I know a lot of you are into the idea of home made instruments.  I found a video on YouTube that gives some instructions on how to build a membrane pipe out of CPVC tubing.  I thought you guys might be interested.

I haven’t tried this.  If any of you do, please let me know how it works!

Here’s a video of someone who used a guitar tuner to “tune” his glasses of water so that he could play Beethoven’s Fur Elise.  It’s a simple concept for a home made “instrument”, but this video shows how practical and usable it can be

I can tell by the blog statistics that a lot of people out there are interested in home-made instruments, so I’m going to try to start featuring them more often.  Sometimes I’ll post links to web pages, sometimes I’ll just post videos, but I’ll make sure for those of you who are interested in home made instruments that I cover the topic enough to get your wheels turning.

Today we’ll look at a very simple instrument, but it sounds awesome.  It’s a drum made out of a water jug.  Easy enough to put together, and the sound that comes out of it could be very useful to a lot of you.

Why Do You Create Music (part 1)?

At one time I had dreams of being a Rock Star!  Well, sort of.  That was the term I always playfully gave it, but it wasn’t really the fame or the fortune that I was chasing.  It was the fact that I wanted to play my music for a living.

As I got older, I started realizing that the chances of that happening were getting slimmer and slimmer.  But, I never lost the passion to create music.

Recently I’ve been thinking about these things and wondering what drives me.  Why do I want to spend so much time creating music if it isn’t for some kind of financial or career goal?  Why do I put so much effort into making cool sounds if no one but a handful of friend and family members are ever even going to hear them?

I decided that those were interesting questions that may not have a direct and concrete answer, but I thought it would be interesting to see what some other musicians think.  So, I decided to go to my two favorite songwriting/home recording/music creation forums, forums.cockos.com, and homerecordingconnection.com and ask the musicians at those sites about their thoughts.

When I first asked the question I had the idea that I was going to compile the list, analyze it, and turn it into an article based on my summaries.  To be honest, I had a hard time doing that.  Many people who answered said very similar things, but at the same time they all gave their own twist and I didn’t really want to lose the essence of what anyone said.  So instead I am just going to lists the responses and maybe add my own comments here and there.

I got a lot of responses to the question, so I’m going to split it up into two posts.  Tomorrow afternoon I will post part 2.

manning1 (forum.cockos.com)

done over 300 songs in my life..
from easy listening thru blues n rock n heavy metal.
why do i do it ??
simple answer…I LOVE THE FUN OF IT !!

I think the simple answer “I love the fun of it” is something that is important not to overlook.  While it’s true that a lot of us are driven by creativity, if we forget about “the fun of it”, I’m not sure it can ever be as good.  If as songwriters we lose the feeling of having fun, it’s hard to pour ourselves into our music.  I know I’ve fallen into that trap before.

toyhouse (forum.cockos.com)

When I made my first mulitrack and heard the parts come together it was life-changing. I knew at that moment it was something that would always be a part of me.

Now, 30+ years later, it’s the same. Pure nirvana when I hear a piece come together.

I can completely relate.  When I made my first multi-track song, it was on someone else’s recorder.  I immediately started saving money for my own.

pac-man (forum.cockos.com)

Being creative is kind of the only thing i’m really good at. And it shows, people love me when i do stuff… maybe not the “results”, but it feels like i become a better person in the process.

GermanFafian (forum.cockos.com)

I do because I can.
There is something that drives me to it and gives me great satisfaction when it is done.
I guess in my case it is a selfish situation as I make artistic things to amuse myself.

jopatius (forum.cockos.com)

My main reasons for creating music, when I last thought of it, are:

1) It is a way for me to define who I am. On monday I am “person A”. On tuesday I write a song which hits the nail for me. On wednesday I am “person A who has created this nail-hitting song”. I like myself on wednesday more than I did on monday.
If I try to tell somebody who I am, I oftten try to do it though these nail-hitting songs then.

2) It is a way for me to live though this life in a self-fulfilling, most satisfactory way.
When I am “on the roll”, the last thing I do before going to bed is to sit on the piano/PC to work with some song. Even for a couple of minutes only. Then typically the first thing I do on the morning is to fill in something new which has found its way to me during the night.

Having this mode “active” is like having two engines running within me all the time (instead of just one). Very fun!

3) It is a way to synchronize with other people for me.
Music, especially my own music, often serves as a “catalyst” in human communications for me. “cutting the bullshit and getting to the point”.

Artbay (forum.cockos.com)

i get a kick out of creating something new and never seen or heard before. an additional and somewhat contrary aspect for me is sometimes to mimic other music. early on it was more as a tribute to artists that inspired me (larry fast of “synergy” first), and only recently as parody, like i attempted in this song. i never want to copy a song exactly though, just to adapt its “essence” into my own style.
www.valtraxysblue.com
www.reverbnation.com/valtraxysblue

I understand this angle of it.  I also enjoy making something that nobody has ever heard before, but at the same time I like trying to put in the feel of some of my favorite music from time to time.

Carbon (forum.cockos.com)

I create because it’s the way I can check myself – do I still exist?
Also I like to explore new paths and ways that make music.
Performing on musical instruments – guitar, keyboards, fx, equipment – is a bit like meditation. It’s a big part of the addiction.

When I get the ingredients right, something other-worldly happens – the sounds that make a piece of music stop just being sounds, they become a dreamlike space, journey or because it’s so difficult to describe, perhaps rather a feeling.

I think I’m hooked on that feeling. I’m continuously looking for it and finding it in my music, other artist’s music and even in musical instruments, equipment and software.

