Today is prom.
It's raining.
I don't feel good.
I have way too much to do.
I'm sleep deprived.
I had a great breakfast.
Roberto is orange.
I can't wait for tonight.
I hope everything goes well.
I need batteries for my camera.
I gotta get a pedicure.
getting on it.

The world's going to end tomorrow, we're reading an article about Z-Day, 2012...

I can't deal with it. Why is everyone so hell bent on the world ending? Can't we just live? I mean damn, if your so worried about dying you won't be able to do anything else with your life. And that is boring and it friggin sucks!

Tonight is prom... woot woot.

today is the day, things have changed since last year but no matter, I will have fun

Screenshots:

http://www.ctspanish.com/tyl/house/progress/progress.htm

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/rgshiwyc/school/curric/Spanish/Cam1Uni8/Cam1Uni8New/7.htm

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/rgshiwyc/school/curric/Spanish/Cam1Uni8/Cam1Uni8New/5.htm

Why can't I let myself succeed?
I do not know.
Will continually questioning myself in this fashion result in identity confusion that will eventually lead to the formation of a split personality?
Perhaps but maybe my new personality will have some answers.

My mom, like every other women in the U.S, worries about her weight. However, this is a pointless thing for her to worry about because the woman is in ridiculous shape. I mean she has a six pack. Anyways, this one day she said she was going to go on a diet (she says that a lot). Later that day her and I go out to do chores like dry cleaning, buying new batteries, getting face wash, etc. During our drive around we pass a Coldstone. Immediatly, my mom says
"Do you want Coldstone!?"
I tell her no, not really. She then gets upset and says,
"We'll i'm going to get Coldstone, but I'm only going to get a small!"
As soon as we get to Coldstone my mom has the biggest trouble selecting a flavor. Once she finally settled on a flavor, she then has the problem of picking the size of her cup.
"I don't want a small. It's to small. Maybe I'll get a medium. If I get a medium will you split it with me?"
I tell her no. I'm not hungry at moment.
She makes a sad face and then says,
"Whatever i'm getting a large. Fuck my diet!"
I'm really glad she got a large coldstone ice cream. She deserved it.

The instrument that I am very interested in is flute, but I am not sure that it will be my piece for the benchmark. 
Flute it basically a pipe, that has one closed end, one opened end, and multiple other air holes on the pipe, between the ends. Flute makes sound base on the pattern in which air is exiting, through the air holes. That is why, when playing flute, people always put their fingers on the air holes, as a way to control the sound. By this way, player can create variety in frequency that would result in different pitches.
The oldest flute was founded in Slovenia and traced back as far as 43,000 years ago. It was originally made out of Mammoth's tusk, and used to communicating when hunting. Over time, it had developed to become an authentic piece of cultural practice, especially during gathering and musical performances. 
Playing and watching people play flute generate the fundamental point of sound. That is sound is created as a vibration of air, in this case it is that of air through the air hole of flute. Sound waves' properties focus on a few essential parts: frequency, magnitude, wavelength, air pressure...To change the sound means to change on of these thing. Higher frequency create higher pitch sound. Changing amplitude would change the loudness of that sound. 

Listen to flute playing here

Today, is my birthday

Everyone celebrates except for me

Days pass, and go away

Am I the only one to see

 

I’m getting older by the day

Before I know it, my hair will go grey

But one thing will always be the same

Other then me being really lame

 

Age can’t stop who we are

or all the miles, we came so far

Age, is just a number in a book

A book, that someone already took

 

And all the pages, taken away

The only ones left say

We met, we loved, we live on

Past the front lawn

Past these simple lives

 

Today is my birthday

Everyone celebrates except for me

Days pass, and go away

But I’ll remember what you say

Past these simple lives

My birthdays today

Just to clarify for those who are confused the ukulele is not the guy, that is Elvis, it is the magical instrument he is holding.

For this benchmark I got pretty excited since I play guitar and we would be working with instruments so it was something I could defiantly relate to and have fun with, if  I do it correctly, but I should have fun with it. But even though I play guitar I wanted to do something slightly different so I could learn something new about a different instrument. But I did want to keep it in the string family since I know best how to play those more then any other instrument. So I finally thought of an instrument that was close to the guitar but a bit different and sounded like something interesting and fun to make and play. And the ukulele journey had began.

