Book description
With a few techniques, these fun-to-make and fun-to-play instruments from around the world produce remarkable sound quality. Strum a homemade Middle Eastern Lute, or Oud; Chinese Moon Guitar; North Indian Sitar, Shoebox Zither, or Angle Harp. Or, try Australian Didgeridoos, Percussion Tubes, and more. You’ll be surprised what wonderful things start with an ordinary piece of cardboard.

Paperback: 80 pages
Publisher: Sterling/Tamos (May 28, 2002)
Language: English

Book description
Complete instructions on making Renaissance double reeds

Unknown Binding: 42 pages
Publisher: King's Trumpetts and Shalmes (1988)
Language: English

Hardcover Publisher: Barcelona: Marcombo, D.L. 1984.

Book description
This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on December 1, 1993. The length of the article is 319 words. Citation Details: Title: Experimental Musical Instruments: Newsletter for the Design, Construction and Enjoyment of Unusual Sound Sources.(Brief Article) Author: Suzanne Eggleston Publication: Notes (Refereed) Date: December 1, 1993 Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc. Volume: v50 Issue: n2 Page: p664(1) Article Type: Periodical Review, Brief Article Distributed by Thomson Gale Excerpt: Although not "new" anymore, Experimental Musical Instruments is too good and too substantial a newsletter to let escape these pages. The articles range from the serious to the simply delightful and once again prove the value of humor as a force that carries drier material to a reader. Would I have read an entire article on circuit bending (manipulating by means of short circuits) electronic sounds from Texas Instruments' learning toys Speak and Read and its fellows, had author Q.R. Ghazala not begun with a description of Sir Richard Paget's experiments with the vocal tract from a human cadaver, which led him to develop a motor-carriage horn that shouted "Away! Away!" to objects in its path? Probably not…

[HTML] (Digital): 2 pages

Book description
This book, with its accompanying audio CD, is about comical sounds and how to make them. On the CD you’ll hear squishy sounds and gloopy sounds, farting sounds and belching sounds, laughing sounds and crying sounds, moaning and keening sounds, munching and snarfling sounds, scraping and squeaking sounds, bestial indigestion sounds, crazy-bad musical instrument sounds, Martians conversing, muskrats chattering, and morticians giggling. There are also some sounds that are more exotic than comic and a few that are strangely lovely. For those who wish to try their own hand at funny-noise making, the book provides ideas and instructions. The procedures are simple, and the materials required are for the most part commonly available. The performance techniques, too, are pretty easy – no special skills required for the basics. If you choose to take it further, your funny-noise skills will improve with practice, and new possibilities will appear. Since this book emphasizes original ideas, sound-making tricks that are already widely known do not appear in the main text. There is an appendix at the back of the book, though, which lists many of these common-knowledge funny-noise techniques. The appendix also lists commercially available sound toys, odds and ends from the percussionist’s trick bag, and other store-bought sound-gadgetry. Electronic audio techniques aren’t included in the book because not everyone has access to the required equipment – and also because the natural, non-electronic approach is so much fun. About the Author Bart Hopkin, lead author and funny moise maker, is director of Experimental Musical Instruments, an organization devoted to interesting and unusual instruments of every imaginable sort. His previous publications include Gravikords, Whirlies & Pyrophones (a book & CD devoted to intruments from some of the most inventive builders worldwide), Musical Instrument Design: (practical information for instrument making), and many more. Bart is joined in this project by Ray Brunelle and Vincent Nicastro, both experts in the field. Ray Brunelle is a sound effects specialist and an active contributor to commercial sound-effects libraries; he has also studied and written on the history of sound effects. Vince Nicastro is a Foley artist with an impressive list of major film credits behind him.

