Hydraulophone

Template: Infobox musical instrument / Maintenance / parameter classification missing template: Infobox musical instrument / Maintenance / parameter Klangbeispiel missing

A Hydraulophon is a tonal acoustic musical instrument played by direct physical contact with water ( or sometimes other fluids). The tones are hydraulically generated or influenced. Typically, the same liquid is used for the tone generation, by which the player comes into contact over its fingers. At the same time, the term is also used for devices that are on the detected or measured fluid movements to acoustic manner. Examples are Hydraulophone, which is found, for example, which uses the toilet or what water tap in a building and how much water is consumed here. The Hydraulophon in the first sense was invented and named by Steve Mann. It also serves to mediate sensations in persons with impaired vision.

  • 7.1 Classification according to the surrounding matter
  • 7.2 The Hydraulophon and the strings / percussion / instruments taxonomy
  • 7.3 Relationship with the organ
  • 7.4 Relationship with the piano
  • 7.5 Relationship with instruments that use water in other states of aggregation

Types of Hydraulophons and basic operation

The term Hydraulophon is used either for instruments where the water flow is blocked by certain holes with your fingers to produce certain sounds or instruments in which the tone occurs even in a hydraulic manner. The Hydraulophonen in the strict sense both true at the same time. They have an operating range in which the fingers with a jet of water is interrupted, whereby a sound is generated. The instruments are described in Mann's essay Hydraulophone design considerations, use water jets that generate through perforated hole discs, shafts or valves a pulsating flow, and thus sounds like a hole Irene. A single disk may have a plurality of circularly arranged rows of holes of different numbers, to produce different sounds. Some Hydraulophone own swinging leaves similar to a clarinet (one or more papers for each finger hole ), some without papers have instead a block on a recorder at each finger hole. Thus, these require no moving parts that are subject to wear.

Some Hydraulophone own underwater hydrophones so that the sounds can be amplified, electrically or influenced. Thus, there are effects similar as possible as in an electric guitar. A vehicle equipped with a hydrophone Hydraulophon can also serve as an input instrument for a computer. The computer can then generate similar as with a MIDI interface, sounds of another instrument of it.

Relationship with woodwinds

The Hydraulophon corresponds to a woodwind instrument, but it will not run on non- ( the almost - not - ) compressible water with a compressible gas such as air. You could Hydraulophon call a " wood - water steel instrument ," although it is not made from wood, ganauso such as the saxophone a woodwind instrument counts even though it is built of metal.

The water must be using a pump in the Hydraulophon be " blown ". But unlike ordinary wood wind instruments that have a mouthpiece at the entrance of the flute chamber Hydraulophone have several mouthpieces at the chamber outlet.

A recorder has only one block in the mouthpiece and several finger holes, the Hydraulophon will each win a mouthpiece for each finger hole. A typical Hydraulophon, which is situated in public places such as in a park, has 12 mouthpieces, during a concert Hydraulophon has 45 mouthpieces.

The mixture is controlled by the "mouth" of the instrument, not by the mouth of the player. Thus, the player of the Hydraulophons can simultaneously sing along. Furthermore, the instrument can be played polyphonically, and the player can affect any by the way, as he positioned his fingers on the finger holes, sounds and timbre. The sound changes, for example the fact that the finger is moved from the center of the hole to its periphery.

12 - jet diatonic Hydraulophone

The normal range of A to e, in the polyphonic approach is possible, can be seen on the left side of the diagram. Some Hydraulophone have an increased range, which can be used in a monophonic style of play, here represented by the little note at the end.

The extended gamut in the illustration on the left is the result of the operation of special nozzles which are intended to change the key. There are nozzles with which the entire range can be changed by a semitone up or down.

With the nozzle to change the key of the diatonic Hydraulophon can be played like a chromatic harmonica: you can play chords and play the entire chord by a semitone higher or lower. However, these halftone change can not be applied to individual notes within a chord.

The right figure shows the extended range at Hydraulophonen that hold the possibility in its entirety by two octaves lower or one octave higher to be played.

Hydraulophone, which are set up in parks or in swimming pools, are usually 12 - jet diatonic Hydraulophone while concert - Hydraulophone have 45 nozzles.

45 -beam Hydraulophone have a range of 3 ½ octaves from A to E, chromatic, plus an additional Asunter the lowest A. The 45 nozzles correspond to 45 notes.

While normally a 12 -beam Hydraulophone be placed in public places, exists in the Ontario Science Centre, a concert Hydraulophon with 45 nozzles.

Thread Hydraulophone

In the public space Hydraulophone may reflect a variety of topics. An example of such a topic specific Hydraulophon is the Aquatune, located at the entrance to the Legoland Water Park in Carlsbad ( California). Here it is in the midst of pedagogical experiment stations where visitors dams (of course from Lego bricks ) to build or to explore the differences between turbulent and laminar flow.

