James Akers

A video of Mark from the MIT glass band playing a 15mm neon tube "Racket" I made for him. The basic premise is a bunch of stacked loop D loops with a bell on one end and some sort of reed or vibratey bit at the other. Then you pop with fire or drill out finger holes.

I can make em pretty quick- so when I broke one trying to modify it I just made another. I gotta get myself one of those bagpipe bamboo reeds- they look fun to play with.

It was fun acting as a glass luthier :). Vitreous sonic vistas!

I wanna make a color light sensitive oscillator for neon playing.

#glassschool #racket #instrument #reeds #craft #glass #handmade #pilchuck #seattle #pnw #MIT #brooklyn #instrument #music #baritone

Jun 21, 2024 at 7:49pmWeb
Show threadÅsa Maria Hedberg - artistJun 21, 2024

@JamesAkers Best thing I've seen in a very long time @JamesAkers ! Such an inspiration too, thanks!

I'm about to try to make basis instruments from metal. Just... How do you place the holes? Just random guesses or any more specific theory involved?

My son saw the video and yelled:
Mum I NEED one of those!! (Perhaps I should learn tube bending/blowing one day.)

Show threadJames AkersJun 21, 2024

@AasaMariaHedberg ooo ya! It's super fun! Mark would put them where his fingers lined up- but also liked to skip loops to get sort of different octaves.

Of course you could kinda put them wherever. The tones could go so low on this one that he wanted holes way up to get higher pitches.

Show threadJames AkersJun 21, 2024

@AasaMariaHedberg the instrument making is way fun- and something I really wanna play with more.

I used to play trombone- so I could make myself a mouthpiece- but I wanna get myself some of those bamboo reeds- the simplicity of blowing air bagpipe style is appealing to me

Show threadÅsa Maria Hedberg - artistJun 21, 2024

@JamesAkers 😄 my only experience with 'honking' instruments (trumpets and such) is the vuwuzela I bought a I left South Africa and was just barely allowed to board. Not that I was playing 😅

But cool!!
I'm gonna try to find any copper tube lying around and try my luck perhaps already tomorrow...

Show threadÅsa Maria Hedberg - artistJun 21, 2024
@JamesAkers (seems a bit easier to start bending metal, glass later!)
Show threadJames AkersJun 21, 2024

@AasaMariaHedberg here is Mark's sample one he made for me to look at- just a bamboo piece with a slit in it for the reed, some vinyl or rubber tubing coiled up from the hardware store, and other little vinyl tubing's connecting it all together.

I think he drilled little holes in the side with an exacto or drill bit for his fingers. The "real" rackets are apparently made of wood- with the same spiral design. Lots of hole drilling and filling to get the spiral shape.

Show threadÅsa Maria Hedberg - artistJun 21, 2024

@JamesAkers not sure I've ever seen a racket before, must check it up!

Ringt now sort of everyone over here are either watching FRA-NED or celebrating Midsummer's Eve. But tomorrow: copper tube bending! 😄