When playing a xylophone, the sound is produced by the strike of the sticks on the bars, which transfer energy to the bar, causing vibrations. The force of the strike to the different bars plays a part in the sound as well as the size of the bars. My thoughts on size of the bars is that with smaller bars there is less room for air particles to travel, making it more concentrated, causing different pitches. Different sized bars are very important with xylophones. Smaller bars cause higher pitches while larger bars form lower pitches. In order to reconstruct a xylophone, I will be using a certain type of material for the bars. My ideas are either wood or pipe. This is because with an actual xylophone the bars tend to be wood, but I'm thinking pipe will making a louder sound. When you hit a pipe with something, it ends up being very loud, as if you can hear the vibration themselves which i think would be very useful in making a xylophone. the  For the stick that will strike the bars, I plan on using wood. For the stand, I would like to have it wood. My idea is to have two large pieces of wood standing up and being nailed to two pieces of wood that will be placed flat underneath the pipe bars to be played while standing. And of course nails and screws in order to keep things in place. 

Questions That I Have:
- Is there a certain size I will need to make the bars in order to create the notes that I want to play?
- Are the sound waves effected by how I decide to play the xylophone? (i.e. if I hit two different sizes or I hit at a certain speed, will it effect the sound waves and will the sounds mash together or not?)

A xylophone is a very interesting instrument. 

To play a xylophone you have two sticks made of either rubber or wood. The instrument consists of bars ranging in size from large to small. The longer the bar is, the lower the pitch. The smaller the bars, the higher the pitch. As seen in the video, this xylophone was made like a piano type instrument, where there were also bars located above the bars that are mainly played. These bars are for flat and sharp notes. They are in sets of either two or three. The sticks that are used to be played with, also, effect the sound the bars play. Harder sticks make sharper sounds, unlike with softer sticks that play more gentle sounds. The shape of a xylophone is actually pretty simple. It is shaped in a line, from larger bars to smaller bars. The sticks are normally thin with a ball shape at the top (the part of the stick that strikes the bars when a xylophone is being played). This makes me think about how you interact with a material can create sound and the size of that material may also effect it. Like on a guitar, the strings are different thicknesses. What I know about a wave, is that when energy is transferring through it, you can change how fast it pulses or how long its wavelength is. So in other words, if you play with how hard you hit an instrument, it will effect the wavelength and the frequency depends on the size of the bars. 

--How is it played? What does the person have to do to produce sound?

The arm holds up the viola, and the person playing the viola is holding it steady by the chin.  You would have to move the bow across the strings to produce sound.

 

--How do you change a note?

 Each string itself has it’s own note so moving the bow across the strings. Then, depending on where you place your fingers on the string at the top, it changes the way the note sounds.

 

--How is it shaped?

It have a vase like shape.

 

--What does this make you think about how you can create and change sound?

Sound can be changed by adding pressure to a specific part.            

 

 

 

Sound is produced by the vibrations of the strings. The thicker the string the stronger the pitch. The energy that's being transferred from the strings cause a vibration throughout and creates sound waves. I'm changing the pitch by changing the strings by using smaller ones thin ones an thicker ones they all have a different type of pitch whether its high or low or average. The most important physical characteristic in my instrument is the strings which creates the sounds. I will be using the strings or rubber bands to help create the sound overall and I will be using wood possible and some tuning tools to help keep the strings in place and altogether. I will play my instrument using my fingers or a pick to pluck at the strings. I plan on using my class time effectively too help design my instrument and I plan to use outside time as well to help me as well.

Pianos create sound when the player presses a key which triggers a hammer to strike a string. When the hammer strikes the string, it causes a vibration in the string which causes the air molecules to hit each other, making a sound. At this point, a damper is released, causing the string to continue to vibrate. When the key is released, the damper stops the string from vibrating, stopping the sound. ​Pianos pitches and dynamics can be changed depending how the player plays it.The pitch can be changed by pressing a key that strikes either a thicker or thinner string. The volume can be changed by pressing the key either lighter or heavier. I could actually build this instrument by replacing the strings for xylophone bars, which would minimize the amount of materials I would need to build it. I would need wood for the casing, some felt, and various screws. The felt is for the hammer, which causes a softer sound when it hits the xylophone bar. The xylophone bars are what are going to vibrate to make the sound. The wood is used for the casing, the hammer, and the entire action. The screws are going to be used for the action. I will be playing the instrument by pressing the keys which will trigger the hammer to strike the xylophone bar. I will be going to VK's room everyday after school to build it. I will also try to schedule days when I can meet up with Quach (the member who had the highest score for access to materials) so I could build it. 

Flute:

After further research into how it is that a flute functions and creates sound, I found that my initial opinion, the one concerning the length of the pipe and the concentration of the air molecules. I initially believed that the concentration of air molecules altered the frequency of the sound waves. This, in turn, creates a deeper or higher pitch when it comes to musical notes or other sounds. The less energy that the molecules transferring the wave have, the lower the pitch, because the frequency is lower. When I put my plans into action, I am hoping to create my flute out of either PVC pipe or copper pipe, depending upon the materials that I can gain access to. I'm planning on placing the holes used to create notes about 15.24cm from one end, then about 2.5cm apart afterward. The hope is that such a design would allow me to play it just like a regular flute. The only real remaining question that I have is whether or not I'll be able to get aid in learning how to play it.