also called a Crystal Organ,
I was reminded of a glass armonica, that we had seen on a visit to the Horinamn Musum,
except that the glass in the armonica spins, but here in the Cristal Baschet, invented in 1952 by Bernard and François
Baschet, the glass used, the rods, are held still and sound is made by a wetted
finger sliding on the glass rods, making the instrument almost sing, in the video above,
multi-instrumentalist and film composer Marc Chouarain explains how it works and demonstrates
techniques for turning finger rubs and drags into deep melodic echoes, according to musician and rare instrument performer Thomas
Bloch, models of the crystal organs range from 3.5 to 6 octaves and are
made of 56 chromatically tuned glass rods, to play it, musicians rub the rods
with wet fingertips. “The vibration of the glass is passed on to the heavy
block of metal by a metal stem whose variable length determines the frequency,”
Bloch explains. “Amplification is obtained by fiberglass cones fixed on wood
and by a tall cut out metal part, in the shape of a flame. ‘Whiskers’
(moustaches), placed under the instrument, to the right, increase the sound
power of high-pitched sounds in vibrating by sympathy.” Ravi Shankar, Damon Albarn (Gorillaz), Daft Punk, Radiohead,
Tom Waits, and Manu Dibango are among the musical acts who have used the
Cristal Baschet, according to an official Baschet
Sound Structures Association brochure, for more from Chouarain, check out
his Facebook page, what a fascinating instrument.
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