INSTRUMENTS (#5)
The newest instrument maker (#5) has skills. She's currently working on a Doctorate of Musical Arts and has a host of experience and imagination behind her. This is a link to a group she's in:http://www.paulhembree.com/ucsd_summer_tour/, this is the beginnings of her instrument...
(Tim)
The Textureharp
post by Meghann Welsh
I'm interested in creating new instruments with old technology as well as using modern technology to manipulate old sounds in new ways.
The Textureharp (working name):
The idea behind this instrument is to use amplification to capture and control the subtle sounds that are elusive to our ears. Amplification possibilities will include both old and new technologies: the resonance chamber, the sounding board, and the electromagnetic pickup.
The structure of this instrument will be a composite of a washtub bass and a frame harp. Instead of standard strings, I will use lengths of rope that have interesting textures or lengths of rope that have been fixed with textural material. So far, the string material includes rough hemp rope, twisted metal wire, spray foam, and sand paper of different grits. At the end of each string, a can acting as a resonance chamber will amplify the sound of the string. The strings can be plucked like a harp or washtub bass, but the idea is to run the fingers along the length of string to produce the sound of each material's texture.
More on brain storming, trial and error, and prototypes to come.
Other possible names: Touch-Tone-O-Phone, RopeRub, ?
CHARCOT MARIE TOOTH
The next post is by Donna Rennie who is doing a great job at running a CMT support group in the East Bay. She is definitely a motivational force behind this project - but I'm very happy she has joined us on the ground by opening up with the following piece, it changes some of my perspectives. (Tim)
The Tale of a Comet
post by Donna Rennie
It happened while I was getting a massage. My massage therapist, a nurse, asked me why I wasn't using a little transport chair. I had no idea what she was talking about. "Do you mean a wheelchair?" I asked with a scrunched up menace. "Yes." she offered. "They're small, lightweight and you can put them in your car. You can have full mobility anytime you want it. Anybody can push you and it will be fun. All you have to do is ask. People use them all the time."
Everything shifted.
At age 59 I was diagnosed with Charcot Marie Tooth Disease. After four years of not being able to walk more than about 10 minutes without starting to jump from pain, I imagined a way out. Could it be true? Would it be possible to go to a museum again?…take long walks with family and friends?….shop for hours with my daughter?…and, most of all, get rid of all the anxiety about how long I would be stuck on my feet!
So, off I went into the local orthopedic store. They pulled down a little chair, called a Nova Comet (no advertising here.) I sat in it, lifted it, folded it, loved it. Bought it.
Now, I have complete confidence in my "feet." I don't use it all the time, but when I need it, the Comet is there for me.
What's the big deal anyway? So what if my feet have wheels? So what if my feet need hands to push? So what if people look at me a little differently? I always smile and wave. They all wave back. I actually think I've helped them out a little bit. Wheelchairs get a bad rap. They are just another mode of transportation….with human energy.
All I had to do was accept what works, shift my thinking a little bit and ask for a push. Voila. My life came back. I have since found out that my friends and family want to help me. They love me. Everyone has always wanted to push me around anyway.
The Textureharp
post by Meghann Welsh
I'm interested in creating new instruments with old technology as well as using modern technology to manipulate old sounds in new ways.
The Textureharp (working name):
The idea behind this instrument is to use amplification to capture and control the subtle sounds that are elusive to our ears. Amplification possibilities will include both old and new technologies: the resonance chamber, the sounding board, and the electromagnetic pickup.
The structure of this instrument will be a composite of a washtub bass and a frame harp. Instead of standard strings, I will use lengths of rope that have interesting textures or lengths of rope that have been fixed with textural material. So far, the string material includes rough hemp rope, twisted metal wire, spray foam, and sand paper of different grits. At the end of each string, a can acting as a resonance chamber will amplify the sound of the string. The strings can be plucked like a harp or washtub bass, but the idea is to run the fingers along the length of string to produce the sound of each material's texture.
More on brain storming, trial and error, and prototypes to come.
Other possible names: Touch-Tone-O-Phone, RopeRub, ?
CHARCOT MARIE TOOTH
The next post is by Donna Rennie who is doing a great job at running a CMT support group in the East Bay. She is definitely a motivational force behind this project - but I'm very happy she has joined us on the ground by opening up with the following piece, it changes some of my perspectives. (Tim)
The Tale of a Comet
post by Donna Rennie
It happened while I was getting a massage. My massage therapist, a nurse, asked me why I wasn't using a little transport chair. I had no idea what she was talking about. "Do you mean a wheelchair?" I asked with a scrunched up menace. "Yes." she offered. "They're small, lightweight and you can put them in your car. You can have full mobility anytime you want it. Anybody can push you and it will be fun. All you have to do is ask. People use them all the time."
Everything shifted.
At age 59 I was diagnosed with Charcot Marie Tooth Disease. After four years of not being able to walk more than about 10 minutes without starting to jump from pain, I imagined a way out. Could it be true? Would it be possible to go to a museum again?…take long walks with family and friends?….shop for hours with my daughter?…and, most of all, get rid of all the anxiety about how long I would be stuck on my feet!
So, off I went into the local orthopedic store. They pulled down a little chair, called a Nova Comet (no advertising here.) I sat in it, lifted it, folded it, loved it. Bought it.
Now, I have complete confidence in my "feet." I don't use it all the time, but when I need it, the Comet is there for me.
What's the big deal anyway? So what if my feet have wheels? So what if my feet need hands to push? So what if people look at me a little differently? I always smile and wave. They all wave back. I actually think I've helped them out a little bit. Wheelchairs get a bad rap. They are just another mode of transportation….with human energy.
All I had to do was accept what works, shift my thinking a little bit and ask for a push. Voila. My life came back. I have since found out that my friends and family want to help me. They love me. Everyone has always wanted to push me around anyway.
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