Wooden Tunelle

Tunelle is a Spring percussion instrument. Its name is a contraction of two words that characterize this instrument sonically and visually: 'tuned tunnel'.

We've built two different versions of this instrument - a metal and a wooden Tunelle. Both of them hold two full octaves of chromatically arranged compression springs. The different materials used for the resonating bodies are important factors for their resulting sonic characteristics. The metallic Tunelle has a clear and long metallic ring, where as the wooden Tunelle has a slightly more damped and warmer sound quality.

Springs always ring in several pitches at the same time. Depending on the articulation used, different pitches of the same spring can be heard more or less clearly. Tunelle was designed to be played mainly by pulling the springs with fingers and quickly releasing them, letting the springs wobble and resonate. Other articulations, such as sideways plucking with a finger and striking the 'head' of each spring with a rubber mallet, bring out friendly rattles that ring in distinct pitches.

(Size 55cm x 17cm x 20cm)