Designing and building a pipe marimba

Abstract

In the modem world, musical expression is becoming a technological process as much as an emotive work. Yet for many, music creation remains a tactile, physical experience. Before the experience of making music, though, is the process of building such concrete instruments. Employing certain acoustical principles, I have designed and built an instrument that provides this tangible experience. These plans are available for future instrument builders to use and improve. This document describes why and how I built this instrument, as well as the functional acoustical formula that inspired this design.