Unique, homemade original instruments.

Socializing and general posts on wide-ranging topics. Remember, it's Poststructural!
Post Reply
User avatar
Stev0
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2020 12:38 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm here as a milti-instrumentalist to learn about and discuss my new interest in irish-style keyless flutes. I played the Boehm flute from 5th grade through 8th grade (I am now 36yo), and recently aquired a Windwood bamboo flute.
Location: Elgin, Il, USA (Chicago)
Contact:

Unique, homemade original instruments.

Post by Stev0 »

Has anyone here invented a whole new instrument before? I suddenly had an Idea today of a new instrument combining the fingering of a 6 hole keyless flute or whistle with a Brass style mouthpiece. Brass is the only family of instruments I have basically no experience with, other than being able play the PVC/copper pipe (think plumbers messing around on the job, didgeridoo style). Playing a plain pipe limits you to only 1 or 2 notes. Adding toneholes could add a whole new range of notes, hopefully able to play a full scale. It's just an idea for now, but I'm wondering if anyone else had thought of something similar, or invented another type of new instrument themselves.

I'm also throwing around the idea of combining some type of stringed instrument with some type of woodwind. I have no clue how that would work or be played, It's just a crazy idea.
...and no, I'm not high, just creative and bored.
-Stevo
trill
Posts: 685
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:44 pm

Re: Unique, homemade original instruments.

Post by trill »

Novel indeed !

When you say "brass" mouthpiece, do you mean like a trumpet ?

Also, what you're describing sounds similar to a woodwind I've heard used at a contra-dance called a "bombarde". A bombarde uses a double-reed mouthpiece (like an oboe) with open (keyless) tone holes.

Here are a few links:

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vect ... -122845153

https://www.britannica.com/art/bombarde

Also, here is an instrument that uses a single-reed mouthpiece (like a clarinet). It's called a "xaphoon".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xaphoon

Have you made instruments before ? I went through a "making" phase about 10 years ago. Great fun. Very time consuming. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING matters ! :-)

trill
Dan A.
Posts: 453
Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2017 8:19 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I can only hope that my proficiency with the whistle is steadily improving. A few of my whistles get a workout on an almost daily basis. And I'm almost certainly afflicted with WhOAD.
Location: Detroit Metro

Re: Unique, homemade original instruments.

Post by Dan A. »

trill wrote:When you say "brass" mouthpiece, do you mean like a trumpet?
That's how I understood it. If our understanding is correct, Stev0 has an interesting idea. How to make it work properly, though, is a topic best addressed by others.
User avatar
Peter Duggan
Posts: 3223
Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2011 5:39 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm not registering, I'm trying to edit my profile! The field “Tell us something.” is too short, a minimum of 100 characters is required.
Location: Kinlochleven
Contact:

Re: Unique, homemade original instruments.

Post by Peter Duggan »

Stev0 wrote:I suddenly had an Idea today of a new instrument combining the fingering of a 6 hole keyless flute or whistle with a Brass style mouthpiece.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornett
And we in dreams behold the Hebrides.

Master of nine?
User avatar
Stev0
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2020 12:38 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm here as a milti-instrumentalist to learn about and discuss my new interest in irish-style keyless flutes. I played the Boehm flute from 5th grade through 8th grade (I am now 36yo), and recently aquired a Windwood bamboo flute.
Location: Elgin, Il, USA (Chicago)
Contact:

Re: Unique, homemade original instruments.

Post by Stev0 »

Peter Duggan wrote:
Stev0 wrote:I suddenly had an Idea today of a new instrument combining the fingering of a 6 hole keyless flute or whistle with a Brass style mouthpiece.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornett
Yes! That's almost exactly what I was thinking of. I would have used a metal trumpet/horn style mouthpiece, and maybe a metal body as well, but wood would probobly have a richer, more organic kind of sound. Now to figure out how to get my hands on one.
-Stevo
User avatar
oleorezinator
Posts: 1625
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2003 1:21 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I love uilleann pipes I love tin whistles I love flutes I love irish music I love concertinas I love bodhrans
Location: Behind the anthracite and shale curtain.

Re: Unique, homemade original instruments.

Post by oleorezinator »

Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth.
Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love.
Love is not music. Music is the best.
- Frank Zappa
User avatar
MikeS
Posts: 329
Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2009 2:00 pm

Re: Unique, homemade original instruments.

Post by MikeS »

You would be following in the footsteps of P. D. Q. Bach, who gave us the tromboon.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GKVg162kSDM

If this doesn’t convince you to continue on your quest I don’t know what will. :)
I'm asking you because you're an educated sort of swine. John LeCarre
User avatar
Stev0
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2020 12:38 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm here as a milti-instrumentalist to learn about and discuss my new interest in irish-style keyless flutes. I played the Boehm flute from 5th grade through 8th grade (I am now 36yo), and recently aquired a Windwood bamboo flute.
Location: Elgin, Il, USA (Chicago)
Contact:

Re: Unique, homemade original instruments.

Post by Stev0 »

MikeS wrote:You would be following in the footsteps of P. D. Q. Bach, who gave us the tromboon.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GKVg162kSDM
Well that was... interesting... :boggle:
-Stevo
User avatar
Nanohedron
Moderatorer
Posts: 38212
Joined: Wed Dec 18, 2002 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Been a fluter, citternist, and uilleann piper; committed now to the way of the harp.

Oh, yeah: also a mod here, not a spammer. A matter of opinion, perhaps.
Location: Lefse country

Re: Unique, homemade original instruments.

Post by Nanohedron »

Hilarious, too. :thumbsup:
"If you take music out of this world, you will have nothing but a ball of fire." - Tribal musician
Dan A.
Posts: 453
Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2017 8:19 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I can only hope that my proficiency with the whistle is steadily improving. A few of my whistles get a workout on an almost daily basis. And I'm almost certainly afflicted with WhOAD.
Location: Detroit Metro

Re: Unique, homemade original instruments.

Post by Dan A. »

For some reason, it reminded me of the bikers' theme in Every Which Way But Loose.
User avatar
Thomaston
Posts: 1285
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:43 am
antispam: No
Location: Auburn, AL

Re: Unique, homemade original instruments.

Post by Thomaston »

Well, this isn’t a foreign concept, but I’m not sure if it’s been done with a banjo. The rim and hardware are together, I’m just waiting for my luthier friend to have the time to build the neck.
It’ll be a tenor/cello hybrid, 5 strings tuned CGDAE. I’ll probably call it a baritone banjo for simplicity even though Gold Tone already has a banjo in their lineup called that.
Like I said, it’s not a foreign concept considering all the 5-string fiddles and cellos out there (and 10-string mandolin/mandola hybrids). But I’ve never found any evidence of this being done to a banjo.
Some details are still in the air, such as scale length and metal vs. nylon strings. It might even be multi-scale, with a variance of 22.5” on the E to 24” on the C. My main concern with this is that it’ll angle the bridge too much and cause significant tonal changes as I go from one string to another.
User avatar
AuLoS303
Posts: 464
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2017 12:17 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I have a fascination for musical instruments of all kinds, and though I'm not a very good player I have a small collection of acoustic instruments including 5 recorders, 3 tin whistles , 3 guitars and 2 ukuleles.
Location: Darlington UK
Contact:

Re: Unique, homemade original instruments.

Post by AuLoS303 »

Sounds like and early instrument called a Zink or Cornette
You can play beautiful music on an ugly flute
My musical endeavours on my blog
Post Reply