Build a Wind Harp!

A wind harp is just what the name says, a harp played by the wind. You don't need lessons with this instrument, just a light wind will do. This design uses four steel strings and two magnetic pickups made with a pair of nails. You can build one with just one string with good results. Mine is 8 feet long, but you can make it as short as 2 feet or as long as you want. I mounted the wind harp on top of a shed and connected the signals from the pickup to my PC inside the house. I broadcast these sounds 24/7 on the internet radio using ShoutCAST. You can hear the wind harp at: http://home.comcast.net/~botronics/windharp.html
I also have some blogs about how to set up your own internet radio station at the above link.

I use Solar Garden lights to power this project, but for this instructable, I'm showing the basic concept of the construction. How you power it is up to you.

Step 1: Make the support

The wind harp support was constructed from a 2"x2" by 8 foot long pine lumber I just happen to have. Prime and Paint to protect from the elements. Remember, its a wind harp that needs to be outdoors. Although a smaller one can be made to fit a window sill.

I used 1/2 inch steel angles at the ends to support the wires with screw eye bolts. 24 gauge solid steel wire from the hardware store is used for the strings. You can try different thickness for different sounds. Just remember they must be steel or iron, the strings vibrations must interact with the magnetic field produced by the pickup coils, just like a electric guitar.

Comments

[Gunnar120]

Awww... that stinks... I think it's broken... I'm listening to it right now and I just hear a wind-heard-by-a-cheap-camera noise, not a wind harp. The strings seem to have stopped

[botronics]

New strings for the new year are blowing in the wind, The windharp is online again.

[Gunnar120]

How long has it been broadcasting live?

[botronics]

Since 2007 and the harp itself still runs. Its gotten better with age. Not really "Live" anymore, its a very long loop that gets played.

[offtandiscord]

I would love to get an electronic wind harp set up at some point, and use a wind turbine to power all the electrics, keep it in the family and whatnot. I have however converted a broken violin into an acoustic aoelion harp, or an Aeoliolin! http://vulpestruments.blogspot.com/2010/07/aeoliolin.html

[lonepiper]

Something else occurred to me, build the wind harp and instead of a regular speaker system, feed it into the TIKI speaker:  Give the TIKI a voice of it's own!

[lonepiper]

Would there be a way to construct this for acoustic operation?  So that instead of an amp it would just sound on its own?  It probably would not be loud but that's ok.

[botronics]

Absolutely yes.  Before electric guitars, wind harps would use a sounding box to amplify  the sounds.  Build a box with a sound hole in it and stretch the strings across it. Size the box to fit inside a window frame and let the wind blow across the strings. Summer is coming, and a wind harp in the window will be a delight during those inviting evening breezes.

[dwm1969]

I found this through the Maker Faire. This wind harp is fantastic. Do you find that there's an advantage to magnetic pickups versus under-the-saddle transducer style pickups?

[botronics]

Since its the wire that is vibrating, that's what I want to monitor. Under the saddle tranducer would probadly pickup vibs from the supporting frame. One problem is hum pickup when using the magnetic pickup.  Good hum bucking techniques are needed with the pickup and amplifier. You also have to keep the windharp away from hum sources.  I haven't tryed a piezo type of pickup. These are well shielded to prevent electrostatic pickup instead of electromagnetic pickup.

[Re-design]

Excellent inst. Nice build.

[AndyGadget]

I've been listening to you on-line windharp for the last hour or so. It really does give an incredible range of sounds. Did you have a rain shower a while back? The wind seems to have calmed down now.

[botronics]

My recordings used to be live. Comcast didn't like me "running a server" and would cut my service off. Now I run the station from work. What you are now listening to are live recordings looped together. The wind harp does have an incredible range depending on wind direction, temperature, rain and humidity. I'm always making adjustments of tension and tuning. I now have 3 harps, one of which is 50 feet long. The best recordings are put in the loop.

[skincage]

Man, you are my hero. I've done recordings of this kind of sound by just sticking stringed instruments out the window during storms. While that was fun, this is infinitely more practical, and something I've had in the back of my head for a while. Seeing it realized is very helpful. Thanks.

[botronics]

You might like this link called wired lab.wired lab. Sounds were recorded with very long wires stretched along poles out in the country.

[skincage]

That's quite nice, thank you!

[botronics]

The harp sounds really great these days. You can hear some of my latest songs on the player at my Hayward WeatherCam page.

[pullinsb]

I love this design. Very nice.

I have one question (I'm making one for myself off these instructions), what is the pot for (P1 = 10k)?

[botronics]

Volume control. I ended up leaving the volume all the way up and adjust at the PC. I made a second windharp for Maker Faire. Link

[koubis]

I was also thinking about getting it to my receiver as I do not use all inputs anyway. But in this setup it would be great to have actually a stereo input - double the pickup and double the amp incl. double power. So minimum to get 4 wires and tune to get the spaceness of the sound even it is a little bit "fake stereo". Will collect all the parts and lets see what's in the house.

[botronics]

One trick that works is make a 10 minute recording, put that on channel A. Next, record another 10 minute and put that on channel B. Use goldwave to do your editing. Then save as stereo. I did this with Song 1 and Song 4 at my Windsonics webpage. Sounds really good.

[koubis]

What do you think about the idea to stretch the strings (stainless steel wires used for welding for extraprotction againts elements) between the two buldings and pick up on a console 0,5m distant from one end? This should work too. What about placing the string in low profile (a box) to increase the wind speed and thus frequencies? Otherwise a very good project idea.

