cymbal chains and others

several cymbal chains made from broken cymbals and a few other experiments, one chain made from small food cups, one made from small flat metal discs

modified hubcap

hubcap with several springs attached, still in the works as I add more materials

cymbal chime

the first of several cymbal chimes made from cut down broken cymbals, each is segmented into multiple parts for a chime like sound. This one is made from a broken paiste Rude and cut into three parts.

drum gong top

the top of a 50 gallon oil drum, which i found, cleaned off and drilled for a mounting string. somewhat gong-like, lots of sustain and great attack.

mbir-frame 1 + 2

two new industrial mbiras, the one on left using aluminum tines and the one on right using steel plumbing supplies for the tines. More info and upgrades on this soon.

aeol 1

my first version of several windharps i'm currently working on. This one is two industrial wires stretched across an 8 foot long 2X6 using steel brackets and four eye bolts. I've also attached a contact microphone pickup.

string board 1

my interest in amplified string continues with the addition of the string board 1. A fairly simple construction, a 2X4 with two piano strings culled from a broken piano at a performance of Death of a Piano by the Moe!kestra in SF circa may 2007. The strings are attached to the board via two piano pins kindly given to me by Bob Weller. I've attached a contact microphone as a pickup, as seen at the left.

squareframe

The squareframe is my latest amplified instrument following frame 1 + 2 and the snareframe (see below). It was designed and built to be an easily transportable version of the previous instruments. It is split in half structurally - the left hand side has a tomato slicer, an egg slicer, two soap dishes and the bottom of an egg slicer that has been modified to play like a kalimba. Also note the small spring at the bottom of the left side. The right side has three springs, the first is five bed springs, the next a section of pipe wrap and a shorter spring on the far right side. The squareframe is amplified by a contact mic attached to a 1/4" jack on the middle support bar. This instrument is still being worked on, expect a few updates in the next several months.

snareframe

The snareframe is a recent amplified instrument following frame 1 + 2 (see below). It was designed and built to provide a easily transportable version of the previous instruments - it fits in a snare drum case and is easily playable mounted on a snare drum stand. As you can see from the picture at left, its built from half an old metal snare shell and contains quite a few springs (on the left side), four welding rods, two lathed cymbals and one lobster pot top. Its a bit hard to see in this picture, but there is a butter slicer on the outside of the left side. The snareframe is amplified by a contact mic attached to a 1/4" jack on the outer portion of the snare shell.This instrument is still being worked on, expect a few updates in the next several months.

frame 1

The frames started as an outgrowth of my junk collecting. Originally, I had a very large frame with various metals (large metal plates, etc.) hanging on strings from an amplified bar attached to two microphone stands. This proved to much to deal with and way to much to carry around for performances, so i began to build a smaller frame with everything attached. This turn out to be the frame 1, which has gone through numerous revisions and rebuilding. There are two small lathed cymbals, a fire bell and a spoxe on the left side and a finger cymbal and a large washer bolted to the top. The upper section contains nine graduated welding rods, four different springs, three canteen knives, two small metal prongs and a hard-boiled egg slicer in the upper right. The lower section has four small high tension springs, a large piece of pipe wrap, a snare mechanism with strainer and three small motors. It measures 4'5" tall by 2' wide. Two smaller pieces of metal with rubber feet provide removable legs for transport, and it is amplified by two homemade contact mic placed on the middle support bar. I also (finally, after a ridiculus gig where i carried it across the border to TJ for a gig) added a handle for ease of carrying.

frame 2

Frame 2 started a bit later, with some of the pieces that didn't fit on frame 1 and quite a bit of new stuff, especially two bicycle wheels - one from a scrap bike Chris Harrison and myself purchased and the larger wheel from a scrap bike i found. There is an effort on this frame to deal with long strings, first the bass strings given to me by Greg Buhlert and also a long piece of kite string. There are also two high tension springs, a tomato slicer, a flea comb, a metal welding rod and seven springs attached together to form a chain. Also note the hand crank eggbeater behind the large bicycle wheel. Frame 2 is much taller than frame 1 - roughly 6' tall and 2'6" wide and also has two support legs removable for transport. It is amplified by one homemade contact mic attached to the middle support bar.

amplified grate

originally part of a large tractor, this grate has had two bolts welded to it which give perfect mounting, and i attached a contact mic and 1/4" jack for amplification (upper right).

harpophone (v1)

the first version of the harpophone. Six industrial wires attached to a metal frame using guitar tuners. I've also attached four floor tom brackets for better performance positioning. Unfortunately, the frame is no match for the tension of the wires, and is caving in. This version is currently being dismantled and re-built.

