Re: I Built a Slide Windbreaker....


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Posted by PVC Rules on February 01, 2004 at 20:04:13:

In Reply to: I Built a Slide Windbreaker.... posted by Allison on February 01, 2004 at 13:20:43:

Hi.

If your low G is the lowest note you can play when the tube is all the way out, you won't be able to get it using another harmonic. If I understand your instrument correctly, this note corresponds to the 7th position "E" on a trombone.

Here are your options:

Make another instrument and make each piece of pipe twice as long. You will then be able to play the same pitches on the instrument, but they will all be sounding one octave higher relative to the fundamental pitch of the instrument. This will give you a "G" in first position. This will allow you to use 4 positions instead of 6.

Option 2:

Make another one the same length as your current one, but use a U-bend and graduated pipe diameters to make a double slide. In other words, connect 2 small diameter pipes together so that they are parallel and connected on one end by some separating device (a short length of PVC or wood will work if fitted correctly). Then, build an outer slide device by placing 2 slightly larger diameter pipes in parallel and connect them at the far end by a U-bend PVC fitting.

This will mean that as you slide the outer slide outwards by 1 inch, the tube length is increased by 2 inches. This will mean that all positions are half as far away from each other as they are on your current instrument.

I used to make loads of instruments out of PVC. Most of mine were didjeridoo based.

You could also build a sort of xylophone type thing using pvc tubes. These could be blown like a didjeridoo or whacked on the end using flip-flops or a ping-pong paddle.

If you're into PVC based instruments, check out this band: http://bigblowandthebushwackers.com/

Tim Whittemore (tuba and didj) has build loads of pvc stuff.


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