Build a Band
The Windboard is essentially a modified slap organ in that it is a row of chromatic pipes that need to be hit using a hammer or, more traditionally hands. The Windboard is, specifically, a row of 13 PVC Pipes of length determined by the chromatic scale attached to a board and tilted toward the player at a 45° angle, along with two “paddles” made out of wood, cardboard and duct tape. It is played by hitting the tops of the pipe with the paddles and creating harmonies or individual notes(which are variations in frequency). It works by forcing air through a tube of a particular length, and that gust causes vibrations, (in the form of sound waves, characterized by a longitudinal nature) to travel throughout the surrounding area. One of the downsides to using the Windboard, or any type of slap organ is that it only has a near instantaneous noise due to the duration of time required to make a noise. Another downside is the limited amount of notes that can be played at one time, as well as the limited quantity of notes total.
Reflection
During this project, I learned so much about wavelengths, frequencies, and wave speeds, and teamwork. I learned that people work much better together if the work portions are decided before the work is started instead of everyone working on almost everything at once. I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing my design for a laptop slap organ, which I call a Windboard, come to fruition. However, I regret not being able to finish my instrument until nearly the last second. I also wish my instrument ended up being more stable than it turned out. All in all, I am glad I did this project because of how much it taught me about teamwork.