Musical instruments that have not become mainstream - from modern to classic
Most musical instruments are known to almost everyone. Piano and guitar, violin and saxophone - despite the fact that non-specialists may not understand the intricacies of the devices of these instruments or just do not distinguish fanfare from trombones, the main types of musical instruments are familiar to us.
But there are some tools that have never become popular or well known. And some of them appeared relatively recently, and some already hundreds of years. In the first part of the review, we recall the unusual musical inventions of recent years.
⇩ Theremin on NBC Radio / PD
Perhaps one of the most "popular" unpopular musical instruments - the sounds he extracts can often be heard in everyday life, but few know with what instrument they are created.
The history of the Thereminx perfectly illustrates the closeness of lyrics and physics, and in the literal sense, this instrument was the result of a study of the technology of measuring the dielectric constant of gases at various pressures and temperatures that is not related to music at all.
The prototype of the theremin was invented by a Russian scientist and radio technician Lev Theremen in 1918. The gas in its device was placed between the metal plates and influenced the frequency of electrical oscillations in the generator on the cathode lamp. To the difference was noticeable, the device had to be very sensitive.
Theremin combined two generators - from one there were oscillations of variable frequency, from the other - constant frequency. The signals from the generators were sent to the cathode relay, with a certain difference frequency falling within the auditory range.
The device turned out to be extremely sensitive and reacted even to a change in the position of the hands of a person located a short distance from him. Theremin, fond of music, quickly learned to play on his invention , which at first, by the way, called etheroton (“sound from the air”).
In 1922, the inventor even gave a small concert in the Kremlin - Theremin played the compositions of Scriabin, Saint-Saens and Glinka, and then taught Lenin himself to play the thereminx.
The Thereminox makes a vibrating sound. Its height varies depending on how the musician places his hands on the two antennas of the instrument. Direct antenna is responsible for the tone of the sound, and horseshoe - for the volume. The sound is piercing, mechanical and a bit creepy, so, for example, the theremin was used to create sound effects in classic horror films.
In Russia (and in Europe as a whole), Peter Theremin, the great-grandson of the inventor of the instrument, is involved in the popularization of the theremin and the teaching of the game on it. He runs the school "Russian Theremin School", which operates in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
In 1981, Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation released Omnichord, a very easy-to-use electronic musical instrument. To play it, just hold down the chord button and hit the touch plate with your hand or pick (the movement is similar to playing a stringed instrument, such as a guitar).
Photo tico_24 / CC BY
It was originally created as a replacement for electronic autoarf - relatively old (the first patent was obtained in 1882) with special chord bars with dampers - they jam strings that are not included in the chord that the musician is trying to play.
Omnicord has preset rhythms that can be used as accompaniment for the game. In some models, added compatibility with MIDI, custom sound for the plate and additional sound effects.
However, the omnichord did not become popular. Suzuki continues to produce a similar musical instrument called Q-chord - it has 80 preset chords and over 100 instrumental sounds. Learning to play on it is very simple, for this you do not need any special musical education.
Partly because of this, omnicord was used, for example, in schools to introduce children to music, or at rehearsals for children's choirs. Like many tools of the 80s, the omnicord quickly became a subject of worship and kitsch, but did not find mass popularity.
Perhaps the most popular case of using omnicord - on it the group Gorillaz played the melody of the song Clint Eastwood.
A tool that could become popular, but it never went into mass production, and it is very difficult to acquire it. The Hung was created in 2000 by the Swiss engineers Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer. This is a percussion instrument, which consists of two very thin metal hemispheres.
In the upper part, DING, there are eight "reeds" that are responsible for a certain note ( video ). In the lower part, GU, there is a hole, which the resonator increases the volume of the sound and creates light vibrations - they give the instrument a special uniqueness.
Photo tico_24 / CC BY
It is very difficult to get the original hang - you need to write a letter to the creators, convince them that they really need the hang, pay for the production and pick it up yourself from Bern (Switzerland). Now the company Roner PANArt sells several new models - Hang Urgu, Hang Gudu and Hang Gede, and the original Hang is no longer produced. There are individual companies or craftsmen who produce their own handpieces (collectively called percussion instruments-idiophones), and some are very similar to the original hangi.
There is another percussion percussion instrument - glucophone (this type of instrument has a lot of names, each manufacturer calls them the way he wants). It is similar to the hang, but there are several key differences, for example, the hang is made from a single piece of metal, and “improvised means” are suitable for glucosophones, sometimes they are cut out from gas cylinders.
Glucophones are easier to buy or even make yourself, they are cheaper and not so difficult to manufacture. There are many modifications of glucophones - depending on the number and geometry of the tongues (petals) and the resonator, the size of the instrument or the thickness of the walls, the sound ( video ) changes.
In the second part of the review, we recall some more unusual musical instruments that did not become mainstream - even though they appeared quite a long time ago.
