Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [construction]

This tag should be used for questions about creating or modifying instruments and equipment, whether from the perspective of the craftsman or the layman.

This tag should be used for questions about creating or modifying instruments and equipment, whether from the perspective of the craftsman or the layman.

64 questions
41
votes
11 answers

Why are the white and black keys on the piano placed the way they are?

I am pretty convinced it is not just for historical reasons. I have found a mathematically-sound explanation of the twelve-tone musical scale, thanks to this question. Does anyone know a similar, human-readable explanation for the piano key…
Ali
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32
votes
13 answers

What is the Difference between Maple and Rosewood Fretboards

Is there a difference that's based on feel or sound - why are they the two most widely used choices?
JustnBeaver
26
votes
4 answers

Why does a piano have only one or two strings per note in the bass register, but three for other registers?

Does it have something to do with keeping it in tune, since the smaller strings might be more prone to be stretched? (And therefore they spread out the impact to more than one string). Or maybe just to help keep them from breaking?
Stephen
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23
votes
4 answers

Why do many acoustic pianos have a wooden block to the left of the keys?

I have no idea what it's called but I'm curious why most pianos have a flat section to the left of the keys, and what it's called. It almost looks perfect for resting a cup of tea on which sounds like a horrible idea unless you want sticky keys.
joeyfb
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22
votes
3 answers

How does one change bow hair?

What are the steps to follow to unmount the hair from a bow and install a new set ? What kind of tools and products do you need beside a new set of bow hair ? How do you measure/adjust the length before mounting ?
ogerard
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17
votes
2 answers

Why are end-blown flutes shorter than their ideal length?

A flute is an open cylinder air column instrument. This means that an idealised flute, the fundamental pitch of the flute should have a wavelength of twice the length of the flute. This isn't exactly the case with a real flute though. For example, a…
naught101
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16
votes
3 answers

How does the piano middle pedal work? Is there a standard symbol for it?

What are the mechanics behind the middle piano pedal? I have been using the middle pedal for a variety of music, it is wonderful, but I can't figure out how it works (I mean the mechanical process). A drawing or animation would be ideal. I know…
Victor
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13
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3 answers

What to look for in an independent luthier?

I've long been considering looking for an independent luthier to build me a custom guitar. I have a pretty specific idea of what I want the guitar to be, but I don't know how to find the right luthier to build it. I can't afford to do this twice,…
Alex Basson
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13
votes
3 answers

The skinny on neck constructions. Is it all about tone?

I recently went from a Peavy bolt-on classic bass to Warwick Thumb NT. The tone difference is completely out of this world, and comparatively, so was the price. I want to understand the implications a neck through has on the sound of a guitar,…
Choroz
12
votes
3 answers

Why do trumpet valves shift the pitch down and not up?

I understand how trumpets work - valves open to force the air through crooks, which lengthens the pathway the air must travel, thus decreasing the resonant frequency. The question is, why are trumpets designed like this? Couldn't they also be…
naught101
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12
votes
8 answers

What can I build into my guitar and use the "tone pots" buttons to adjust?

The tone pots are fairly useless, for the most part, so I was wondering what else people have done to take advantage of having those two controls available. I would love some ideas of something I could put into the electronics of my Strat and hook…
JustnBeaver
12
votes
7 answers

Can you make your own Leslie Speakers?

I love the sound when employed with an Organ ( Jimmy Smith) and on Little Wing(SRV) - I vaguely remember seeing Kings X live once and I believe Ty Tabor had a pair of Leslie speakers that sounded awesome. Anyway, any "homemade" ideas so I don't…
JustnBeaver
11
votes
2 answers

What is the most common highest key with a damper?

On my old Steinway, the lowest key that doesn’t have a damper is the second-highest E. On a Bösendorfer I got to play recently, I noticed that the highest key without one was (I believe) the second-highest G. What note most commonly is the highest…
Stormblessed
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11
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2 answers

How do I know where to place holes on an instrument?

I've been trying to build a double reeded instrument out of plastic straws. I've run into a problem though, when I place fingering holes, the instrument doesn't seem to follow the $$f=/frac{nv}{4L}$$ formula. Is there a formula that would allow me…
tox123
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11
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1 answer

Are there reasons to choose between a round-section or an octogonal-section bow?

The initial part of a violin, viola, or cello bow in modern models is always octogonal, but the rest of the stick can be either of round section or octogonal-faceted. Is it simply a different external design, a different school of bow-making, or…
ogerard
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