How to Make an Octave with Wine Glasses

Wine glasses can be tuned like any fine instrument

Benjamin Franklin is credited with the invention of a "rubbed glass instrument" or wine glasses filled with varying amounts of water on which music could be played by rubbing your finger around the rim of each glass to produce a note. Franklin's "armonica" was considered by many to be the first uniquely American musical instrument. You can make an octave with wine glasses with the same technique that he used to create the three-octave armonica.

Things You'll Need

• 8 large-bowl wine glasses
• Chromatic tuner
• Eye dropper
• Water

Instructions

1. Set up your wine glasses in a straight line in front of you, running from right to left.

2. Turn on your chromatic tuner and select the key that you want your octave to be in. Set the tuner to low C in that key. Place the tuner on the table directly in front of the glass on the far right end.

3. Wet the tip of one finger and rub it in a quick circular motion around the rim of glass at the far right end. Watch the meter of the tuner to see if any sound registers. If not, or if the meter registers a sound but it is not close to low C, fill your eye dropper with water and then put one drop in the glass. Rub your finger around the rim of the glass and read the meter again. Proceed, drop by drop, until the sound produced by you rubbing the rim of the wine glass is heard by the tuner as the low C.

4. Reset the tuner to read the next note in the octave, D. Place the tuner on the table in front of the glass next to the one you just tuned to C. Add the same amount of drops of water as you did to the first glass. Now begin to rub the rim and read the meter, adding water drop by drop until you have reached D.

5. Repeat Step 4, resetting the tuner each time to the next note (the full notes of an octave are C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C) and filling the glass you are about to tune with the exact amount of drops of water as were in the glass before it.

Tips & Warnings

• Roll a handful of dry rice in a cloth napkin and wrap this around the base of each glass so the chances of the glass falling over as you play is lessened.

• Wine glasses are very fragile and can break without warning. Pay close attention to the glasses at all times while tuning so you are not caught off guard should one shatter.

Resources

• Another Variation: Franklin's Glass Harmonica