Coneless speaker uses plasma driver

“Jack’s Welding? My loudspeakers are low. Fill ‘em up with helium, please.”

Strange phone call? It’ll be routine for affluent audiophiles using a new speaker system, the Hill Type 1. Type 1 cabinets contain a helium bottle good for about 300 hours of playing time. Minute amounts of helium bleed into a glowing plasma, or highly ionized gas—heart of the speaker from Plasmatronics Inc. (2460 Alamo, S.E., Albuquerque, N.M. 87106).

Read the rest of this entry »

Theremin Cellos Win Music Public in “Electric Concert”

THE electric cello, developed recently by Leon Theremin, has now been accepted by the music public as an instrument of high artistic merit.

At a symphony concert of electric music given a short while ago at Carnegie Hall, New York City, the electric cello made a sensational debut in a program consisting of selections from the old music masters— Bach, Haydn, Debussy, and others.
Producing exquisite tones, with both extremes of volume, the electric cellos have as their innards vacuum tubes whose oscillations are controlled by levers and coils on the instrument.

Mouth Harpist Goes to Extremes

JUST because he “slides over” a lot of notes going from low “G” to high “C” gives Fred Leslie, London musician, the right to claim the title of world’s champion mouth harpist. His mammoth instrument measures 36 inches from tip to tip. He also plays the one-inch organ shown perched on “Big Bertha” in the photo below.

view additional pages

Electronic-Music Maestro

YOU’RE a radio repair man, why don’t you build me an electric organ?” If Burton Minshall heard that suggestion once, he must have heard it a thousand times from his wife, Madalene. As a matter of fact, Madalene nagged her husband so often about an electric organ that Burton decided to do something about it and end her nagging.

He began by saving odd parts like vacuum tubes, sockets, chokes and assorted pieces of wire and cable. He found an old reed organ in a junk shop which he bought for a song. Then he chopped it up and salvaged its physical movement. When he found another old, worn-out reed organ, he saved the five octave keyboard.

Read the rest of this entry »

X-Ray Tells if You’re Grand Opera Star

IS THE time drawing near when science will be able to devise an almost mathematical formula for making great singers out of any aspirant to musical fame? Is there any way to determine the precise physiological differences in vocal organs and other parts of the body which might account for good, bad and indifferent singing voices?

An attempt at answering the questions is being made by scientists, who have made X-ray exposures, during the actual act of singing, of the throats and heads of such famous opera stars as Lawrence Tibbet, Benjamin Gigli, Reinold Werrenrath, and others of vocal fame.

Read the rest of this entry »

LOUDSPEAKERS IN METAL “MAN” MAKE ROBOT MUSICAL
By connecting loudspeakers in a sheet-metal “man” to a radio receiver, a musical robot has been produced as an advertising stunt for a New York store. The metal figure, made of stovepipes, galvanized-iron cans and funnels, is installed on the roof. Wires from the loudspeakers located in the hollow arms of the robot are connected to the radio set in the store beneath, enabling the operator of the radio to make the man on the roof sing, deliver a lecture or perhaps tell a bedtime story to passersby on the street.

Is it just me, or do these kids all look a little demonic?

WHERE ARE YOU… Here in the Spotlight or lost among the Crowd?

Parties are twice as much fun when you play the Harmonica

It’s almost unbelievable how quickly you become popular once you can play the harmonica. Good harmonica players are always in demand for parties, outings, scout meetings and school Harmonica Bands—sure of a good time wherever they go. Thousands of boys and girls who once sat around at parties and watched others take the spotlight have discovered that the ability to play this fascinating instrument is all that is needed to win the admiration of friends—step out of the “wallflower” class—and know the thrill of being a wonderful entertainer.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hmm, for some reason I don’t think these ever really cought on.

Clock Wakes Sleeper with Music

THE violent hatred which humanity has for alarm clocks, especially around the hours of daybreak, may be mitigated somewhat by the invention of a combination phonograph and clock which awakens a sleeper with the strains of music from his favorite orchestra or singer.

Both phonograph and clock motor is contained in a box the size of a large camera, and the hour for the morning serenade is set by knob as in an alarm clock. When out of use the case is folded up to make a neat and attractive table or mantel ornament.

Device Measures Musical Talent
A YARDSTICK for the measurement of musical talent, an automatic tone-variator, is now being used at Northwestern University to determine students’ ability to determine exact tonal pitch.
The machine contains 14 tuning-forks, set within one-quarter tone of each other. Two notes are struck in quick succession, and the students are asked which note was higher. Those that can detect the higher note consistently are keenly encouraged to study music. They are considered to be musically apt and talented.
Students with less sensitivity to tone are advised to study instruments with broader tone distinctions such as pianos and other keyboard instruments.

Apparently in the 1930’s failure to play an instrument was a punishable offence.

BARRED — because he couldn’t entertain
ARE you, too, ruled out, barred from parties and popularity? You are probably just as attractive, interesting, clever as any one else. Yet others always capture all the good times while you alone are left out in the cold.

Why? Find out why and the bars that shut you out will fade away and disappear. Most people who miss popularity are themselves to blame. Friends would invite you out if only you had something to add to the general gaiety. For that is why we have parties … to entertain each other.

Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, the Columbia House Music Club existed even in the days of 8-tracks.

As your introduction, choose
ANY 3 8-TRACK CARTRIDGES
FOR ONLY $5.95
if you join now, and agree to purchase as few as four additional cartridges during the coming year, from hundreds to be offered