Franklin's glass armonica

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 16 Jan 2006 1:58 pm

The advantages of this instrument are that its tones are incomparaby sweet beyond those of any other; that they may be swelled and softened at pleasure by stronger or weaker pressures of the finger, and continued to any length; and that the instrument, being once well tuned, never again wants tuning.

Sounds great, hunh? That's Ben Franklin, not Paul Franklin, talking about his 1761 invention. It's a set of glass bowls of tuned sizes, strung together on an axle as if they were nested, but not touching. The original had a treadle, like a manual sewing machine, to spin the axle. The modern working model has an electric motor. As it spins, you dip your fingers in water, then touch the different bowls to make them sing with different notes. Check it out.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/13636173.htm

The original inspiration was an instrument called the glass harmonica, which was a set of wine glasses with different levels of water. The player would run his fingers around the rims to get the notes. Mozart and Beethoven wrote music for it.

There was just a concert of Franklin's armonica (Philly is celebrating his 300th b'day all year). Dag, I missed it. Apparently the real crowd pleaser was "Danny Boy." Eat your heart out, BE.

[This message was edited by David Doggett on 16 January 2006 at 06:27 PM.]

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 16 Jan 2006 2:19 pm

I saw the TV show as well. It kinda looks like a wood lathe exceept with various size bowls along the mandril. It never made the cut as it was too soft a volume to compete with other instruments.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 16 Jan 2006 2:20 pm

I've heard it, David! I thought it a haunting sound, quite loud for a small acoustic instrument. I imagine that in Franklin's day, there were more adept musicians who played it quite well. The demo I saw featured a simple melody, but chords were possible too, along with improved blocking techniques, I would imagine.[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 16 January 2006 at 02:21 PM.]

Colm Chomicky · Post by **Colm Chomicky** » 16 Jan 2006 3:33 pm

When I was in Phila back in '76, I saw the glass armonica on display. I have often thought of this invention and I'm sure Ben would have also been a steeler in another life. Ben if you're out there, welcome to the Forum.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 16 Jan 2006 4:39 pm

When I first moved to Philly in 1984 there was a guy named Jamey _____? who used to play the glass (h)armonica on the street corner on South Street. He was amazingly good and played sophisticated classical music on it. I later learned that he divided his time between Philly and the west coast where he was quite in demand for concerts there. He moved permanently from Philly and we've not had the pleasure of his music here for many years.

Yes, I think Ben Franklin was planning to invent the pedal steel but just didn't have time to get around to it. No other reason.

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 16 Jan 2006 4:46 pm

Several years ago I saw a guy playing the glass harmonica, the wineglass one played with fingers, who was just amazing. He did an outer space medley, "2001", "Star Trek" etc. that just blew me away. He tuned and retuned the glasses for different pieces using a turkey baster to change the water levels in various glasses.

Colm Chomicky · Post by **Colm Chomicky** » 16 Jan 2006 7:05 pm

Oh, I forgot to embellish on the following trivia:

Franklin had a glassmaker create thirty-seven hemispheres made of glass, with each hemisphere being a different size and thickness to produce different pitches. Franklin ran an iron rod or "steel" through a hole in the top of each hemisphere so that they could nest together from largest to smallest. He linked all of this to an apparatus like a spinning wheel, with a foot treadle that turned the steel, making the glass hemispheres rotate.

Having just a single neck, but 37 bowls the instrument was marketed as the Franklin S-37. Of course the treadle, which was used to rotate the steel was commonly refered to as the Franklin pedal on the treadle steel

[This message was edited by Colm Chomicky on 16 January 2006 at 07:07 PM.]

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 16 Jan 2006 7:21 pm

Having just a single neck, but 37 bowls the instrument was marketed as the Franklin S-37. Of course the treadle, which was used to rotate the steel was commonly refered to as the Franklin pedal on the treadle steel.

LOL! Thanks for the chuckle, Colm.

I'm sure I have some Mozart played on the glass harmonica in my collection somewhere. I haven't heard it in decades, but I still remember the sound. Beautiful!

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Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 16 Jan 2006 7:25 pm

It had to exist: www.glassarmonica.com

Terry Edwards · Post by **Terry Edwards** » 17 Jan 2006 4:22 pm

I wonder how he tuned it?

Terry

Billy Wilson · Post by **Billy Wilson** » 17 Jan 2006 4:43 pm

Happy Birthday Ben!!!
He's 300 today!!

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 17 Jan 2006 5:27 pm

I wonder how he tuned it?

JI

(Jar intonation)

Tuning (raise only) is easily accomplished by grinding off some of the rims of the bowls to lower their mass.

(Tuning forks are tuned similarly, by grinding the ends.)

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 18 Jan 2006 10:38 am

ROTHFLOL
Jar Intonation.! S-37! You guys are great!

Well wen I tune my steel I try to have it as Un jarring as possible.

I recently read Ben Franklin's most recent biography, which is great.
He is one of my life role models along with Leonardo Da Vinci.
Brilliant minds set free to discover and learn, till they died.
Not a bad way to go through life, eh?

Colm Chomicky · Post by **Colm Chomicky** » 19 Jan 2006 5:38 am

I was told Ben Franklin put together a collection of essays entitled "Fart Proudly".

I was not sure if this was true, so I looked it up and what a blast --it is true. I'm sure I commemorated this on his 300 birthday

Tony Harris · Post by **Tony Harris** » 19 Jan 2006 7:12 am

A couple of years ago, visiting Venice, my wife and I heard some heavenly music coming from around a corner near the beautiful St. Mark's Square. It was two guys, each with a table covered with wine glasses - twin glass harmonicas. We bought their CD!

Orville Johnson · Post by **Orville Johnson** » 20 Jan 2006 10:02 am

i played on a movie soundtrack a couple of years ago that featured a lot of glassarmonica. The movie is "The Wooly
Boys" with Peter Fonda and Kris Kristofferson and is in video stores. i forget the name of the guy who played it. i think he is in the symphony. when you hear dobro and acoustic guitar, that's me.