On these days, Audiomania is conducting CyberNebel . It will last until January 31 inclusive. More than 400 products with fair discounts up to 50% participate in the sale.
But there are some tools that have never become popular or well known. And some of them appeared relatively recently, and some already hundreds of years. In the first part of the review, we recall the unusual musical inventions of recent years.
⇩ Theremin on NBC Radio / PD
Theremin
Perhaps one of the most "popular" unpopular musical instruments - the sounds he extracts can often be heard in everyday life, but few know with what instrument they are created.
The history of the Thereminx perfectly illustrates the closeness of lyrics and physics, and in the literal sense, this instrument was the result of a study of the technology of measuring the dielectric constant of gases at various pressures and temperatures that is not related to music at all.
The prototype of the theremin was invented by a Russian scientist and radio technician Lev Theremen in 1918. The gas in its device was placed between the metal plates and influenced the frequency of electrical oscillations in the generator on the cathode lamp. To the difference was noticeable, the device had to be very sensitive.
Theremin combined two generators - from one there were oscillations of variable frequency, from the other - constant frequency. The signals from the generators were sent to the cathode relay, with a certain difference frequency falling within the auditory range.
The device turned out to be extremely sensitive and reacted even to a change in the position of the hands of a person located a short distance from him. Theremin, fond of music, quickly learned to play on his invention , which at first, by the way, called etheroton (“sound from the air”).
In 1922, the inventor even gave a small concert in the Kremlin - Theremin played the compositions of Scriabin, Saint-Saens and Glinka, and then taught Lenin himself to play the thereminx.
The Thereminox makes a vibrating sound. Its height varies depending on how the musician places his hands on the two antennas of the instrument. Direct antenna is responsible for the tone of the sound, and horseshoe - for the volume. The sound is piercing, mechanical and a bit creepy, so, for example, the theremin was used to create sound effects in classic horror films.
In Russia (and in Europe as a whole), Peter Theremin, the great-grandson of the inventor of the instrument, is involved in the popularization of the theremin and the teaching of the game on it. He runs the school "Russian Theremin School", which operates in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Omnicord
In 1981, Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation released Omnichord, a very easy-to-use electronic musical instrument. To play it, just hold down the chord button and hit the touch plate with your hand or pick (the movement is similar to playing a stringed instrument, such as a guitar).
Photo tico_24 / CC BY
It was originally created as a replacement for electronic autoarf - relatively old (the first patent was obtained in 1882) with special chord bars with dampers - they jam strings that are not included in the chord that the musician is trying to play.
Omnicord has preset rhythms that can be used as accompaniment for the game. In some models, added compatibility with MIDI, custom sound for the plate and additional sound effects.
However, the omnichord did not become popular. Suzuki continues to produce a similar musical instrument called Q-chord - it has 80 preset chords and over 100 instrumental sounds. Learning to play on it is very simple, for this you do not need any special musical education.
Partly because of this, omnicord was used, for example, in schools to introduce children to music, or at rehearsals for children's choirs. Like many tools of the 80s, the omnicord quickly became a subject of worship and kitsch, but did not find mass popularity.
Perhaps the most popular case of using omnicord - on it the group Gorillaz played the melody of the song Clint Eastwood.
The hang
A tool that could become popular, but it never went into mass production, and it is very difficult to acquire it. The Hung was created in 2000 by the Swiss engineers Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer. This is a percussion instrument, which consists of two very thin metal hemispheres.
In the upper part, DING, there are eight "reeds" that are responsible for a certain note ( video ). In the lower part, GU, there is a hole, which the resonator increases the volume of the sound and creates light vibrations - they give the instrument a special uniqueness.
Photo tico_24 / CC BY
It is very difficult to get the original hang - you need to write a letter to the creators, convince them that they really need the hang, pay for the production and pick it up yourself from Bern (Switzerland). Now the company Roner PANArt sells several new models - Hang Urgu, Hang Gudu and Hang Gede, and the original Hang is no longer produced. There are individual companies or craftsmen who produce their own handpieces (collectively called percussion instruments-idiophones), and some are very similar to the original hangi.
There is another percussion percussion instrument - glucophone (this type of instrument has a lot of names, each manufacturer calls them the way he wants). It is similar to the hang, but there are several key differences, for example, the hang is made from a single piece of metal, and “improvised means” are suitable for glucosophones, sometimes they are cut out from gas cylinders.
Glucophones are easier to buy or even make yourself, they are cheaper and not so difficult to manufacture. There are many modifications of glucophones - depending on the number and geometry of the tongues (petals) and the resonator, the size of the instrument or the thickness of the walls, the sound ( video ) changes.
In the second part of the review, we recall some more unusual musical instruments that did not become mainstream - even though they appeared quite a long time ago.
On these days, Audiomania is conducting CyberNebel . It will last until January 31 inclusive. More than 400 products with fair discounts up to 50% participate in the sale.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/409729/