 The ukulele is played a lot like the guitar. Where you have to strum it to make any sort of sound. The only differences is the ukulele is much smaller, has only four strings and also creates a sort of different sound, like different pitch almost. A ukulele's neck is slim and straight but the body of it is almost hour glassed shaped. Because they use different strings for a ukulele then they do guitars.The way you change a note is by taking your fingers that are on the neck of the ukulele, the long part, and moving them to different positions and different frets, holding down your fingers on the different strings as you do so. The way this gets me thinking about how I can change and create sound is strumming something or plucking something, like s string, creates a sound. And holding down things certain ways and positions, like when you hold down the string on the different frets. They create a different pitch.


Here is a link of some cool guy playing the ukulele:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBFdrLu7o9w&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MphdRo5_7Us
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Violinconsruction3.JPG

I am interested in playing the violent, to me its a very interesting instrument and its beautiful to me.  I am interested in learning the physics behind the instrument and i want to make my own violin after i research about the instrument.

The video is above is a video that shows people playing the violin. The use little guitar shaped instruments and use a stick with a soft edge that the rub against the strings of the instruments to produce the sound. They notes are changed by using your hands to make different keys like a guitar and also where and how the “stick” is moved. The violin is shaped like a mini guitar with more curves and cuts. The instrument looks beautiful and sounds beautiful.
When i look at the instrument i think if the curves and the way its shaped have anything to do with the sound, and i also think about why it has to be healed a certain way between the neck, why couldn't it be held like a guitar, and also does the length of the stick matter?

BLOG #2
Instrument- Trumpet

Math benchmark complete.
Time to complete it: 10 hours in 2 days
Time procastinating: 38 hours
Stress level: Very low
Food consumed: a shitload
How I feel now: stomach ache

I walked out of Storytelling, and everything went dark. *end of story*
No seriously this black out was like the best thing every, especially since it was the day before prom! I got so much done, and most importantly I got to sleep! While we were waiting to hear our fate, something else amazing happened... I finished my Pre-Calc Benchmark (kind of)! Today was just too great even if me and Alexis got in hail like rain on South St.

Just thought you should know that

Joe is a nice guy. Rancid, ugly, disgusting, horrible, mean spirited , but somewhat has a nice side to him. Could you figure it out?​

this is a poem i wrote in freshman year....yeahh
Now jimmy’s only 20 years of age.
He has a dead end job with minimum wage.
He has a girlfriend that has to lay,
15 guys for 60 dollars a day.
He dropped out of school to be with his honey
Now they got a child and they're running out of money
Life is so very dangerous and so it seems
The only place he’s safe is in his dreams
So jimmy nods his head, brushes his teeth, turns out the lights and goes to sleep
Praying one day he'll find a place with no worry or any type of haste.
Next thing he knows, he’s riding on a tiger
His girls on his left, their daughter right beside her
They're riding through the jungle, strong and fast
They ride off a cliff but the fall don’t last.
Now they're riding in a jet, sitting first class
With hearts full of hope, and pockets full of cash.
Now hey land inside a active volcano
He asks her hand in marriage, she really cant say no
Next it’s the wedding small and bliss
Its finally time, he goes for the kiss
emotions run deep. the good guy finally wins
Its his first and last chance to repent for his sins
He holds her tight. their souls begin to blend
But nothing after that. the dream just ends....

R.I.P Brian Jr

I'm picking out a macbook for college.
I got my nails done for prom today.
I can't wait to start dorm shopping.
I can't wait for six flags on saturday.
I love my life. This is great.

The school district cut our budgets so much that peco cut our electric.
Hahahahah<3.

Matthew Scuderi 

5/19/11 C-Band

Physics: Musical Instrument Blog

Talented Young Xylophone Player:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITc6FsXsVhs 

I am interested in playing a instrument that requires you to hit it and since I can't stand strings, we can't make drums, and I get dizzy by blowing too much air, I decided that I would play a xylophone type instrument instead. I always wanted to play a real xylophone because I never had one, but I have seen others play and I find it interesting. I am considering making a meal xylophone or possibly even a PVC instrument in which you force air through by smacking on it, but that may be quite complicated. 

The xylophone is an instrument that is played with two sticks that have plastic spherical heads that hit the notes on the xylophone. Xylophones, like many instruments, have octaves and like the piano have various keys to hit. Xylophones are basically drums in the keyboard format that make chime sounds because they are plastic to metal. In order to produce sound the person playing the xylophone must hit note with the ball end of the stick. The notes are changed according to the size of the key that is hit as well as the tube below that causes the "extra" sound so that keys sound differently. The sound is sharpened when the keys are hit on the ends rather than the middle, which produces a fine sound, but it is duller the sound on the side keys. 

