A styrophone is an acoustic device made from
expanded polystyrene foam (often referred to by the
genericized trademark
A generic trademark, also known as a genericized trademark or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name that, because of its popularity or significance, has become the generic term for, or synonymous with, a general class of products ...
''Styrofoam''). There are at least two varieties:
* an acoustic
musical instrument
* a type of
loudspeaker
A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or speaker driver) is an electroacoustic transducer that converts an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound. A ''speaker system'', also often simply referred to as a "speaker" or ...
Musical instrument
The musical Styrophone is a type of friction
idiophone
An idiophone is any musical instrument that creates sound primarily by the vibration of the instrument itself, without the use of air flow (as with aerophones), strings (chordophones), membranes (membranophones) or electricity ( electroph ...
created by
Robert Rutman
Robert Rutman (15 May 1931 – 1 June 2021) was a German visual artist, musician, composer, and instrument builder. Best known for his work with homemade idiophones in his Steel Cello Ensemble, Rutman is regarded as a pioneer of multimedia perf ...
in the 1990s as a parody of his well-known
sheetmetal
Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process. Sheet metal is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and it can be cut and bent into a variety of shapes.
Thicknesses can vary significantly; ex ...
instrument, the Bow Chimes. It consists of a foam box from which protrude a series of thin
brass
Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...
rods played with a
violin bow
In music, a bow is a tensioned stick which has hair (usually horse-tail hair) coated in rosin (to facilitate friction) affixed to it. It is moved across some part (generally some type of strings) of a musical instrument to cause vibration, whic ...
. Rutman's ensemble would build the impromptu instruments prior to a performance, and then destroy them through the process of their use.
Other versions have been created with
wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...
en sticks used in place of metal.
Styrophone loudspeaker
An inexpensive alternative to heavy-duty amplification systems, the Styrophone loudspeaker is usually of a cheap homemade variety that consists of a crystal earpiece attached to a cone made from a foam cup or sections of packing material.
"Styrophone Crystal Loud Speaker" from Peebles Originals
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References
{{Reflist
Idiophones