I have followed you for many years and I have always had a great deal of affection for this instrument, and really enjoyed seeing and hearing it being played. I have designed a 'tuned' one, ie small to large, although with crosses rather than tri-strings, maybe I will actually get around to doing it now. Thanks for all the inspiration over the years, your books and music have really helped me.
On this instrument there are eight separate 3-string clusters. You can find an article talking about the possibilities for more connected strings (and other related topics) here: barthopkin.com/conjoined-string-systems/
Amazing Instrument/ playable soundsculpture! Just found your Channel and Website. I build kalimbas/ okarinas Out of cheap Materials and Clay. I Always struvgle to find Material for the tongues of the kalimbas. Greetings from Germany 😊
That's a very interesting exploration! Thank you very much for giving it a try -- certainly has potential! Was it difficult to make such tri-string clusters?
Thanks for this comment. Difficult to make? Well, of course that depends on how elaborate you want to be and how you design things. You could just put three tuning pins in a piece of plywood and tighten the star pattern of strings between them. Planning the configuration of multiple 3-string clusters on a single instrument is more challenging if you don't want to make something very big, because they kind of get in each others' way, but that's an enjoyable puzzle to work out on paper. There's also more of a challenge if you want to put them on a soundboard to make them acoustically louder, because to be effective a soundboard for strings needs to be fairly light, yet you need a thick and solid chunk to hold the tuning pins or whatever else you use to anchor the strings. You can find a lot more information in this article: barthopkin.com/conjoined-string-systems/ (although that article is not so much about actual construction as it is about theory of conjoined strings). Anyway, if you decide to make something, let me know how it turns out.
Sounds like Primus 😂 Seriously though, this is wonderful! They're like microtonal chords or something. Being able to tinker around and make instruments is a skill I admire
Very cool. I seem to remember a guitar that was built using a similar principle. Or thinking again now, it might have had strings that wrapped right around the guitar body, treating the edge as a bridge. Never found it again online. Any ideas anyone?
I notice that all of the strings form equilateral triangles, have you experimented with clusters formed of strings of differing length, or clusters with different angles between the strings?
Hello Oldage, thanks for this comment. You can adjust the clusters to have different relative string lengths. You can find an article discussing the ins and outs of this question here: barthopkin.com/conjoined-string-systems/
The short answer is, by ear. The long answer is interesting if you're into this kind of stuff, and I discuss it more fully in this article: barthopkin.com/conjoined-string-systems/
Amazing!! Brilliant idea. If you play the strings plainly, it sounds like „ultrametallic“ overtones, would love to see the spectrum-this are not plain harmonics. You wrote the center knot distorts the system due its mass? In the spectrum we could see in what direction it pulls the system. Sidenote: there‘s a type of electromagnetic antenna called ‚fractal antenna“ using the same principle of branching, just with many more branches..could be interesting to drive this further and get a branch on the branch-ignoring the knot based distortion-you could use just chord proportions-a.e a fifth of the length or so, to see if this gives a nice chord. But likely, the knots are critical and cannot be ignored..Oh! What a cool idea, for exploring harmonics and distortions!
@@recursr1892 Thanks, recursr, for these thoughts. Inharmonic strings such as this are an interest of mine; I've done a lot in this arena, mostly using not multiple string clusters but weighted strings. If you're interested you can see more of that stuff in this youtube vid: ruclips.net/video/MizmiEaTIvQ/видео.html. In response to your note I had to look up "fractal antennas" -- yes, it looks like a technology that seems naturally to give rise to very cool forms and shapes.
@@bhpkn hi Bart- if you replace the strings with metal bars, you avoid the knot center mass distortion. All parts will have equal mass, less distortions. And it does matter less, where you excite the instrument, no? Now its quite sensitive if you hit the string in the center or more outside? Of course, the sound vibrates not so long with stiff elements, and sound overall more like a kind of xylophon, and look like an antenna. But the principles stay the same.
Hello thischurch,, thanks for this question. Think of a continuum between 1) entirely prescriptive tuning, like, "I'm going to tune to this specific scale", and 2) totally random and fortuitous tuning, like "I'm just going to find the beauty in whatever random pitch relationships the instrument presents me with." The former (prescriptive) is extremely difficult on this instrument, because whenever you adjust the length or tension on one segment within a cluster, it alters the tuning of the other segments as well. So whenever you try to adjust one thing it throws other things off. The latter (random) is easy of course, and it really can be quite nice, and a good ear-opener. There's also an in-between approach, in which you start with random, but then start tweaking it however you can in search of fortuitous relationships that appeal to your ear. Also, you can simplify the situation and make things somewhat more controllable by tuning two or three of the strings in a cluster to the same pitch, which makes things a little more manageable. You can read more about all this here: barthopkin.com/conjoined-string-systems/.
