Folgerphone
Encyclopedia
The folgerphone is a wind instrument (or aerophone
), classifiable as a woodwind
rather than brass instrument
despite being made of metal, because it has a reed (cf. saxophone
). It is a modern experimental instrument, using an alto sax
mouthpiece, with copper tubing and a coffee can (the name is a reference to Folger's, a common brand of canned coffee). It is not commercially produced, but constructed by musicians, and need not use a genuine coffee can, but any metallic sounding box. Although using sax parts, it is a cylindrical bore instrument, and thus part of the clarinet
family.
and jazz
works by others, such as Robert Horton's band Plateau (not to be confused with the Skinny Puppy side-project platEAU), as on the 1990 Arrhythmia compilation CD.
Aerophone
An aerophone is any musical instrument which produces sound primarily by causing a body of air to vibrate, without the use of strings or membranes, and without the vibration of the instrument itself adding considerably to the sound...
), classifiable as a woodwind
Woodwind instrument
A woodwind instrument is a musical instrument which produces sound when the player blows air against a sharp edge or through a reed, causing the air within its resonator to vibrate...
rather than brass instrument
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
despite being made of metal, because it has a reed (cf. saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
). It is a modern experimental instrument, using an alto sax
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
mouthpiece, with copper tubing and a coffee can (the name is a reference to Folger's, a common brand of canned coffee). It is not commercially produced, but constructed by musicians, and need not use a genuine coffee can, but any metallic sounding box. Although using sax parts, it is a cylindrical bore instrument, and thus part of the clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
family.
History
The instrument was invented by Nolan Hatcher and Craig Nutt, at least as early as 1979, when it was used on their duet album Dinosaur Time. It has also been used in recorded experimentalExperimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
works by others, such as Robert Horton's band Plateau (not to be confused with the Skinny Puppy side-project platEAU), as on the 1990 Arrhythmia compilation CD.