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Build a Musical Band Justification

Adam Rosenbaum - Sadie Ikeda - Kelsey McIvor - Tak Maga

Pan Flute

A pan flute, is an instrument with multiple tubes, all closed on one side. Sound is created, by
plowing across the open end of the tube, splitting the air. The frequency and length of a tube are
inversely proportionate, so the longer the tube, the lower the pitch. To calculate the length of a tube, I
divided the wavelength of a note by eight, so it makes a full wave length. With most wind instruments,
you should divide it by four. With the pan flute however, the air travels to the end and back, so you need
to divide it by 8 instead of 4. Using a inch PVC pipe, I formed eight tubes, each with a different whole
note in the 3rd octave. When you blow on the rim of the tube, it splits the air, vibrating the sound in the
tube.

Note Length (cm)


C 32.9
D 29.4
E 26.2
F 24.7
G 22
A 19.6
B 17.5
C 16.5
Chimes

Chimes operate on the principle that each material has its own natural frequency. What this
means is that the material receives a vibration that resonates at a certain frequency. In order to obtain a
metallic and bright sound, it was chosen to use a metal piping. We found out what the correct length was
for our thickness of piping (we used standard EMT metal pipes) through websites, then cut our pipes to
size. A longer pipe can create a lower frequency (Hz), whereas a shorter pipe can provide a higher
frequency. This is because a shorter pipe can vibrate faster and at a higher frequency (same energy, less
matter to move). The frequency corresponds to the pitch.
We used the following lengths to obtain the pitches we needed.

After the cutting pipes to the correct length, they were mounted to a wooden stand using strands
of fishing line strung through two holes drilled at the top of the pipe. The small strands enabled the pipe to
vibrate through its full range. When hit with a metal object, the pipe resonates at the proper frequency and
produces a sound. For the purpose of this project, the metal mallet being used is a pencil with a metal grip
and tip. The plastic body of the pencil ensures that only the pipe vibrates, optimizing the sound produced.

High Octave Bass


A double bass is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument that can be bowed or plucked.
For our purposes, I only needed to use pizzicato (pluck) my instrument and use much shorter string
lengths to create a higher pitch due to material and space limitations. I built my bass out of a wooden
board that screws could easily be placed in and with a decent natural resonance. I then placed screws in
the board at the length the fishing line needed to be to create the wavelength for the string note. The
fishing line was sturdy and could be wrapped tightly around the screw to change tension. In order for me
to play the desired note, I had four open strings (E, A, D, and G) starting in the fourth octave and
continuing into the fifth at the C#.. I then placed the needed notes for an E major scale by indicating
where to hold my finger down on the string in pen on the body of the instrument. These makeshift frets
were a more logical solution to displaying where the notes were and could be moved, considering how
frequently my bass went out of tune. I calculated the lengths of the fishing line I used as strings and the
frets through research, websites, and simply adjusting as I played. Each string was half of the original
wavelength measurement. The longer and looser the string, the lower the pitch. To amplify the sound, I
placed the wooden board on top of a cardboard box to direct all sound waves travelling backward to the
front.

Note Frequency (Hz) Wavelength (cm) String Length (cm)

4th Octave: E 329.63 104.66 52.33

F# 349.23 98.79 46.42

G 369.99 93.24 44.005

A 392.00 88.01 39.205

B 415.30 83.07 34.925

Fifth Octave: C# 440.00 78.41 31.115

D 466.16 74.01 29.37

E 493.88 69.85 26.165

F# 523.25 65.93 23.31

G 554.37 62.23 22.005

A 587.33 58.74 19.6

B 622.25 55.44 17.465

Glass Water Whistle


The glass water whistle resembles a slide whistle. A slide whistle is a wind instrument consisting
of a mouth piece much like a recorders thats connected to a tube with a metal piston in it that you can
move up and down to change the pitch. This glass water whistle instrument is a little different because
instead of the recorder-like shape, the glass water whistle is made from a bottomless bottle connected to a
glove and filled with water. Instead of the metal rod, this wind instrument changes pitch when the glove
filled with water is squeezed to move the water to different heights.
When you blow into the bottle, molecules inside the bottle vibrate and create sound. The more
empty space in the bottle (the lower the water level), the longer the sound wavelengths and the lower the
pitch. When the bottle has less empty space (the higher the water level), the shorter the sound
wavelengths and the higher the pitch. As for amplification, the harder you blow into the bottle the more
vibrations are being created making a fuller sound. When you blow softer, there are fewer vibrations to
create less volume.
It was challenging to create whole notes on my instrument because there was no specific
wavelength that I could divide to get my exact note. Instead, I had to use a tuner and play until it matched
a targeted whole note. Then I labeled the notes on the side of the bottle, moving up one whole note each
time. I was able to detect a pattern with the wavelengths and notes being produced. I found that the notes
were approximately th of the wavelength. I found this by measuring the number of centimeters from the
bottom of the bottle to my note then compared it to the wavelength the note was. I found that when you
divided the wavelength by 8 you got the note. This pattern was less predictable as the bottle narrowed
toward the neck.

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