Paperback: 60 pages
Publisher: Experimental Musical Instruments (June 2003)

Book description
This resource for musicians details how to convert the sound of a musical instrument to an electrical signal for amplification. Information is applicable to a wide range of acoustical instruments so musicians can learn about adding a pickup or an onboard microphone to their instrument. Detailing the three main types of pickups-contact, magnetic, and air microphones-the advantages and disadvantages of each are discussed, along with the instruments for which each is best suited. Mounting options are described, and tips and tricks on how to get the most out of each type are included. Information on cables, preamps, impedance matching, amplifier inputs, and making components to wire microphones and pickups is given, along with comparisons of similar store-bought products. Also included are an appendix of suppliers and a bibliography. About the Author Bart Hopkin is the author of Musical Instrument Design, Making Simple Musical Instruments, and Gravikords, Whirlies & Pyrophones and is a recognized leader in the field of experimental musical instrument-making. He lives in Nicasio, California.

Paperback: 112 pages
Publisher: See Sharp Press; 2Rev Ed edition (October 1, 2003)
Language: English

Paperback Publisher: Elipsis Arts
Language: English

Book description
Making your own primitive instruments from simple materials such as coffee cans and flower pots. Includes 121 figures.

Paperback

Book description
This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on March 1, 1996. The length of the article is 648 words. Citation Details: Title: Magic Music from the Telharmonium. Author: Bart Hopkin Publication: Notes (Refereed) Date: March 1, 1996 Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc. Volume: v52 Issue: n3 Page: p821(2) Article Type: Book Review Distributed by Thomson Gale Excerpt: The Telharmonium, developed by the inventor Thaddeus Cahill starting around 1890, was one of the first electronic musical instruments. But it was more than that phrase would suggest. The Telharmonium was a hugely ambitious project. Several basement rooms in a large building were required to house its workings. In another room above were the complex keyboards by which the sounds were controlled, preferably to be played by two, three, or four musicians. The instrument was capable of multiple tone qualities; employing the principles of what we now know as sound synthesis - an exotic and highly theoretical idea at the time

[HTML] (Digital): 3 pages

Paperback: 111 pages
Publisher: Bold Strummer; Reprint edition (June 1991)
Language: English

Book description
The authors introduce readers to make-it-yourself musical instruments. There is an amazing wealth of information here, covering not only how-to's and history but also extending into the social sciences and even science. We learn that pigeon flutes (crafted gourds attached to the birds' tails) were first mentioned about A.D. 1041 A.D. and that drummers are highly respected in India. Actual instructions on gourd transformations into spike fiddles, water drums, and even xylophones are included, along with a few photographs. But all the erudition tends to drown out the craft aspect, since instructions are sandwiched within the narrative text, and photographs are less than optimal. Nonetheless, a book that patient crafters will appreciate. Barbara Jacobs Historically, ethnic groups in many countries have used a great number of musical instruments made from gourds. In North America these instruments are used mainly by percussionists. Most of the step-by-step projects in this book by gourd artists Summit and Widess (The Complete Book of Gourd Craft) are for percussion or stringed instruments such as the Latin American guiro (gourd scraper) or the spike fiddle. There are also a few from the wind family, such as the fipple flute. These are legitimate musical instruments made from traditional materials, and they are fully playable as well as being beautifully crafted. Highly recommended for general crafts as well as ethnomusicology collections.

Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Sterling
Language: English

Unknown Binding: 24 pages
Publisher: Nursery School Association of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1967)
Language: English

Paperback: 191 pages
Publisher: Pantheon
Language: English

Book description
A step-by-step guide to designing and making musical instruments with a showcase of instruments by artists from around the world. This unique guide provides details on every step of the project. Percussion, wind, and string instruments, all are here - each illustrated with clear, instructional photographs. Alternative techniques use simple tools to offer inexpensive ways to make instruments. Tips on choosing materials, tool selection, cutting and finishing techniques, measuring, joining, and more. Includes special hints for tuning and playing the instruments you have made. About the Author Jay Havighurst has explored building musical instruments since graduating from the Studio for Interrelated Media and Sculpture at Massachusetts College of Art in 1980. A resident of the North Shore of Massachusetts, he designed interactive, kinetic sound art, including large-scale sculptures that combine abstract visual elements with themes of rhythm and cycles inspired by nature. His work has been exhibited in the New Directions in Sound Environments show at the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and at numerous galleries and festivals. Havighurst composes music that is layered and multi-timbral, and has accompanied several modern dance and performance pieces. With an unusual collection of instruments from around the world, he has a passion to share their sounds in group music-making, drumming, and celebrations, making music participatory and open to everyone.