[botronics]

Long strings have a wide bandwidth of harmonics. You can tune to lower frequencies to get some nice and heavy bass. Long strings also take less wind to get vibrating. Stretching between two buildings is a great idea. I wanted to try a really long string on top of the building I work at. We just have too much AC power in the area to get a quiet, hum free pickup with a magnetic sensor. I'm working on a portable pickup I can use to clip on guy lines, power poles and such.

[botronics]

Wind Harp Update: Just got my second wind harp done. This is the one I will show at Makers Faire in May. Its built like a guitar and really rocks in the wind. Check the link and mp3 files.
http://home.comcast.net/~botronics/mfharp.html

[matthias108]

you stream 24/7.. that s cool. I mean in a way its very funny, with the whole world falling apart and stuff. i like it.

[otto9otto]

With wire(s) strung up a tree trunk, the tension would vary as the tree sways, adding an additional modulation.

[botronics]

At one time , on the end piece angle I attached another piece of angle running vertical about 18 inches. Didn't have enough wind to deflect it to modulate the length. I need to attach it to the eye bolt.

[Dream Dragon]

I notice that you use strings of the same diameter... I have read that wind harps, or "Aeolian Harps" have strings of different diameter but tuned to the same pitch. This gives some interesting harmonic effects, and I'm sure you could do something like that with your set up. Thanks for sharing it.

[botronics]

True, you can use electric guitar strings on a shorter version. I believe they are 42 inches long and have different diameters. The different thickness of the strings will cause each string to vibrate at different wind speeds . I was just using what I had available. Thats what makes this project flexible.

[Advocat]

Can I ask .. is it possible to do water harp? The Don got me thinking as when I've been to Romania, not often, it rained so much, and the earth harp would have been washed right up to about a metre in some places. So I wonderred what noise would that make. Then I got to thinking could I put a pipe in a swimming pool, or a fishbowl .... we could mybe hear the fish asking what that pole is doing their space,

[botronics]

The SF Bay Area got the biggest rain and wind storm we ever had for years. Here is a recording of what the harp sounded like in the storm.
http://home.comcast.net/~botronics/baystorm.html

[DonQuijote]

OH! another Idea Hit me. how would it be, if you would add some strings, of different length, so that the sounds are either consonant, or dissonant. to make minor, and major chords. think about that a little. or to add several strings, with the possibility to modify the tension in them, to be able to tune the harp. not regularly, but from time to time. for example, for halloween, you could use some minor chords, thus creating some sad mood, and tune in a couple of strings, to make dissonant tunes, for creepy mood. and otherwise, you could use major, happier chords, to create some relaxing, but comfy mood for the times you have to spend indoors, cause its raining.... oh PLEASE expand this project..... i would do it myself, if i had the time.... but i can't.

[botronics]

Last Night, being New Years Eve, my wind harp captured sounds of all the fire works and gunshots that occurred at midnight. The wind harp resonates in its own way and makes them into interesting sounds. You can listen to them at this link.
http://home.comcast.net/~botronics/ringnewyear.html
This other one was a recording made while construction occurred nearby.
http://home.comcast.net/~botronics/windsofconstruct.html

[DonQuijote]

beautiful!

[Encyclopediac Brown]

Don- Here a few ideas for you; use different gauge wire at the same length (a la guitar strings, which are the same length bridge to nut, but have a range of pitches due to the thickness); try placing a glass prism at an integral distance along the length of the wire, i.e. at 1/2 the length, 1/4 the length, et al (this will create harmonics above the original pitch); or tune two wires to almost the same pitch and listen for a gentle wavering in the pitch as the two wires go in and out of phase with each other (this is along the lines of what makes a twelve-string guitar sound so rich). I hope that this is a little food for thought for you. CJ

[botronics]

You do get a wavering (beat note) effect when two strings are very close in frequency. I installed a headphone jack at the instrument for tuning at the instrument and make adjustments as the weather changes the pitch. My question is, whats the glass prism for in your idea? to act as a bridge? Triangle shaped wood could also be used as a bridge.

[DonQuijote]

BUT they still need to be slightly not quite in tune to each other..... why glass? why prism? hollow glass prism, perhaps, to resonate?

[DonQuijote]

man, i just can't get this project out of my head. here's another tip: how about some devices, perhaps servos, perhaps some coils pushing some rods in and out of their core, ore something similar, touching the chords, at specific points, having the same effect like shortening the length of the vibrating string. kinda like playing guitar, or violin, or any other string instrument by touching it with your fingers at certain points. these devices could be actuated by some very simple circuitry. close the circuit of one coil, or servo, or whatever it is, and that device will touch the string at that point. open it, and the mechanical finger will lift itself off the string. replace the switch with a transistor, controlled by raindrops closing some open electrical wires, and there you go: rain and wind play the same guitar, kinda like playing piano in two....

[botronics]

Have you seen the Gibson Robot? http://www.gibson.com/robotguitar/guitar.html
That guitar has servos to tune the strings automatically! Using some servos to remote tune is a good idea. I also thought of running current through the wires. This will cause the wire to change its length and the tune without using motors. Watch your toaster wire stretch and contract as current flow through the wires. Of course I would not run so much current the wires would glow red hot, but a little current may be enough. Wind and rain blowing on the wires would also cause changes in the tension as it is running with current.

[DonQuijote]

of course i saw the robot guitar.. but it is not what i mean. my idea was to build some devices, that would touch the string in specific points, just like the guitar player putting the fingers of his left hand( if he is right-handed) on the string, shortening the length of the VIBRATING part of the wire, not exactly the wire itself. those devices should be controlled via some sensors....that could be kinda like these: two wires, not touching each other, on a inclined plane, but very close together. when raindrops fall, they close the circuit between the wires, making your device touch the string. then, because it is inclined, the water drop should flow away from the sensor-rods, opening the circuit, retracting your mechanical finger of the string......