For this project we were tasked with building a musical band that could play all eight notes on the scale.
The first step for our instrument project, was getting in groups. What our instructor did, was put us in groups based on our musical interest was. I was set in the techno/dubstep group. My group members were Tim Madison, Garret Hoefer, and Yazeed Hamami.
As a group, we all knew each other and were good friends, so we had no problem getting along. At the beginning of this project, we all had very high hopes. We achieved some of those hopes, but others, well, lets just say things didn't go as planed.
Like many of the groups we discussed what our instruments should be. Since, at that point, we were the techno group, so our first instrument would be speakers, which would be played by my computer. The second instrument was simple to figure out. The flute was an easy to make instrument, that was also effortless to play. We made our flute, and while it didn't sound as good as professional flute but it let out a tolerable tone that we were happy with.
The real challenge was figuring out what our third instrument had to be. We knew it had to be a string instrument, but we didn't want to make a run-of-the-mill ukulele or a plain, old, Sega Saturn guitar. w\We decided to go country, and make a bucket bass! Its fitting for a group focusing mainly on techno. The bucket bass is pictured below.
The first step for our instrument project, was getting in groups. What our instructor did, was put us in groups based on our musical interest was. I was set in the techno/dubstep group. My group members were Tim Madison, Garret Hoefer, and Yazeed Hamami.
As a group, we all knew each other and were good friends, so we had no problem getting along. At the beginning of this project, we all had very high hopes. We achieved some of those hopes, but others, well, lets just say things didn't go as planed.
Like many of the groups we discussed what our instruments should be. Since, at that point, we were the techno group, so our first instrument would be speakers, which would be played by my computer. The second instrument was simple to figure out. The flute was an easy to make instrument, that was also effortless to play. We made our flute, and while it didn't sound as good as professional flute but it let out a tolerable tone that we were happy with.
The real challenge was figuring out what our third instrument had to be. We knew it had to be a string instrument, but we didn't want to make a run-of-the-mill ukulele or a plain, old, Sega Saturn guitar. w\We decided to go country, and make a bucket bass! Its fitting for a group focusing mainly on techno. The bucket bass is pictured below.
How our instruments work
Speakers:
Speakers like our other instruments, work through vibrations. In a speaker, there is an electromagnet, a coil that creates a magnetic field when electricity is running through it. The electro magnet is placed in front of a permanent magnet. The electromagnet is mobile, while the permanent magnet is immobile.As electricity goes through the coil, it changes its magnetic field very rapidly. As it changes it, the permanent magnet is attracted and released by the electromagnet, causing it to vibrate back and forth.The magnets are attached to a cone made of flexible material. As the magnet vibrates, the cone amplifies the vibrations, making sound waves in the air, which travel to your ear.
Flute:
When the flute is blown into, the stream of air goes into the piping. The air stream hits against the sides,moving it and making sounds. To change the pitch, you use your fingers to cover or uncover the holes on the flute. This changes the frequency of the sound, which leads to a higher or lower pitch. To make the tone louder, more air is needed. For a lower pitch, less air is needed.
String:
The string instruments work through vibrations, like our other instruments. When the stings arestrummed, the strings vibrate, creating an amplified sound. The pitch can change through three main factors: the thickness, the tension, and length of the strings.
Speakers:
Speakers like our other instruments, work through vibrations. In a speaker, there is an electromagnet, a coil that creates a magnetic field when electricity is running through it. The electro magnet is placed in front of a permanent magnet. The electromagnet is mobile, while the permanent magnet is immobile.As electricity goes through the coil, it changes its magnetic field very rapidly. As it changes it, the permanent magnet is attracted and released by the electromagnet, causing it to vibrate back and forth.The magnets are attached to a cone made of flexible material. As the magnet vibrates, the cone amplifies the vibrations, making sound waves in the air, which travel to your ear.
Flute:
When the flute is blown into, the stream of air goes into the piping. The air stream hits against the sides,moving it and making sounds. To change the pitch, you use your fingers to cover or uncover the holes on the flute. This changes the frequency of the sound, which leads to a higher or lower pitch. To make the tone louder, more air is needed. For a lower pitch, less air is needed.
String:
The string instruments work through vibrations, like our other instruments. When the stings arestrummed, the strings vibrate, creating an amplified sound. The pitch can change through three main factors: the thickness, the tension, and length of the strings.
After we had presented, we took a break from musical studies and began working on programming, building cardboard chairs, and performing electronics experiments. After a few weeks of working with electronics, we got news of an upcoming STEM concert where we would showcase our instruments through song or through demonstration. My group and I had to make the decision of whether we wanted to perform or not. I didn't want to preform, so we ended up just showing off our bucket bass to the crowd.
The demo went without a hitch. We had a great time showcasing our instrument and marveling at the other groups instruments and musical talent.
In this project many things went great, and a lot of stuff also went awfully. For starters, my group and I had some trouble communicating, some of it ending in arguments and yelling. Another thing that could have gone better is our work ethic, which was pretty much nonexistent throughout most of this project.
One of the best things about my group, was ironically, at the same time, the work ethic. While it was pretty much dead, our whole group came through in the end, which where is get most of my work done. Another one of our good points was that we never lost hope. No matter how far along we were until the deadline, no matter how worried we always were, we never lost hope that this project with at least a B.
The demo went without a hitch. We had a great time showcasing our instrument and marveling at the other groups instruments and musical talent.
In this project many things went great, and a lot of stuff also went awfully. For starters, my group and I had some trouble communicating, some of it ending in arguments and yelling. Another thing that could have gone better is our work ethic, which was pretty much nonexistent throughout most of this project.
One of the best things about my group, was ironically, at the same time, the work ethic. While it was pretty much dead, our whole group came through in the end, which where is get most of my work done. Another one of our good points was that we never lost hope. No matter how far along we were until the deadline, no matter how worried we always were, we never lost hope that this project with at least a B.