How to build the MEMBRANE CLARINET
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- čas přidán 20. 07. 2024
- How to build the PVC membrane clarinet, how it works, and a lot of ideas and variations
The detailed blueprint is right here for free!
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I'm Nicolas Bras, musician and homemade instruments builder, on this channel you will find tutorials, compositions, building projects, improvisations, live concerts
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/ musiquesdenullepart
Find my music on nicolasbras.bandcamp.com
Music :
Nicolas Bras - Guyane, Homemade (album)
Nicolas Bras - Slide Zither (unedited)
Nicolas Bras - Tama (unedited)
Sandrine Morais, Nicolas Bras : Video edition - Hudba
I really wanted to make myself a primitive oboe, but when I was crazy about the complexity of making a reed for it, I had to abandon this idea. It will be necessary to try to make at least a membrane clarinet.
Use a plastic drinking straw! I've had good success using that with PVC and some styrofoam to stop the end. All you really need to do is flatten the end of the straw with your teeth, and then you can mess with the embouchure to get a decent sound. (Another tip: minimize the distance between the end of the straw and the instrument, as the straw can vibrate in the exposed air and mess with your sound)
Yeah 1 Reed always easier than 2
@@mantis9875, yes, I have had several experiments with it. Nothing particularly useful came out. Somehow, if I'm not too lazy, I'll look for a pack of straws and will continue to "have fun" with them.
🍝
A friend of mine makes excelent reeds for bag pipes from zylindrical jogurt cups (poly styrol). Best are cups that weren´t heated all the way throu the forming process, so the lower part of is stiffer whilst the upper part is a bit more flexible. Cut out two identical stripes with strongly trimmed corners on the lower (more flexible) end it can even be the shape of a stripe with a triangle at one side. Sand an angle on the long edges, so when you put them over each other they have more contact surfice. Fixate a small part (ca. 1/5 of the whole length) of the triangle side on a tiny brass pipe with some thin wier, also one turn of wire around the middle of the stripes, squeezed flat to aligh with the surfice of the stripes to regulate tention. Dont damage the edges. My friend used "leysing tape" to wrep around the lower half to seal the edges to the side, but this is hard to get by. PVC tape works as well (I think maybee heat could do the trick, but you can´t control the results as good). Waxed string goes around the lower part of the brass pipe for an air tight joint in the instrument. For tuning you can carefully sand the sufice of the opper third so that the reeds get lighter. Carefull, the lighter they get the more likely they are to close off.
After watching a video on Hanz Zimmer's work on Dune, he needs to hire you! This kind of creativity should not go unrecognised!
If Hans call I'll come!
@@NicolasBras how could you not?
@HansZimmer
Idea: use a slide like a trombone at the end instead of drilling holes for notes.
If you're not sure where to hit the correct notes, use a tuner and slide gradually to the correct position and then use a paint pen to mark the locations.
I have a slide for the drone part, but only for fine tuning!
@@NicolasBras Valves. That is the "easy" solution but multiplies the piping needed. Slides are not that easy to make, they are finicky, basically requires thin metal pipes with very fine tolerance, they need to be easy to use but strong enough to last, the weight is a huge factor. Valves are easier in that sense, they are crude and simple in that sense.
It would have to be taken from an actual trombone, it is not easy to make slides without specialized equipment. The tolerances are very fine, the weight of the thing matters and the action has to be easy without leaking. Valves are far easier to do.
@@squidcaps4308 pvc slides are disturbingly simple and easy to make. 2mm wall thickness, 5mm inner pipe 7mm outer pipe and boom, perfect slide.
@@squidcaps4308 wait, so my cardboard tubes and PVC pipes count as specialized equipment now??
Sweet!
I did something similar to this in high school physics class. We were told to make instruments from anything. I used a bunch of PVC pipes, a trash bag, some duct tape, and the membrane balloon idea to make bagpipes with 3 separate drones and a variable horn. They weren't tuned very well, but my physics teacher was definitely surprised.
The simple balloon instrument is utterly fascinating
The Duduk sound is so haunting. Impressive that you can create this sound with DIY materials.
