MOTM

I hope no one is terribly bothered that we are so OT here.

In a message dated 12/28/2000 2:32:44 PM, binky_beetlebaum@... writes:

>I remembered 
>something from a long ago eno interview about him having set up an array
>of 
>different length tubes in front of a speaker cabinet to get different sound
>colorations.  I may be remembering it wrong, but that's the gist as I 
>recall.

I've never heard this but it sounds possible. It might be worth trying out.

Yet another story:
In 1982, I went to see the Calarts Experimental Music Festival. At their 
whine and cheese Gala Opening of the event, there was an installation which 
really caught my ear. It involved two lengths of aluminum tube (one was about 
5 feet and the other about 4 feet, if I recall correctly). Between these two 
tubes, which were in parallel about four inches apart, was a beater mallet 
kind of thing which struck each tube about once every second or two. It 
seemed like the beater was striking the tubes at irregular intervals (of 
time). 

What made this so unique was that there was presumably a small speaker at the 
one end of each tube. The sound that was fed to the speakers was presumably 
from microphones hidden around this installation or somewhere in the gallery. 
The sounds that emanated from the open end of the tubes as one walked by 
(they were roughly at ear level) were clearly human speech but were 
unintelligible since the tubes resonating effect acted like a filter which 
overwhelmed most of the characteristics of speech. It was really impressive.

I know others on this list are interested in experimental musical instruments 
which are not electronic. Does anyone know if there is an e-list for 
constructing such instruments? I have a lot of rather simple questions about 
building wind driven instruments (like the Aeolian harp and wind blow 
resonators) but no idea where to find the answers.

Anybody?
JB