Build a Musical Band
For this project we were assigned to design and build a band of at least three instruments with which you can play the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. One of our instruments had to be a string instrument, one had to use air movement, and one had to use chimes or be some kind of wind instrument. We also had the choice to come up with a song that we could play with our instruments.
For our string instrument, we created our own guitar. We cut up wood and gathered guitar strings of different widths so it could produce different notes. We then glued together our wood pieces which created our guitar shape. After tightening the strings, we put a wooden fret on our guitar so it could make every sound on the scale. For our wind instrument, we created our own chimes by emptying out soda cans and filling each one up a certain amount so it would make each note. We used an app that showed what letter was being played. Lastly, for our instrument that used air movement, we created our own flute by measuring out the distance of each whole so it would create certain notes. We then drilled wholes into a PVC pipe with those measurements to get our final result.
For this project we were assigned to design and build a band of at least three instruments with which you can play the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. One of our instruments had to be a string instrument, one had to use air movement, and one had to use chimes or be some kind of wind instrument. We also had the choice to come up with a song that we could play with our instruments.
For our string instrument, we created our own guitar. We cut up wood and gathered guitar strings of different widths so it could produce different notes. We then glued together our wood pieces which created our guitar shape. After tightening the strings, we put a wooden fret on our guitar so it could make every sound on the scale. For our wind instrument, we created our own chimes by emptying out soda cans and filling each one up a certain amount so it would make each note. We used an app that showed what letter was being played. Lastly, for our instrument that used air movement, we created our own flute by measuring out the distance of each whole so it would create certain notes. We then drilled wholes into a PVC pipe with those measurements to get our final result.
key concepts:
Wavelength- distance from crest to crest which is measured in meters. Wavelength is found in all instruments.
Frequency- how often vibration occurs in hertz(hz). It's equation in cycles per second.
Amplitude- distance from midpoint to crest(or trough), max displacement from equalibrium.
Wave speed = wave length x frequency
Notes are based on frequency and wavelength. The higher the note the smaller the wavelength. You can increase frequency by tying the sting to make it vibrate faster which results in a higher note or sound.
Review
Overall I really enjoyed this project because we were able to use our creativity to create three musical instruments out of any material we wanted. There were many things I learned throughout this project. First, I found it super valuable to plan how to make something before you start to build it. Another very important variable that can be used in life is execution of your work. Executing what you have planned was a big key to success for this project. What went well for our group was working together as a team to complete what had to be done. There were a couple things that we could have worked on as well. We could have been a lot more precise when describing how our instruments worked to the class. We also could have measured the distance between witch whole on our flute a little more accurate to create more pleasant sounds. Overall it was a very interesting project as well as a good learning experience.
Overall I really enjoyed this project because we were able to use our creativity to create three musical instruments out of any material we wanted. There were many things I learned throughout this project. First, I found it super valuable to plan how to make something before you start to build it. Another very important variable that can be used in life is execution of your work. Executing what you have planned was a big key to success for this project. What went well for our group was working together as a team to complete what had to be done. There were a couple things that we could have worked on as well. We could have been a lot more precise when describing how our instruments worked to the class. We also could have measured the distance between witch whole on our flute a little more accurate to create more pleasant sounds. Overall it was a very interesting project as well as a good learning experience.