Category: music

PVC overtone flute

On By CarynIn Craft, music, Uncategorized

Watching YouTube shorts sent me down another overtone rabbit hole. There was a person with a flute with no finger holes playing a lilting beautiful tune. Wha?! Some quick internet research revealed the Koncovka, a Slavic shepard’s instrument made from a long wood tube. The flute has two overtone series possibilities, one with the bottom hole open and the other with it covered, giving this simple whistle an astonishing number of notes for something with no finger holes. My next question was how to make one, and I found this short YouTube tutorial to make a PVC version.

I have some thin walled PVC tubes from an old Ladder ball game. These pipes have become materials for other projects more than they were ever assembled for the game.

Photo description: PVC pipe with a slot cut and sanded smooth, a section of dowel sanded to fit snuggly inside the tube, and a short section of red PVC pipe the same length as the wood and split lengthwise
Photo description: wood plug finished with butcher block wax and fit into the top of the tube
Photo description: red sleeve placed over the white PVC to create a narrow hole
Photo description: rubber band around the red sleeve to keep it tight and reduce air leaking
Photo description: finished PVC overtone flute

The tone of the flute is quite pleasing and very fun to experiment with. Below is an audio file of me playing the PVC overtone flute I talk about in this blog post.

I love it when my crafting and music rabbit holes merge and open a new room.

Chimes

On By CarynIn Craft, music

I wanted a set of chimes for the front entry, so decided to make some.

Photo description: graduated chimes made from 1/4 inch aluminum rod hung with fishing line from a section of a cedar branch

I read that chimes are usually made with solid aluminum or brass tubes. Aluminum is easier to work with, so I purchased a set of 10 quarter inch rods that were each 16 inches in length for about $14. My first step was to make a small groove in some scrap wood to hold the rods while I drilled a hole in each end.

Photo description: scrap wood jig holding a aluminum rod and a hole drilled in the end with a drill press

Once each rod had a hole in each end, I used a band saw to cut the rods into different lengths, with about a 1/2 inch difference. I then sanded them to remove the burrs and sharp edges.

Photo description: 19 graduated aluminum rods with one extra originally intended to play the chimes, but was unnecessary

I found a scrap of cedar branch from a failed walking stick project and cut it to about 12 inches. I sanded it and finished it with Howards Feed-n-Wax.

Photo description: cedar branch being prepped for holes drilled 1/2 inch apart

I used steel stranded cable to hang the wood, and monofilament fishing line to string the chimes. The knots for the fishing line are all on the back of the branch. The chimes are strung with line that comes out the back and back in the front to increase ring time, and I found have a long line for stringing and a shorter secondary line for tying knots worked fairly well.

Here is a video of the chimes in action. If I get ambitious, I will tune them .

Capo

On By CarynIn Life Hack, music

I found out that my ukulele capo works great on my piano as a page holder.

Photo description: capo clipped onto the page shelf on a 1920s upright grand, also in the picture on the shelf below, Irish whistle, jaw harp, and ocarina

Capos are usually used on the neck of a stringed instrument to the change key for a song.

Pitch pipe magnet find

On By CarynIn Life Hack, music, Uncategorized

In Barbershop singing, the initial pitch (note) is played on a small instrument called a pitch pipe. When performing, if the pitch piper doesn’t have pockets in their costume, the quandary of where to put the pipe after playing the pitch is a problem. Some pitch pipes are made of metal, so a concealed magnet under the clothing can hold onto the instrument, usually placed near the small of the back. Other pitch pipes have a plastic case, which, of course, is not magnetic. I discovered that a magnetic phone ring made for magsafe phones, is the perfect size for the Tombo pitch pipe as well.

Photo description: magnetic ring holder intended for a magsafe phones, but with the included metal sticker placed on the face of a Tombo pitch pipe
Photo description: two Tombo E pitch pipes, the one on the left is original, the one on the right has a magnetic adhesive ring attached

The adhesive ring included in the package fits the face of the pipe perfectly. It still allows the label to be seen and doesn’t interfere with the blow holes.

To use, I am going to try attaching the main magnet to a belt that I will wear under my costume.

Photo description: magnetic ring holder clipped onto an elastic no-show belt

Pitch Pipe Solution

On By CarynIn Life Hack, music

My Barbershop chorus has an electric pitch pipe that is quite versatile, and quite large. It doesn’t fit in a pocket very well and although it comes with a stand, it doesn’t have a way to carry it hands free. We did have a lanyard loop stuck on the back with double sided tape for a long time, but then the tape gave out and the pitch pipe fell to the floor. So I came up with a mechanical connection.

Photo description: the back of the pitch pipe removed from the body, and a small hole drilled at the top
Photo description: round head pin inserted through the hole then bent into a loop and the end wrapped back around the stem for security
Photo description: pitch pipe reassembled and a key chain ring attached to the new wire loop, with a cross-should strap clipped to the ring

The back of this kind of pitch pipe removes with a single screw. Use the smallest drill bit possible to drill the hole through the thick section of the plastic. Head pins are available in the jewelry section of most hobby stores, as are split rings. I used a clip-on strap from a small purse.

I wear the pitch pipe over one shoulder, which puts the device in easy reach of one hand and keeps it off to the side. One of the benefits of this method is that the pitch pipe hangs straight down and easily rotates, which makes dialing in the pitch and pushing the button easier.