Archive for the ‘Sound’ Category

ear to pipe

Saturday, April 4th, 2009

ear-to-pipe

Listening through the structure.

birds, rain and a plane

Saturday, May 3rd, 2008

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steel drum

Friday, May 2nd, 2008

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In the rain, drips collect on the lip of the horn and the leaves above, falling onto the steel cover and adding a metallic percussive accompaniment to the sounds rising from below, from inside the hole.

before you visit . . .

Wednesday, August 1st, 2007

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. . . . please be aware that there is a slight blockage in the plumbing system. Due to a build up of clay and earth in the pipe between the pond and the hole, this is causing a loss in water pressure which in turn means that water is not getting into the drip pipes. This results in a loss in drips and therefore volume and density of notes. i.e. the music is very quiet and sparse.

While waiting to implement a permanent fix for this, one solution for an intrepid visitor can be found in the post, b.y.o.b. below.

b.y.o.b.

Thursday, May 3rd, 2007

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In times of drought – or plumbing problems – it is still possible to hear music, you just have to bring your own water.

If you look carefully through the slits in the cover in some places you can see a wire mesh. Below the mesh are trays of gravel that break up the flow and cause drips to form in an unpredictable manner.

If you sprinkle water from a bottle onto these areas you’ll hear an initial flurry of sound followed by a period of more measured and melodic music.

the drains don’t work

Wednesday, December 6th, 2006

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The water in the hole continued rising to the point where all the instruments became submerged, the music being reduced to its minimal state, water dripping into water, a giant suikinkutsu. Now pumped out, they are all playing again.

first of november

Thursday, November 2nd, 2006

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A sunny, cold and windy day, the leaves starting to fall and carpet the forest floor.

music !

Friday, September 22nd, 2006

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Recorded on the 15th September 2006, a dry day, the hole being fed by water from the pond :

hybrid water instrument

Monday, June 26th, 2006

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Inspired by reading Jacques Dudon’s book, “La Musique de L’eau”, this is a more sophisticated possibility for the basis of the instrumentation, combining an “organ” with the marimba and chime bar instrument described below.

In the book an instrument is described in which a tube with a whistle hole cut into it stands in water. Water poured into an adjacent tube causes air to be pushed into the whistle pipe and make a sound, pitched according to its length.

Here such an instrument is placed underneath, and in the path of, water falling from the pivoting of a shishi odoshi (“deer scarer”) principle instrument, thus combining four sounds; falling and dripping water, a marimba, chime bars and an organ tone.

Such an arrangement would be duplicated a number of times, using differently tuned marimba bars, chime bars and “organ ” pipes.

seven meter drum

Monday, May 15th, 2006

Jumping up and down on the steel lid covering the hole.