 at 4:05 pm #160168

Liam M
Participant

…. Around!

The debut of my Brass Sound Board experiment!

It is a strange sound… The sustain is even longer then that of traditional wire and the effect of damping is changed. The pitch is surprisingly stable, much more so then wood. However the sound is not unpleasant and shows promise.

September 12, 2009 at 4:40 pm #160169

Liam M
Participant

Forgot to mention, the test jig is adjustable. I can vary Arch to Soundboard dimension

September 12, 2009 at 5:41 pm #160170

Audrey Nickel
Participant

Definitely an interesting experiment!

September 12, 2009 at 7:02 pm #160171

Liam M
Participant

Hi Audrey!! How are you?

September 12, 2009 at 11:43 pm #160172

Karen Johns
Participant

Hi Liam! Welcome Back!

I’ve been on a hiatus myself for a couple months, just started posting again a few weeks ago. You have definitely been busy! I think the brass soundboard looks very interesting, I imagine the vibration must just go on and on…

How interesting too that you are building flutes. What type of flute are you building? I have a concert Boehm style-flute along with some bamboo flutes from Windsong instruments. Been playing for about 25 years now. I wouldn’t even begin to know how to build one of these!

Question: What’s wrong with your thumb? Is it just the Alaska piks not working?

Karen

September 13, 2009 at 1:03 am #160173

michael-rockowitz
Participant

Liam,

I’m curious as to where you got the brass for the soundboard.

September 13, 2009 at 3:28 am #160174

Liam M
Participant

The THUMBS do not like the strings… My thumbnails constantly catch or miss the string and manage to strum it when I am trying to damp it. Something about the angle and the approach, my fingers can dance across the strings, but the thumb plows!

September 13, 2009 at 4:01 am #160175

Liam M
Participant

Michael,

The brass is coming from Ace hardware, it’s manufactured by K&S engineering. I have .014 to .020 on hand right now.

September 13, 2009 at 11:41 pm #160176

michael-rockowitz
Participant

Liam,

I like the idea of working with a harp on a small scale, experimenting with what works and what doesn’t, what tensions are tolerated, and its impact on tone.

September 14, 2009 at 4:23 am #160177

Liam M
Participant

Well… I am not sure yet of some of the algorthms involved, but if we could develop them, we could program it.

September 14, 2009 at 4:46 am #160178

Dwyn .
Participant

Think about making the soundbox from sheet metal.

September 14, 2009 at 2:41 pm #160179

Dennis McKenzie
Participant

Liam , greetings. For the problem with your thumb try using a guitar thumb pick that slides over your thumb. I have used one for years playing finger style guitar and found I liked using it on my wire Trinity as well. I just cant use those Alaskapicks. hope this helps. Dennis

September 17, 2009 at 2:41 am #160180

Liam M
Participant

Greetings to you as well… Thanks, I will try that…

September 17, 2009 at 2:45 am #160181

Liam M
Participant

Hmmm…..

September 17, 2009 at 5:38 pm #160182

harp guy
Participant

Sounds fun!!!

Have you tried tuning it to a whole tone scale? That would probably sound nice given the sustain. I just wouldn’t tune it to a standard Do Re Mi style scale though. You’ll always end on “ti” and have that unresolved 7th lingering in the air.

::shudder::
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