Sound Designs: A Handbook of Musical Instrument Building

Rating:
Summary: Great Basic Reference.
Review: A very useful and practical handbook for beginning instrument builders such as I. The book is organized into six sections; wood, wood and metal, metal, skin, plastic, and glass. Mostly percussion designs, but also includes a few simple string instruments and an organ pipe. Instructions and designs for 50 instruments, some traditional but mostly original variations by the authors. Also includes frequency charts, some discussion of just intonation, a great bibliography for further reading and a list of suppliers for things like gourds and bamboo.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book for Amature/Experienced Instrument Builder
Review: When I was a child, my father (a sculptor) bought me this book for my birthday. As an adult composer and percussionist, it is still one of my most cherished music-related books and it would make a great coffee table book for anyone (especially musicians!) who wants something truly out of the ordinary.

I have also used it for teaching: a few years ago I taught at the Walden School for young composers in New Hampshire and taught a class for kids where they built some of the simpler instruments in the book such as the Funnelodeon and the Copper Maracas. They also built Whirly Tubes out of long pieces of light blue swimming pool tubing. Of course, the kids had a great time and some even said it was their favorite class. Therefore, I think this book would be useful for music teachers who teach children and want to try something fun.

Many of the instruments in this book can be built using items found at hardware stores. Many of the more complex instruments are reminiscent of instruments built by the American composer Harry Partch and are also similar to discontinued (yet amazing!) instruments made by the J. C. Deagan company at the beginning of the twentieth century.

This book would make a great gift for anyone curious about different tunings and for someone who wants to try them out on an acoustic instruments, for percussionists, composers, wind players, string players, or even retired folks who have a little extra time and like working with their hands. There are mostly percussion instruments, but also some stringed and wind instruments as well. The directions, photos and diagrams are clear, and overall, this book is just a lot of fun to have around.