Guilted Manse
A project presented by the band Silica Gel. The combination of our homemade instruments is intertwined with how we write music. This presentation of our work in this project is a combination of our song writing mixed with instrument building.
For our Maker Music performance, we are developing a new piece using amplified glass, a custom built pyramid shaped harp, and vocals modified by a homemade leslie rotary speaker. Our piece titled "Guilted Manse", uses numbers from the stock market to determine pitches that are then projected through the pane of glass. These sounds are accompanied by the twanging resonant tones of the pyraharp and rotary modified vocals to achieve the sound of a haunted Gilded Age mansion.Laura Thomas: voice
Lauren Jones: percussion
Joel Nelson: electronics, amplified glass
Jasper Lee: pyraharp
Full Video: https://vimeo.com/547056245
Pyraharp built by Jasper Lee:
The pyraharp is a sculptural instrument made with an overall hexagonal pyramid shape. Strings of piano wire radiate outward from a central neck with pinblock. The tension of the strings pulling on opposite sides of the neck creates unpredictable tuning schemes where the tuning of one string affects all the others in a dramatic way. There is no set tuning for the instrument, so tuning is an ongoing process every time it is played. The pinblock can be manipulated while plucking or bowing the strings to produce twangy effects. A modified ceiling fan is attached between the neck and hollow base, and the fan can be turned on to pluck the strings mechanically, making it an "Automatic Acoustic Drone Instrument."
**Material: piano wire, zither pins, plywood, baluster, ceiling fan, maple block, paint**
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Amplified Glass built by Joel Nelson
The amplified glass is a mix of digital sound with acoustic vibration. I use transducers attached to different shapes of glass causing a timbral effect between the surface contact of the physical material. I was looking for a way to bridge the gap between laptop and acoustic sound. After working with a lot of different objects and trying to create this interplay I found glass to be the best material. The surface allows enough vibration and flexibility that when combined with the transducers has created a relationship between acoustic and digital.The crude homemade instrument has allowed me to explore new ways of making music and expand how I think about sound.
**Materials: transducers, laptop, Various sizes of glass, speaker wire, and audio amplifier**
The pyraharp is a sculptural instrument made with an overall hexagonal pyramid shape. Strings of piano wire radiate outward from a central neck with pinblock. The tension of the strings pulling on opposite sides of the neck creates unpredictable tuning schemes where the tuning of one string affects all the others in a dramatic way. There is no set tuning for the instrument, so tuning is an ongoing process every time it is played. The pinblock can be manipulated while plucking or bowing the strings to produce twangy effects. A modified ceiling fan is attached between the neck and hollow base, and the fan can be turned on to pluck the strings mechanically, making it an "Automatic Acoustic Drone Instrument."
**Material: piano wire, zither pins, plywood, baluster, ceiling fan, maple block, paint**
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Amplified Glass built by Joel Nelson
The amplified glass is a mix of digital sound with acoustic vibration. I use transducers attached to different shapes of glass causing a timbral effect between the surface contact of the physical material. I was looking for a way to bridge the gap between laptop and acoustic sound. After working with a lot of different objects and trying to create this interplay I found glass to be the best material. The surface allows enough vibration and flexibility that when combined with the transducers has created a relationship between acoustic and digital.The crude homemade instrument has allowed me to explore new ways of making music and expand how I think about sound.
**Materials: transducers, laptop, Various sizes of glass, speaker wire, and audio amplifier**
