1 Topic by William (edited by William 2022-02-21 23:12:23)

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Topic: A new musical instrument?

I would have liked to be able to play a guitar, but I could never go from one chord to another without taking quite a while. I know people say practice but I just could not do it. Then there is needing to tune it.

So I have been thinking.

Could one have what I am calling a 'chord xylophone'.

I looked on the web and all I could find was about playing chords on a xylophone using several mallets, two in each hand, and playing the notes of a chord one at a time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO3LPRz5o20

I am wondering if one could have a chord xylophone, where narrow bars are in groups of three or four and one uses a single wide mallet to strike the three or four bars in the group simultaneously.

When playing, changing chord would just be by using the mallet upon a different group of xylophone bars.

So one group of narrow bars close to each other for each chord that the instrument can produce, with each group spaced away from the adjacent group.

Would that work?

If so, it might be a useful social playing instrument that could be played using just one hand.

Sort of like strumming a guitar and changing chord from time to time.

William

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Re: A new musical instrument?

Yes it probably is possible, but may be more accurate by having one key strike three or four keys. To enable you to play a three chord  major progression in any key (eg. A D E) 12 chords are required. For a four chord progression (eg. A F#m D E) the 12 minor chords would be added. Quite a number of keyboards allow you play a chord with a single key press.

This may help with the chords https://autochords.com/

Joe

I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure.
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Re: A new musical instrument?

Thank you.

William

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Re: A new musical instrument?

When playing, changing chord would just be by using the mallet upon a different group of xylophone bars.

Karen won't like this, and it makes me wince; the word mallet in this context immediately called to mind an unkinder use of mallets in a, maybe, musical instrument.

The famous Katzenklavier, or Cat Organ. According to Wikipedia, there is no official evidence that  an actual instrument was ever constructed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_organ


https://i.postimg.cc/HJ42BptF/image-2022-02-22-173714.png

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Re: A new musical instrument?

jackneve wrote:

When playing, changing chord would just be by using the mallet upon a different group of xylophone bars.

Karen won't like this, and it makes me wince; the word mallet in this context immediately called to mind an unkinder use of mallets in a, maybe, musical instrument.

The famous Katzenklavier, or Cat Organ. According to Wikipedia, there is no official evidence that  an actual instrument was ever constructed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_organ


https://i.postimg.cc/HJ42BptF/image-2022-02-22-173714.png

Impossible not to think of Rossini!

https://youtu.be/Zcpj9gsSVIc

"Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?"
― Tennessee Williams

6 Reply by GB (edited by GB 2022-02-23 00:02:40)

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Re: A new musical instrument?

I am wondering if one could have a chord xylophone, where narrow bars are in groups of three or four and one uses a single wide mallet to strike the three or four bars in the group simultaneously.

A xylophone uses wooden keys. I think it would be extremely difficult to make keys producing the correct note narrow enough to be so closely spaced as to be capable of being struck by a single mallet.

Why not use a three-headed mallet?

7 Reply by GB (edited by GB 2022-02-22 23:48:19)

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Re: A new musical instrument?

Impossible not to think of Rossini

Or this version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WZonn4d98M

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Re: A new musical instrument?

jackneve wrote:

When playing, changing chord would just be by using the mallet upon a different group of xylophone bars.

Karen won't like this, ...

I don't like it either.

This was a pleasant thread until that was posted.

Also, if you change a quoted text, such as you have by makimg some words bold, it is polite to state (my emboldening) so as not to misquote the original writing.

William

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Re: A new musical instrument?

I had something on-topic to post, but I shall not do so now in protest at the disruption.

William

10 Reply by GB (edited by GB 2022-02-23 03:51:34)

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Re: A new musical instrument?

I shall not do so now in protest

I rather like threads going slightly off the main topic with a bit of humour. It will never resume with the main subject if people take umbrage and sulk. You must just put up with anything Alfred allows. It's his forum. After all the Cat piano does have much in common with your chord xylophone. Neither exists, and I do not think they would be very useful if they did! wink

How about answering the on topic question I posed?

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Re: A new musical instrument?

GB wrote:

A xylophone uses wooden keys.

Perhaps we could add a glockenspiel to the thread to represent the metal version.

GB wrote:

I think it would be extremely difficult to make keys producing the correct note narrow enough to be so closely spaced as to be capable of being struck by a single mallet.

You could have four keys spaced and arranged in a stack. Strike the top key and the three beneath are struck
simultaneously.

GB wrote:

Why not use a three-headed mallet?

How would you strike three keys with perpendicular accuracy?

I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure.
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Re: A new musical instrument?

GB wrote:

Impossible not to think of Rossini

Or this version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WZonn4d98M

How could I have forgotten about that one? Thanks for the reminder, Geoff!

"Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?"
― Tennessee Williams
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Re: A new musical instrument?

William wrote:

This was a pleasant thread until that was posted.

Also, if you change a quoted text, such as you have by makimg some words bold, it is polite to state (my emboldening) so as not to misquote the original writing.

In Internet forums it’s common practice to embolden or otherwise highlight the particular aspect of a piece of quoted text that one is addressing. Unlike a quote from, say, a book, the original is readily accessible for those who wish to see exactly how the text was originally presented.

"Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?"
― Tennessee Williams
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Re: A new musical instrument?

I have done a moderately intense search on the net, and I can find references to chords played on the xylophone. Sadly, these references are shallow, and I wouldn't use them as substantiated.  My wife, while not a xylophone player, is of the opinion that more than two mallets are used, and I believe I have seen TV excerpts showing players with two mallets in each hand.

I don't think one could achieve  chords with a complex mallet - ie striking more than one key simultaneously  While it obviously takes considerable dexterity to strike several keys at once with multiple mallets (ie more than one in each hand), to get one multiple head or broad mallet to strike several keys with the same touch or force would be a difficult design problem.

I'm sorry if the reference to the Katzenklavier upset you, William, but other people found it amusing. As I said, there is no evidence that anyone ever built such a nasty thing - and anyway, do you think the cats would play along? Pun not intended.

As for bolding some of your text, the alternative might be to do a snip losing the intended reference.

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Re: A new musical instrument?

My wife, while not a xylophone player, is of the opinion that more than two mallets are used, and I believe I have seen TV excerpts showing players with two mallets in each hand.

I certainly have.

jackneve wrote:

As for bolding some of your text, the alternative might be to do a snip losing the intended reference.

Exactly this. It’s a convenient way to maintain the focus on the quote while giving it some much-needed context.

"Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?"
― Tennessee Williams
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Re: A new musical instrument?

jackneve wrote:

I believe I have seen TV excerpts showing players with two mallets in each hand.

I’ve found a video clip that includes a few seconds of Patrick Moore playing with two mallets in one hand and one in the other.

https://youtu.be/SphMqmGnCKw?t=321

"Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?"
― Tennessee Williams
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Re: A new musical instrument?

. . . Patrick Moore . . . .

He was quite a character. I met him once at a local wedding.  While night sky viewing conditions are not particularly good on the coast, he lived in Selsey, I believe, which is not heavily populated, or at least, wasn't, so light pollution there was relatively low.

With the dearth of old style variety shows, the chances of seeing a xylophone performance on the TV is vanishingly low.

In doing my research (yeah!) into xylophones, I found definitions of the various types of instruments in that class; the marimba, for example. I had come across several in lists of MIDI sounds.  We have an electronic keyboard, and I was able to link a desktop  MIDI application to that, and play various pieces that way. One strange listing was for a bummel!

18 Reply by GB (edited by GB 2022-02-23 20:26:09)

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Re: A new musical instrument?

I don't think one could achieve  chords with a complex mallet - ie striking more than one key simultaneously

But one can using two or three separate mallets? It doesn't really matter - ears are not that sensitive. Even chords on a piano do not necessarily have all the keys struck precisely simultaneously, nor could that happen with your idea of stacked keys. (It definitely does not happen on a guitar.) Besides the slight flexibility of the mallets would probably compensate adequately. However, I was not suggesting that seriously, or even at all. It was a question for William.

This guy seemed to manage quite well with only one mallet per hand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDGqBJNU6t0 Who needs chords?

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Re: A new musical instrument?

GB wrote:

I rather like threads going slightly off the main topic with a bit of humour. It will never resume with the main subject if people take umbrage and sulk. You must just put up with anything Alfred allows. It's his forum. After all the Cat piano does have much in common with your chord xylophone. Neither exists, and I do not think they would be very useful if they did! wink

Agreed. Usually the tangents are interesting and informative, too. Besides, no cats I've ever owned would even allow for sitting in the frame like that, let alone being 'played'. Loving the Rossini videos. Just played one of them near Binx. He looked most perplexed. https://punster.me/images/laugh.gif

Oh, just found another - no cats harmed at all, just a big meow. Rossini, Cats' Duet with real meows https://punster.me/images/tongue.gif

"I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?"
Death thought about it.
"Cats," he said eventually. "Cats are nice."
Terry Pratchett, Sourcery
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Re: A new musical instrument?

KarenPL wrote:

Oh, just found another - no cats harmed at all, just a big meow. Rossini, Cats' Duet with real meows https://punster.me/images/tongue.gif

LOL. Excellent!

"Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?"
― Tennessee Williams