Here's something I made at one point with a different string configuration, perhaps similar to what you're thinking of, perhaps not: barthopkin.com/instrumentarium/trillium-harp/
Hello Testgeraeusch, thanks for this comment. It makes sense that this reminds you of the clock chimes. A chime and a string have similar envelopes (sharp attack, gradual decay), but they are different in their overtone recipes: traditional strings have strong harmonic overtones; clock chimes have strong inharmonic overtones. But in these clusters the overtones are inharmonic, which makes it natural for the ear to think of chimes. There are several ways you can detune the harmonic overtones in strings to make them inharmonic, the simplest being to attach a small weight on the string somewhere, and they all have that chime-like quality.
any chance your soundtrack is creative commons? i'd love to use it for an art project as a soundtrack underneath a slide show of eery A.I generated images
You can get yourself a software synthesizer (like Pigments) and play around with it to come up with something creepy sounding. If you are broke there are ways to get them without money, but they are worth the money. It will take you a lot longer but it's a very rewarding process.
Hello Combinia, thanks for this comment, I'm flattered. Before giving permission, I'd want to know more about your project. If you're still thinking about this, please email me through the contact page on may website at www.barthopkin.com.
@@jevinday I understand what you say and kind of agree, but if a human beeing is still the one who has to come up with ideas for prompts it's not 100% A.I the ideas are still mine and of course i will make all the imagies i can myself, the biggest part of the whole thing but I can not afford expensive special effects like they use in hollywood, so the A.I helps me to generate pictures like : " make a tyrannosaurus and a pterodactylus hybrid come out of a time travel portal from another dimension"
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
I have followed you for many years and I have always had a great deal of affection for this instrument, and really enjoyed seeing and hearing it being played. I have designed a 'tuned' one, ie small to large, although with crosses rather than tri-strings, maybe I will actually get around to doing it now. Thanks for all the inspiration over the years, your books and music have really helped me.
This is very interesting territory. I've not come across conjoined-string instruments before. Thank you.
Bart, this is a wonderful one. You remain vital and singular.
easily one of the coolest things i've ever seen , thank you for sharing your instruments
I have had “Instrumentarium Hopkinis” for many years & thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you for your unique musical contribution!
Sounds like a Residents tune! Love the instrument design
Can’t be residents this is enjoyable and fun
Wow, what a creative and wonderful sounding instrument
if at all possible, i would love to see you and Nicolas Bras collaborate on instrument ideas someday
Jyst discovered you awesome instruments and already love them so much!
Very cool instrument. Like all your instruments, it looks like a lot of fun to play. I like that slide too.
This would be a perfect soundtrack for a horror game. I’d be approaching studios with this instrument…
completely wonderful
Wow! Some high gloss white paint, a few blinky LED lights and you have a futuristic space inspired instrument. 😎
Sounds like something modern Einstürzende Neubauten might've done! Interesting sounds :-)
Unique and interesting sound.
certainly one the Trillium Cluster players of all time
best Trillium Cluster player in the world
Wow! Beautiful! Are they all connected or there's groups of them?
On this instrument there are eight separate 3-string clusters. You can find an article talking about the possibilities for more connected strings (and other related topics) here: barthopkin.com/conjoined-string-systems/
@@bhpkn thank you! I will definitely learn more about it🙏 great job!
Amazing Instrument/ playable soundsculpture! Just found your Channel and Website. I build kalimbas/ okarinas Out of cheap Materials and Clay. I Always struvgle to find Material for the tongues of the kalimbas. Greetings from Germany 😊
For some reason, this strikes me as an instrument Captain Beefheart would have loved. I can see immediate possibilities too.
That's a very interesting exploration! Thank you very much for giving it a try -- certainly has potential!
Was it difficult to make such tri-string clusters?
Thanks for this comment. Difficult to make? Well, of course that depends on how elaborate you want to be and how you design things. You could just put three tuning pins in a piece of plywood and tighten the star pattern of strings between them. Planning the configuration of multiple 3-string clusters on a single instrument is more challenging if you don't want to make something very big, because they kind of get in each others' way, but that's an enjoyable puzzle to work out on paper. There's also more of a challenge if you want to put them on a soundboard to make them acoustically louder, because to be effective a soundboard for strings needs to be fairly light, yet you need a thick and solid chunk to hold the tuning pins or whatever else you use to anchor the strings. You can find a lot more information in this article: barthopkin.com/conjoined-string-systems/ (although that article is not so much about actual construction as it is about theory of conjoined strings). Anyway, if you decide to make something, let me know how it turns out.
@@bhpkn Appreciate the detailed comment! Thank you for the explanation and the references! =)
Sounds like Primus 😂 Seriously though, this is wonderful! They're like microtonal chords or something. Being able to tinker around and make instruments is a skill I admire
Very cool. I seem to remember a guitar that was built using a similar principle. Or thinking again now, it might have had strings that wrapped right around the guitar body, treating the edge as a bridge. Never found it again online. Any ideas anyone?
I love this!!!!
Sounds like something Dead Can Dance would play
Sounds like playing the egg slicer
Exactly!
Viva! Yes!
Beautifull instrument!❤ How work?
music for spiders
Agreed
If Jimi Hendrix had a child with Spongebob
When Tom Waits dies, in the year 3035 (in the fallout of the Soup War), someone should gather his bones and make one of these out of it.
amazing!
