Styrophone
Encyclopedia
A styrophone is an acoustic device made from expanded polystyrene
foam (often referred to by the genericized trademark
styrofoam
). There are at least two varieties:
The musical instrument consists of a foam box that is forced to vibrate by a variety of means, such friction against a wooden stick. Technically, that instrument is a type of friction idiophone
. Styrophones tend to last for only one performance, as the friction destroys the material.
The loudspeaker is a cheap home-made variety that consists of a crystal earpiece attached to a cone made from a foam cup or sections of packing material.
Polystyrene
Polystyrene ) also known as Thermocole, abbreviated following ISO Standard PS, is an aromatic polymer made from the monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is manufactured from petroleum by the chemical industry...
foam (often referred to by the genericized trademark
Genericized trademark
A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...
styrofoam
Styrofoam
Styrofoam is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company for closed-cell currently made for thermal insulation and craft applications. In 1941, researchers in Dow's Chemical Physics Lab found a way to make foamed polystyrene...
). There are at least two varieties:
- an acoustic musical instrumentMusical instrumentA musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
- a type of loudspeakerLoudspeakerA loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
- a cellular device used by Wale (rapper)Wale (rapper)Wale Victor Folarin , better known by his stage name Wale , is an American rapper from Washington, D.C. Wale was born to Nigerian parents. He rose to prominence in 2006, when his song "Dig Dug " became popular in his hometown. Wale became locally recognized and continued recording music for the...
The musical instrument consists of a foam box that is forced to vibrate by a variety of means, such friction against a wooden stick. Technically, that instrument is a type of friction idiophone
Idiophone
An idiophone is any musical instrument which creates sound primarily by way of the instrument's vibrating, without the use of strings or membranes. It is the first of the four main divisions in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification...
. Styrophones tend to last for only one performance, as the friction destroys the material.
The loudspeaker is a cheap home-made variety that consists of a crystal earpiece attached to a cone made from a foam cup or sections of packing material.