Ellen Fullman - The Long String Instrument (LP, 1985)
Ellen Fullman has been developing the Long String Instrument for more than twenty years, and it has evolved into an astounding expression of artistic individuality. The instrument is based on the longitudinal mode of vibration, with one hundred long wires strung over approximately ninety feet. The strings are attached to the soundboard, much in the same way a harp is constructed. The string goes through a hole in the soundboard, a loop is made, a pin is set in the loop, then the string is pulled against that and attached to the wall at the other end of the room. Some of the wires pass through resonator boxes at sixty and thirty feet, and the bass wires extend for the full distance. Tuning is accomplished in just intonation with ‘C’ clamps at harmonic intervals. The instrument is played is by stroking the string with rosin-covered hands and walking along its length, creating a compression wave, rather than a transverse wave, which would result from the action of plucking. Fullman has also developed various extended techniques to evoke different textures from the instrument. "The quality of the sound has an endless character, approaching infinity," says New Albion Records - Other Minds