I notice that all of the strings form equilateral triangles, have you experimented with clusters formed of strings of differing length, or clusters with different angles between the strings?
Hello Oldage, thanks for this comment. You can adjust the clusters to have different relative string lengths. You can find an article discussing the ins and outs of this question here: barthopkin.com/conjoined-string-systems/
I like it and want one
is this tuned a certain way? or are the pitches just tuned by ear?
by ear most probably
The short answer is, by ear. The long answer is interesting if you're into this kind of stuff, and I discuss it more fully in this article: barthopkin.com/conjoined-string-systems/
Amazing!! Brilliant idea. If you play the strings plainly, it sounds like „ultrametallic“ overtones, would love to see the spectrum-this are not plain harmonics. You wrote the center knot distorts the system due its mass? In the spectrum we could see in what direction it pulls the system.
Sidenote: there‘s a type of electromagnetic antenna called ‚fractal antenna“ using the same principle of branching, just with many more branches..could be interesting to drive this further and get a branch on the branch-ignoring the knot based distortion-you could use just chord proportions-a.e a fifth of the length or so, to see if this gives a nice chord.
But likely, the knots are critical and cannot be ignored..Oh! What a cool idea, for exploring harmonics and distortions!
@@recursr1892 Thanks, recursr, for these thoughts. Inharmonic strings such as this are an interest of mine; I've done a lot in this arena, mostly using not multiple string clusters but weighted strings. If you're interested you can see more of that stuff in this youtube vid: ruclips.net/video/MizmiEaTIvQ/видео.html. In response to your note I had to look up "fractal antennas" -- yes, it looks like a technology that seems naturally to give rise to very cool forms and shapes.
@@bhpkn hi Bart- if you replace the strings with metal bars, you avoid the knot center mass distortion. All parts will have equal mass, less distortions.
And it does matter less, where you excite the instrument, no? Now its quite sensitive if you hit the string in the center or more outside?
Of course, the sound vibrates not so long with stiff elements, and sound overall more like a kind of xylophon, and look like an antenna. But the principles stay the same.
did you tune the lengths or just go ham?
Hello thischurch,, thanks for this question. Think of a continuum between 1) entirely prescriptive tuning, like, "I'm going to tune to this specific scale", and 2) totally random and fortuitous tuning, like "I'm just going to find the beauty in whatever random pitch relationships the instrument presents me with." The former (prescriptive) is extremely difficult on this instrument, because whenever you adjust the length or tension on one segment within a cluster, it alters the tuning of the other segments as well. So whenever you try to adjust one thing it throws other things off. The latter (random) is easy of course, and it really can be quite nice, and a good ear-opener. There's also an in-between approach, in which you start with random, but then start tweaking it however you can in search of fortuitous relationships that appeal to your ear. Also, you can simplify the situation and make things somewhat more controllable by tuning two or three of the strings in a cluster to the same pitch, which makes things a little more manageable. You can read more about all this here: barthopkin.com/conjoined-string-systems/.
Forbidden Planet used this thing for their sound effects... at least it kinda sounds like some of it anyway.
You could stack them all horizontally making a hammered dulcimer
Here's something I made at one point with a different string configuration, perhaps similar to what you're thinking of, perhaps not: barthopkin.com/instrumentarium/trillium-harp/
@@bhpkn Exactly what I was thinking!
Reminds me a bit of the metal rods imitating bell sounds in my great gramdmas wallclock. I like it.
Hello Testgeraeusch, thanks for this comment. It makes sense that this reminds you of the clock chimes. A chime and a string have similar envelopes (sharp attack, gradual decay), but they are different in their overtone recipes: traditional strings have strong harmonic overtones; clock chimes have strong inharmonic overtones. But in these clusters the overtones are inharmonic, which makes it natural for the ear to think of chimes. There are several ways you can detune the harmonic overtones in strings to make them inharmonic, the simplest being to attach a small weight on the string somewhere, and they all have that chime-like quality.
@@bhpkn That's a really neat trick. Thanks :D
any chance your soundtrack is creative commons?
i'd love to use it for an art project as a soundtrack underneath a slide show of eery A.I generated images
AI art is the opposite of creativity
You can get yourself a software synthesizer (like Pigments) and play around with it to come up with something creepy sounding. If you are broke there are ways to get them without money, but they are worth the money. It will take you a lot longer but it's a very rewarding process.
Hello Combinia, thanks for this comment, I'm flattered. Before giving permission, I'd want to know more about your project. If you're still thinking about this, please email me through the contact page on may website at www.barthopkin.com.
@@bhpkn awsome!
@@jevinday I understand what you say and kind of agree, but if a human beeing is still the one who has to come up with ideas for prompts it's not 100% A.I the ideas are still mine and of course i will make all the imagies i can myself, the biggest part of the whole thing but I can not afford expensive special effects like they use in hollywood, so the A.I helps me to generate pictures like : " make a tyrannosaurus and a pterodactylus hybrid come out of a time travel portal from another dimension"