Mechanical Music Digest  Archives
You Are Not Logged In Login/Get New Account
Please Log In. Accounts are free!
Logged In users are granted additional features including a more current version of the Archives and a simplified process for submitting articles.
Home Archives Calendar Gallery Store Links Info
MMD > Archives > July 1997 > 1997.07.14 > 07Prev  Next


Modern Band Organ Design
By David Wasson

This message is intended mainly for Bill Finch, but it would be
interesting to hear thoughts from others.

Bill, I agree the most fun and interesting thing about band organs is the
music, and also the way that the music and sounds are produced.  For this
reason, I abandoned the possibility of using one of the three standard
Wurlitzer scales.

To me, chromatic ranks of pipes and the ability of turning them on and
off in combinations with each other is a must, not an option.  The same
ranks of pipes playing together all the time quickly becomes a din.  If
you have ever heard a Wurlitzer organ play Stars and Stripes or Thunder
and Blazes, you realize how the music must be butchered in order to fit
the "music" scale of the [non-chromatic] organ.  If the organ playing is
a small one, playing a 150 or 125 roll, with little or no register
changes, the music becomes lifeless and boring.

Constructing an organ that more closely follows some European scale would
probably be a more interesting and musical thing to do.  I am assuming
that the music is still the most interesting part for you about band
organs.

As far as using a direct electric action, this probably would be a good
choice, especially if you are designing something for commercial use.
Depending on how you are going to address this sort of a musical system,
you may need lots of blocking diodes, or large gang switches, or many
solid state switches capable of handling the current of many magnets.
Companies like Devtronix sell solid-state products that probably do this
exact thing.

With the flexibility of MIDI address, it would, as you have said, be
possible to address each pipe individually.  This might also make the
MIDI files very large.  It could also create a MIDI log jam, but maybe
not, as I have no experience operating a band organ in this manner.  In
order to take full advantage of this sort of system, you would have to
have custom files created for this organ or be able to arrange them
yourself.  Of course with more special switching hardware you could be
able to play the more conventional type MIDI band organ files that you
mentioned that you have from scanned rolls and books.

If you are planning on building an organ that is to be for commercial
use, these sorts of thoughts are probably the way to go.  If you are
building something as a hobby person, the organ with no moving parts is
pretty boring if the mechanical aspect of a project like this is of
interest.

A good way to see and hear home-built organs, is to go to some of the
band organ rallies.  The biggest rallies this year are July 24 in Sandusky
Ohio, and August 1 in Marion Ohio.  At the Marion rally there will be at
least four home-built organs.  At the Sandusky rally there will be at
least two.  Most of these organs do not play Wurlitzer music, but a few
do, and you can decide for yourself what you like best.

David Wasson


(Message sent Mon 14 Jul 1997, 18:04:13 GMT, from time zone GMT-0700.)

Key Words in Subject:  Band, Design, Modern, Organ

Home    Archives    Calendar    Gallery    Store    Links    Info   


Enter text below to search the MMD Website with Google



CONTACT FORM: Click HERE to write to the editor, or to post a message about Mechanical Musical Instruments to the MMD

Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are those of the individual authors and may not represent those of the editors. Compilation copyright 1995-2024 by Jody Kravitz.

Please read our Republication Policy before copying information from or creating links to this web site.

Click HERE to contact the webmaster regarding problems with the website.

Please support publication of the MMD by donating online

Please Support Publication of the MMD with your Generous Donation

Pay via PayPal

No PayPal account required

                                     
Translate This Page