> From: avery@hyperlinx.net.geentroep (Avery Kravitz)
> To: rolls@foxtail.com
> Date: Wed, 25 Dec 2002 02:38:56 -0500
> Subject: interested in trumpet and clarinet
>
> Hello,  I am a professional musician and would like to rig up
> a trumpet or clarinet to play using artificial lips.  Could you
> help me on this?

Avery,  see the MMDigest articles about the self-playing tuba,
indexed at http://mmd.foxtail.com/archives/KWIC/T/tuba.html

At http://mmd.foxtail.com/Pictures/ are descriptive articles with
photos about the "World's First Self-Playing Tuba" and "Self-Playing
Tuba in Cologne".

The robot is now playing at "Papa Joe's Klimperkasten" in Cologne;
visit the web site at  http://www.papajoes.de/welcome.html
A CD is offered for sale somewhere at the web site.

Here's a short description in English from the web site:

  Papa Joe's 'Klimperkasten' Biersalon, a well-known pub in Cologne for
  the past 22 years, is a Roaring Twenties style bar which includes
  Joseph "Papa Joe" Buschmann's unique collection of film projectors,
  illusion- and game-machines and automatic musical instruments from the
  'twenties which play hourly.  Papa Joe's sons, restaurateur Marcus
  Buschmann and engineer Michael Buschmann, have developed the first
  self-playing tuba in the world which now performs at 'Klimperkasten'.

('Klimperkasten' is slang for a jangling out-of-tune piano.)

Two complete 'orchestras' are now playing and available for rent.  The
first instrument built (das Sousaphonorchester) features  accordion and
a three-valve Sousaphone, with the puppets dressed as women.  The second
instrument built (das Tubaorchester) features a four-valve upright tuba,
and the two puppets are dressed as men.

I heard both instruments play last summer and I talked with the inventor.
The tube player doesn't use lips on the mouthpiece; rather, the exciter
device (a high-speed pneumatic valve) is located elsewhere within the
life-size puppet figure.  A hard plastic pipe of about 1/2" diameter
connects the exciter to the tuba mouthpiece.  The range of notes I heard
was about 1-1/2 octaves, playing from soft to loud.  The tone makes me
think of a tuba fitted with a mouthpiece from a bass saxophone.

I don't know of a technical description published anywhere.  Marcus
Buschmann told me that they have invested over 10,000 man-hours in its
development and they hope to build several tuba-accordion puppets for
leasing before any competition develops, so they haven't filed a patent
application and description; the technical details remain a secret.

Best regards and Happy Holidays!

Robbie Rhodes