Musical Instruments For this project we studied sound and sound waves. The requirement was for each group to create at least one string, percussion, and wind instrument. For each instrument we were creative in the making and came up with something unique for every instrument. For the string instrument one of my group mates created a one stringed guitar. The guitar is a long piece of wood with only one string going down the face. The string is played in different pitches by using a metal slider to alter the length of the string. For the wind instrument another group mate created a pvc trumpet. To make this trumpet he used 3 items: duct tape, pvc pipe, and a plastic funnel. He attached the funnel to the end of the pvc pipe and blew into the pipe to create a vibration throughout it. In order to create different wavelengths he drilled holes in the pipe so that the pitch could be changed. For the first percussion instrument I made a chime. I made this chime by using two small pieces of wood to act as stands for the small metal poles. The poles all made a different noises according to length. This instrument was played by using a smaller metal pole to strike the chimes. For the other percussion instrument my team mate created pipe bongos. These bongos were made using large pipes screwed on to a wood board with a thick layer of duct tape covering the top hole. Since he couldn't hold the drums and play them at the same time he created a strap using a bike tire and attaching one end to both sides.
Concepts We learned a lot of concepts throughout the unit that were used to create our instruments.
Frequency: How many waves pass a certain point in a certain unit of time. This is calculated either using the formulas v=λf or f=1/T.
Period: The amount of time between waves/vibrations. The period is inverse to the frequency. This is calculated using the formula T=1/f.
Wavelength: The length of a wave from one point on the wave to the corresponding point on the next wave. This is calculated using the formula v=λf.
Wave Speed: The velocity of a wave. This is calculated using v=λf.
Amplitude: Displacement from equilibrium to crest. This measures the height of the wave.
Longitudinal Wave: A wave that compresses and expands as it travels. Sound waves are longitudinal waves. This wave requires a medium to travel through.
Reflection This project was not my favorite project we have done. Mostly because I don't have a ear for music. Luckily I am fairly creative so creating chimes wasn't impossible. A peak of mine was my productivity. I made two different designs so that I would have one to choose and perfect in the end. I worked diligently and busted out some nice chimes in the end. A pit of mine was teamwork. I didn't work as well as I could have with my team mates. I helped them but I could have supported them and worked better with them overall. Another peak of mine was listening to others ideas and taking them into consideration. I had a rough idea of what I wanted the chimes to look like but my team mates were a big help when it came to brainstorming. Another pit of mine was the learning/deciding different pitches and lengths for all the metal pipes to be. There was a very strict formula that needed to be followed in order to figure out the lengths of the poles and what note each length was. I struggled to follow the formula each time and make all of the poles proportional. Overall the project was fun and a good learning experience.