Moncton professors invent new instrument

[wil]

Very cool. Thanks for the post.

[CyberHippie]

Moncton professors invent new instrument

MONCTON - Two University of Moncton math professors have invented a new stringed instrument, known as the tritare.

The tritare (pronounced "tree-tar") took years to invent.

But the math professors who came up with the idea for the tritare, which was unveiled to the public Wednesday, didn't set out to make music history.

Samuel Gaudet and Claude Gauthier were actually looking for a number system that had a different kind of symmetry than either positive or negative numbers.

This work led to experiments with the acoustic properties of vibrating networks of strings.

The idea seemed useful for building bridges, but the pair realized it could also have groovier applications.

"I was looking at graphs," says Gaudet.

"The sort of light went on in our heads - this means we could sort of, technically, invent or put together an instrument that would sound very different to a traditional stringed instrument."

They built a few prototypes. These lacked style, so they contacted a professional instrument maker, Halifax's George Rizsanyi.

The finished product looks like a cross between a guitar and a giant letter "Y."

Their work culminated in a packed press conference and demonstration at the university Wednesday.

John Belay was the featured tritare player.

"It feels like, for the most part, a conventional traditional guitar, but with the option of creating some very spacey, freaky sounds," Belay says.

The professors have filed for a patent for their creation, and are looking into the commercial possibilities of the tritare

But despite his enthusiasm, Gauthier is still caught up in the original number system.

"I would prefer to have solved this problem," he says.

http://www.cbc.ca/artsCanada/stories/tritare151003