Musical Instrument Design: Practical Information for Instrument Design (Paperback)

~ Bart Hopkin (Author), John Scoville (Introduction) "In order to think intelligently about sound production, we need to understand certain things about how the ears and brain make sense of the sounds..." (more)
Key Phrases: initial vibrator, kalimba tines, percussion aerophones, Richard Waters, Stroh Violin, Diamond Marimba (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Deals with the principles of acoustics and their relationship to instrument design in depth.. . .Recommended for most music collections."  —Library Journal

Product Description

This is an encyclopedic, large-format book containing hundreds of illustrations. While not geared toward making conventional instruments, Musical Instrument Design provides all the information that anyone (amateur or professional) should ever need to construct an amazingly wide variety of percussion, string, and wind instruments. Includes many designs along with parts lists and detailed construction instructions.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 181 pages
• Publisher: See Sharp Press (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884365086
• ISBN-13: 978-1884365089
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #195,728 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good read for teachers and artistes., April 9, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Houston,TX) - See all my reviews

This volume covers enough theory and practice in construction of various wind, percussion, and other noisemakers for any artist or teacher to begin exploring novel musical instruments. There's just enough technical information to whet one's whistle, and a freewheeling discussion of materials and methods. For the musician who wants a new toy, decriptions of history and function have enough detail for success on the first try. Teachers will probably find it a good source for stimulating creativity in just about any age group. Check it out!

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book that bought unexpected pleasure from dissapointment!, March 6, 2000

By	Jacob (London, U.K) - See all my reviews

I must say I received this book with much expectancy. I won it as a prize and bought it from this website before there were many reviews. I was expecting it to be instructions for how to make a violin, etc. but I was WRONG. It even says in the introduction that it is not about it. So be warned! However, I decided to read it anyway and what a great book it turns out to be. It covers everything from frequency charts of sound waves to the keywork on flutes and everything in between. I would therefore recommend it to anyone from the expert to beginner as it is so complete. I would give it five but for the bad information about its content which I recieved. That said I just wish it was this cheap when I bought it!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Musical Revelation, June 10, 2002

By	John Bleskacek (Wrenshall, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in acoustics and musical instruments. As a non-musician and someone who never thought he could be musical, I found Hopkin's book an absolute revelation. I never learned this much in college music appreciation courses or junior high school band. I plan to use my newly gained knowledge in acoustics, scales, and materials to build instruments for Christmas gifts this year. If you're tinkering with instrument building or just want to learn more about how instruments make musical sounds don't let this one get away.