Waterphone

A waterphone (also called an ocean harp) is a special musical instrument made of a stainless steel bowl with a long neck and metal rods around the edge. Inside the bowl, there is usually a little bit of water, which helps give the waterphone its unusual and magical sound. This sound has been used in movies, music recordings, and live shows to create feelings of mystery and suspense.

The waterphone was created by an American named Richard Waters (1935–2013). It came in four different sizes: the Standard (7 inches across), the Whaler (12 inches), the Bass (14 inches), and the MegaBass (16 inches). People usually play the waterphone while sitting, either by bowing it like a violin or hitting it with a special superball mallet. Moving the water inside the bowl changes the sound, making it even more interesting.

The design of the waterphone was inspired by a Tibetan drum that Richard Waters saw in the early 1960s. That drum also had a little water inside, which changed its sound. The waterphone is also similar to an old instrument called the nail violin, which used a bowl and metal rods that could be struck or bowed.

Use

The waterphone has been shown in museums and galleries and has been featured in several short films. Over the years, it has become popular with symphony orchestras, touring bands, and recording studios. Many famous composers have written music for the waterphone, including Sofia Gubaidulina, Jerry Goldsmith, and John Mackey.

Rock musicians have also enjoyed using the waterphone. Famous players include Tom Waits and Mickey Hart. The instrument can be heard in songs by bands like The Bongos and in movies such as Poltergeist, The Matrix, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. It has also been used in TV shows and to create sounds in nature shows, especially to communicate with whales.

Waterphone development and innovation

The Hyperstellar Sailophone, made by Sławek Janus in 2018, is a special kind of waterphone. Unlike the classic waterphone created by Richard Waters, the Sailophone has bent rods that are longer, giving it a deeper sound. The longest rod can reach about 70 cm, which is much longer than the 40 cm rod in older models. The curved shape of these rods helps control the sound.

The Sailophone also has fewer rods spaced farther apart, which changes how it sounds. The rods are angled in a way that creates gentle shifts in lower sounds.

The Evelyn Glennie hyperstellar Waterphone is the first waterphone with two sound chambers connected by a pipe. One chamber has an extra open pipe. Each chamber has rods attached, creating a very deep bass sound that lasts a long time. It was designed by Sławek Janus and Evelyn Glennie, who had the idea and made the first drawings.