Small keys have a higher pitch and the larger keys have a much low pitch. What this makes me think about how to create and change sound is that a force must be applied over a area in order to generate a sound and the differences in the area in which that force is applied changes the sound the instrument makes. I think that notes are sustained like waves are created. In other words, when a note is hit on an instrument, it you hear it and it fades quickly unless sustained (kept aloud). When waves are created they continue on if they are sustained, but fade if they are not. The same thing goes for stringed instruments. If the string is not constantly strummed, it won't continue to vibrate and produce sound.

If you think the Blue Man Group is cool, check this guy out, he made this amazing PVC instrument. It is official, if you play a xylophone or xylophone like instrument, you must play the Mario theme song. 

Student makes his own PVC instrument and puts on quite a performance: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D2o8F2MOuI 

Matthew Scuderi 

5/26/11 C-Band 

Physics Musical Instrument Blog #2

Sound is produced via energy transfer, which creates vibrations. When vibrations travel throughout an instrument they produce sound because the particles of the air are compressed and uncompressed in patterns, which make various frequencies depending on how frequent something vibrates back and fourth. In other words, vibrations cause particles to collide in patterns of compressed and uncompressed waves called sound waves. The energy transfer from the vibrations are what cause particles to collide the way they do. 

Pitch is changed on a instrument depending on how much pressure is applied over an area. For example, a larger pipe when banged would have a lower pitch than a smaller one. I think the way pitch changes is caused by the distance that a wave or waves have to travel. Some physical characteristic are of course the length of the instrument, the shape (hollow or not), the material used (tension has a direct effect on the sound that something will make i.e. a high tension string on a guitar sounds good while a low tension spring does not, which is the reason for tuning the guitar).

I am still in the process of deciding what instrument to make, but I am thinking of making a xylophone out of pipes and metal parts, possibly even keys. I plan to play my interment by banging on the various pipes with the sticks that I will have to make up out of wood and some sort of plastic or other metal. While the plan is still in the process of creation, I may make my instrument by having the pipes hang from strings on one long pipe and having the pipes somehow kept in place, but free to move in order to create a sound. I am also considering maybe making a flute like instrument out of pvc pipe and drilling holes in it as well. 

How do I create different notes with a xylophone? How can I make it so that the xylophone actually plays? Where do I put the holes on that flute and how do I generate the various notes? How does tension effect pitch? 

5.19.2011

The instrument that I am interested in making would be either a violin or a small classical guitar.

A violin is played by rubbing a bow across a set of different strings and then placing your fingers across different sections of the violins strings to create a higher or lower pitched sound. A guitar is played in a similar way, except there is no bow, only the strumming against the guitar's strings with either a fingernail or picker.

You can change a note in a guitar and violin by either plucking/strumming a different string or by placing your fingers on different portions of the string to create a different sound.

A violin is shaped like a pear, it has a curvy top but an even curvier bottom and in the middle lies the plane of strings. Guitars are sometimes shaped like violins with a pear-like shape as well, however instead of having a just a long strip of strings, some guitars have small holes in the center which is unlike a violin.

The shape of these instruments makes me think that the way they are held could possibly affect the way that sound is created and transferred. I know that in order to play a violin you have to hold it upright and parallel to an outstretched arm on a shoulder, yet with a guitar you can be more relaxed. A cello and violin are shaped very similarly, however they both produce different sounds and are held different ways, so that makes me wonder if the shape or the way the instrument is held can make a big difference.

The connections that I see is that when you strum a guitar and a note is played, it isnt continuous because the sound waves/vibrations eventually stop and this is very similar to the lab we did in class with the slinkys because when I would push one side, there would be a wave that would go to the other side and then stop.

 I used to play the violin for about two or three years when I was in elementary school so I am somewhat familiar with the way it works and how to achieve different sounds, however, I have never played a guitar before.

Some helpful youtube videos:

Violin Basics -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_04rjPbZarE

How to hold a violin --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dFjpdCdbXs&feature=relmfu

Simple Guitar Basics -->

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RaXQKL-xbQ

I decided to focus on the wood blocks. I am not sure that it will end up being my final instrument, but I would love it to be if possible.

