Water fountains sequenced to create displays choreographed to music are widely known to exist. This takes it a step further and has that sequenced, choreographed water display actually create the music by using the force of the water to activate various not creating mechanisms. Others here have posted having water make "leaves" vibrate and ring or trigger piano keys, this would be a whole orchestra, drums, bells, strings and woodwinds.

Drums and bells: This one's easy, water droplets drop onto them making them boom or ring.

Strings: You could get single notes the same way you'd trigger the drums or bells, and you might even be able to "bow" strings like you would a cello or violin by spraying them with a high pressure water stream. If this worked you could vary the pressure of the stream to have the notes fade in and out.

Woodwinds: The trickiest, not sure if you'd be able to move enough air with a water stream... hmm, could just have the water push air I suppose. Okay, just have an empty tube of air aimed at the particular tuned tube's whistle portion and blow the air out with a column of water. When the water hits the whistle portion it'll just stop playing, the tube will empty at the other end and fill with the next load of air to be pushed by the water column, so yea, you could get wind instruments too.

You've obviously have lights matching the mood of the particular phrase as well. Red for minor notes, blue for major, etc. Or whatever worked. Could also have this played by people in real time using keys with variable pressure control or sliders as needed.

If I built this the first piece would obviously be the Blue Danube.
-- doctorremulac3, Jul 24 2024

This is just a basic layout, the stringed instruments would be build specifically for the job, not like the ones shown here. https://www.dropbox...5a&st=nwachk83&dl=0
[doctorremulac3, Jul 24 2024]

Fluid flow causing a string to vibrate. https://www.youtube.../shorts/ta3smNAOxcQ
Okay, works with air. Wouldn't water do the same? [doctorremulac3, Jul 25 2024]

Spraying water onto strings I'm thinking will just damp(en) them. Water really doesn't like to allow fast waveforms.
-- RayfordSteele, Jul 24 2024


Dunno, I think hitting a string would be just like spraying any other physically tensioned object. It'll move out of the way due to the pressure of the water to the extent that it can, then when the tension created overcomes the fluid push force, it moves back into the stream causing oscillation no?

I know hitting a drumhead with water would make it roar. I've sprayed windows and heard the sound they make.

Not sure. Could also embed the water with floaty particles, that would definitely make things vibrate.

Okay, air does it, see link. Could either use water unless the water dampens it or something, but maybe just the air getting pushed by water like for the woodwind instruments.
-- doctorremulac3, Jul 25 2024


Maybe a very low bass note. Water is 50 more times viscous than air, so the resistance would slow down vibrations an awful lot, like driving your car through a large puddle. Imagine that you've coated the string with jello. Maybe if you were to hit it with a tiny stream of high pressure water in some fashion so that there's no appreciable water mass in comparison.
-- RayfordSteele, Jul 25 2024


For strings, ice; pluck with discrete crystals, depress with continuously-extruded icicle. If the icicle were cold enough, it might not need rosin.
-- pertinax, Jul 26 2024


//Water is 50 more times viscous than air, so the resistance would slow down vibrations an awful lot//

Hmm, good point. What about using the drum head thing to vibrate the strings? Have a little paddle on a pivot that has a hammer on the other side.

Or maybe a wheel with a round bow on the edge that gets turned like a water wheel and scrapes the string?
-- doctorremulac3, Jul 26 2024



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