Build A Band Document

Harp- The harp we built was our string instrument, we used thin fishing line to keep the pitch
higher because the light strings vibrate faster than heavier ones. It vibrates at half of a
wavelength and is amplified by the hollow box underneath. We calculated the string length by
dividing the wavelength by 2 which then gave us the length that we put the screws in. We used
separate strings for each of the notes- D5 to D6. For the sounds of the harp, we would tighten the
strings in order for a higher pitch, and for a lower pitch we would loosen the strings.

Note= Wavelength/2= cm
D5= 58.74/2= 29.37 cm
E5= 52.33/2= 26.16 cm
F5= 49.39/2= 24.69 cm
G5= 41.54/2= 20.77 cm
A5= 39.20/2= 19.60 cm
B5= 34.90/2= 17.45 cm
C6= 32.9/2= 16.45 cm
D6= 29.37/2= 14.68 cm

Flute- We made a wind instrument, a flute, with a PVC pipe. The vibration is made by splitting
the air and then moves through the tube, while some of the air goes through the holes. We
divided the wavelength by 4 to find the placement of each of the holes. We divided by 4 because
the air pressure is greatest at the mouth end of the tube and reduces to neutral atmospheric
pressure at the open end. We also cut the PVC pipe to a certain length so that we could get the
specific notes that we wanted- D4 to D5. We had to measure where the mouthpiece was going to
go in order for the right sounds to work (including how large the mouth hole should be so that
the air could go into the tube). The holes had to be big enough for the air to travel through but
not so big that they couldnt be covered. If they were too small, the air would pass without going
through. The flute does not have any means of amplification.

Note=
D4= 29.37 cm
E4= 26.16 cm
F4= 24.69 cm
G4= 22.00 cm
A4= 19.60 cm
B4= 17.46 cm
C5= 16.48 cm
D5= 14.68 cm
Xylophone- The xylophone was our chime (percussion) instrument. Chime instruments are based
on the materials natural frequency, which can be affected by the materials
thickness/composition, and placement. The sound and pitch of the chime are created by many
factors. The pitch and amplitude are affected by the metals contact with other objects. Ideally,
the steel pipes we used to make our xylophone would have no contact with any other material so
that the vibrations would only transfer into the air. Our xylophone was created with steel pipes
held above a wooden box to increase the sound. We used a starting length of pipe and cut seven
more sections of pipe to the relating ratios in order to create a whole octave. We used rubber
bands to secure the pipes between nails to try and maximize the vibrations, while minimizing
contact. The metal pipes are suspended between the nails, only touching the rubber bands.

Note= longest chime length*ratio= cm

Unison= 20* 1.0= 20 cm
Major 2= 20* 0.9428= 19.59 cm
Major 3= 20* 0.8944= 17.88 cm
Fourth= 20* 0.866= 17.53 cm
Diminished Fifth= 20* 0.8433= 16.33 cm
Major 6= 20* 0.7746= 15.492 cm
Major 7= 20* 0.7303= 14.6 cm
Octave= 20* 0.7071= 14.14 cm