The "Christmas Organ" -- Homemade Pipe Organ (with Audio)

A homemade choir organ and pedalboard with a compass of one chromatic octave (C 4' to 2'). Built during Christmas break, this organ first became remotely playable on Christmas morning, 2008; it formally debuted that night when it was used to accompany Christmas carols. (And two months later, I finally succeeded in getting both audio and video on to my computer.)

For details, see http://ssngai.byethost14.com/organ/organ.htm

Category:

Music

Tags:

• homemade
• pipe
• organ
• home
• built
• diy
• christmas
• flue
• bass
• pedalboard
• pvc

[b7et5]

The reason I looked up your video is that I am building a wind driven organ. I live on the windy prairie and thot that like an aeolian wind harp -- I could annoy the neighbors as easily with this.

You are a genius. Very simple and precise.

[ssngai]

@b7et5 Let me know how it goes! If your project will be 100% directly wind-powered, remember to experiment to find out how much pressure you'll be able to achieve that way. You'll want a minimum pressure of 1/4 to 1/2 inch of water. To build an organ you can play even when it isn't gusty outside, you'll probably want a backup electric blower.

[ssngai]

@b7et5 Also, if your pipes will be standing outside -- in order to maximally annoy the neighbors, of course! -- you will need to shield the mouths from the ambient wind. The flue mechanism is fairly sensitive. Good luck!

[anglerfly]

Im having problems with my pipe organ becuase I dont know how to attach them to the machine.... how do I ?

[ssngai]

@anglerfly I'd be glad to help, but I need more details. By "them" do you mean pipes? If you drill vertical holes in your windchest, and if your pipes have conical feet, then you can just drop your pipes into the holes and let them seat under their own weight.

[anglerfly]

@ssngai What Holes? Where does the air comfrom?

[ssngai]

@anglerfly The box underneath the pipes is known as a windchest. It's filled with pressurized air from a blower (that black thing jutting out of the middle of the box).

When a pedal is depressed, the motion is transmitted through a string and opens a valve within the windchest. This admits air to the foot of the corresponding pipe.

[ArabRider101]

just a very spiritual and homely sound to it :D

[ranmadog]

it can be called the "principaloid" stop LOL :-)

it makes me do LOL but the stop sounds almost like a megurine luka's muffled humming (for muffled i think to say with a light cutoff and a soft resonance made with a TB-303 filter (i imagine how does it sound))

[b7et5]

@ssngai as well -- if you are interested, i am working on an elbow motor. you can find the videos easily, but my twist will be to make on out of stone. I carve soapstone, and when I saw the engine at first, I knew I had to make it from stone, and use water as the driver instead of steam or compressed air. Now you would think that because stone is hard that this would hold up well, but i am finding that stone has so many variables ....another creative way to waste my time......

[b7et5]

@ssngai i will try to get this going soon. i don't have the tools and space so it is a bit at a time, but i am going to try some different ideas with the mouth part of the flue. I dont want paper, and i think it just needs to be thot through a bit to make a more mass produced weather resistant product. my fantasy is a totally wind generated model, with a mechanical actuator to randomly select notes or chords, and possibly a wind generated air pump.

[b7et5]

Brilliant

[anglerfly]

@ssngai Thanks!. I am making a player organ like a player piano that plays it self and runs by paper rolls..