(pictures coming soon)

contact and telephone microphones

barrel drum

I found this 50 gallon oil drum that was cut in half and further modified it by attaching bass drum spurs and a few springs to the drum. I've found that using a double bass drum pedal with two different beaters (say a large puffy beater and a wood beater) work well and opens up the different sounds options. Sounding something like a controlled tam tam.......

daveophone

The three different pipe marimbas seen here are built with graduated fence post pipe. The daveophone was first, originally set on two long pieces of wood with felt, and later attached to the frame seen here. As with the frames, the daveophone proved a bit to cumbersome for travel....

pipephone 1 & 2

.....so i built the two smaller pipeophones for easier use. All three instruments are drilled and mounted on their nodal points, resting on felt and held to the frames by eyeholes screws and nylon string. I've also attached handles to the instruments for ease of carrying. The pipes have not been tuned to western temperment but are graduated low to high.

alumophone

The alumophone is prototype of a larger instrument i've been working on combining the possibilities of a vibraphone and a saron. This instrument is made from six graduated aluminum bars resting on a trough-like resonating box with coffee cans placed inside to help the resonance (thanks hirsh).

bell plates

Two steel plates i built, with holes drilled on their nodal points. Both are very heavy........

"Thats the best sounding bell plate i've every heard"
- Don Nichols

street light reflectors

The street light reflectors are metal bowls collected from street lights. These bowls have been placed upside down and mounted on nylon string. Struck gently on their edges, the have a ringing bell-like tone. There are several collections of the bowls, two sets of four reflectors of the larger size (15") seen to the left and a smaller set of four reflectors - one 15" bowls, two 10" bowls and a small hubcap. Dents and warping on the bowls causes pitch differences, allowing for small graduated scales to be played.The reflectors are played with mallets made from large dowels and wrapped in felt at the tips.

ribbon cymbals

The ribbon cymbals were created from old broken cymbals. These broken cymbals were grinded into a spiraling "ribbon" cymbal. The resulting sound is more "trashier", with a slight flanger sound to it. There are three ribbon cymbals, one 18 inch Sabian B20 (with four rivets), one 18 inch Paiste 2002 and one 16 inch Paiste 2002.

aluminum cymbals

two recent cymbals i made, the one on left is roughly 16", i cut it down from a large piece of aluminum, hammered a small bell and lathed both sides. The right is a pot top, i've done some serious hammering to it, there is a bi-level bell, and i lathed both sides.

garbage can lid cymbals

Most of my garbage can lid collection was obtained thru illegal means one summer in high school. It was a very long time ago, i refuse to name my accomplices and i'm positive the statue of limitations has run out. The two lids seen at left have had their edges grinded off and were drilled in the middle for easier mounting. The lids measure roughly 19" and have a very dry, hollow sound. By removing the edges, any hint of pitch from the lid is gone.

and hand cymbals

The hand cymbals pictured at left were found in the back of DHCC just when i needed them (thank you Llonio Son Llonwen) and were drilled and fitted with rope handles for the MCHS Pit 2002. To bad they fired me, those two-faced, lying assholes. But that is not the point. These hand cymbals have a very dry, dead sound with a hint of metallic pitch, perfect for any musical need. These two pairs were built for Camille and Sara.

lions roar

The Lions Roar was constructed from a PVC shell (lathed by my brother, measuring 9" deep by 8" across), old drum hardware, an 8" REMO ebony ambassador head and a short piece of rope. The rope is attached to a small hole in the head by knots on both sides. The instrument is played by rosining the rope and (using a small cloth) pulling the rope away from the head, creating a roaring sound similar to a male lion in heat (or so i'm told). The instruments was inspired by the West African lions roar and the Brazilian cuica and was built for a performance of John Cages Third Construction.

prepared head

As an outreach of the lions roar idea, i've been modifying drumheads by attaching strings, small pieces of metal and other junk. The head seen here has also had a contact mic glued to the bottom of the head and i've attached a 1/4" jack into the head for amplification.

"For $10 we can fix that for you" Ted Best

PVC drums

The PVC drums shown here were made from PVC pipe shells with drum hardware purchased from a local drum shop. The shells were drilled for the hardware and i also filed bearing edges into them. Both drums measure 7.5 inches by 6 inches, the left drum was fitted with top and bottom heads while the right drum is single headed. Both drums are fitted with mounting brackets for easy placement in any setup.

snare drums

Two different snares, built ten years apart. The first was built from an old Slingerland marching tom shell, i cut off the projection edge, sanded down the edge and cut new bearing edges. The second was built by Todd Holmes at San Diego Drum with my design of two snares, the traditional snare on the bottom head and a second snare inside touching the batter head.

