| Hornucopian dronepipe | |
| Background: | brass |
| Classification: | Aerophone |
| Inventors: | MONAD Studio with Scott F. Hall |
| Developed: | 2015 |
| Related: | Didgeridoo |
| Musicians: | Scott F. Hall |
The hornucopian dronepipe is a 3D printed wind instrument. It was developed by Eric Goldemberg and Veronica Zalcberg of MONAD Studio together with musician and luthier Scott F. Hall.[1]
MONAD Studio was created by Eric Goldemberg and Veronica Zalcberg in 2002. They are an architectural company.[2] In April 2015, MONAD unveiled their "Multi" project, which they describe as a "Sonic Art Wall Installation". Originally consisting of a cello, violin and bass guitar, the instruments in the series are all fully 3D printed.[3] The hornucopian dronepipe is the fourth item in the project and was also released in 2015. A fifth instrument exists, which is a didgeridoo.[4] [5]
The hornucopian dronepipe's design was inspired by pythons and strangler fig trees[6] [7] [8] (species that are native to MONAD's home state Florida) as well as the didgeridoo.[9] It was prototyped in wood and then modeled digitally. The design process took under a year.
The hornucopian dronepipe is printed in black colored polylactic acid; the printing process takes ten days. The instrument encircles its player with numerous tubes; MONAD used measurements of Scott F. Hall's body to ensure a good fit.
The instrument produces a continuous drone when played. Being a large instrument, the hornucopian dronepipe produces low tones. Its sound has been likened to that of a didgeridoo or a low horn. According to CNET, the hornucopian dronepipe "is simultaneously somber and stately" while being "a little on the eerie side".