General Music Chat

Yes I must have misunderstood your meaning.
I didn't get that you were already describing a midi controller here.

i dont think making electric panpipes would be all that difficult.. different length tubes cut to make different sounds, just blow into the pipe to make the sound you want.. if i were to make electric panpipes id put a piezo in the bottom with a relief hole drilled in the side to let air pressure out.. then when you blow into it the air pressure will register with the piezo, be converted into an electrical signal and then fed through an effects processor, amp, etc

anyway, i think im going to buy a clarinet and fabricate a new mouthpiece that will hold a bagpipes double-reed with a cap over top.. make a clarinet sound like a bagpipe and student clarinets for me to experiment with are like $100 and tons of resources out there for learning them vs oboe

A double reed in a clarinet will not sound very much like a typical bagpipe. A clarinet (as well as some east European and middle Eastern bagpipes) has a cylindrical bore, whereas Scottish and most west European bagpipes, (as well as oboes, bassoons, saxophones,) have a conical bore.

Here is an example of a double reed instrument with a cylindrical bore.
http://youtu.be/35jcEA3yups

The cylindrical bore overblows to the 12th, the conical bore overblows to the octave.

not all bagpipes are conical though, many are cylindrical

Yes, and not all bagpipes use double reeds, many use single reeds

It would be interesting to hear what results you could get attaching a bagpipe double reed to the bore of a clarinet.
Maybe like a fat crumhorn? Crumhorns and small-pipes tend to have much narrower bores than clarinets.
http://youtu.be/6Pthv29TgRE

Thanks Planetguy!

About that check ... I don't think I can afford the "ALL things musical" option. Maybe I can get a discount rate on a "SOME things musical" deal? And maybe that on the low interest, "vinny's credit", plan?


One can make a crude compact bass reed instrument by putting a mouthpiece a coiled tube, rather than a straight one. I've made some from copper as well as with polyurethane tubing. A straight cylindrical tube will have the harmonic characteristics of a "clarinet" that over-blows to the 12th.

To make a "sax" that over-blows to the octave, one would need to deform the tube with heat to a conical shape, or use short sections of cylindrical tubes of progressively larger diameters to approximates a conical bore shape.

The video Justin posted shows a guy playing a clarinet type instrument with a sax mouthpiece. He stays within one octave playing the chalumeau register only.

Clarinets are cool though, so it still sounds like a good project for him to pursue.

I used to use dried up pieces of Arundo donax that I would find near dried up river beds to make instruments like zummaras, sipsi and stuff.

Thanks Planetguy!

About that check ... I don't think I can afford the "ALL things musical" option. Maybe I can get a discount rate on a "SOME things musical" deal? And maybe that on the low interest, "vinny's credit", plan?

sounds like a slippery slope you're proposing there....next thing ya know someone's likely to start tossing off words like "socialism" and "communism" ...and then it's only a matter of time before "commie boy" gets dusted off.

Thanks Planetguy!

About that check ... I don't think I can afford the "ALL things musical" option. Maybe I can get a discount rate on a "SOME things musical" deal? And maybe that on the low interest, "vinny's credit", plan?

sounds like a slippery slope you're proposing there....next thing ya know someone's likely to start tossing off words like "socialism" and "communism" ...and then it's only a matter of time before "commie boy" gets dusted off.

Does that mean it might be covered by Obama care?

http://youtu.be/taEnME5_-Ts

"Vinny, you are slowing down. You are showing less and less creativity."

http://youtu.be/VRRSqw_qqPM

umm.. that jamaican instrument is just a hornpipe.. but regardless, those simpler instruments id gladly prefer for backpacking or camping, but it would still be nice to have something a bit more polished, like the sax or clarinet

im going to put forth an effort into learning uilleann pipes to replace the bagpipes i play now, i will make a midi controller for the button-style keyboards of the chromatic button accordions later on as well (should be a shorter learning curve since i already play piano) but i think for the immediate future im going to focus on either the sax or clarinet..

i did a price check on the oboes a couple days ago looking at online sources and the cheapest student models.. you know, the ones made out of little more than PVC pipe, were still a $1,400 instrument which is hell of a lot more than im willing to spend so im actually leaning towards the sax

but.. how different is the fingering between the sax and clarinet? isnt the clarinet mechanically a bit simpler of an instrument?

question on the sax is.. is it possible to find a used sax, maybe in the rough that needs a little TLC for a cheap price?.. maybe some new pads, some refinishing or polish, etc? and if so, what should i expect to pay for something like that?

