Pipe gamelan

The Pipe Gamelan is a musical instrument in the percussion family. Because it is made from industrial pipes, whose original purpose was not for music, it is a found object.
Part of the Emil Richards Collection, the Pipe Gamelan was built by an unknown person at 20th Century Fox Studios for use in the . Emil Richards bought the instrument from Fox Studios while on location in the 1990’s and coined its name. The chromatic layout of the instrument was appealing, as Emil could have fluency on the instrument while being able to have a different sound from other keyboard percussion instruments. The three octave range (F4-F7) and western tuning also meant that composers could write for it to be played in an orchestra. As with many rough, “homemade” mallet instruments, the overtone series is inconsistent throughout the instrument, but gives it character.
The Pipe Gamelan was used considerably in the television series, Daktari and by composer Michael Giacchino.
Brass Tube Pipe Gamelan
Emil also had a Brass Tube Pipe Gamelan, which originated in the late 1960’s as a number of pipes that he had tuned microtonally, using a tube cutter. He liked the idea of the originality of the instrument, as most percussionists around him were not venturing into the world of microtonality. He then made a chromatic set, as the instrument could then mesh with the tunings of the traditional Western orchestra, but still have a gamelan-type sound. The range is three octaves, from C4-C7. One of the main reasons for its characteristic sound is its multitude of varying overtones. The Brass Tube Pipe Gamelan made it into many film soundtracks, as composers would call Emil and describe the setting of the movie, and Emil would suggest using the instrument if appropriate, especially in Indonesian and other South Pacific- style films. Notably, composer Pete Rugolo used the Brass Tube Pipe Gamelan in a number of his soundtracks.
Emil usually played the Pipe Gamelan and Brass Tube Pipe Gamelan with glockenspiel or hard vibraphone mallets.
 
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