Budget Friendly Monochord Build
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
- I recently finished another monochord and here it is! It cost about 45 dollars to make, and was built over the course of a week.
A twenty minute meditation video of it being played can be found here:
• 20 minute Monochord Me...
I like the wire sound
Great you are really creative
Hi! My understanding of the word monochord as in the Pythagoras quote, “...study the monochord” is that it has one string. Why is this called a MONOchord?
You are in fact correct. However in recent years the term monochord has been used to describe this type of instrument. And as this kind of instrument doesn't have a unique name apart from the historical single stringed instrument I have to call it a monochord in order for people to find the videos.
Oh, thanks. So, is this new instrument related to the ancient one? Are all the strings the same gauge? The same pitch?
Yes, all of the strings are the same gauge and all are playing the same note. Really the only thing that relates the two instruments is the overtones that are produced when you play multiple strings of the same note together. Pythagoras used a movable bridge to explore the overtones and on modern instruments you can hear them when the instrument is strummed.
Ok thanks. I think I’m starting to catch on. So we have more strings: more good vibrations. More therapeutic I think. I’m studying to become a therapeutic musician. So this one is for listening to. (And playing) and the ancient one stringed monochord is for studying the mathematical relationships and the mysteries of the universe. 😉 however I have noticed videos (not watched yet) that seem to be a one string monochord that is used for a musical performance.
Really sounds incredible for such a quick build.. Mind me asking what you use to hold the strings in place, and what you use for tuning pegs? Id love to build one.
Thank you :D
The strings are held in place on one end by some simple brass rod and on the other end by some zither pins which are used to tune them.
Danial McCoy thank you for responding. I’m attempting to make one but it’s so hard to find specific info. Like string spacing, is there a set standard between each string? 1/4” - 1/2?” - and if I may, the wife you mention, different gauges or one gauge different tensions? Totally appreciate it.
Hi. I would like to know how you built the actual body of the monochord (the box). Thank you
Is there a wooden skeleton inside which the panels are attached to? Is it screwed, glued or nailed together? Also, how do you determine the spacing between the pins? Thanks for this video!
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Sorry for the very delayed response. I don’t get on here as much as I’d like!
There is are ribs in the instrument that enabled bending the plywood sheets. It is both glued and nailed together. I would have rather just used glue, but with the lower quality wood I wasn’t sure it would hold.
To determine the string spacing I stretch a wire of the same length as the instrument between two screws or nails and tube the string to the desired note. I then take a pair of callipers and measure the movement of the string when it is plucked and add a couple millimetres to it to be sure they don’t touch when strummed harder than normal.
great!! keep it up! thanks to you im about to make the bed monochord :D
Good luck with your build! If you can, please upload a video of it when you are done. :D
Hi, I love this monochord, the sound is just indescribably beautiful, thank you for it. I would now like to build myself one and wanted to ask you if you have built a frame inside under the top and bottom and glued the respective top and bottom parts with it. so that the rounding holds better. I didn't want to use nails and I'm not sure if the gluing on the frame is enough.I wanted to use 6mm multiplex beech panels that I want to steam shape. What do you think, is the gluing left and right enough or rather build a frame inside. I'm just afraid that the sound might suffer. As you can see, I really need help. Please excuse my bad english. Thank you very much and have a good time. Best regards, Tom
I'm sorry for the late reply, I've been away from RUclips for a while now.
There is no frame within the instrument itself, however there are two sound posts that help it keep its shape. It was very difficult to get the top penal to bend properly without the sound posts supporting it. If you can steam bend the panels it would be much easier to assemble and would likely have even better sound.
If you can steam bend the top and bottom panels you won't need a frame or even sound posts. Glue should easily be strong enough to hold the panels together.
looks good, what strings would preferably use, Piano wire?
you mentioned cello strings :O
@@pranavasoundtherapy9763 Piano wire works good. I have used it many times. Guitar strings work well for small monochords, and cello strings are the best for large instruments. However they are very expensive.
@@MiscellaneousMcCthanks for the information i really like what you're doing.
i play cello and know there are, like guitar strings, grades of quality, might be worth while collecting the old strings of cellos from people who are putting on new strings because even the older strings would probably be quite wonderful
What are these pins? of any instrument?
They are called Zither Pins and are commonly used on harps and zithers
@@MiscellaneousMcC Thank you for your help
I don't know if it was just me, but I really hoped to hear the instrument. The 2 soft finger strokes did not produce enough volume for my computer to pick up. Disappointed...
There is a link in the description to a twenty minute video of this instrument being played...
@@MiscellaneousMcC thank you, got the link👍
This is not a "monochord" -- a monochord, by definition, has only ONE string.
What you have built is a zither with limited tuning.
I have a whole video discussing this. See the follow the link below.
ruclips.net/video/QSv20RNaqwU/видео.html