Pre PS: This article is not yet completed to my satisfaction.
 
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PLEASE NOTE: A Swiss-made hang drum is VERY difficult to obtain 
these days. Pantheon Steel, a maker of beautiful steel drums ("steel 
pans") has come to the rescue in the form of their "HALO" which 
has reached the production stage and orders are being taken! Please contact 
them at pantheonsteel.com   They have produced an introductory video which 
at present is on youtube. Input the two keywords: halo  pantheonsteel. 

In an attempt to familiarize myself with the "Ake Bono" scale that the first 
HALOs will be tuned to, I've built a version of my PVC "hang drum reminiscent" 
instrument that I came up with a couple of years ago but this time, with 
9 notes (8 along the circumference & one - the "ding" central -- in this 
case tuned a note lower - to C, two octaves below piano's middle C. 
The resulting notes are in the same key, scale and relative note position 
as the HALO. In other words, it's set-up and pitched just like the HALO.

Due to the long pipe length/low overall pitch and large diameter PVC pipe 
used, this beast is very loud, resonant and fine sounding. It weighs 22 Lbs,
the same as my upright bass.
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CLICK HERE for a short YouTube video showing this PVC instrument being played



This instrument is played with dollar-store flip-flop beach sandals. 
It is pitched in the Ake Bono scale of (low to high):
low-C (central "Ding"); low-F, G, G#, C (an octave above low-c), C#, hi-F, hi-G, hi-G#                                                                

Unlike my first PVC tubing instrument (see elsewhere in my webpage), this one uses 
larger diameter 2", schedule 40 PVC, but is not that much larger or heavier. 

The whole affair cost on the order of $60 - using all new parts
and was a 2-day, spare-time project. Just visited Home Depot where prices were nearly
half of what I paid locally at the neighborhood hardware store!
 
Construction details:

The thing is made entirely from what's called 2 inch schedule 40 PVC plumbing pipe
available at any hardware store.
The stuff is white and the 2" measurement is the inside diameter. Four ten-foot 
lengths turned out to be just enough for all of the nine notes. A ten foot length 
of this pipe cost me about $6.00 locally. The only other PVC parts needed are ten
female-to-male 90 degree elbows and ten female-to-female 90 degree elbows
(these make the ten 180 degree "U-turns").  

Safety note - some people tell me they've worked with PVC pipe all their lives
with no health issues at all, others tell me that the stuff is dangerous. Not
one to believe experts, I err on the side of safety. I cut all of the tubes for this  
one with a regular carpenter's hand saw - set up outside - upwind (with a stiff breeze)
blowing away the noxious PVC dust).

Construction of the PVC part of this instrument is very straightforward. No real 
instructions are needed other than careful observation of the photos. The central 
"ding" lowest note (pitched to the C, is the only note where the tubing has to be 
folded back on itself twice (all of the other notes are folded back on themselves 
just one time). The reason for this double folding is that the tube would be more 
than 7 feet long or so if left straight. As mentioned, all of the other notes are 
folded back on themselves only once -- I folded them not necessarily because they'd 
be too long, but (although more expensive & making for a bit heavier instrument) 
when folded, the business end of each tube is pointing upwards - projecting the 
sound directly at the player, instead of downwards towards the ground. 

Cut the pipe to these measurements:                                                   

Lowest note - C (two octaves below piano's middle C) - corresponds to the "ding"
(the central  on a metal hang drum. There are three seperate lengths of PVC pipe needed
  "Ding")     for this note. Cut the longest to 1040 MM. The 2nd longest to 793 MM and
              the shortest to at least 508 MM* . Carefully cut off small pieces of this last pipe 
              until it is tuned exactly to C.

2nd lowest -- F (in the 2nd octave below piano's middle C). This (and all the remaining 
              pipes) has two seperate lengths of PVC pipe. Cut the longest to 1039 MM and 
              the shortest to at least 843 MM*. Carefully cut off small pieces of the shorter pipe 
              until it is tuned exactly to F).
  
3rd lowest -- G (in the 2nd octave below piano's middle C). Cut the longest pipe to 994 MM
              and the shortest to at least 689 MM*. Carefully cut off small pieces of the shorter pipe 
              until it is tuned exactly to G).

4th lowest -- G# (in the 2nd octave below piano's middle C). Cut the longest pipe to 838 MM
              and the shortest to at least 703 MM*. Carefully cut off small pieces of the shorter pipe 
              until it is tuned exactly to G#).

5th lowest -- C (one octave below piano's middle C). Cut the longest pipe to 788 MM
              and the shortest to at least 404 MM*. Carefully cut off small pieces of the shorter pipe 
              until it is tuned exactly to C).

6th lowest -- C# (in the octave below piano's middle C). Cut the longest pipe to 740 MM
              and the shortest to at least 400 MM*. Carefully cut off small pieces of the shorter pipe 
              until it is tuned exactly to C#).

7th lowest -- F (in the octave below piano's middle C). Cut the longest pipe to 703 MM
              and the shortest to at least 200 MM*. Carefully cut off small pieces of the shorter pipe 
              until it is tuned exactly to F).

8th lowest -- G (in the octave below piano's middle C)  Cut the longest pipe to 603 MM
              and the shortest to at least 120 MM*. Carefully cut off small pieces of the shorter pipe 
              until it is tuned exactly to C#).

9TH lowest -- G# (in the octave below piano's middle C) Cut the longest pipe to 600 MM
              and the shortest to at least 123 MM*. Carefully cut off small pieces of this 2nd pipe 
              until it is tuned exactly to G#).
 

* The figure shown for these "terminal" pipes is longer than is needed for the desired pitch --  
  the idea here being to experimentally cut off small lengths of pipe until it is tuned exactly to C#).
  The reason I don't give exact dimensions for these last pipes is that 90 degree elbows can vary a lot 
  in size/length and basic type, manufacturer-to-manufacturer -- not to mention variation of the PVC 
  pipe itself.

Hold off gluing anything until the tubes are all mounted and positioned (& tuned) in the wooden 
mounting disks -- a bit of jockying is needed to get all these PVC intestines to fit compactly.

Wooden mounting disks: 
The tubes slide through two wooden 3/8" thick plywood disks that are spaced about 
15 inches apart, into which have been drilled 9 holes (one central and eight around the 
circumferance). Hot-gluing the tubes in makes a solid and rigid affair. Large diameter hole saws 
are widely available --  alternately, a simple keyhole saw will do the job. 
I left the tops of each tube project about an inch above the surface of the top disk so 
as to keep from hitting the wood disk with the flip-flop whappers while playing.

A playing Stand for this octopus of pipes will be described shortly - as will further 
construction details.
 
Dennis Havlena - W8MI 
Mackinac Straits, northern Michigan
dhavlena@gmail.com
3/29/09

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