Santa Claus is coming to town – on home made celesta
It took me three weeks to complete it, using left over wood, parts of an old piano and an organ keyboard.
source
Playing Santa Claus Is Coming To Town on my home made celesta
06/12/2008
Santa Claus is coming to town – on home made celesta
It took me three weeks to complete it, using left over wood, parts of an old piano and an organ keyboard.
source
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Bas van asten
@andrayisalso I think its mostly tubular bells.
chenrikl
This resembles a celesta more than a piano.
quaxk
awesome
ukulelelearner
where did you get the chimes from?
Andre van Gelder
@ukulelelearner Ha, from the DIY shop around the corner 😉 they are simply aluminum tubes, cut to various lengths.
ukulelelearner
@andrayisalso i would love to know the diameter of the tubes and how you know which lengths each chime were. have any advice for me or info for me?
ukulelelearner
@andrayisalso how did you know the measure measurements for the length? is there a formula?
Andre van Gelder
@ukulelelearner Yep, google 'wind chime length formula' or 'calculate lengths wind chime' or 'frequency note wind chime length' or something like that and you'll find lots of sites telling you how to cut your pipes.
Andre van Gelder
@ukulelelearner Oh, and you can also download the Gstrings app for your phone and tune your pipes without having to do any calculations ^_^ I didn't have that when I made this chime piano, but I tune my (real) piano now using that app.
Andre van Gelder
@ukulelelearner And, don't forget the 'magic spot' at 1/4 from both ends of the tubes. That's where they must be held to get the best sound.
Offshoreorganbuilder
Well done. Thanks for the upload.
Peter Wellman
I'm making a little piano of my own, how does the action on yours work?
Andre van Gelder
Pressing the key down pushes a steel wire on the other end up, which pushes the hammer forward, that's all.
bigPianist99
Nniiccee
Andre van Gelder
Yup, that description comes closest to what it is…
Andre van Gelder
Check your settings, soundcard, headphones, speakers or other sound-related stuff, 'cause I can hear it fine.
Franco Andres May
i really, really, REALLY need to know how you did this!
Franco Andres May
it isnt easy to build such a good hammer action
NachoMist
Reminds me of a celeste. I really want one of these…
bigPianist99
What are the pipes made of?
Timpom Lewin
Can you see if you can make another one but with 4 to 5 octaves
Andre van Gelder
I would advice you to check all comments below. Many people have asked me the same questions. It is NOT easy… sorry :o) It takes a lot of skill and knowledge, but stick to the goal, and you will succeed!
Michael Fehr
I want to recreate this piano with strings. If I get the action from you and the dimensions from Steinway I think it will work?
Andre van Gelder
There are so many ways to make a piano. It all depends on your creativity and skill. So I'd say: go for it! 🙂
Bolognalegs
Having just taken a course on piano technology at my university, I can appreciate how complex making a keyboard instrument is, though this seems like more of a celeste than a piano. There's no escapement mechanism for the hammers in your instrument is there? Job well done!
Andre van Gelder
Thank you! No there is no escapement mechanism. The hammers hit the pipes because of their velocity and then fall back to their neutral position. And you are right, it is a celeste, played and build like a piano, or a piano with pipes instead of snares. Call it what you like 🙂
randdeecrew
How did you manage to mount those pipes without muting them?
Andre van Gelder
Good question! They are held in place by nylon wire and a rubber rest at the so called 'nodal points'. For a uniform bar, the nodal points are located 22.4% from each end of the bar. Suspend them anywhere else and you mute the sound.
randdeecrew
great thanks!
patricksudbury
How?
Andre van Gelder
Well for starters… you could read all the comments below. You're not the only one who asked me about the ins and outs. 🙂
Joel Appel
Have you tried getting a patent on the piano?
Andre van Gelder
No, it is very expensive to get a patent in my country. Not to mention the amount of time and effort it will consume. This was just a one time thing. I'm way too busy with other things right now.
Andre van Gelder
The mechanism is definitely simpler, with as little moving parts as possible. The keys push up a metal rod. The hammers are suspended on one hinge (also a metal rod) going through the bottom of all the hammers. The rods connected to the keys push the hammers forward directly, being connected to the hammers at an angle. So basically there are only 3 hinges: at the keys, where the rods push the hammers and where the hammers are fixed.
mojo nomadic
add pickups and sustain and make a rhodes style electric piano….NOW…what are you waiting for?
Raymond Ashby
I love a bit of upcycling – and that is qualiteeeeeeeeeeeeee
LLOYD POPP
TOo cool!!!! I didnt knew theres such thing as homemade celesta
APlaPi
It'd be awesome to listen to another piece on this great creation!!
Do you ahve some pictures of the inner workings of the tubes support?
khoa tran
Excuse me but are those aluminum tubes you are using for the chime bars?
Todd Martin
Fantastic job! Three weeks is impressive time frame for completion. Did you cut the aluminum tone bars yourself or were they from another instrument? Very impressed with your work!!!!
Mellow Days
heheh love it
marshalt
I love this. I love the clicking sound of the keys too!
Claire Barry
Good job! This is AWESOME.
I have a science project where we have to build an instrument. If you don't mind, I'd like to build something similar to this.
The pipes kind of look like panpipes… do you think that if I build a panpipe that's in key (and made out of aluminum) and then use that for the pipes on the piano, will it work?
Thanks!
zyrmaxkodin
The clicking sound of the keys almost sounds like tap dancing. What a pleasure to listen to!
Lucas King
Do you sell these home made celestas?
Quarter Past Blue
ace
Linc Dauer
Could you show me a diagram of how the mechanics of this work? I find this very interesting.
Isabel Caspillan
What is the thickness of the aluminum tubes?? What's the diameter of the tubes??? Because I am planing to build this myself.
Oscar S. The Gadget guy Circuts & strings No. 2
Andre van Gelder Why not play that same piece on a tuning fork piano
Oscar S. The Gadget guy Circuts & strings No. 2
Andre van Gelder it's actually a keyboard glockenspiel with tubes. How about making a celesta accordion, the accordion has bellows that force air over tuned metal tines causing them to ring different notes, the celesta accordion has that w/ the addition of felt hammers that hit metal bars activated w/ a new switch.