guiro

This gourd almost killed me. When i opened it, the dust and mold went into my lungs causing a severe allergic reaction. There is a recording of me dying on Blind Orchid. Regardless, i made the gourd into the wonderful guiro seen here by grinding ridges into one side of it and drilling finger holes into its back.

water drums

Inspired by the music of Pierre Favre, i've been cleaning, sanding and finishing these gourds for two water drums. The larger gourds hold water while the smaller gourds float upside down in the larger gourds.

homemade/found sticks

from left to right -

two pairs of triangle beaters, the first brass, the second steel. one potato slicer. two slit bamboo sticks. one rute made from tree barnches found in my backyard. two superball mallets attached to musser two-step mallets. two wire wisks (good for making eggs).

bottlecap sticks

a shaker stick made from a broken broom handle. four rows of eight double stacked bottle caps.

Not really an instrument, but i built these cymbal stackers by attaching hihat rods to the top of cymbal stands. By mounting extra cymblas on hihat clutches, i can get up to four cymbals on each stand. Also note the homemade center mounted bell plate on the left stand.

shakers

OK, i know everybody in the world makes shakers, so here are a few i've built. often i can't find shakers that are gentle enough for some context, i've had good luck with wood (bamboo) or glass containers with rice, corn or any small beans for the pellet. For louder shakers, i often use larger containers, large pieces of PVC or metal pipe work well with BBs or marbles.

dopplerophones - Percussion great Paul Lytton originated the idea of the dopplerophone, which is a funnel attached to a long tube. The player swings the tube over their head while playing, creating a doppler effect. The dopplerophones i've built are constructed from double walled tubing (so the tube doesn't pinch in performance) with a variety of metal (aluminum and stainless steel) and plastic funnels used for the "bell" of the instrument. The player attaches a saxophone or trombone mouthpiece to the end of the tubing. I've been working on smaller tubing to fit trumpet mouthpieces. I built the first dopplerophone for Lee Elderton, who used it extensively in the Elderton/Hubbard duo and the quartet Return To One. There are eight dopplerophones currently in existance (and inspired by a comment Danlee Mitchell made to me), my goal is to someday have a dopplerophone orchestra, an idea that was partially realized in the Skeleton Key Orchestra recording. Thank you Paul.

windchimes

The windchimes pictured were built from scrap metal and various objects. The photo on the left shows windchimes made from pieces of rebar, drilled at the nodal points and mounted on a electric outlet face. A tuba mouthpiece provides the clanger and a piece of scrap electrical part allows the wind to activate the chimes. The next windchimes were made from CO2 containers with a washer as a clanger and a small grill to activate the chimes.

The next two photos show more windchimes with clangers. The photo on the left shows a windchime constructed from a large mortar shell. This windchime uses a large rolling pin as a clanger and a bit of a broken chainsaw to activate it. The windchimes on the right were made from scrap metal suspended from an old coffee can, with a washer as a clanger and a small sheet of aluminum to activate the chimes.

The next photo shows a windchime built from four broken lathed cymbals, suspended on a spindel from an old turntable.

(picture coming soon)

drone machine

At this writing, the Drone Machine has not been built, except for a small test DM in my garage. The idea is for the amplification of very long strings - 20' to 50', using industrial wire and guitar pickups. The strings will be activated by small picks, attached to motors, placed directly below the strings.

drone box

started for a sound cue on the rivulet recording, these amplified boxed have not been finished.

mbir-frames - Ogd_S(11) Translation Has Failed:New Encinitas (upcoming)

squareframe - no recordings available

snareframe - Noah PhillipsNathan Hubbard:Live from the Devils Triangle vol.10 (KFJC comp CD), Nathan Hubbard:Aegis II (C&PCD014)

frame 1 - Lee Elderton/Nathan Hubbard (C&PMCD003), Return To One:Firecliffs (CMCD 034A-B), Jason Robinson:Tandem (ALP025), Mike Keneally:Wooden Smoke (Exowax 2405), Marcos Fernandes:Hybrid Vigor (ALP027), Marcelo Radulovich:Hello (ALP029), Nathan Hubbard:Born On Tuesday (CMCD SA-81), Nathan Hubbard:Aegis I (C&PCD005), Nathan Hubbard:Skeleton Key Orchestra (CMCD039A-B), Trummerflora:Rubble 1 (A-C 201), Ellen Weller:Spirits, Little Dreams and Improvisations (CMCD 041), Glatter/Hubbard:Rivulet (CMCD043), Jon Kanas:Cabalistic Dispatch, The Unmentionables:August 2005 (C&PCD012), Nathan Hubbard:Blind Orchid (AC044), Nathan Hubbard/Skeleton Key Orchestra:Furiously Dreaming (upcoming release)