Love what you're doing. My favourite class in university was The Physics of Music. Can't wait to see what you create next. Also impressed with the idea of sampling some of your instrruments to make new VSTis. Fantastic idea.
Thanks a lot!
This is perfect to teach a child a method of sound production and how actual instruments create their sound. I bet a funnel on the end would make it sound similar to a saxophone with the plastic bag as a membrane. Subscribed.
Oh my God, he just showed so many ideas in just one video!! This is simply super
I've folowed some of your builds in the past even though I'm not musical and can't play them. I love the sounds you produce. I'm amazed you haven't been approached by movie producers about making musical scores with sounds no one else is making, it would be incredible.
Everyone can be musical! It just takes enough interest and practice to stick with it!
Keyboard is the easiest to understand theory on. A good entry level synth is a blast to just mess around on. There is a synth on the nintendo ds. Download an emulator and have some fun.
Cheers.
probably 'cause a fair amount of well-known composers already use improvised instruments, like Mick Gordon
it reminds me so much of early computer sounds, I love seeing such a distinct bridge between analogue and digital.
AMAZING! You made some pipe sound like Terry Riley! My project for Christmas! Thank you, Nicolas!
Thanks, have a good DIY!
Just magnificent as always Nic. I've heard a few 'proper' clarinets that didn't sound so good. Thanks so much, very enjoyable.
This sounds REALLY good! Would be interested in seeing the dual reed version with 2 different types of reed (glove and balloon, or glove and bag) to get a more complex timbre
He has created a one man wind section for folk and Celtic music. Love it, keep it up.
You're the best, man. I love these instruments that don't take tons of practice or talent but are still fun to mess around with.
My favourites too!
Damn i've been looking into diy instruments for a couple of years now, even made some flutes which didn't work so well, but this seems like the perfect one to try again, simple, yet sounds like a propper instrument. really love the one with the drone.
Oh man, perfect timing. Dad is retired woodwind repair and we have been looking for exotic instruments for a possible product. Dad is now making machines to make wooden flute head pieces (because they are ridiculously expensive..), this would fit right in as alternative head and mouth pieces for various instruments.... We got all the tools to make these from about any material... Really looking forward of seeing what you have found.
And i think i'll fire up CAD and start drawing... 3D printers are AWESOME at exactly this.
3d printing was my first thought too. I wonder if using a thread to secure the membrane would help keep the tension consistent? Seems like even tension would be critical for keeping it in tune
@@mirr0rd Have first version ready and it works great.. I mean, it is just 90 degree pipes and very simple rubberband holding the membrane but.. the sound is surprisingly rich. I made a slit, not holes so i can get some "tuned" notes out, allows to mark the notes. I also found that very thin latex glove sounds better than balloon. It has its own ring so i can slot it in, that also can be used to adjust the tension. I checked the recorded waveforms and boy, does it have saxophone and clarinet written all over it. Same kind of signature, two main frequencies and then loads of harmonics, strong fundamental. It is still its' own thing, somewhere in the sax, oboe, clarinet world of sounds. My sound is very, very close to what is in this video.
Am now designing a new one, it is not simple to get two pipes curved.. I was thinking of using magnetic strip for the action, so it would be stepless (there is a clarinet made using that method, its somewhere in youtube...I do have another idea too for that, too complicated to explain with words..hinged curve in a slot..) but first i have to figure out the head, that is where all the magic happens. You can also use a horn on top of the membrane to make it louder ;) Or long pipe, it gets more oomph for the bass. Also: this thing is a baritone... at the size of a freaking tin flute... It is tiny and low and also surprisingly loud if you crank up the tension. Can be played very softly too, with loose membrane but that affects tuning.
Tomorrow: i'll go to my dads shop and hook me head+mouthpiece to a clarinet and saxomaphones.. Also, maybe some horns, i know from experience that you can use clarinet mouthpiece in a B horn... And the best thing? You don't have to suffer months to get a decent sound, it takes very, very little time, just breath evenly, and when the membrane tension is correct, it is very, very forgiving. You do run out of breath fast, that needs lots of tweaking to get the balance right.
