Demo Sounds From My Homemade Clarinet

[McLilith]

Hi,

Not too long ago, Voidoid Surrealist told everyone how to make a clarinet from a cheap ink pen:

Make an Idioglottal Clarinet out of your Bic/Biro pen!

I managed to get one working, and I thought I would share a short audio clip of what it sounds like:

My Online Sample Collection

(Okay, there are only two quirky samples in my online collection so far, but I just started it.)


In the first part of the clip, I tried to play the notes steady, and in the second half of the audio clip, I varied how hard I blew into the instrument. This produces pitch modulation. The modulation is much greater for the higher notes than the lower notes. I want to make sure that everyone knows this isn't some high-quality sample set, ready to dump into Kontakt or Halion. It's primarily just a demo of what this thing sounds like. I suppose you could dump this into a sampler if you wanted. If anyone does make something from this, please let me know. I'd like to hear what you did with this wheezy little instrument.

This is just a quick and cheap homemade instrument. (It cost me every bit of 4.8 cents!) Although this instrument surely needs tuning, I did manage to import one of the notes into Cameleon 5000 and came up with interesting results. At least it's good for something.

I'll try to make another one in the future, and see if I can get it tuned better.


take care,
McLilith

[Meffy]

(It cost me every bit of 4.8 cents!) Although this instrument surely needs tuning

Off by 4.8 cents? :-)

That wailing sound... at one point it reminds me of the damsel in distress in the Edward Gorey animated titles for the TV program "Mystery!"

[McLilith]

4.8 cents off?

Maybe...


I'm still figuring out how to make these work better. I know the audio clip isn't the most exciting thing you've ever heard, but I was so happy to finally get one working, that I had to make a quick recording of it, and announce my success to the world.


McLilith

[Voidoid Surrealist]

Nifty! Do you have a pic of the pen? It sounds WAY higher pitched than the ones I made...

[McLilith]

I tried taking a picture, to include with my post, but the flash on my camera kept washing out the details in the white pen. Stupid, consumer-grade digital camera! I really miss working with my Nikon 35mm SLR. (It needs minor repair at the moment.)

I'll take the pen outside, and try to get a decent macro picture for you, now that it's daylight and I don't have to rely on a brain-dead "automatic" flash system for illumination.


Caution, Off-Topic Rant:
A camera with auto-focus, a macro-focus system, and an automatic flash system, should have all three systems integrated. The effective brightness (duration) of the flash output should be regulated by the focal distance determined by the auto-focus system--especially when the camera is in "macro" mode. The closer the subject, the less flash intensity. The flash intensity should not be primarily determined by the average amount of light reflected by the subject--otherwise we have problems with very light subjects against very dark backgrounds, etc. How could a company (Fuji) with many years of camera building experience not get this right? I hate the brain-dead compromises made in "consumer-oriented" products -- whether they be cameras, audio gear, or even computer operating systems.


Okay, I'm glad I got that out of my system. I'll put a picture online for you, later today.


take care,
McLilith

[McLilith]

It took a little bit longer to get that picture online than I first thought it would, but here it is:



I combined 5 different views of the pen into the same image. Probably the first thing you will notice, is the crude carving job I did on the pen.

I used a razor blade to do the carving, and it was a bit awkward to do some of the work with just that one tool. I hope that you can see that the reed is thicker at its tip than at its base. I had read on the internet about traditional ethnic instruments that were constructed in such a way, and I thought I would give that a try. You can also see that the blue end cap of my pen extends into the pen barrel far enough that it overlaps some of the reed area. I wonder what effect this is having? Perhaps that is helping raise the pitch? I also think I made my reed a bit shorter than yours, which should help raise the pitch. The thickness of the reed is probably a factor as well. Finally, the finger holes look much smaller in my instrument. I believe this effects the pitch as well. The holes aren't extremely smooth-edged, and I'm wondering if this adds more breathiness to the timbre of the instrument. I couldn't find a small round file to smooth the edges of the holes, and there are some small bits of plastic protruding into the barrel of the pen. Once I find my file, I'll see if deburring the holes affects the breathiness of the instrument.

I consider this instrument just a proof of concept. At least, I know that I can make one work. I plan to build another one soon, and to be much neater next time.


take care,
McLilith

[Voidoid Surrealist]

Hey, the great thing about building these, is if you screw it up, you've only lost about 5 cents and a few minutes!

I recently came across a tiny piece of Giant Cane Reed (Arundo donax) along the side of the road (I've yet to find the plant it came from, probably a nearby pond) and made the best sounding natural reed yet. As it turns out, Arundo donax is the same species of reed that pro-instrument makers use, and the piece I found might just be the right size to fix the broken second reed on my mijwiz! Either that, or I can find a suitable sized elderberry branch (they're straight and hollow) and make a body for it...

[Herman Witkam]

haha - this is pretty cool. And to mention that I spent 5 bucks on a Mijwiz

[chris_b]

I've got Voidoid Surrealist's sample from the other thread as my phone's ringtone

[cptgone]

Sounds really usable! Cool...

[Voidoid Surrealist]

I've got Voidoid Surrealist's sample from the other thread as my phone's ringtone

Your friends must hate you now

/that made my day!

[McLilith]

I have a suggestion for Voidoid, or anyone else playing with these. Cut the reed on the opposite side of the pen, in relation to the holes. In other words, the holes will point upward while playing, while the reed points downward, toward your tongue. You can get some additional control over the sound this way, by affecting the reed resonance with the position of your tongue. You can also very rapidly silence a note by pushing the reed shut with your tongue. With enough practice, you could even play fast Morse Code this way.

For some additional exploration, try reinserting the ink refill back into the barrel of the instrument while you are playing. Just use the skinny end of plastic tube containing the ink. This affects the pitch, and sort of very roughly resembles a trombone effect. You can get a smooth vibrato by rapidly oscillating the ink tube in and out of the clarinet barrel. This could be used to compensate for an instrument with holes drilled in somewhat inappropriate locations. The vibrato will help mask the tuning errors.

Can you tell yet, that I intend to get my nickel's worth of ammusement from this thing?


take care,
McLilith