frame 2 - Nathan Hubbard:Born On Tuesday (CMCD SA-81), Nathan Hubbard:Aegis I (C&PCD005), Glatter/Hubbard:Rivulet (CMCD043)

amplified grate - Nathan Hubbard:Blind Orchid (AC044)

telephone/contact microphones - Return To One:Firecliffs (CMCD 034A-B), Nathan Hubbard:Born On Tuesday (CMCD SA-81), Nathan Hubbard:Aegis I (C&PCD005), Glatter/Hubbard:Rivulet (CMCD043), Nathan Hubbard:Blind Orchid (AC044)

barrel drum - Nathan Hubbard:Blind Orchid (AC044), Skeleton Key Percussion Ensemble:Below The Orange Curtain (upcoming release), Nathan Hubbard/Skeleton Key Orchestra:Furiously Dreaming (upcoming release)

daveophone - Return To One:Firecliffs (CMCD 033A-B), Nathan Hubbard:Born On Tuesday (CMCD SA-81)

pipeophone 1 & 2 - Nathan Hubbard:Skeleton Key Orchestra (CMCD039A-B), Glatter/Hubbard:Glass House Vertigo (upcoming release)

alumophone - no recordings available

bell plates - Glatter/Hubbard:Rivulet (CMCD043), Trummerflora:Rubble 2 (CMCD202), Glatter/Hubbard:Glass House Vertigo (upcoming release), Skeleton Key Percussion Ensemble:Below The Orange Curtain (upcoming release)

street light reflectors - Nathan Hubbard:small potatoes on the road to french-fries (C&PMCD000), Glatter/Hubbard:Rivulet (CMCD043), Glatter/Hubbard:Glass House Vertigo (upcoming release), Skeleton Key Percussion Ensemble:Below The Orange Curtain (upcoming release)

ribbon cymbals - Nathan Hubbard/Skeleton Key Orchestra:Furiously Dreaming (upcoming release) - heard on the track Skeleton Key Theme, during David Borgos solo . . . . .

garbage can lid cymbals and hand cymbals - Nathan Hubbard:Born On Tuesday (CMCD SA-81), Glatter/Hubbard:Rivulet (CMCD043), Nathan Hubbard:Blind Orchid (AC044), Nathan Hubbard/Skeleton Key Orchestra:Furiously Dreaming (upcoming release)

lions roar - NOD:three freaks lost in a junkyard (C&PMCD007/8/9/10), Nathan Hubbard:Blind Orchid (AC044), Nathan Hubbard/Skeleton Key Orchestra:Furiously Dreaming (upcoming release)

prepared heads - Nathan Hubbard:Blind Orchid (AC044)

PVC drums - Nathan Hubbard:Born On Tuesday (CMCD SA-81), Nathan Hubbard:Skeleton Key Orchestra (CMCD039A-B), Glatter/Hubbard:Rivulet (CMCD043), Nathan Hubbard:(compositions 1998-2005) (CMCD), Nathan Hubbard:Blind Orchid (AC044), Glatter/Hubbard:Glass House Vertigo (upcoming release), Nathan Hubbard/Skeleton Key Orchestra:Furiously Dreaming (upcoming release)

snare drums - Nathan Hubbard:Blind Orchid (AC044), Nathan Hubbard/Skeleton Key Orchestra:Furiously Dreaming (upcoming release)

water drums - Nathan Hubbard:small potatoes on the road to french-fries (C&PMCD000), Skeleton Key Percussion Ensemble:Below The Orange Curtain (upcoming release)

homemade/found sticks - just about every recording i've done. you might check out the overuse of the superball mallets on Blind Orchid as a good place to start.

marching machine - Nathan Hubbard:small potatoes on the road to french-fries (C&PMCD000), Ellen Weller:Spirits, Little Dreams and Improvisations (CMCD 041), Glatter/Hubbard:Glass House Vertigo (upcoming release), Skeleton Key Percussion Ensemble:Below The Orange Curtain (upcoming release)

dopplerophones - Return To One:Promises (C&PMCD000), Lee Elderton/Nathan Hubbard (C&PMCD003), Return To One:Hopes and Dreams (CMCD033), Return To One:Firecliffs (CMCD 034A-B), Nathan Hubbard:Skeleton Key Orchestra (CMCD039A-B)

wind chimes - Return To One:Firecliffs (CMCD 033A-B), Nathan Hubbard:Skeleton Key Orchestra (CMCD039A-B), Glatter/Hubbard:Rivulet (CMCD043), Nathan Hubbard:(compositions 1998-2005) (CMCD)