The wood blocks are played by taking a stick or a drum stick/xylophone stick and hitting it against the different blocks. To change a note, you have to hit a different block. They are very similar to xylophones with the exception that they are wooden. By hitting a block of a different size, a different note is produced. The wooden blocks are, as expected, shaped as a block. They are 3D rectangle boxes essentially. They have holes in the side and are hollow. This is what produces the sound. This makes me think about how size can affect sound. Using different sizes and shapes of holes, I can create different sounds and notes. I think this has to do with resonance. Hitting hollow blocks creates resonance which in turn creates sound. I think that I can connect this to what I know about waves by how they move. The construction of these blocks is going to be difficult because of the exact placement of holes and size to create the right notes. This is all based on the sound waves produced and the motion of those sound waves when the blocks are played.

​

--How is it played? What does the person have to do to produce sound?

Most woodwind instruments are tubes. The sound comes from a vibrating column of air inside the tube. The player makes this column of air vibrate in one of several ways:

By blowing across an edge, as in the flute, recorder, whistle, and root beer bottle

By blowing between a reed and a fixed surface, as in the clarinet and saxophone

By blowing between two reeds, as in the oboe, bassoon, sarusaphone and bagpipes

--How do you change a note? (you might have to watch very carefully to see this) 

Woodwind pitch depends on the volume of air that is vibrating. A larger volume vibrates more slowly, for lower pitch; a smaller volume vibrates more quickly, for a higher pitch. For most woodwinds, the player changes pitch by opening and closing holes along the instrument's length. Without keys, there can only be as many holes as the player has fingers to cover them with. Adding keys allows the number and complexity of holes to be increased. Increasing the blowing pressure past a certain critical point (called the "break") causes the air column to resonate at a higher harmonic (see the harmonics section, below) and raises the pitch of many woodwinds by a large interval. In most cases this interval is an octave (e.g. middle C to high C), but in the clarinet it is a 12th (e.g. middle C to the G above high C). With minor variations this is the way woodwinds achieve large ranges.

--How is it shaped?

At one time, most woodwinds were made of wood; hence the name. The easiest way to characterize them now is as wind instruments (that is, you blow into them) which aren't played by buzzing your lips together.

--What does this make you think about how you can create and change sound?

i think that if you put your fingers on different holes it will kinda make it fun trying to play different notes because it is so easy to play the recorder. 

--What connections (if any) do you think you can draw between what you are observing and you might already know about waves?

its like a vibrating sound that really makes the music from your fingers to your mouth with you blowing the air into the instrument.  

1. How is sound produced by this instrument (now that you know more about sound, please try to refer specifically to the energy transfer and vibrations)?

The air vibrates over then under the fipple by the Bernoulli principal causing a vibration in the tube of air inside the recorder. The pitch is regulated by covering holes which in turn lengthen and shorten the length of vibrating air.

2. Based on your understanding, how are you changing the pitch? What physical characteristics are important in this instrument?

The recorder is distinguished from its cousin, the transverse flute, by the whistle mouthpiece built into the instrument. This mouthpiece channels the air stream through a "windway" and against an "edge" where the tone is produced, doing automatically what a flute player must learn to do through coordination of the lip muscles. The windway is an air channel carved into the "block" (of wood or plastic) which closes off the top of the instrument's tube. This block is also called a "fipple." The "window" is the rectangular opening on the front of the instrument where the edge and the bottom opening of the windway can be seen. you can really chang the pitch by the way you play the notes. 

3. What materials will you actually be using for your instrument and why? How will you play your instrument? What is your plan for constructing the instrument? 

- White pipe pice 69.5cm long

- I will drill the holes in and also one at the top i might have to turn it around a bit because of materials and turn it into a flute. so there will be one big whole at the top like a flute has to it can be played. 

- Exactly the same posture needed for good singing, either standing or sitting, is needed for good recorder playing. The back should be straight but relaxed, and the shoulders, arms, hands and fingers should all be relaxed. Tension anywhere in the body can result in poor breath support, poor tone quality, problems with intonation, or fingers that are stiff and unresponsive. The second basic element of recorder playing includes breathing and breath control. The breathing that produces a focused, unforced, non-vibrato vocal sound for children is the breathing that produces a focused, unforced, non-vibrato recorder sound. A student who can sing in tune and control the breath sufficiently to shape phrases can transfer those skills directly to the recorder.

4. What outstanding questions do you still have?

How many holes are in a Recorder? 

There are 7 holes in a recorder, plus a thumb hole on the back, which makes 8!

When will we start building these instruments?

Monday!