{"id":27196,"date":"2013-09-27T16:11:14","date_gmt":"2013-09-27T20:11:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uncommongoods.com\/?p=27196"},"modified":"2017-07-20T16:18:37","modified_gmt":"2017-07-20T20:18:37","slug":"gift-lab-major-scale-musical-wine-glasses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.com\/blog\/2013\/gift-lab-major-scale-musical-wine-glasses\/","title":{"rendered":"Gift Lab: How to Make Music by Playing Wine Glasses"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Major<\/a><\/p>\n

Research<\/strong>
\nAs a developer of the Major Scale Musical Wine Glasses\u00ae<\/a>, my knowledge of the product is quite comprehensive, but this was my first chance to test a random unit straight off the production floor. In developing these musical glasses, we looked for a glass that would allow for a full A major scale, allowing for more versatile music-making. We used a high-quality lead-free crystal glass here to ensure the best resonance we could achieve.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not a big wine drinker, but you\u2019ll find me sneaking a swig of water every now and again \u2013 so I\u2019m conducting this experiment with water as an alternative. I try to keep practice on my violin, but I\u2019m much more likely to produce something resembling music with my finger on these glasses than with my bow on strings \u2013 so I\u2019m looking forward to the chance to actually hit the right notes for a change.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Musical<\/a><\/p>\n

Hypothesis<\/strong>
\nDue to variations in glass we knew absolute, orchestral perfection was a bit too aspirational, but we have been pleased to find that the fill lines correspond quite nicely to the note indicated. My hypothesis is that I\u2019ll have a pretty happy match today.<\/p>\n

Experiment<\/strong>
\nFill \u2018er up! I poured to the first note \u2013 an \u2018A,\u2019 moistened my finger in another glass to allow for smooth movement around the rim, and round my finger went firmly in a circular motion. As I draw my finger around the rim, the alternating slipping and sticking creates a vibration pattern in the glass. The speed of vibration, meanwhile, is affected by the volume of liquid in the glass, and different vibrations will produce different notes. The results of my first attempt?<\/p>\n

\n

\"Playing<\/a><\/p>\n

A lovely \u2018A\u2019 note resonates through the dining room, accompanied by a hypnotic ripple along the surface of the wine. As you can see\u2026a successful \u2018A\u2019!<\/p>\n

\n

\"'A'<\/p>\n

I toast to a successful first pour and continue on my journey through the A Major scale.<\/p>\n

I poured a taller glass and around I went again.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Major<\/p>\n

Crosschecking with another tuner \u2013 a direct hit! SuccEss with a capital \u2018E\u2019.<\/p>\n

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\"'E'Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though slight variations in glass will yield somewhat different performance, a random test proved more than satisfactory to my unprofessional, yet music-appreciating ears. Very content and ready to wet my whistle, I toast to beautiful music with my fianc\u00e9e and Franklin Broccoli, our almost-real pet bulldog.<\/p>\n

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\"Musical<\/p>\n

To see and hear these uncommon instruments make music with your own eyes and ears, check out this video of me playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons<\/em>.<\/p>\n