Sounds of Music B

[TwelveSquared]

Do you guys have any suggestions for particularly resonant woods? For example, to make a resonator box to have strings resonate off of?

Well, the best thing to do is probably to look up what woods are common for whatever instrument you're building. After some quick research, it seems that the most common(for a steel-string guitar, at least) is spruce, along with rosewood(also commonly used in marimbas) and mahogany. I also happen to know that hickory and maple are good for musical instruments.
This and the sites it links to might help--> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonewood

[hscmom]

Do you guys have any suggestions for particularly resonant woods? For example, to make a resonator box to have strings resonate off of?

Well, the best thing to do is probably to look up what woods are common for whatever instrument you're building. After some quick research, it seems that the most common(for a steel-string guitar, at least) is spruce, along with rosewood(also commonly used in marimbas) and mahogany. I also happen to know that hickory and maple are good for musical instruments.
This and the sites it links to might help--> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonewood

You might notice (or I guess you might not...) that many of the wood varieties used in musical instruments are also woods used in flooring. Call around to the local floor installers and see if they have some scraps that you can have. A couple of years ago, we made a marimba out of some PVC pipe (for the stand) and scrap floor boards which we got for free. That was the same year that a scrap metal shop in town donated scraps for our sumobot.

[westZelda1117]

Is it okay if for the Water Music, I transpose the sheet and add some other notes and rhythms? Do you lose points for that? thanks.

[westZelda1117]

Also, when the rules say 'professional', do they mean professional instrument parts, or are they also including professional things in general? thanks.

[knittingfrenzy18]

You may transpose the music (as far as I'm concerned, don't take my word for it). I haven't heard any strict policies about how much of the music displayed in the rules must be preserved; it's probably a good idea to keep the music in the rules in your music (albeit in parts). I've heard you can do anything to it (change the rhythm, add notes, turn it into jazz, etc) but that sounds a little extreme to me. I've personally changed the melody a little (the excerpt comes from the end of the movement; I took a very similar excerpt from the beginning) and appended/prepended notes, tossed the melody back and forth between the two instruments. I'm ready to get hammered for this (!) but soinc has not answered my question, and there's nothing in the rules about it. It's really what you feel safe with.

And yes, they mean professional instrument parts. You can definitely use professional bathroom sink parts, if it so behooves you.

[ScienceOlympian]

You may transpose the music (as far as I'm concerned, don't take my word for it). I haven't heard any strict policies about how much of the music displayed in the rules must be preserved; it's probably a good idea to keep the music in the rules in your music (albeit in parts). I've heard you can do anything to it (change the rhythm, add notes, turn it into jazz, etc) but that sounds a little extreme to me. I've personally changed the melody a little (the excerpt comes from the end of the movement; I took a very similar excerpt from the beginning) and appended/prepended notes, tossed the melody back and forth between the two instruments. I'm ready to get hammered for this (!) but soinc has not answered my question, and there's nothing in the rules about it. It's really what you feel safe with.

And yes, they mean professional instrument parts. You can definitely use professional bathroom sink parts, if it so behooves you.

At the Churchill Invitational, the judges told us to play Water Music exactly as how it is written in the rules in the melody. You can transpose, but you cannot add more notes on the melody instrument on Water Music, unless the judges interpreted the rules differently, or your judges are lenient.

[zyzzyva980]

With regards to transposition, from what I understood when I competed, transposition was allowed (in fact, it explicitly said so in the rules, IIRC). With regards to adding notes on to the melody, that is something I would ask for an official rules clarification on. I seem to recall asking for a similar clarification in 2012, except phrased differently.

Along the lines of: We have to compose a part that harmonizes with the music in the rules. Does this part have to be exclusively for one instrument, or can both instruments share harmony if the original melody is preserved? IIRC the answer allowed for both instruments to play the harmony, but we ultimately decided against it and had one play the written melody and the other play the harmony.

Rules change though. As I am not as familiar with this year's music or some of the recent rule changes, you should ask for an official rules clarification on the matter.

[emescferrall]

This event got sprung on me this morning!! Please help!! Could I make a cigar box guitar before Saturday????? That's when my competition is.

[ScienceOlympian]

This event got sprung on me this morning!! Please help!! Could I make a cigar box guitar before Saturday????? That's when my competition is.

Nothing is impossible, but it is very unlikely, since you have to know how to play it and tune the guitar. But remember that everything is possible (just realize that you have 1 day, so if you haven't started, then you can try, but it is going to be very stressful.

[emescferrall]

I have actually decided to drop out of SofM this competition, but I'll probably be doing it next weekend. By the way, I already know how to play and tune a guitar. I've been taking lessons for about 2.5 years.