Like a calm yet mysterious refuge from the petty everyday problems of the world.

kindafishy (forum.cockos.com)

If I was asked in a casual conversation, I would probably talk about the satisfaction that comes from working out a heavy groove or an infectious riff, but in thinking about it, I have come to realize that there is more to it. What I just described is just the end result of us having the ability to reach beyond our material perception. There is something much bigger at play here.

There are inexplicable things that we as humans experience that are an extension of life, nature and our unimaginable existence. I often think about the unlikely occurrence that we represent and the wonderment that we experience because we are so intelligent and acutely aware of what is happening around us. Despite our intelligence and awareness, there is a magical unknown side to our existence that is all around us.

I think that human artistry is a way for us to tap into the unidentifiable things that surround us and everything we do. Dance, music, film, photography or any other kinds of visual or aural arts are a way for us to express that which cannot be expressed through any other means. I am a very small part of something I don’t understand, and having the ability to tap into what surrounds me and express it though creating beautiful, sad, harsh, aggressive, mellow or otherwise emotionally charged sound is satisfying and fulfilling beyond anything else I have ever experienced. It is addictive and consuming and there is literally no end to the creative obsession.

I create because I am lucky enough to have an awareness of the hidden spheres of our existence and the ability to both express and share it with those who don’t.

dazzathedrummer (forum.cockos.com)

I don’t know why I do it, I mean, I absolutely love doing it – but I don’t know why I love doing it.
I supose it’s what I was cut out for in a way, I never get bored of music, I enjoy doing other things, but I get bored of other things and need to walk away from them, that doesn’t happen with music – it’s a truely ‘for beter or worse’ relationship.

I just don’t know why!

If won the lotery, I’d buy more audio equipment and spend my time really mastering the instruments that I play, I suppose it’s an obsession. Several times I have only eaten beans and rice for a month just so I can by some new piece of audio technology.

Crazyness – some people are equally passionate about watching football, or going out drinking with their mates – I always say at least I get paid when I go to the pub

kelldammit (forum.cockos.com)

i just always have done it in some way shape or form…it’s hard for me to understand how people just DON’T.
i do it primarily for my own enjoyment. when something comes together and just works…the feeling is unreal. i love being able to just enjoy something i did six months ago…again, it’s just an amazing feeling. when friends and family also seem to get enjoyment out of it, well…bonus!

it’s also constructive therapy, like someone else said. you can voice things that bother you, and the process itself seems to help put things back in order, however metaphorically. i’m also ocd about cleaning when i get upset…so i guess it makes sense in a psychotic sort of way. at least the results of dealing with hard times are something positive, beyond the character building!

The Great Dictator (forum.cockos.com)

Sometimes creating music, whether writing it, or interpreting it, can be unbelievably frustrating. I’ve thought about giving it up more times than I can count. But something drives me forward. I can’t stop consuming information about music. I literally my every waking moment with music. Whether I am participating in it, or just thinking about it, I’m always doing something with it. I wish I had a good answer for you, but there is no good answer. I create because I have to. I create because it’s who I am. I’ve been resistant to it at times. The drive however, is greater than myself. It’s something deep, and primal. At times it’s a spiritual experience, especially in improvisation. It’s a sort of meditative one. Other times, it’s more scientific. Contemplating harmonies, attempting to learn to compose on paper and create something bigger than my self. And sometimes, it’s just fun. I think about music all the time. I dream in music. The art consumes my every waking and dreaming moments. Have you ever sung to a car alarm? I do it all the time. There’s a pulse to it, and a defined pitch. It serves as a wonderful ostinato. I can’t help it. It’s an immediate response. Music for me, is instinct.

Very good thoughts from everyone.

Part 2 to this story can be found here:  Why Do You Create Music (part2).

If you want to check out the conversation on the forum, HERE is the link.

Home made Instruments: Percussion

I think a lot of musicians who are driven by being creative are fascinated by the idea of making their own instruments.  Quite a while ago I linked to a few sites about homemade instruments, and it was an article that a lot of people seemed to enjoy.

Recently I found a website that I’ve known about for years, and I decided I should share it with you guys.

The site is called Homemade Percussion.  Basically the entire site is about making your own percussion instruments.  The projects vary from very simple things that you could do quickly, to more advanced things that might take you a little longer.

The authors of the site have made drums out of coffee cans, pork rind jars, water bottles, and a lot of other things.  They have sound samples for a lot of their stuff.

If you’re into percussion, check it out!

If you want to talk about musical creativity, maybe one of the most outside-the-box ways of thinking you can find is creating your own musical instruments.

I’ve always thought the idea was incredibly fascinating, but to be honest, I’ve only done very simple things when it comes to instrument creation, and they’ve all been percussion-based things.

Some people, though, are creative, innovative, AND handy, and those kinds of people are the ones that can do some amazing things.

Check out this site I found.  It’s called “Bret Hart’s Ho-made Instruments”

It looks like it’s an older site that hasn’t been updated for a while, but the site has some descriptions and diagrams of several of the instruments that the author has invented himself.

Here’s another site that has some diagrams and instructions for making your own instruments… some of them traditional instruments, but several of them unique variations of common instruments:

WEBPAGE of DENNIS HAVLENA

And if you really want to see some interesting stuff, search YouTube.

In fact, click HERE to link to my YouTube search for HomeMade instruments.  There are all kinds of crazy things on there.

This just goes to show that if you want to make music you don’t have to have the high dollar guitars and pianos, and you don’t have to spend years taking lessons.  You just have to be willing to try out your own crazy ideas!