A few weeks after Lucy and I have decided on the specifics of our TME project, I took a break. Not completely because I still tried to help out with some of the research into the specifics of our instruments but unfortunately, there were other assignments to finish and I needed to put the fun stuff like building instruments on a side, at least for now.

However, time was ticking and the five weeks we had from the moment we decided to begin our project has soon turned to 4. Then 3. And if I’m being honest, I wasn’t anywhere closer to coming up with an effective design for a string instrument. My only idea that I kept at the back of my mind was the Echo Cello designed by Jon Madin. Unfortunately, there were several problems with trying to recreate an instrument like that:

1. It wasn’t my design
2. Even if I modified it in some ways, it would still be too complicated for primary school children
3. I didn’t have the time to come up with an easier way to build a similar instrument which was quite sophisticated in its conception even though it was super easy to play

So when Lucy asked me if I was closer to coming up with a design, I had to say no, no I wasn’t. I have hit the wall, and unfortunately it had nothing to do with Pink Floyd.

This point in my research always seems to happen. Usually when I have to come up with original projects, there is the initial excitement where I’m overflowing with ideas, then the motivation to research about it as much as possible and then, somewhere in the middle, BAM! I’m hitting the wall, head first. And this period is not pleasant. As I’ve already mentioned, I was running out of time (or at least it felt like that). Originally, I wanted to come up with a design early on so I have plenty of time to build the instrument and test it out. Yet, at this point, things were looking tight so I needed to be efficient.

So the intensive research began. I began considering even changing the instrument type to make my job easier. However, the more I looked at different home-made instruments, the more I was getting overwhelmed. I really, really didn’t want to try thinking up a new design from scratch but I also didn’t want to copy an already existing one either. So I kept on going back to Linsey Pollak and to Jon Madin for inspiration. I’ve also gone to Youtube and started typing-in generic search terms like ‘Homemade Instruments’ and ‘DIY instruments’. I did find this video which was quite impressive:

Sadly, I quickly realised two things: these designs wouldn’t be doable for younger students to make in the classroom. And for a day, this realisation hit me hard to the point where I was regretting even going into this project. What was I thinking, trying to build an instrument in such a short amount of time without any previous knowledge??

But, let me tell you what happens after I hit a wall (sometimes repeatedly). Eventually, if I stop and decide that I give up, I finally stop pushing and calm down. This is when I realise that I was able to walk around the wall this whole time! And that is exactly what happened! All my failed research led me to discovered DIY instruments that either included designs like these,

or something highly sophisticated like this.

There is nothing necessarily wrong with either of the two but there was definitely a gap for instruments which could be build by younger children while still giving them enough interest and challenge. And I wanted to bridge this gap! I have already decided to go for a ukulele/guitar type of an instrument after looking at different ‘How to build your own cigar box guitar’ tutorials but again, trying to come up with a design which is as challenging as it is simple seemed like an ultimate paradox. That is, until I came across this video:

For the first time since I began my research, I wasn’t able to find any DIY instrument projects that involved materials which didn’t require power tools. If I did, the design was quite simple (see above picture). However, this video showed an amazing looking guitar which was build entirely from cardboard. And then it all clicked! I saw the path around the wall and I began to run towards it! ‘What if I try and combine the design of the cardboard guitar with the design of the cigar box guitar??’ I asked myself. ‘It sounds crazy but it just might work!’ said I to me.

I ran the idea past Lucy and she was quite positive about the it! I also ran the idea past James, our lecturer, and though he loved the concept, his fear was that it might be a little too ambitious. I mean, coming up with a new guitar design in a few weeks did sound ambitious. And yet, I was finally back on track and excited to start creating again!

My instrument building journey was finally able to continue.

Image by JL G from Pixabay