Building a PVC Instrument
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My own instrument
A photo record of its construction
Click any photo to enlarge
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The tubes We began by constructing the 15 different tubes of the instrument. We followed my calculated length table
almost precisely after having to recalculate the table 4 times. Time for this stage: 6 hours Total tubes: 15 Total pipe elbows: 13 (bought 15…oops!) Total pipe bought: 60 ft Unused pipe: about 8 ft Total needed tunings: 4 Animals harmed: 0 |
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The holes In order to suspend the pipes, we needed two boards, one with 7 holes and one with 8. This photo shows Jesse drilling, but in reality it was I (Nate) who drilled them. Time for this stage: 2 hours (due to dull hole saw) Total holes drilled: 15 Total sneezes from sawdust: 37 Hole saw size: 2¾” |
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Paddle attempt number 1 Jesse built our first attempt at a paddle. He took a scrap piece of wood and attached a folded-up paper towel to it with a firm wire. The sound was okay for the most part. Unfortunately, it produced a loud slap and did not create a very loud tube resonation. Total paper towel sheets used: 1 Time for this stage: None (done during hole sawing) |
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Initial tube-hanging Once the holes were drilled, we test-fitted the bottom tier (higher pitches). I played a few BMG tunes on our makeshift instrument and Jesse made up some of his own. Time for this stage: 30 minutes |
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Detail of tube-hanging Here you can see how we hung the tubes on the board. The pipe couplings, due to their larger diameter, will not fall through the holes like the pipes will. Couplings used for hanging: 15 Couplings used for other stuff: 0 |
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The base Ah yes, what structure would be complete without a base? Definitely not this one. The base is constructed of cedar wood (because we had cedar wood), with a flat front for standing upon. Time for this stage: 1 hour |
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The sides Almost done! The sides are constructed from your classic 1x10 board, special-cut to support the tiers. Time for this stage: 45 minutes |
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Attaching the sides Attachment was achieved with a combination of screws and glue. I attached the second side alone, since Jesse and Brenda (in the left of the photo above) had an appointment to keep. Time for this stage: 15 minutes |
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Instrument view – Audience side It looks finished, doesn’t it? |
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Instrument view – Player side What the player sees… if he’s 6 feet away and to the
left. |
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Detail - tubes Notice the lack of writing on the tubes? All thanks to electrical tape. Also, do you see the washers around the
tubes? Jesse made those out of an old
rubber inner tube. |
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Paddle attempt number 4 Jesse whittled and sanded down some molding he had at his house and then attached two layers of white craft foam. This particular paddle construction makes a loud sound, but it is accompanied by an equally loud slap. The soon-to-be-realized solution: cover it with felt. You may want to know what attempts 2 and 3 were. Number 2 was a flattened paper-towel tube (nice sound, bit of a slap), and number 3 was the same paddle as number 4, but with a mouse pad (superb sound, but the mouse pad foam disintegrated quickly). Total mouse pads cannibalized: 1 |
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Attaching detail pieces Just to make it look more professional, we attached a few edge pieces to it. Jesse plans to paint it black soon. |
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2001 Nathan True; All Rights Reserved.
Questions? E-mail pvcmaster@natetrue.com