The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-04
A BROOMsTICK SOLO.
Newest Styles i'm the Way of Strange
Music.
Philadelphia Inquirer.

Philadelphia Inquirer.
One of the newest musical instruments
to be brought to public notice is the xylo-
wood upon which, with couple or mai
lets, different tunes are played. Anyone
can make a xylophone who has patience
and broomsticks, and an instrument made
or these articles is just as good in tone as
highly priced purchased article The
sticks simply require cutting into the re.
CURED lengths, and tuning TO tne notes Oh
piano, violin or other instrument.
The shorter the stick the higher the
note. so that If a stick, when struck, gives
out sound lower than that desired, II
must have little piece sawed on the END
to bring 1t up to the required pitch. care
must be taken not to cut too much OH,
however, as this is fatal to the note, and
tone of a higher register. When about
two octaves of the sticks have been
tuned they be ranged in order on
a wooden frame and played after the man.
ner of the dulcimer.
People who have access to the scrap
heap of an engineers shop can make q
very melodious instrument out OF the ODD
pieces of iron and steel to be found there;
1t does not matter what their size and
shape may be-indeed. the widely varied
of the oil ERE ta OF ons
Endeav0rS should be made TO get the
pieces of about the right pitch without cut
ting them, as this is difficult and tedious
in the case of metal Where note is only
a little too low, however, it may be tuned
up by means of a file. The notes may be
placed upon frame and struck, as in the
case of the xylophone, or suspended by
means of string or wire from bar.
The popularity of the pin organ Is
that you must have a different instrument
for each tune. A long strip Of wood and
a packet of mixed pins are, however, all
the materials necessary in its construction.
A simple tune is decided upon, and start
made at one end of the strip of wood by
driving in pin to such a distance that,
when picked or tweaked by blanket-pin,
1t gives out a distinctly audible musical
sound. Other pins are then driven In In
they give out the remaining notes Of the
piece in order. This Is brought about by
using the smallest pins for the high notes,
and larger ones for the low notes. Also,
the further the pin is driven into the board
the higher the note will be.
1t is a comparatively easy matter, know
ing this, to hammer in sufficient pins TO
make up a tune, and in order to play 1t
the performer has, of course, simply TO
run his blanket-pin along from one end OF
the organ to the other. If each end of
the organ is rested upon a glass vessel the
music can be heard distinctly all over a
large room.
A three-pound corned beef tin will make
the body of a violin or very respectable
tone and a performance upon an instru-
ment made of one of these articles may
be heard almost every evening In the
streets of Clapham.
An amusing. but rather complicated freak
instrument is the tin-whistle organ.
"A row OF ordinary tin whistles is used,
and the holes are covered by having tiny
pieces of metal soldered over them, diff
ferent one being left open in each whistle
TO give the various notes. They are mount
ed upon a box which has Sits cut to adj
NIT their mouthpieces, all its corners and
ends having been made alright with putty:
| Wind is supplied by an ordinary pair OF
| kitchen bellows, the nozzle of which is
stuck through an aperture in one end OF
| the box, and which Ii fits tightly.
| The most difficult part of this instrument
| to construct Is the keys. which are rough
| copies of those of the pianoforte attached
to levers, at the end of which are small
/ pads of felt, each one covering the mouth
| piece of a whistle. When note is struck
| the lever pushes the pad away from the
mouthpiece and the bellows forces the air
| sound as il would If blown in tha ordinary
way. Where care is taken, this is one of
| the most interesting of homemade instru-
ments but failure to keep the box air.
| tight is one of the principal obstacles to be
| overcome.