Paperback: 107 pages
Publisher: Rockport Publishers
Language: English

Hardcover Publisher: Pantheon Books. (Ford, Charles, ed.)

Book description
This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on June 1, 1996. The length of the article is 768 words. Citation Details: Title: Making Simple Musical Instruments. Author: Dennis G. Waring Publication: Notes (Refereed) Date: June 1, 1996 Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc. Volume: v52 Issue: n4 Page: p1191(2) Article Type: Book Review Distributed by Thomson Gale Excerpt: Bart Hopkin's Making Simple Musical Instruments is one of a small but appreciable genre of "do-it-yourself" books for the technically curious who grew up during the alternative-happy 1960s and 1970s, and it is one of the best. Earlier books in this lineage span the gamut from tin-can rattles and bleach-bottle banjos (still one of my favorites) to regimental drums and classical guitars. Many were homegrown editions that saw one printing; others featured projects that were either too simple, too complex, or simply would not work based on the information provided

[HTML] (Digital): 3 pages

Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Lark Books; New Ed edition (February 1999)
Language: English

Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Music Sales Corp; Rev Ed edition (June 1991)
Language: English

Book description
Deals with the principles of acoustics and their relationship to instrument design in depth.

Paperback: 181 pages
Publisher: See Sharp Press
Language: English

Unknown Binding: 84 pages
Publisher: Dryad Press; 5th ed edition
Language: English

Hardcover Publisher: Relaxation Company; Book & CD edition (June 1998)
Language: English

Book description
This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on March 1, 1995. The length of the article is 865 words. Citation Details: Title: Piano-Beds and Music by Steam: An Index with Abstracts to Music-Related United States Patent Records, 1790-1874. Author: Bart Hopkin Publication: Notes (Refereed) Date: March 1, 1995 Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc. Volume: v51 Issue: n3 Page: p936(2) Article Type: Book Review Distributed by Thomson Gale Excerpt: The United States Patent Office and the patent libraries scattered across the country comprise an unmatched repository of technological information. Some of it is monumentally important, and some amusingly trivial. The several million United States patents granted over the last two centuries represent a unique record not only of technological innovation, but also of a particular kind of human fantasy, hope, and ambition. In Piano-Beds & Music by Steam, Jean Bonin lists all United States patents relating to music issued between the creation of the United States patent system in 1790 and the publication of the patent office's first subject matter index in 1874. In that time 156,000 patents were granted. Bonin finds among them a total of 1…

[HTML] (Digital): 3 pages

Book description
This book, with its included audio CD, provides complete how-to information on the making of this loveliest of musical instruments, wind chimes. Included are chimes of metal, bamboo, ceramic and shell, in a variety of forms including tubes, rods, bars, bells and gongs. Familiar wind chime designs as well as exotic and innovative ones appear. All of the essentials for getting good sounds from different sounding forms are here, as well as ideas on suspension, the basics of tuning,and suggestions for materials and resources. The accompanying CD, with dozens of different types of wind chimes represented, allows you to hear and compare the various types, and it s a pleasure to listen to in itself. The chapters include: 1) Introduction. 2) The Example Chime: a detailed description of the construction procedure for a typical and representative (and beautiful-sounding) wind chime. 3) Useful Information: a mini-encyclopedia of practical information on chime design construction. 4) Chime Tunings: how to tune, and a wealth of ideas for tunings. 5) Descriptions: photos and construction information for a diverse array of wind-chimes of all types.

Paperback: 68 pages
Publisher: Experimental Musical Instruments (November 16, 2005)