I'm also thinking if round shape is the best, or could it be another shape... Really excited, this is exactly what i have been looking for. I see a real product in this, both as full instrument and as exotic sax/clarinet mouthpiece.
I’ve been meaning to make one (or ten) of these for years. I could really stand to add some more melodic instruments to my repertoire for recording projects. I’m mostly competent at fiddle and recorder and saw for my melodies, and you really don’t wanna overdo any of those.
As an engineer with a love for weird instruments, this is insanely cool, and I'm heading to the hardware store tomorrow
This is a great video - very clear and demonstrates well how it changes with small modifications. Also the instrument sounds great.
Thanks a lot!
merci pour ton énergie, tes idées, et les textures sonores que tu proposes avec tes instruments. C'est beau !
This. Is. Stellar. I especially appreciate the speed with which you present your information...get to the important bits. Bravo!
Wow! That sounds really cool and I like how simple the membrane "reed" is. I would have never thought of that! Also, the different sounds you can get just by changing the length and/ or membrane is nice! Very cool!!
Please never stop this !
Your passion is passionating and ins-pirating even the way you play music captivate my imagination.
Thanks you for your work !
I absolutely adore this. Reminds me of the Fisher-price "build your own instrument" kit I had as a kid
So amazing I had to dive in head first! If you're like me and in the US and don't have easy access to metric PVC, here's some useful info I wish I'd known! According to the Construction Metrication Council, 1/2" US piping is equivalent to 15mm, and 3/4" to 20mm. Imperial measures are not exactly what they say, but short hand for their actual sizes (like 2x4 wood), hence the discrepancy. These got me close enough to at least get a 1-note instrument functioning. Also I used all pressure pipe fittings, as the other seems to be a whole other standard of sizing, despite the same numbers.... I'm about to shave down my primary pipe to get to an E. Not sure how much the slightly smaller diameter will effect the distances of the other bore holes, but fingers crossed!
The T looks like PVC Schedule 40, 1/2". By my measurements, the PVC tube is 21 mm OD / 15 mm ID.
You might be talking about PEX 1/2". That's about 16 mm OD / 12 mm ID. The PEX just fits inside the PVC tube.
PEX 3/4" is nearly the same size as the PVC 1/2".
Any luck with imperial measurements and building one of these in the U.S.?
@@arthureames9715 Here's how I made one:
1 1/2" Schedule 40 PVC T
2.5" 1/2" Schedule 40 PVC (white)
14.5" 1/2" PEX B or CPVC. Cut it a little long.
1 Rubber band
Plastic from a shopping bag (whatever you like)
Office tape
1. Insert the 2.5" PVC into the PVC T
2. Put some tape on the outside of the PEX tube so that it will seal against the PVC. Put it between 2.5" and 3.5" from one end. It will probably take more than 1 layer.
3. Push the PEX into the PVC tube taped end first. Adjust the end so that it is about even with the end of the T.
4. Put the membrane of the end of the T. Hold it in place with the rubber band.
This will play G 3, the G below middle C.
You can cut the tube with PVC cutters. It's much easier and cleaner than using a saw.
In place of PEX B, you can use CPVC tube. It is cream colored. In my Lowes, it is in the back beyond the lawn mowers, nowhere near the white PVC tubes. CPVC is about 2x as expensive as PEX.
I can't find anything in the US that looks like his conduit. I think the metric conduit doesn't meet the US electrical code.
@@peterbonucci9661 Thank you; that is awesome. One more question; how did you figure out your finger hole size and placement?
@@arthureames9715 I haven't drilled the holes, yet. I planned on scaling the measurements in the video to 14.5 inches. The chart is at 5:23
Edit: PEX is closer to the metric sizing than CPVC.
when you add that bass extension, it almost sounds like some moon hooch. As usual, another impressive instrument! I can't wait to mess around with the sample pack
CZcams algorithm finally did me right. Never heard or seen this guy but I super enjoyed this!! Now I have to make it!
