Ready To Create

Last week, in planning the undertaking of the musical instrument making assignment, I enjoyed perusing books from home and in the library in order to consider what projects I would pursue. One excellent resource is Penguin Education’s The Musical Instrument Recipe Book which, although published in 1971, presents ideas with helpful pictures and clear instructions regarding “ingredients” and processes.

Having chosen my instruments for building, I visited a Craft shop and gathered various items including glue, thread, twine, beads and bells of assorted sizes, as seen in the photograph following.

A trip to a hardware shop entailed the purchasing of spray-paint, plywood, dowelling, pvc pipes, screws and fishing line, as seen in the photograph below.

In ancient times people came across items during the course of the day, such as shells, tree stumps, irregular shaped rocks, hollow logs, flexible branches, reeds, seed pods and bamboo, which provided implements for the production of music. Informal investigations of sounds may instigate a notion for a design of a musical instrument.

 Collecting materials can prompt ideas and so I added a large, empty Milo can, some empty fruit cans and a cardboard cylinder, from a finished roll of alfoil, to my oddments collection. Whilst a wander on the beach did not reward me with a conch shell, a walk in the forest with my dog gained me some pine cones. According to The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Musical Instruments (page 8, edited by Robert Dearling, 1996, Carlton Books Limited), the “ancient conch shell trumpet continues to have wide ceremonial applications from Mexico to Polynesia”.  

The ceremonial conch horn from Korea, the Nagak. It is also known as the 'sora' or 'godong'.

                    Japanese Samurai Warrior signalling battle positions

with a Conch Shell Trumpet

The Conch is used in Hawaiian Blessing ceremonies. Blessings are traditional in Hawaiian protocol. The purpose of Blessing Ceremonies is to invite the goodness from the highest for Aloha, protection, peace, happiness and success, as well as to say thank you to the highest!