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My instrument is called the One String
Guitar. I got the idea from an instruction sheet
that my teacher gave out. My guitar has a soft
volume. The One String Guitar is a string
instrument.
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The One String Guitar needs lots of
materials. It is made of a dowel, a small piece of
balsa wood, 1/2 of a cork, one guitar string,
chamois leather, carpet tacks, and 1/2 of a
coconut. You also need an Exact-o knife, a small
drill and saw, and sanding paper to assemble the
instrument. I found all of this in my basement, at
the Ace Hardware Store and at Jewel Food Store.
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First my dad and I cut a coconut in half.
Next, my dad peeled the insides of the coconut,
making it hollow. Third, I sanded the hair off the
coconut. Then my dad drilled two large holes at
each end and I drilled small holes all around the
coconut. Then I cut out a piece of chamois leather
3/4 of an inch longer than the diameter of the
coconut. I let the leather soak in water for five
minutes. Next, I squeezed the water from the
leather. Then I stretched the chamois leather over
the coconut and hammered the carpet tacks into the
small holes, holding the leather in place.
Then my dad drilled one small hole at one
side of the dowel and a mall and large hole at the
other side of the dowel. After that, I slipped the
dowle through the two large holes on the coconut. I
fit the balsa wood in the large hole on the dowel.
Lastly, I strung the guitar string through one of
the holes, over the balsa wood, and through the
other small hole. I tied knots continuously through
the small hole until it was taut. I put the 1/2 of
a cork on the chamois leather, which served as a
mount.
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The One String Guitar can be played two ways.
You can use a violin bow. The bow makes a sound
like a saw cutting wood. You can also use your
finger or a guitar pick to strum the guitar string.
This makes a sound like a regular guitar. You can
change the pitch by moving your fingers up and down
the top of the guitar string.
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I learned a lot of things when I make my
instrument. I learned different ways to change a
pitch, for one thing. But most of all, I learned
how much fun it is to build and instrument!
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