Hydraulophone for cold weather

Hydraulophone able to play in cold weather outdoors, be installed in warm pools. Thus, both the Hydraulophonist (or Hydraulophonistin ) is kept warm and the hydraulic liquid, such as water. In this Hydraulophon ( Balnaphone, Greek balnea bath) sits the Hydraulophonist in the hydraulic fluid required by the instrument.

Classification of Hydraulophons

The Hydraulophon does not fit into the standard classification system for musical instruments, which was developed before the invention of Hydraulophons. In order to provide the Hydraulophon organized in a system, a new systematology was developed. The top category is determined by the material which produces the sound of the instrument.

The first three categories of the Hornbostel -Sachs system corresponding to the first category of this physical system, since the sound is always produced by matter in its solid state.

This physical system is constructed according to Aristotle's elements as follows:

  • 2.0 Water Flutes ( Hydraulophone without leaves );
  • 2.1 Single - Papers - Hydraulophone (usually possess a leaflet per finger hole );
  • 2.2 Dual - Hydraulophone leaflets (usually have two papers per finger hole );
  • 2.3 Poly- Papers - Hydraulophone (usually have more than two papers per finger hole );

Classification according to the surrounding matter

In the International Computer Music Conference 2007, was the conference theme Immersed Music. Accordingly, concerts and performances were listed, which took place under water. Here, some important issues were raised which concerned the role of the surrounding medium (air or water ) in which the instrument is played and the role of water in instruments other than the Hydraulophonen.

For example, Benjamin Franklin remains a glass harmonica friction Idiophone, regardless of the fact that it is played with wet fingers. A glass harmonica that is played under water, has recently been developed. This instrument is not Hydraulophon, but a friction Idiophone.

Accordingly, juxtaposed drinking glasses that are tuned with water, no Hydraulophone but Idiophone. Here the water is not used for sound production, but only to tune the instrument.

The Hydraulophon and the strings / percussion / instruments taxonomy

Traditionally, an orchestra is divided into three sections: stringed, percussion and wind instruments. Take string and percussion instruments, the sound is produced through solid matter, such as a piano, which is string and percussion instrument simultaneously. In wind instruments, the sound is generated by a vibrating air column, ie, by matter in the gaseous state.

By Hydraulophone a new category is added: Instruments that produce sounds by liquid matter. They are not to be confused with known instruments like the glass harmonica or the Kristallophon in which water is used for mood or to change of friction.

Relationship with the organ

Many Hydraulophone have for each tone a single pipe as the pipe organ. Similarly, the tones are generated in a similar manner (with water instead of air). However, the operation by closing the finger holes is similar to flutes.

This Hydraulophon corresponds to the organ, only water flows through the flutes instead of air.

Relationship with the piano

At a concert - Hydraulophon finger holes like the keys of a piano are arranged, that is, a row of holes with uniform hole spacing is facing the player, in a second row the holes are alternately arranged in twos and threes. Although organ and piano have the same keyboard layout as the response to a keypress but different. The piano is responsive to the speed of the keystroke as the organ is responsive to the displacement of the key. The response to the " asten pressure " at a Hydraulophon other hand, is not to be sufficiently clear: on the one hand, similar to the organ, the "strength " of the pressure affected (ie how much the water jet is blocked ) the sound, on the other hand, the duration of pressure ( time integral of the pressure force, called by man " absement "). The suddenness ( the velocity of the " keypress " so ) play a role.

Relationship with instruments that use water in other states of aggregation

The Hydraulophon uses a liquid üblichgerweise (liquid ) water. It is therefore related to the Pagophon that uses ice and the Calliope, the steam generating sound.

The largest Hydraulophon the world

The currently largest Hydraulophon the world is located in front of the Ontario Science Centre, one of the most important landmarks architekturalen Canada. It is also the only freely accessible water playground of Toronto, the day and night is open.

Finger marks on a standard 12 -beam Hydraulophon

The water jets obstruct the clear view of the Hydraulophon. Also Hydraulophone can be played under water, where also the view is limited. Therefore, the finger holes are often marked with braille characters. Braille also has the advantage that the encoded digits with the Tönes of the standard A -minor Hydraulophons match, ie Braille character "1 " is also the symbol for " A", etc.

( Each 12 points, normally from Messigs pins on each finger hole )

Normally the sound of a Hydraulophons sounds as long as the finger hole is closed. In contrast, the water - hammer - Hydraulophon produces the sound by the impact of water hammer which decays immediately after the attack. The water - hammer - Hydraulophon so sounds more like a piano.

Manufacturer

Hydraulophone are currently manufactured by:

  • Whitewater West, British Columbia, manufacturer of the " AquaTune - Hydraulophon ", and of " Nessie ", a Hydraulophon with conical bores
  • SCS Interactive, Ogden, Utah, USA (office in Denver, Colorado, USA), makers of the " hydrophones ", a Hydraulophon with conical bores
  • FUNtain Corporation in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, manufacturer of many Hydraulophone and related products
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