Dude you are amazing, the amount of times i just stumble on your channel because of the sheer presence of your knowledge and work is stunning , great work!
My first thought with the plastic bag membrane was "Oh, that sounds vaguely like a bagpipe" and then you went and turned it into a bagpipe, bravo.
Cher Nicolas, j'attends ce tuto depuis 2 ans !! Vous avez fait ma journée !!!
this is so cool! You make it look so easy to play something awesome, but I suspect I would have much greater difficulty.
Incredible. Your passion shines through and your edits are mint. Great work.
Dude music is my life and you are one of my favorite people, it's amazing what you do and truly inspiring.
I was literally waiting for this video because I saw this instrument a few times on your channel and it amazed me instantly what a beautiful sound it creates. Just like a real clarinette. Thank you very much!
I love your craftiness
Literally was thinking about making instruments today and you popped back into my feed 🙏
Awesome. About a year ago I watched a video about making a reed thpe instrument from a straw, which was great, but this is the video that needs to extend on that for young and old learners.
Great work
This is so awesome. I have never heard of such a way to make a instrument. I cannot wait till I make my own
This opens up a whole new world of ideas for me. Thank you.
…love your creativity Nicolas.
I'm constantly amazed at your inventiveness.
Amazing, I'd like to build this some time! Regarding the blueprints: would you mind making a tutorial on how to make these some time in the future? Like, how to calculate where the tone holes should be? Do you calculate it, or just experiment with loads and loads of tubes?
The holes follow a some kind of patron related with the waves of the sound/length of the instrument, he likely took lessons on physics of music to have an idea on how to tune all that without a mess of try and error
@@Alexjandro1991
yeah i get that, i know how the physics of this works, but what i don't know is how to calculate the positions of the toneholes, especially accounting for things like the width and shape (cylindrical x conical) of the tube. There's got to be some formula for this or something, because even if you understand the physics of it very intimately, you can't just guesstimate where the toneholes should be and make the instrument perfectly in tune. some calculations need to be done, and if not, lots of iterations do.
@@mymo_in_Bb : I don't know if anyone has worked out a formula (and if so, it should depend on shape), but essentially you do the same measurements with all of the other dimensions, because they roughly speaking just affect which harmonics/overtones are generated. You can emphasise some for "sweet" tones, or others for "sour" tones. Lengths "downwind" of the note you're covering should, if I recall correctly, do the same, so the extra length from your last tone hole to the end of the instrument _can_ matter & be tuned. A good place to look is probably anywhere that talks about organ pipes, as they use both cylindrical ones _and square._ Also of note, cylindrical, conical, parabolic, and hyperbolic sections should all produce different emphases on the harmonics, and if you look up "impedance mismatching", that should apply to mixing different sizes and shapes of sections- essentially, you're just producing a filter for wind (DC) and sound (AC), so if you're really interested in the math then all of that stuff should apply.
@@absalomdraconis
yes thanks, i understand how wind instruments work. i just don't know how to calculate the exact measurements.
amazing what a beautiful tone color these instruments have, well done
Merci !!! j'attendais ce tuto depuis un baille !! trop ien et hâte d'essayer !!
You are on an entirely different level. I am continuously amazed.
This is completely brilliant, and you’re a great man.
À chaque nouvelle vidéo, tu me met des étoiles dans les yeux !!!
I really want to build one as a bagpipe! Would be fun to whip out at our annual swedish bagpipes meet! 😆
Just made mine today! Cannot believe how it sounds!!!
Je t ai vu lors d une conférence, et ces instruments à membrane sont mes préférés, un son génial pour du PVC. Merci pour ce partage
Epic video, music, everything!
The different sounds from these are cool
You sir are a hero of the people, I love this
This video is incredible! I love your channel. You're one of the most creative people I've seen and you never disappoint me
That's some amazing work man! 👏👏👏👏
Fascinating! Thanks! Happy holidays! 🌞🎅🏻🎉
I just subscribed to you + i have lots of memories coming trough my mind right now, when i was like 5 or 6 i always used to make a membrane instrument when my mother used to end parchment paper or aluminium foil, she gave me the inner cardboard tube and i always asked hed for a glove to make a very primitive bagpipe instrument, by perfecting this i discovered that the glove membrane could vibrate and i just enjoyed those evenings playing this instrument. THANKS a LOT for just the memories you just gave me!
