The folgerphone (sometimes Folgerphone) is a wind instrument (or aerophone). Like the saxophone it is classifiable as a woodwind rather than brass instrument despite being made of metal, because it has a reed. The folgerphone is a modern experimental instrument, using an alto sax mouthpiece, with copper tubing and a coffee can (the name is a reference to Folgers, a common American brand of canned coffee). The instrument is not commercially produced, but constructed by musicians, and need not use a genuine coffee can, but any sounding box made of metal. Although it uses a sax mouthpiece, it is a cylindrical-bore instrument, and thus part of the clarinet family, but is played with finger holes, like a recorder, rather than with keys like a saxophone or modern clarinet. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is among the 422.211.2 subsection of reed aerophones.

History

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The instrument was invented by Nolan Hatcher and Craig Nutt of Alabama (members of the Raudelunas art collective,[1] and the experimental jazz bands the Ron Pates Debonairs and the Blue Denim Deal)[2] at least as early as 1979, when it was used on their duet album Dinosaur Time.[1] It has also been used in recorded experimental and jazz works by others, such as Robert Horton's band Plateau (not to be confused with the Skinny Puppy side-project platEAU), as on the 1990 Arrhythmia compilation CD.

References

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  1. ^ a b Nutt, Craig. "Say Day-Bew Records". Raudelunas: The Art of Nolan Hatcher (1951–1991). Archived from the original on July 8, 2011.[self-published source]
  2. ^ Freeman, Chris (ed.). "Artist: Hatcher, Nolan & Craig Nutt". Fusetron. Brooklyn: FusetronSound. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  • Hansson, Bobby (2004) [1996]. The Fine Art of the Tin Can (Revised ed.). Lark Books. p. 102.