An orchestration/instrument question

I am working on a string orchestra piece. The piece starts with silence and then there's a loud abrupt sound. I wanted this sound to have a wooden texture, but I didn't know how to achieve that and with what instrument till I heard Ustvolskaya's 5th Symphony where she uses a wooden cube. Does anyone know if this is a specific instrument and how available it is? Also, can you suggest me any other alternatives. A temple/wood block would be an option, but the sound isn't bass enough...

Thanks!

Alexandros

Perhaps a slit drum?

... I heard Ustvolskaya's 5th Symphony where she uses a wooden cube. Does anyone know if this is a specific instrument and how available it is? Also, can you suggest me any other alternatives.

From what I can tell (from listening and a quick Google of "Ustvolskaya symphony 5 cube" it's simply a wooden cube, hit with a hammer. Go to Home Depot or a similar renovation/hardware store and buy some lumber, nail it together and bang on it with a hammer. $50, bada-boom, bada-bing.

Alternatively, you could get a Caj

I think the Cajon is a good option. I'll do a search about it and in the meantime wait to see if anyone else has any other suggestion. Thank you both! :)

The wooden cube is indeed a hollow homemade cube.

High-profile examples include P

I was thinking whether I could use a hammer (I decided that it is too loud) and I found this video. :)

Hammer

Personally I don't think it will be easy to replace that by a traditional percussion instrument - unless you're ready to "abuse" it. The sound of Ustvolskaya's box depends a lot on the brute force with which it is played, and the fact that it's played with a hammer.

You say that the use of a hammer seems to loud for you, but I'm not sure whether you can retain the same kind of sound without it, or without the loudness. Personally I'd still rather use a hammer more quietly though than your hands or something else soft, to give you that hard attack.

By the way: The following is one of my favourite pieces by Ustvolskaya. It's for eight double basses, wooden box, and piano.

Dies irae

Fantastic piece, Gardener! Her music reminds me of deconstructivist architecture. And this is exactly the sound I want to have by the way.

I'll use a hammer then and I'll have as an alternative a large wood block in case the orchestra cannot have a hammer.

Alexandros

Hello!

I have again an instrument related question and I thought to post it here.

I want to use a waterphone and I was wondering about its availability and its dynamic range. The piece I want to use it in is written for string orchestra (9-9-8-6-4), but there is a quasi-spectral section towards the end of it and I want to intensify the effect of spectrality using the timbre and sound of the particular instrument. This section is the climax of the piece and the orchestra is playing a chord covering almost the whole instrumental range so I was also wondering if the instrument would be heard...

Thanks!

Alexander

I've never heard of nor seen a "waterphone" and I've been in music 25 years.

I'm guessing... rare-ish? *chuckle*

Waterphone, a wonderfully mysterious-sounding instrument.

It's rare, so be sure the group you're writing for has one.

And don't orchestrate heavily, since Waterphone is VERY easily covered by other instruments.

(for those who don't know what a Waterphone is: it's a metallic "jar" with metal stems welded to it. the "jug" is filled with water and swirled, while the metal stems are played with a violin bow. a well-known example of waterphone is the soundtrack to the very first Star Trek film.)

here's a video of some Waterphone:

Waterphone home page

Thank you both for your advice. The piece works well without the waterphone, but I think adding it would add a lot to it. I might make its part optional...

Here's my favourite video with it (the waterphone is heard after the violin - cello thing):

The waterphone

i want one of those

Me too, but the bass one (which I want) is as expensive as my digital piano...

i wonder how difficult it would be to craft something similar on the cheap...

Difficult, I guess... mainly because it is made of metal.

Here are the prices.

I would look into the glass armonica. It is an instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin that consists of a set of glass bowls that fit together and spun. Water is drizzled on it and an application of one's fingers to the rims of the bowls to create a sound very similar to rubbing your finger around a wine glass. It creates an spooky wailing sound that I think would work well.

You can see one here:

I think we've all heard of that, but it doesn't have the same timbre as the waterphone, and isn't really much more readily available.

The glass armonica, although not any less rare than the waterphone, is bolder instrument (and, in my opinion, has a better timbre).

As stated before, the waterphone might not be able to cut through the entire string section. I simply believe that a glass armonica has a greater chance of accomplishing this feat.

The glass harmonica would not produce the sound I desire for the piece. I also doubt it is powerful enough as an instrument dynamically (with the exception, perhaps, of its higher register which is quite piercing)