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Long-string instruments...any body ever build one?

Thunderscreech

Thunderscreech

Jun 4, 2008
6,707
271
Fredericksburg, Virginia
#1
Long-string instrument - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For my next noise show, I'm planning on doing a solo set at this art gallery, and I want to try to build a long-string instrument. There's not much I can find online about it, other than the stuff in the wikipedia page sources list.

I figured I'd ask because some of you might be into experimental music. My plan is to support a piece of steel cable and put some, but not a lot, of tension on it, and activate the string via percussion or bowing, and use a single-coil pickup from a strat I have lying around to send the signal through a distortion pedal and a delay pedal, and then finally into my bass amp.

Anyone have ideas on how I can support the cable, and what size cable I should use? I'm waiting for the gallery person to get back to me about how long the space is, and that's what I will have to work with.
 
#4
I got in touch with Yuri Landman. He sells a long string instrument, going to price check that and also see what I can do myself. Although Lowe's is going to be my primary supplier of parts.
Would 3/16" cable be too thick? I should look up what that is in comparison to bass strings.

Okay, 3/18 would be like a .188 gauge string...that's pretty big...
 
#9
Just looked up "The Beam".

My idea is kinda similar, but just uses one string strung maybe like 15-20 feet or so longitudinally through an art gallery. It will have a pickup at one end and things to approximate bridges at the support ends, and turnbuckles to apply tension. I think any fundamental note will be super low so I'm going for harmonics and weird overtones, but I need to build the thing to test it.
 
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#12
I saw some clip where a guy used slightly coiled steel cable to get a greater length on the wire without having as long an "instrument." It made all the laser noises etc. Looked neat. It was on Outrageous Acts of Science on the Sci channel if that helps in a search.
 
#13
TOOL460002 said:
I saw some clip where a guy used slightly coiled steel cable to get a greater length on the wire without having as long an "instrument." It made all the laser noises etc. Looked neat. It was on Outrageous Acts of Science on the Sci channel if that helps in a search.
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I should look into that, too...springs make some wild sounds when amplified.

If I could do something like make a massive reverb tank set up that would be even wilder.
 
#17
Thunderscreech said:
Just looked up "The Beam".

My idea is kinda similar, but just uses one string strung maybe like 15-20 feet or so longitudinally through an art gallery. It will have a pickup at one end and things to approximate bridges at the support ends, and turnbuckles to apply tension. I think any fundamental note will be super low so I'm going for harmonics and weird overtones, but I need to build the thing to test it.
Click to expand...

It might be cool if you had a pickup on each turnbuckle and ran them into a soundboard that you could mix. Maybe you could use those doorbell piezos they sell at Radioshack and add some delay and reverb so make it more atmospheric. Might be could to use two cables so you could play with harmony and dissonance.
 
#18
S-Bigbottom said:
My buddy in the 90's used a semi truck bumper and attached two cables to the ends.
To play it, he used a Norelco electric shaver, turn it on and run it up and down the strings, or hit it with sticks.
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The shaver sounds like a cool idea! I'll keep that in mind, too.
48thStreetCustom said:
Mickey used the Beam for the Apocalypse Now soundtrack and hammered on it with a piece of pipe for the sound of Napalm bombs.

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48thStreetCustom said:
This video shows some cool sounds.

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48thStreetCustom said:
It might be cool if you had a pickup on each turnbuckle and ran them into a soundboard that you could mix. Maybe you could use those doorbell piezos they sell at Radioshack and add some delay and reverb so make it more atmospheric. Might be could to use two cables so you could play with harmony and dissonance.
Click to expand...
So many good ideas!
They closed all the Raidoshacks in my area :(. But that does sound like an even cooler approach. I just need to get dug out enough from the snow and get all my parts together so I can start experimenting.
 
#19
Thunderscreech said:
The shaver sounds like a cool idea! I'll keep that in mind, too.





So many good ideas!
They closed all the Raidoshacks in my area :(. But that does sound like an even cooler approach. I just need to get dug out enough from the snow and get all my parts together so I can start experimenting.
Click to expand...

Ebey has 'em dirt cheap.

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I've never messed with them, but I have friends who have. I think you just solder the red and black wires to either a female or male 1/4 mono plug.

 

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