Sound Inventions: Selected Articles from Experimental Musical Instruments

Sound Inventions is a collection of 34 articles taken from Experimental Musical Instruments, the seminal journal published from 1984 through 1999. In addition to the selected articles, the editors have contributed introductory essays, placing the material in cultural and temporal context, providing an overview of the field both before and after the time of original publication.

The Experimental Musical Instruments journal contributed extensively to a number of sub-fields, including sound sculpture and sound art, sound design, tuning theory, musical instrument acoustics, timbre and timbral perception, musical instrument construction and materials, pedagogy, and contemporary performance and composition. This book provides a picture of this important early period, presenting a wealth of material that is as valuable and relevant today as it was when first published, making it essential reading for anyone researching, working with or studying sound.

Bart Hopkin is maker of acoustic musical instruments and student of instruments worldwide. He earned a B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard University in folklore and mythology specializing in ethnomusicology in 1974, and later received a B.A. in music education and a teaching credential at San Francisco State University. From 1985 to 1999, Bart edited the quarterly journal Experimental Musical Instruments. Since 1994, he has written numerous books on instruments and their construction, including the leading resource, Musical Instrument Design. He has produced CDs featuring the work of innovative instrument makers, including the very successful Gravikords, Whirlies & Pyrophones.

Sudhu Tewari is an electro-acoustic composer, improvisor, and bricoleur in sound, kinetic and interactive art. He holds a B.A. in Music from Sonoma State University, an M.F.A. in Electronic Music and Recording Technology from Mills College, and a Ph.D. in Cultural Musicology from UC Santa Cruz. Sudhu builds audio electronics, acoustic instruments, kinetic sculptures, interactive installations, and sound sculpture. Dr. Tewari is Workshop Technician in the instrument building program at Mills College and teaches art, technology, and design at California College of the Arts, the University of San Francisco, and Expression College in Emeryville.