Help: Strange Instruments

Subject: Strange Instruments on CBC
From: hesperis
Date: 01 Jul 01 - 10:51 PM

Hi!

I just realized that Mudcatters may be able to help me with this... Within the last five years, I heard a program on CBC radio that had featured guests who made strange instruments.

All I remember is that they made musical instruments out of strange items such as flowerpots, and had one instrument that possibly incorporated water in it? The "water" instrument sounded like whales and dolphins... but I thik it was stringed? Whatever it was, it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard.

(The only other thing I think I remember, is that the guests were one male and one female, but I could be WAY wrong on that.)

I don't even remember WHICH show it was. And I don't know where to start looking on CBC's website for it, as I don't even know what I am looking for.

Do any CBC-listening Mudcatters have any clue as to who these people were, what that instrument is, and where I can find more information on this?

Help!

~*hesperis*~

Subject: RE: Help: Strange Instruments
From: mooman
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 04:40 AM

Dear Hesperis,

Being in Europe I can't receive that channel so can't help with the people.

I can imagine that it would be reasonably easy to design and tune instruments precisely with water. I've seen some quite sophisticated music played on fine wine glasses, carefully tuned to scales with precise and differing amounts of water to give the right notes. You play the glasses by rubbing the lip of them with fingers moistened in water and the sound is beautiful. I've seen water used in other instruments too but can remember the details.

Best regards

mooman

Subject: RE: Help: Strange Instruments
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 04:57 AM

And tehre are Tibetan water bells which sound very cetacian. I don't know how they work, only ever having heard them, but yo can get a similar sound by ringing a glass bowl and dipping it in water. (If you wash up, you prpbably know this!)

Steve

Subject: RE: Help: Strange Instruments
From: mooman
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 05:28 AM

That should be CAN'T remember!

mooman

Subject: RE: Help: Strange Instruments
From: pavane
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 05:42 AM

I have a fascinating book called Musical Instruments of the World, which describes all manner of strange instruments, classified scientifically by type. It is amazing how many types of Bagpipe have been recorded, just as one example. But I don't remember seeing anything which fits the description of the water instrument. Maybe they need a new edition.

Subject: RE: Help: Strange Instruments
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 06:47 AM

Aha! Found it! Tibetan singing bowls (try a search--there are lots available at non-buddhist prices!)

There is also a kind of whistle, used in orchestral music for bird calls, which has water in it somewhere; and the water moves down the pipe as you blow, producing a swooping note with a bubbling effect (like some birds' songs) which is very difficult to describe. And isn't what you're looking for anyway!

Steve

Subject: RE: Help: Strange Instruments
From: English Jon
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 07:09 AM

Mr Parkes is describing an orchestral "nightingale".

A small resevoir which you fill with water/beer/G+T and a fipple like on a recorder. you blow into the chamber, which makes waves in the liquid, changing the shape of the airspace, so changing the pitch.

The romans used to have a thing called a "Hydraulis" which was a bloody great big water driven pipe organ, if that's any help.

EJ

Subject: RE: Help: Strange Instruments
From: GUEST,Astorsen
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 08:25 AM

This whole business remainds me of 2 "things": a) an instrument, call (if I remember well) glass harmonica. It is made of a set of glass bowls of different sizes all tuning on a horizontal axis located at their center and dipping in water. The player touches the bowl(s) to play either melody or arpeggios. It was made in the XIXth century and discontinued as having the reputation of making people crazy...Other weird instruments were invented (and discontinued) in that period. Musical encyclopedists may correct/reference this... b) a report that I saw eons ago on CBC about this diver "communicating with killer whales in British comlumbia. He was using a metal violin, a metallic drum with metal spikes of different length attached to the rim, that is bowed. He was playing that thing at the sea surface with the flat part of the drum on the water. The whales seemed to like it...

Salut,

JL

Subject: RE: Help: Strange Instruments
From: GUEST,Garydon
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 01:39 PM

Benjamin Franklin; Invented an instrument along the water glass principal. It operate via foot pedal rotating the glasses which were colour coded to help find notes. And of different sizesto create the various notes. Your finger was then wet and held on the edges to create the tones. It was a very hanting eiry sound. The instrument was banned from play in some countries as it was thought to conjure up unwanted spirits. This myth was exasterbated by the lead poisoning many of the good player got because the rims were colored w/ lead based paint. Anyone recall what the name of the 1st intrument invented in America was called?

Gary

Subject: RE: Help: Strange Instruments
From: M.Ted
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 02:29 PM

Franklin's instrument was called the "Armonica"--it was actually popular for quite a long time--Mozart apparently wrote pieces for it, as did others, and there was a later, keyboard version of the instrument--

There used to be a fellow in Philadelphia who played musical glasses, often in or around New Market--he did a wide variety of music, including classical pieces, always drew a big crowd--

Subject: RE: Help: Strange Instruments
From: Bert
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 11:00 PM

Hi Hesperis, Lark in The Morning sells a beastie called an Oceanharp which seems to fit your description. Look for it here

Bert

Subject: RE: Help: Strange Instruments
From: hesperis
Date: 03 Jul 01 - 02:19 AM

Astorson - fascinating! Not "it" but very interesting all the same...

Bert - that oceanharp might even be it. I think it was bowed, anyway. I had imagined an almost violin-type thing, but wasn't sure if that was an accurate imagining or not.

Everyone - awesome! Not "it" but a wonderful collection of strange instruments.

Subject: RE: Help: Strange Instruments
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 03 Jul 01 - 03:25 AM

"Each instrument is individual", eh? So they're not tuned!