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Trial 2 - Build a Musical Instrument

1. Your task is to build a musical instrument and test it using the Sound Grapher. Each team can do a different instrument, in order to make a band with lots of different sounds. Your teacher will supply you with a collection of materials. Or you can bring things from elsewhere, if you discuss it first with your teacher.

2. Here are the goals you should try to meet with your instrument.

   a. It has a sound that lasts long enough so that you can take a snapshot of it with the Sound Grapher.

   b. You can change pitch.

   c. You can play both soft and loud.

   d. You can play a melody (such as 'Mary had a little lamb').

3. Some teams can make drums that don't meet all of these goals, since a band needs lots of different sounds.

4. When you have developed your instrument, demonstrate it to the class and answer the following questions:

   a. Draw your instrument. Refer to Technical Hints to use the drawing tool.

   
   

   b. Start the sound grapher. Refer to Technical Hints to use the sound grapher. Record a picture of your instrument's sound. Keep the picture of the sound by hitting Stop.

   
   

   c. How do you change the pitch (if you can)?

   
   

   d. How do you change the loudness?

   
   

   e. How do you get the sound to last longer?

   
   

   f. Describe the quality of your instrument's sound. How do you change the quality of the sound (if you can)?