​          I was thinking about making some type of acoustic guitar for this project because a guitar is the only instrument that I have at least a little bit of experience with. I do know that guitars have been around since the 1500’s and can vastly differ from one another. However, most acoustic guitars have six strings varying in width and mass that are laid over a hollow body to emanate a louder sound to be heard at a further distance. On a regular acoustic guitar, strings become thicker from bottom to top of the bridge of the guitar, so the higher the string on the bridge, the thicker the string. When the strings are plucked they actually make little noise but this disturbance makes a disturbance in the air around it that also vibrates the bridge of the guitar. The strings can also make different noises based on how you work them whether it be plucking or tapping them, etc.

Resources:
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/music/guitar/guitarintro.html
Allen Collins

I am making a thumb piano. The sound coming from a "thumb piano" is the rate of vibration of the key/pins over the hollow in the base. The body of the instrument, the base, is responsible for providing a stable platform to hold the keys very tight. It also acts as a resonating chamber to amplify the vibratory sound of the keys. The principal is the same as it is for a guitar. The main difference being each key on a thumb piano is only connected at one end. I will be changing the pitch with the length of the keys. Which are physical and important to the thumb piano besides from the base of it. I will be making the base out of a block a wood made hollow and bobby pins with pop sickles stick holding it in place tightly. Miner thing I might need help with is how the make the sound as loud as possible.  

The instrument that I picked was a guitar. A string instrument with specific tensioned wires which can alter the sound that it will produce. The size, thickness, and tension is the most important components to finding the right tune. 

-The proper way to play a guitar is by plucking the string or by strumming all the strings by holding certain frets that can produce specific tones/ notes. 
- To change the note of the guitar can be done by plucking different strings and also by holding a string along the neck of the guitar. The further down the neck you hold the higher the pitch of the tone will be. Tones and notes that can flow together is counted by frets. From the top of the neck goes from 1-20 frets. Frets 3, 5, 7, 9 are the main notes to play. 
-A guitar should be shaped with horizontal length so that the strings can be placed along the neck of the guitar and pass over a hollow base where the reverb of the sound can be amplified. 
-I was thinking about how large of a hollow hole can be placed in the base and still how loud can it be? Will more holes in the guitar give it a different sound?
-As interfering waves are produced from the guitar while strumming can be more of a constructive interference and help the sound of the guitar. Also by plucking individual string along with other can correspond into a beautiful melody. 


Video Of the Song: http://fretplay.com/guitar-videos.php?title=Train-Hey-Soul-Sister-Guitar-Lesson&band=train&studio=TotallyGuitars&id=2243

In my previous blog, I did a little bit of research on two types of instruments that I thought I might be playing, which were a violin and a guitar. However, after talking with my group, I chose to pick a different instrument so that there would be a balance between string and percussion. The instrument that I will be focusing on in this blog is a flute.

Sound is produced by this instrument when air is blown into the mouth piece which creates a wave of air to flow through. The air behaves like a stiff spring and as the player continues to blow, the spring receives those pulses and begins vibrating. As the wave vibrates through the flute, sound is created.

Based on my understanding, in order to change the pitch of the sound, the player must place their fingers on different holes on the flute, to alter the flow of air, which changes the wave and therefore changes the pitch.The characteristics that are important in this instrument are, a hollow tube through which air can pass through, small holes on one side of the flute, and an opening through which a person can blow air into the instrument.

I have done some research and it seems as if the simplest way to make a flute would be out of PVC pipes because it provides a good hollow structure for air to easily travel through and for sound to be made, also it is relatively easy to find. My plan for constructing the instrument is to borrow some PVC pipes from VK's  engineering room and then carve small holes on the top, and a mouth piece on one end. 

As of now, I don't have any outstanding questions regarding my instrument or this project. I would like to continue learning more about waves so that I can better my understanding of how music is created through instruments.

​ To remind you of what we talked about in my last blog, I chose to build a guitar of my own for my physics project. In this blog post I will talk to you about the sound vibrations, pitch and the materials I will need to use to build my instrument. 

Sound from a guitar is produced by plucking or strumming the strings which are all different sizes to my understanding there are six strings on guitar and each strong makes a different sound while holding your finger down on different sections of the neck. When you pluck or strum the strings the strings vibrate from where your finger is on the neck down to the end of the body of the guitar.

To change the pitch of my instrument I will have to adjust the machine heads also known as the tuners, I would have to turn these tuners to the left or the right in order to get a high or low pitch. There are many parts to a guitar but I think the important physical characteristics would have to be 16 out of the 20 parts of the guitar.

1. Headstock
2. Nut
3. Machine heads (or pegheads, tuning keys, tuning machines, tuners)
4. Frets
5. Truss rod
6. Inlays
7. Neck
8. 8.     Body
9. 9.     Pickups
10. 10.   Electronics
11. 11.   Bridge
12. 12.   Pickguard
13. 13.   Soundboard 
14. 14.   Sound hole
15. 15.   Strings
16. 16.   Fretboard (or Fingerboard)
17. 
    

To build this guitar I will need wood to build the body, some plastic pieces for different parts of the guitar, some twisted screws for the machine heads, wire and thin metal piping for the fret board and I will need different sized plastic string for the actual strings of the guitar. All of these materials should be able to cover the necessary components of the guitar.

I will construct this instrument in my Advanced Engineering class that way I have all the materials I need at my fingertips, If that time id not enough I will also take extra time out of my day to stay after school to try to complete the guitar.