Sounds of Music B

[silverheart7]

Each string was tightened differently, which allowed me to get a decent range. It wasn't a traditional harp, but a Kinnor Harp. There was a lot of trial and error involved, but we can discuss this more in PM if you'd like.

[zyzzyva980]

Would Habanera or Canon in D sound better on these instruments? (timbre, blend, etc...)

Caveat when dealing with music: Make sure it contrasts the required piece. I forgot what the required piece was >.> so take that into account

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of either. Canon in D would be slightly better, but with those instruments you want something that's rich and full to get as much out of that bass marimba as you can. Habanera's style doesn't really fit.

I'll make a few suggestions- I really like the Franz Biebl version of Ave Maria (it's not the more commonly-known one, but it is beautiful. Or you could go with a slightly more modern and pop song with Toto's Africa. That would be great for your instruments, I think. My favorite here, though might be Simple Gifts.

[ScienceOlympian]

Can plain nylon wire from Home Depot or another store work for strings on a harp? Or does it have to have steel? Because I can either buy steel wire or nylon wire.

[knittingfrenzy18]

Okay, I decided on the instruments. I just need to get my partner's approval.
Harp and Bass Marimba.
Would Habanera or Canon in D sound better on these instruments? (timbre, blend, etc...)

I think Canon in D would be a good choice if you get some really warm, rich tone. You've got two kind of plucky instruments, so if they sound kind of plucky still, Habenera would be a better piece. Either way these two pieces require a lot of musicianship (in my mind). Canon in D is very, very well known, and can drag if you're not making it musically interesting. (Yes, and I won't go into a rant here about how much I hate this song, being a cellist.) Habenera does supply some of its own musicality, though, so if you guys play with personality, it would be a good pick.

Caveat when dealing with music: Make sure it contrasts the required piece. I forgot what the required piece was >.> so take that into account

The required piece this year is an excerpt from the Hornpipe from Water Music by Handel. It's rather lively and fast, so something slow and stately, or more emotional would probably contrast the best.

[ScienceOlympian]

On the rules, it says that "Notes outside the allowable range are permitted but must not be scored."
Does that mean that I can build a 3-4 octave harp and still call it our instrument 1 if it can play the scale that is necessary for Instrument 1, even if the range overlaps with Instrument 2?
I really want to use the harp for other purposes other than Science Olympiad, so a 2 octave harp wouldn't really be useful.

[knittingfrenzy18]

Yeah, you can definitely build outside of the range. However, as I asked earlier in this thread,

I heard once that, though your instrument could go out of range, you weren't allowed to play those notes out of range. Is that still true?

to which zyzzyva98 replied:

To be honest, this is something I've never been quite sure of. It's not hard to stay in the allowable range though... I mean, it's a couple octaves, so what reasons would you really have for going outside that range? Better not to risk it.

So yes, I've had a instrument come to the competition before with a couple too many notes, but to be safe, just don't play those notes at the competition.

[ScienceOlympian]

I have an idea.
Can't I attach the strings onto the harp frame by wrapping the string around the neck and soundboard and tying them with a strong knot so they don't slip?
And I can easily unwind the knots to tune them again.
Is that reasonable? Or should I drill holes onto the harp and mount them onto the frame?

[zyzzyva980]

There is a point where you should experiment yourself rather than ask questions. You're not going to learn anything if we keep telling you what route to go. So you should give your ideas a shot to see what works best. I'll say that the instruments my team used changed drastically throughout the year, both years we did the event. We kept coming up with better ideas and ways to perfect our instruments. It's not going to be perfect in November and it doesn't have to be, so long as you keep making the necessary adjustments throughout the year.

[dchin1059]

How would you recommend attaching strings to an instrument so that it could be tuned easily?
Thanks!

[ali941]

How would you recommend attaching strings to an instrument so that it could be tuned easily?
Thanks!

There are a lot of ways to manage this. Try this: tie the string at one end, and wrap it around a peg at the other end. Twist the peg to get the note you like. Be careful though, if you're using wire, the wire will snap if you twist it too far.