Marquis Simmons
I've always enjoyed the percussion parts of songs. So when thinking about the idea for my instrument I immediately thought about making a drum. Since we couldn't make a drum, the next  instrument I was interested in was the xylophone.

I watched a video of someone playing a big xylophone. He uses some wooden sticks with balls on the end to make the music. I'm not sure what the material of the xylophone or the balls on the sticks are. My guess about how tao change a note would be that the thicker the piece of the xylophone is, the deeper or lower the note that it makes will be. The entire xylophone is a rectangle, while each piece is also a rectangle which I guess helps make the sounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ngt9CxBaMQ&feature=pyv&ad=2837289356&kw=marimba
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Marquis Simmons
I've always enjoyed the percussion parts of songs. So when thinking about the idea for my instrument I immediately thought about making a drum. Since we couldn't make a drum, the next  instrument I was interested in was the xylophone.

I watched a video of someone playing a big xylophone. He uses some wooden sticks with balls on the end to make the music. I'm not sure what the material of the xylophone or the balls on the sticks are. My guess about how tao change a note would be that the thicker the piece of the xylophone is, the deeper or lower the note that it makes will be. The entire xylophone is a rectangle, while each piece is also a rectangle which I guess helps make the sounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ngt9CxBaMQ&feature=pyv&ad=2837289356&kw=marimba
​

Marquis Simmons
I've always enjoyed the percussion parts of songs. So when thinking about the idea for my instrument I imediately thought about making a drum. Since we couldn't make a drum, the next  instrument I was interested in was the xylophone.

I watched a video of someone playing a big xylophone. He uses some wooden sticks with balls on the end to make the music. I'm not sure what the material of the xylophone or the balls on the sticks are. My guess about how to change a note would be that the thicker the piece of the xylophone is, the deeper or lower the note that it makes will be. The entire xylophone is a rectangle, while each piece is also a rectangle which I guess helps make the sounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ngt9CxBaMQ&feature=pyv&ad=2837289356&kw=marimba
​

So, a thumb piano is an interesting instrument and can make some beautiful music if you know how to play it. Sometimes, the tines are attached to just a piece of wood. However, it is better to use a hollow piece of wood and then a hole in that box. In order to play the instrument, you pluck a series of tines attached to the top of the box, which then vibrate. This vibration is caught in the hollow box and released through the hole. You can cover the hole and uncover it to make interesting sounds. To change the pitch, you must change the tines. Usually, the longest tine is in the middle, with the tines then getting shorter to the left and to the right. The shorter tines have a higher pitch. So, in order to change the pitch of the tines, you have to change the length of the tines. Changing the box simply changes how long the sound resonates (as with the tuning forks). To make the instrument, you need pieces of wood to construct the box, and a piece of small pipe to attach the tines. The tines, though, are a little tricky. I read around and it said that you should use a rake to get the tines. I'm still looking for an alternate way to get the tines. I'll probably use the tip of my nail instead of the fat part of my thumb to pluck the tines, to make a sharper sound. The hardest part of this project will be making the tines the right length, so I'll get the box out of the way early so I have time to work on the tines. I just need to figure out what lengths to make the tines... I may have to figure this out with experimenting though.

To make sound with a Recorder, you lightly blow into it. To change the pitch of the sound emitted from the recorder, you cover up the holes that are located along the recorder using your fingers. You cover up a hole, or several of the holes depending on what note you want to play.

The materials I plan on using to build my Recorder is PVC Piping and a drill. I will use the PVC Piping as the actual Recorder itself, and use the drill to drill holes into the PVC so that I can change the notes I am playing as I please. However, the only problem I have is exactly where I should drill the holes so that I can play different notes when using it. Does the size of the whole matter? Does the position of the holes effect the type of notes it will play?

I watched a man play the piano the other day. It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever heard. The man pressed the keys in order to produce a wonderful sound from the piano. With every stroke of the keys a different note was struck, becoming lighter and deeper as he moves along the piano keys. From the look of piano, I’d say the shape of it has a lot to do with the quality of sound and pitch of the notes produced by the piano. I think from the way the keys hit the stings it tells whether or not the pitch is high or low. I think if I design an instrument to mimic the way the keys hit the stings I’ll get the same tone and notes.  I know that sound travels in compressional  waves, this means that the vibrations of the strings are so fast that its able to travel so far and be so loud.

The instrument my group decided to focus on was either wind or percussion. Percussion instruments consist of everything you can hit with sticks. In percussion instruments the sound foundation is a pulsing covering. These instruments are known as membranophones or beating part of dense substances that is called idiophones. The percussionist usually makes these resources to pulse by beating them. This is where percussion comes from, but numerous of percussion instruments are played shaking, rubbing, or any other method that can make the sound within the percussion instrument. 

Since there are difficult behaviors in which the sound starting place tremble, a good number of percussion instruments do not have exact pitch. The majority of instruments that do have significant pitch are idiophones. The pitch of instruments relies on the quantity of substance that is beating. In all- purpose this means that the instruments should have a unique throbbing body for every note.   So I am either considering either chimes or a guitar but still undecided. Didn’t want to choose something that would have over whelmed me. still choosing between a guitar and chimes.

http://exhibits.pacsci.org/music/Instruments.html