Crazy sound project using my barn

Banjo

So I have a metal barn about 30'x30'.

I get to thinking that it might be interesting to use as a sound box or resonator, like the body of guitar.

There is room enough behind it to run wire for about 300 feet.

Stretch it tight enough so that it could be plucked or bowed, and have the barn amplify the sound like a giant acoustic guitar.

Another idea would be to get an electric window fan motor, remove the fan and attach a magnet to the spindle to create a big "Ebow" to vibrate the wire.

Getting long lengths of wire is not a problem as there are planty of farm supply stores nearby. I have a heavy turnbuckle I can use to get tension on the wire.

I want to record it with mikes inside the barn and a Piezo pickup or two attached to the metal siding.

What I am looking for from the E.M. community is other ideas to use in this project.

yoho · Joined: Aug 22, 2015 Posts: 13 Location: Netherlands

Only thing I can think of is finding a second barn, connect a good tight wire and play loud music in the second barn and listen in the first...

richardc64 · Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 1:12 pm Post subject:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/artists-earth-harp-a-site-to-behold-and-hear/

https://www.visualnews.com/2014/06/09/earth-harp-largest-stringed-instrument-planet/

PHOBoS · Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 2:43 pm Post subject:

heh, the earth harp was the first thing that came to my mind Laughing

It sounds like an awesome idea. What I do wonder about is how much tension you have to put on the cable(s)
and if that could be dangerous if it comes loose. But I guess that depends on the thickness and the length of it.

Banjo · Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 8:51 pm Post subject:

Yoho that has some real interesting possibilities. I could use several shorter lengths of wire and connect them with some long springs, and get a spring reverb effect. I think I have a clear line to our hay barn, although it is at the bottom of a low hill at the back of one of the fields. Will have to check it out tomorrow when I take the dods down there. Our neighbor has a metal workshop next door. Its still 300, 400, some odd feet away, although I dont think he would be too keen on attaching something to it. Will have to ask him.
The hay barn, is half full now, and will be full in another week or so after the hay gets cut soon, so it will really muffle the sound too much i'm afraid.

I've seen the Earth Harp on tv before. Another interesting possibility. The rosined glove would take care of the bowing part.

As far as the tension goes, it is a concern as a snapped wire at the lengths I am pondering could really cause serious injury. My wife wants to put an electric fence to keep the dogs from wandering. That wire would be about the gauge I am thinking. I dont want the pitch to be too high, so the tension I don't think would be a problem. Will probably park my truck and attach one end of the truck to it with the turnbuckle.

Another thought came to mind after thinking about the fan motor. I could attach something to the ends of the fan blades to pluck the wire as it rotates, and vary the speed of the fan for effect. Also want to experiment with using some form of mallet for a piano type sound.

Will probably wait until fall after the last hay cutting is done, so that the ground is clear. Also am finishing building some honey bee traps, then have to build a hive. Its almost too late in the season to catch a swarm and have them have enough time to build up enough honey reserves for them to survive the winter, but will try anyway.

That gives me another idea. I want to record and sample the bees humming in a hive. Have a friend with four hives not too far away. Of course, I will post the results.

RingMad · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 3:24 am Post subject:

Wow, I wish I could be there to hear whatever you do with this project! Long wire instruments have fascinated me for some time. I attempted something on my roof, but it didn't work out.

A variation on the fan idea... I once played acoustic guitar with a hand-held fan, where I replaced the plastic blades with a strip of material to minimize the impact and would be more like a bowed drone.

What about rosined wheels, like a hurdy gurdy... motor-driven, with (automatically, periodically, LFO) varying speeds?

Years ago, I made a poor-man's E-bow called the B-bow, which was an electromagnetic Buzzer (with a blocking oscillator)... I'd put the little metal bit that moves barely touching the string. I once put 3 on a guitar to make an Auto-Droner installation... https://youtu.be/1-RIjPaMFj8

Here are some folks who have worked with long wires:

Ellen Fullman : http://www.ellenfullman.com/ long wire installations, played with rosined hands.

Alvin Lucier's "Music on a Long Thin Wire" : http://www.lovely.com/titles/cd1011.html (a long wire, a large magnet and driven by an oscillator)

Matt De Gennaro and Alastair Galbraith : http://www.furious.com/perfect/galbraith.html (playing long wires in large indoor spaces with rosined hands)

Paul Panhuysen's sound installations (passing sound through long wires, or playing with rosined hands)

John Rose & Hollis Taylor... bowing "great fences of Australia"... There used to be a documentary on ubuweb, but now all I find is https://vimeo.com/7809333 and
http://www.jonroseweb.com/f_projects_great_fences.html

And possibly as far back as the 17th century with Athanasius Kircher and his wind-powered(activated) instruments. But perhaps that is getting too close to aeolian harps, which is maybe another matter.
But then there are some nice wind-driven things, like Alan Lamb's "Night Passage"... made from recordings of telegraph wires in the wind. And The Wind Harp: Song From The Hill 1972 LP, and
Roger Winfield's "Voices of the Wind".

.:James:.

Grumble · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 5:03 am Post subject:

Jochem van Grieken, worlds biggest spring reverb
https://youtu.be/-6J0hacr1WU

RingMad · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 8:05 am Post subject:

prgdeltablues · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 9:26 am Post subject:

Richard Lerman comes to mind:

http://www.sonicjourneys.com/

Peter

Banjo · Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 10:32 am Post subject:

Not much has happened with this project so far as it will be several weeks until the last hay cutting is done. However, about 250 feet of wire, and the auction I am going to on Saturday has a window fan that I will use attach the magnets to. I hope I can get the winning bid if it does not get too high.

There are auctions here almost every weekend. Got 1956, Fender Dual 8 Stringmaster (dual neck steel guitar) for a good price. Gotta love it.