Unidentified Dongy Things

[DOMINIC71]

I was recently given an incomplete set of a sort of individual xylophone notes. They are made in England by two different makers--John Grey, and Dulcet. There are thirteen pieces, and I have (bass) C to G, incl. F#; and in the treble there is A to E, incl. Bb and C#. They are in the form of a sort of drum with a hole in the top, supported by wrap-around legs--the Dulcet legs are rubber, and the J Grey ones wooden. Of course, a steel note floats above the drum. The "drum" is a sort of resonator, and produces a full, rich sound. The drums are (bass) 205mm long,and 32mm dia. The treble ends are 143mm long & same dia. I don't know exactly what these things are called but I realise that several are missing, and I'd like to make up a full set if I could find some more. Can anybody help? I'd post a photo, but I don't know how to do that yet, as I'm new to this site. Thanks. Dom

 

[John Watt]

Sorry! I thought you were going on about Dongy-Bongs,
a musical instrument others accused of making you a batterer,
if not a beater of sticks.
I recommend mounting these on a dowser,
and search the backyard of the Beethoven museum for his lost tuning fork.
I'd want to be there to hear that come through.

When I played with Drastik Measures, winners of Toronto's Caribana Best Parade Band Prize,
Reg, the number one guitarist, had an over $5,000 Roland guitar synthesizer,
and he got beautiful steel drums sounds.
He'd get the crowd going in a traditional steel drum way, and then he'd start bending the strings,
doing his own things with my brain bending along.
And no, it didn't feel wrong. He did the same with his favorite pipe organ sample.

I Googled John Grey England xylophone and saw this on top,
just mentioning him as a credit for harmonic investigating.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbre

A politician was next, and your posting here is third.

I Googled Dulcet England xylophone and saw this, I looked, and don't know why.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/music-instruments/instruments/percussion

 

[DOMINIC71]

Thank you for your reply, John.
The links haven't yielded any fruit, unfortunately. Apparently both John Grey and Dulcet no longer exist. I have found out that these "dongy things" are actually a type of xylophone. There was a set on Trademe just last week, but it was also an incomplete 13 item set, so I passed it by. Something will probably turn up some day. Thanks for your interest. Regards, Dom

 

[John Watt]

It would be interesting to try and make your own.
That's what tweaked my brain about your first posting,
the thought of missing notes as missing pieces.
We had a little xylophone growing up, and it caught a lot of action.
When musicians talk about vibes, that's where they first caught them.

 

[DOMINIC71]

Thanks for your bit of advice, John--it's food for thought! I'm not sure how I'd go about it though. I could probably knock up the drums (barrels, tubes, whatever), and even the legs; but the metal notes I'm not too certain about: they're a bit out of my league. I'll keep the thought in the fridge. Dom

 

[DOMINIC71]

I just remembered a post-script I should have added. Can you or anybody else reading this tell me how I can post a picture onto this blog, so I can add a pic of the xylophone things. A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. Thanks. Dom

 

[Krummhorn]

I just remembered a post-script I should have added. Can you or anybody else reading this tell me how I can post a picture onto this blog, so I can add a pic of the xylophone things. A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. Thanks. Dom

I'll answer that question ... as a new user you are limited to uploading only 1.0 Mb of 'attachments'. Once you have completed at least 10 posts, you are then allowed up to 3.1 Mb of attachments on this site.

We have a great incentive program on MIMF ... more can be read about that here.

 

[John Watt]

Metal working might seem too ambitious, but aluminum is easier.
Hammering metal can let out more aggression than any attack on a musical instrument.
I was looking at a chandelier made of various lengths of clear plastic,
hanging in a descending circle like a big wind chime,
shaped like long prisms, giving off that effect when lit up.
The owner was surprised at the sounds it gave off, when I was hitting them.
Yes, this is a psychedelic creation, not antique glass.
I wondered what they would sound like, laid out beside each other,
over forty pieces.
Do you think bones made the first xylophones? As in "ring in the dead"?

 

[DOMINIC71]

It's not the metal-work that frightens me, John, but the fact that the notes would have to be steel, and of a certain temper, thickness etc; and tuned somehow (not sure how that is done) to have it sound right. I have been blessed with many talents, but metal work is not one of them. My father probably could have handled it, for that was up his alley; but he hasn't been around the last 5 years: otherwise I could have picked his brains. Something will come up one day re xlophone thingys; but in the meantime I can still get some tunes out of what I have. Not quite sure where I could lay my hands on some bones. Dom

 

[John Watt]

The one thing I can add is that mounting the pieces, how you cushion them,
affects the tone almost as much as what they are made out of,
everything from wood and bones to metal.
What you hit them with affects them just as much.

I'd be thinking whale bones, for deep, deep tones.
But then others might say you are just all washed up,
and call you a beach.