Drums aren't very tonal or melodic.
I want to change that.
When I was living in San Francisco, my friend and I could only play two instruments at a time. I played drums and he played the bass. We wanted to make it possible for us to harmonize our two instruments...
We took his beat up Fender Strat and tuned all the strings open and put it face down on a table near the kit. Every time I struck the strings the guitar would create a lovely tone rich in harmonics and feedback. The only problem was that I eventually destroyed the guitar.
I have created two prototypes (working on the third) of instruments that are a mix between the Japanese Koto and the electric guitar in style. These instruments are designed to be both plucked and struck with a stick.
The final prototype is crafted out of Poplar and is equipped with 2 bass strings, 6 guitar strings and 4 resonating strings that line the belly of the instrument.
The Winslanirian also contains 1 bass, and 2 guitar pickups along with 2 piezo microphones, for picking up harmonics.
Elie Zananiri made this instrument with me in Materials class, but since he already has 2 projects, he is unable to put his name on this.
The best part of this instrument (at least the first two prototypes) is its sound.
People have said that it sounds like a Sitar, a steel guitar in the Mississippi Blues style, a Koto, and a Banjo.
I would love to display this piece in the Winter show. All I need is two speakers an LCD screen to show the instrument with other melodic accompaniment and a stand for instrument itself.