These are a lot of fun to make and play. Haven't tried adding a drone yet. Will definitely need to try that soon.
You, sir, are incredible.
I've made these! They are so much fun, reliable, and relatively simple to build.
i know which channel i will watch every video on next. pog content, really wild!
That bass extension is so dope!
so cool, and really nice playing too scattered thru the video
An organ made of these would sound incredible!
This is incredible! Although I haven’t yet seen the second instrument, it looks like it could be really interesting, but for now thank you Nicolas!
Definitely the most interesting plumber on CZcams 😂
Thanks a lot @nicolas : the sound you shaped here is great
Man, you exploded my mind. You are amazing!
wow!! It sounds Amazing! I will definitely build one!!
You know what it sounds like? It sounds like you just earned yourself a new subscriber! Impressive work! 👍❤
I had a medium sized pvc pipe and a bigger one, so i cut a hole in the bigger one to put my mouth, used an elastic band to put the membrane in place and a piece of rubber to make the seal. Works great! I then eyeballed the holes and managed to have a sort of arabic melody. Lots of fun!
That's the most Duduk sounding Not Duduk I've ever heard! Saved me about a hundred bucks!
That is my new favourite channel now 💪!
This is my favorite channel ❤
at 5:00, I'm curious if anyone else thinks of the ancient Greek Aulos. It worked the same way. This would be a great way of demonstrating to history and even theatre students how the aulos worked since it was integral to both practices.
Ok, this is brilliant. I might have to get the parts and make a few of these.
Wow, that is super cool! Would be really fun for kids to make and learn about crafting and music.
Bon je vais sérieusement devoir tenter celle ci, ça sonne trop bien! Merci pour tes vidéos !
I very rarely comment on videos but you have no idea how happy I am to stumble upon your channel!
Superbe vidéo comme à l'habitude!
Wow. I am thoroughly impressed!
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!!!
That’s so cool! Reminds me of watching some of the instruments made for Dune by Hans Zimmer & his musicians. The base notes were particularly crazy 🤯
I don't play any instrument since leaving preschool. But this, this looks waay to fun to miss :) I'll try it with my kids in summer.
F***ING AMAZING!!! Super simple and the concept is so flexible it can do everything from Irish jigs to dubstep! 😃
Beautiful!
It's probably the nicest experiment in mechanical vibrations !
Way better than measuring car chasse...
Insane in the membrane :)
tres cool ....
Man, love your energy. Awesome instruments as always. THX
This is actually very similar to a Dizi Flute! Love your channel!
FANTASTIC! Ive been waiting for this video!
This is ridiculously cool, absolutely love it
This is insanely good!
This is brilliant man!! 🙌🎶 Can't wait to make some weird instruments! ✌️
I was thinking the one with a drone sounded kinda like a bagpipe, and then you just went and made a single-bag bagpipe from it! Legend! I love those beat frequencies.
Absolutely amazing. Love this
Thanks mate, you helped my with music project!
Amazing video man!!!
Membrane clarinet sounds suprisingly nice
I was experimenting and found a unique sound that's smoother and less horn-like. Using a T-connector with locking ends used in plumbing, I found I can very easily add a membrane just as before. But, because I don't fasten it all the way down (I can't or it tightens too much) there is a hole left open. I put a NERF rival ball inside the small cup end and taped it (making sure there was enough of the gap for air to escape) , and it added tension to the membrane. I could almost compare it to a snare (and you can hear it with less air the vibration like a snare drum) but it makes it a smooth sound. I also noticed it made the pitch VERY consistent. Usually with less pressure the note changes drastically. But this modification retains pitch with pressure.
This is such a fun instrument to make. I love your work. Thank you!
MIND. BLOWN.
This is insane, and funny, and beautiful. Thank you!