Description:
For our most recent project, our task was to create 3 different instruments that had the ability to play 7 different notes. We were required to make a string instrument, chime instrument, and woodwind. The instruments must play the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. My group decided to make a steel drum (percussion- extra project), glass water bottle chimes, a clarinet, and a bass-type instrument. We learned about how sound waves travel and carry sound to help us understand the project more. We also had to learn a lot of other concepts and definitions to be able to fully understand our work. My group's presentation is also included below.
Concepts:
transverse wave- the medium motion that occurs perpendicular (right angled) to the direction in which a wave travels
constructive interference- when the crest of one wave overlaps the crest of another, their individual effects add together (reinforcement)
destructive interference- when the crest of one wave overlaps the trough of another; their individual effects are reduced and they cancel each other out
node- points on the medium that seem to be standing still (points of no displacement)
antinodes- the positions on a standing wave with the largest amplitudes (most displacement)
wave- a wiggle in space and time
amplitude- the distance from the mid point to the crest (trough) of the wave
period- time required to complete one cycle
frequency- how often vibrations occur
doppler effect- the apparent change in frequency due to the motion of the source
wavelength- the distance from the top of one crest to the top of the next crest
longitudinal wave- when displacement of the medium is in the same direction as the wave (not perpendicular)
red shift- an decrease in frequency
blue shift- an increase in frequency
constructive interference- when the crest of one wave overlaps the crest of another, their individual effects add together (reinforcement)
destructive interference- when the crest of one wave overlaps the trough of another; their individual effects are reduced and they cancel each other out
node- points on the medium that seem to be standing still (points of no displacement)
antinodes- the positions on a standing wave with the largest amplitudes (most displacement)
wave- a wiggle in space and time
amplitude- the distance from the mid point to the crest (trough) of the wave
period- time required to complete one cycle
frequency- how often vibrations occur
doppler effect- the apparent change in frequency due to the motion of the source
wavelength- the distance from the top of one crest to the top of the next crest
longitudinal wave- when displacement of the medium is in the same direction as the wave (not perpendicular)
red shift- an decrease in frequency
blue shift- an increase in frequency
Reflection:
During the whole planning and building process of this project I learned a lot about sound waves and many useful ideas on how they travel and why we can hear sound. This was a very interesting project and was not like anything we have done so far this year. For this project we were given a lot of freedom on what kinds of instruments we wanted to make and how we made them. It took a lot of hard work, but my group and I had many peaks and pits over the course of this project. One of the peaks was our planning. From the get-go we had a really good idea of what we wanted to make and how we were going to reach the notes. After much research and trials, we were able to figure out where to place certain things on the instruments to get the notes. I was very proud of the process and focus that went into this. Another peak we had was our overall result. Our instruments turned out great! We had a unique percussion instrument and different chimes than everyone else. The notes came out sounding amazing and you could really tell the difference between them. Our presentation and descriptions came out very nice to. Although they were many ups in this project we also experienced some pits. One of the pits we encountered was watching too many video instructions. When searching how to make some of the instruments, we would get pulled off task by watching too many different videos and end up wasting time on that. Although this was a pit we were still able to figure out how to make our instruments correctly. Another pit we had was spending too much time adjusting certain instruments. After all the construction of the instrument was done, we had to fine tune them. For our steel drum this took some time because we had to get the different levels correct for each note. We also had some trouble with our string instrument because the shortest and tightest string (the highest note) was already pulled super tight. because of all the tension already on it, we could not tighten it any more without having it snap so we were not quite able to get the perfect high not. When it comes to performing in our concert we are going to switch out the string for a thinner one so it is able to vibrate faster and get that higher note. even thought this project took a lot of thinking, time (in class and after school), and teamwork, our final product(s) turned out very well and I am so happy that my group and I are able to take away the knowledge and experience we have gathered from our "Build a Band" project!