of the three sizes, soprano, alto, and tenor, id be going with the alto of course.. theyre the cheapest, most common

umm.. that jamaican instrument is just a hornpipe.. but regardless, those simpler instruments id gladly prefer for backpacking or camping, but it would still be nice to have something a bit more polished, like the sax or clarinet

im going to put forth an effort into learning uilleann pipes to replace the bagpipes i play now, i will make a midi controller for the button-style keyboards of the chromatic button accordions later on as well (should be a shorter learning curve since i already play piano) but i think for the immediate future im going to focus on either the sax or clarinet..

i did a price check on the oboes a couple days ago looking at online sources and the cheapest student models.. you know, the ones made out of little more than PVC pipe, were still a $1,400 instrument which is hell of a lot more than im willing to spend so im actually leaning towards the sax

question on the sax is.. is it possible to find a used sax, maybe in the rough that needs a little TLC for a cheap price?.. maybe some new pads, some refinishing or polish, etc? and if so, what should i expect to pay for something like that?

You can find playable oboes and saxophones on ebay for $200 or $300 dollars or less .. especially alto sax's

and to think, i thought saxophones were unnecessarily overcomplicated instruments.. turns out the saxophone actually has FEWER keys than clarinets and oboes

if im not mistaken, isnt the alto sax an Eb instrument, but is this the same octave or an octave lower than the E flat clarinets?.. because i tend to prefer a more higher pitched instrument.. violin over cello, trumpet over a tuba, piccolo over a flute.. i think the alto could be a good place to start and if i want something higher pitched than that theres always the soprano

but yes.. im making a final decision here and basically that decision is "all of them" but the four instruments im going to focus on in the future, some to larger degrees than others, will be the saxophone, uilleann pipes, accordion, and banjo

i want that bagpipe sound but the freedom to play concert music, and since i already play bagpipes i only have to learn the uilleann system of fingering which is similar to a D pennywhitle

for the accordion since my primary instrument is, and probably always will be the piano, its a short learning curve to learning the chromatic button system of fingering for a more compact, higher range accordion than the piano accordions

but the instrument i think ill be putting the most focus into would be the sax, i think im going to get a used one off ebay or off craigslist in need of a little work ive always worked on my own instruments and for a number of years i worked as a luthier, so id like to expand my skills and learn how to work on woodwinds like the sax by working on my own, maybe even electroplate it with a darker metal

so.. for the most part yeah.. my decision is the alto saxophone

i will still be experimenting with some ideas though.. my goal is to eventually develop my own keyed, chromatic double-reed woodwind instrument thatll sound closer to bagpipes than oboes

____

now, when looking for a used sax.. i have an issue with using things other people have used before.. i hate sloppy seconds so im not actually going to buy anything used and not play it until i give it a COMPLETE cleaning

so my new questions are what should i avoid when looking for a used sax?.. obviously gouges and dents should be avoided on the body, but the keywork is pretty complex, anything specific i should look for there? obviously ill be buying a new mouthpiece and toss the used one

and my last question is for the deep level cleaning im looking to do, how should i go about doing it?.. is it safe to drip a sax in boiling water?.. any chemicals that should be avoided?.. i mean, if its safe to remove the keys and dip the body and neck into boiling soapy water for a complete sterilization then im all for it..

but as you can see, im looking for a very thorough type of cleaning if im buying something used

Clarinets are Bb, not Eb.
Look for bent key hinges, dented keys, missing pads, etc. Not sure about cleaning - aren't the pads usually felt? Have to avoid getting those wet as they'll lose all their resiliency. When I picked up a used Yamaha recorder my wife soaked it in rubbing alcohol overnight, but it didn't have any non-plastic components to worry about.

well, standard clarinets are B flat.. im assuming the E flat clarinet is E flat.. you know, the smaller more high pitched clarinet which produces a sound i like more than the standard

and id probably remove the keys and clean those separately i guess.. probably replace the pads?

also, it would appear the standard range of the alto sax is about on par with the standard B flat clarinet

Hey why don't you try the drums. Its my second instrument, ( FIRST IS GUITAR), I first started playing it out of necessity, and I absolutely love it. Its a lot of fun and challenging AND it sharpens your tempo on any other instrument. When I play an original song for someone I can always tell if they like it by if they are tapping their foot to it. The drums are the most fundamental of all musical instruments.

SHAWN

Imma get me one of these!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlmYqUfhT94