Plasmaphone
Encyclopedia
Plasma (physics)
In physics and chemistry, plasma is a state of matter similar to gas in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized. Heating a gas may ionize its molecules or atoms , thus turning it into a plasma, which contains charged particles: positive ions and negative electrons or ions...
, or ionized gas, with or without later amplification, processing, or the like.
In terms of musical instrument classification the plasmaphone completes the four acoustic classes of musical instruments that use matter in its solid, liquid, gas, or plasma state to make sound.
Public performances
The plasmaphone was introduced, in public performance, at the New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME) conference in 2007, where it was played together with a hydraulophoneHydraulophone
A hydraulophone is a tonal acoustic musical instrument played by direct physical contact with water where sound is generated or affected hydraulically. Typically sound is produced by the same hydraulic fluid in contact with the player's fingers...
in a concert that took place in a pool located in New York City.
Underwater plasmaphone
A plasmaphone performance was also part of the Immersive Music theme of ICMC 2007International Computer Music Conference
The International Computer Music Conference is a yearly international conference for computer music researchers and composers. It is the annual conference of the International Computer Music Association ....
. In keeping with the spirit of ICMC's 2007 theme, Immersed Music, the instrument used here was an underwater plasma instrument, in which clear plastic trays of water were hung from sounding pipes. The initial sound-production medium was underwater plasma. Due to health and safety reasons, the plasma was not generated in pool water, but, rather, in separate containers of water, in order that bathers in the Swim Center's pools not be exposed to any danger.
Possible confusion with electrophones
Plasmaphones may involve either or both of:- Open flame (in which case it is subclassified as a pyrophonePyrophoneA pyrophone, also known as a "fire/explosion organ" or "fire/explosion calliope" is a musical instrument in which notes are sounded by explosions, or similar forms of rapid combustion, rapid heating, or the like.-Related musical instruments:...
); - Electrical discharge (sparksElectric sparkAn electric spark is a type of electrostatic discharge that occurs when an electric field creates an ionized electrically conductive channel in air producing a brief emission of light and sound. A spark is formed when the electric field strength exceeds the dielectric field strength of air...
, etc.).
Typically the player touches one or more flames or electrical/spark sources in order to play the instrument.
Whereas some plasmaphones, like the fifth Hornbostel Sachs category, Electrophones, use electricity, the plasmaphone is not an electrophone (any more than an electric guitar is an electrophone merely because it uses electricity in some way).
As with the electric guitar, which is a chordophone using electric amplification in conjunction with electric, optical, or acoustic pickups, the electric plasmaphone produces the initial sound acoustically, which is then picked up electrically, optically, or acoustically (or by a combination of these).