New woodwind Instument

THis is not my idea actually, this idea appears often in high schools physics lessons relating to sound/waves etc....

But now I'm trying to make it "playable" with accurate pitch from note to note, not just those you make stupid farting(phart?) sounds with (well.... it seems that it still does...) but here it goes..

Press song titiles for sound clips i recorded...(yuck)

And yes, that is a Mcdonald's Straw~!

PS: it may load a bit

Straw Instrument Flash thingy

Perfect.

I invented a variation of this, completely independently of science books/teachers, back in '97. I was on a vacation to the British Virgin Islands, and there was so little music that I was practically starving. I could feel my imperfect pitch waning: "eeeeee! Is that middle C? I don't remember any more!" Absently I chewed on a straw, folding one way, then another way perpendicular to it, and so on in that fashion. Then some sort of tussle with my siblings resulted in the tip tearing into a nastily jagged shape. And lo and behold, I had myself a musical instrument! Later I found that the tear wasn't necessary.

Nostalgic anecdotes aside, you don't even need the cut into a point if bite it a lot. My instruments from 'round the turn o' the millenium were flat-tipped, and I always found that the range of a single length of straw was a third or more. I then made instruments with maybe three widely spaced holes which gave me the whole range. Other variations to consider are a cardboard funnel at the end (and even trumpet-style mutes!), a slide mechanism (or even a set of telescoping slides!), or the contrabass model made of a giant pixie stick.

I once arranged the beginning to Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody in D (or something) for an entire choir of these. Unfortunately I wrote it in pencil which didn't copy well, so then I handed out the originals, as well as the handmade original New Straw Family, and never saw them again. One of the bigger might-have-beens of my short career.

I admire your pitch control but am ambivalent about your choice to use such consistent vibrato. But the use of toothpicks to stabilize (I assume) looks like a good idea. How did you achieve the second octave?

That was great! Applause!!!

How can one make one of those???? Is there a guide anywhere?

I've googled it and all the web talks about is how to make the mouthpiece aka the reed bit. A Mcdonalds straw works great for this. I'll briefly focus on the tuning part here. Memory still serves fresh after 2 years making it.

1. have a go at different reed shapes.. settle on one that you feel comfortable with.

2. cut it to the right length so the base/bell/..lowest note it produces is preferably C/D/F/G that would enable easy fingering and to tune the "instrument" to concert pitch.

3. in my case the straw plays comfortably and naturally in the second octave.... maybe due to the length and other acoustics properties that i have no idea of- and have no intention to find out why.

4. start cutting holes.... just pinch it and cut a diamond shape in it. experiment it. start small and gradually cut it larger until u find the right pitch. the higher the hole the higher the pitch. if u find u've just cut it in the wrong place, just cover it with tape~

5. after u've finished the whole octave under ur 9 fingers, try other variations, in my case, i've cut my thumb hole larger in order to get the higher notes. the lower octave was just lipped, no fingerings involved. the straw's pitch is VERY inconsistent, and could vary by a 5th or larger using the same fingering. so bear that in mind when u cut ur tone holes, and try to maintain a consistent embouchure throughout the whole process.

i'll come back soon. time to sleep.

Could you post a picture of a successful straw? I've cut tone holes before, too, and used a ratio I calculated from a soprano recorder and adapted that fingering to a straw which ended up in F#. Don't know what you mean by second octave, though. You mean overblowing to the second harmonic/partial, or do you use a tone hole like an octave key, like on a recorder or clarinet (or oboe)?

If you can find two straws that fit inside the other perfect, you can slide them in and out like a trombone slide. I think mine are a McDonalds and an Arby's straw, and I can get over an octave out of it.

P.S. any chance you could post that recording in some other format? My comp won't view that clip.

I made one , but with out the fingering holes, can you make detailed instructions though, like length distance between each hole.

I Made a bass straw, It sounds exactly like a bass clarinet and it's tuned to A,

What is the best way to add key's that are tuned to the right note?

Keys? Don't you mean just holes?

Here is how to calculate tone hole placement for a 6 hole flute (or in this case, straw)

<===============O==O===O======O==O===O======[

0%......................43% 50% 58%........68% 73% 83%.....100%

Measure the full length of the straw, that is the 100%. If you multiply that by 50% ( or 0.5 ) than you have one tone hole. If your straw is in F, I think that particular hole might produce a C.

A way to fine tune and make a decent straw with tone holes and make straws, one will be the final product, the other will just be a tool. Make sure you've cut a good "reed" before you begin cutting out holes. Yes, cutting out diamond shaped holes is good, keep them as small as possible while still having a tone close to a un-holey straw. So take your "tool" straw, and let's say you're aiming for a straw in F, so trim more and more off the end until that the straw is now pitched in the G right above the F. Now it is the appropriate length for a G straw. Since you know how long a G is, use this straw to measure where you cut the tone hole for 'G' in the real straw that you want to make. The tone hole for 'G' on the F straw will be just as far from the 'reed' as the length of the straw that you just trimmed to the pitch G. Get it? Now you can trim what is now the G straw until you acquire an A. Put it along side your F straw in progress and cut the hole where the A should be. Now do the same for Bb, then C, and so on.

That's the way I've done it.

Do(e) a deer, a female deer...

That was hillarious!

It's tuned to an "A" and the last straw is smaller in diameter so it's adjustable for tuning, and without it the straw play's a C, By the way it play's two octaves below middle c.

I know someone who makes sounds first, then designs instruments. If I only knew who this was...

thank's for every one's response!!

sorry about people requesting for pictures and measurements. Since it was made two years ago it probably got lost when me and my family moved to Australia. Anyway!!!

I've cut tone holes before, too, and used a ratio I calculated from a soprano recorder and adapted that fingering to a straw

that sounds kinda scary to me who doesn't know maths at all. all I did was trial and error. I tried to put a hole there, and if it doesn't work, cover it with tape and try again. trial and error, that's what i do for hard mathematical equations as well.

eg. say u want to have a hole a major second above the last one. you cut one where you *think* it should be. you cut it and play test it.

A. it is flat - cut the hole bigger

B. it is way too flat - cover with tape and cut another hole higher

C. it is in tune - viola! start the next one!

D. it is sharp - tape the hole smaller

E. it is way too sharp - don't cover it with tape yet. cut a hole beneath it and maybe it could serve as your next hole with a lil bit of adjustment. if not, tape it.\

strawcola

"C. It is in tune - viola!"

- uhh... viola? :P

Hehe, I just made a new one ten minutes ago. Sounds like one of those Arabian free reed snake charmer pipes.... and like constipated bagpipes, sometimes the notes just don't come out. I can do this cool rhythmic thing that makes this hurdy gurdy effect.

It is a G staw, with fundamental G3, two drinking straws taped together, a McDonalds for the reed half, and Arby's (or it it Wendy's?) for the bell half. So far I'm up to five finger holes - diatonic scale of G, A, B, C, D, and E. Not sure how I should do the F or F# and octave. How did you get the second octave? I finally got that flash thingy to work and was impressed, especially since the range extends beyond the octave. Speaker hole, or...?

I love the song!!!