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About TLP The Instruments TLP is always on the lookout for objects to reuse as percussion instruments in its workshops, residencies and shows. Below are a few of our most popular instruments:
The PVC Organ uses pipes of varying length to create melodies that complement the other junk instruments much like a bass guitar complements a drum kit.
Woody Wood Circle's frame used to have hundreds of feet of cable wrapped around it like a large spool. Now it contains several different wood instruments suspended from it, all of which sound quite spectacular.
Unwanted propane tanks and tire rims make many different sounds depending on where they are struck. The old steel barrel (aqua) sounds strikingly (pardon the pun) similar to a church bell when struck on its side with a soft mallet.
On the far side we see several pots and pans that were strategically picked for their pitch & tone from curb-sides where they waited for a trip to the landfill. On the near side, we see old drainage flex pipe capped with PVC covers. The pipes are tuned to the key of F and are played with mallets.
Gas cans, each with a different pitch and tone, resemble an instrument you might hear in the Caribbean.
Water is the best medium to use to change and bend the pitch of certain objects such as pipes, tin cups, bottles, pans and PVC tubing.
Here again water prevails with the Waterphone and Trongos (both designed and built by Richard Waters in the state of Missouri). Both instruments have water in their respective stainless steel containers. The Waterphone (blue handle) can be played with a cello bow, soft mallets or with one's hands and fingers. The Waterphone is used by scientists to communicate with whales! The rods are played with the bow followed by a back-and-forth movement from the player that makes the sound bend and morph into whale-like calls. Hollywood studios use the Waterphone to create scary sounds for movies. The Trongos are like water bongos. Movement of the instrument while playing it causes the pitch of each container to bend, kind of like a wha-wha bar on an electric guitar.
The rhythm stick (bottle caps, etc.) is held upright. When pounded on the floor, it sounds like a tambourine. The Spring Drums (made by Remo) are upside down in this photo. They are held upright so that the springs hang loosely below the resonating chambers, much like those found on an acoustic guitar. When shook gently they produce sounds of wind, rain, thunder and whatever else your imagination hears. Students have told Jeff that they remind them of jet airplanes, subway trains and a hurricane, to name a few. The washboard is played with spoons in the spirit of New Orleans and the cowbell is used by Jeff during workshops to help students keep the tempo of their compositions steady.
This 55-gallon plastic barrel is the ultimate bass drum. One can sit on the top of it and play its bottom with a large, soft mallet. The rim edge of the bottom can be played with a heavy drum stick, sort of like the rim of a snare drum.
These 55-gallon plastic barrels were cut short and mounted on a modified clothing stand that was being thrown out. Their dynamic range falls in-between the small white laundry detergent barrels and the full-sized, white 55-gallon barrel above.
TLP is constantly on the lookout for sturdy objects that have good timbre and tone and won't dent easily over time. TLP has barrels full of these objects. They can be used in sound sculptures or arranged on the floor or on a table top to make a steel drum kit. |
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Over 30 years old, these plastic barrels are virtually antiques! They used to contain liquid laundry soap for nursing homes and give off a mid-range tom tom kind of sound.
Bucket drum kits are easy to make and can be embellished with pots, pans and other sturdy objects.
