Sound aside, with its “aggressive sci-fi looks”, the Piezoelectric Violin might seem as though it belongs in science fiction rather than a symphony hall, but it is part of a long tradition of unusual instruments that have pushed at the boundaries of engineering, science, music and magic. “More or less like classical bowed strings. On the other hand, they do have a character all their own as a result of the materials and methods in which they are formed. Consider the tonality of classical guitar against that of the Les Paul electric guitar: they do sound the same in a sense, yet also quite different.” “With each of our original instruments, a certain functionality and ergonomic structure is preserved: this is why we can call our violin a violin, our cello, a cello, and so forth. There is a certain physical standard of componentry which must be maintained.” And what will they sound like? “Quite similar to what one expects,” Goldemberg says. I ask him if the two-string violin is still, at its heart, a violin. He and Zalcberg were interested to explore a “new conception for violin core functionality”, and the instrument – which will be exhibited alongside other curious sonic specimens including their take on the cello, a ‘hornucopia’,and Hall’s ‘monobaribasitar’ – is the result of “intense research on design and computation, leading to direct engagement with musicians, luthiers, composers and interactive artists of different kinds”. “Our desire to create unusual instruments emerged when we realised the aesthetic and technical issues we were facing as architects did not differ much from those of musicians and composers,” Goldemberg tells me. ![]() Or should that be ‘printed’? The two-string Piezoelectric Violin is the brainchild of architects Eric Goldemberg and Veronica Zalcberg of Miami’s MONAD studio, in collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Scott F Hall, who has been dreaming up ways to fabricate exotic instruments since the 1990s. We’ve got more Chinese music to come on the blog, including bamboo instruments such as the Chinese flute known as the xiao.Next month, visitors to the Inside 3D Printing conference at the Javits Center in New York City will have the chance to see – and hear – one of the most radical musical instruments ever created. Who knows, maybe some day it will make its way into Western orchestras. Let’s hope that this unique and traditional Chinese instrument manages to stick around. Sadly, many Chinese orchestras these days prefer using the cello and double bass in favor of the Ge Hu. Although this instrument is very similar to the cello, they sound completely different. It has four strings tuned exactly like those of a cello (C-G-D-A). ![]() While most traditional Chinese instruments are high-pitched and nasal, the Ge Hu was created to provide a full and low-pitched sound, thus enlarging the scope of Chinese music. ![]() In a Chinese orchestra, they take on the same role as the cello and the double bass in their Western counterpart. This instrument comes in two sizes, the big Ge Hu (大革胡 – dà gé hú) and the bass Ge Hu (低音革胡 – dī yīn gé hú). In its name, the character 革 means “revolutionary,” and that it is. Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)įinally, let’s check out the Ge Hu, which is a fusion between the Chinese Hu Qin instruments and the cello. One of his compositions, Autumn Moon Over Calm Lake (平湖秋月 – píng hú qiū yuè) was written in the 1930s and remains popular to this day.Īutumn Moon Over Calm Lake performance, including the Gao Hu. Actually, the modern day Gao Hu was developed by Lv Wencheng (吕文成 – Lǚ wén chéng), a Chinese composer and musician who was known as a master of Cantonese music (广东音乐 – guǎng dōng yīn yuè). It is used primarily in Cantonese music and opera. While most Hu Qin are placed on the left thigh, the Gao Hu is held in between the knees. Also, the neck is shorter and the soundbox smaller than its more famous musical cousin. While the Zhong Hu has that low, alto sound, the Gao Hu has a higher pitch, as it is tuned a fourth to a fifth higher than the Er Hu. ![]() As it is an alto instrument with two octaves, the Zhong Hu gives off a deep and gloomy tone.Ī Zhong Hu solo entitled Remembrance 1937. Its two strings are tuned to a perfect fifth (usually G and D or A and E), and it is often used in orchestras or as a solo instrument. The shape is a bit larger, and it generates a much lower pitch. If the Er Hu is the Chinese violin, the Zhong Hu is the Chinese viola. Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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