Technically, they are a family of buzzed-lip aerophones, related to trumpets and horns in the same way that ocarinas, or globular flutes, are related to tubular flutes. However, although a technical category exists for them, I have not yet encountered any other instruments of this form except for those I have built. I like experimenting with different instrument forms blending the aesthetic with the acoustic, and looking for new ways to expand traditional instrument systems. I've had a lot of fun exploring globular systems and integrating them with other instruments, and I'd like to share with you some of my observations and discoveries, as well as descriptions and photos of some globular horns I have built. Tubular vs. Globular Let's first talk about flutes, because it will help me explain globular horns by analogy.
Most people are familiar with a tubular flute.
A different type of flute is a globular flute, also called a vessel flute. Unlike their tubular flute cousins, globular flutes can be any shape, but still have finger holes and a blow hole, and are played in generally the same fashion as a tubular flute. But that's where the similarity ends. The physics of sound production is significantly different between tubular and globular instruments. In a tubular instrument, a vibrating column of air produces the sound.