The first stage of the design process was to research and investigate different
instrument types. As a starting point, I considered the
idiophone family, that is,
those instruments that produce sound by total vibration without chords or
membranes. Among these there are instruments of percussion,
collision, shaking and rasping. This group may be further split into those with
definite (tuned) pitches and those with indefinite (untuned or untunable)
pitches. After further research I decided to
design a tuned idiophone as they combine the rhythmic potentials of percussion and the melodic
possibilities of tuned instruments.
[Youtube Clip] The Effect - Mallet Percussion Quartet
Mallet percussion quartet featuring a marimba, vibraphone and glockenspiel.
References:
Havighurst, Jay. Making Musical
Instruments by Hand. Gloucester, Mass: Quarry Books, 1998.
Hopkin, Bart, and John Scoville. Musical
Instrument Design Practical Information for Instrument Making. Chicago: See
Sharp Press, 1996.
Hopkin, Bart. Making Simple Musical
Instruments. Asheville, NC: Lark Books, 1995.
McCormick, Robert M., and Anthony J.
Cirone. Percussion for musicians a complete, fundamental literature and
technique method for percussion. Miami, Fla: Warner Bros. Publications,
1983.
Wolff, Ted.
“All About Mallet Percussion.”
1999; accessed 27 June 2012
