Fizy & Artefacto
Fizy Fizy
Artefacto Artefacto
Fizy Fizy
Hey, I've been thinking about how the density and thickness of clay affect the resonance of pottery, like those ancient clay bowls that double as musical instruments. Have you ever experimented with tuning a vessel just by tweaking the walls?
Artefacto Artefacto
I’ve carved a few bowls for that purpose, and I find that the thinner the wall, the higher the tone it produces; a thicker wall absorbs more of the vibration, giving a deeper, slower resonance. It’s a delicate balance: if the clay is too dense, it’s stubborn and resists the subtle shifts I need to get the right pitch. You have to feel the grain, let the clay breathe, and then adjust the rim or the base just a touch – a little more clay in the middle, or a slight thinning near the lip – and the sound will change in a way that feels almost like a conversation with the earth.
Fizy Fizy
That’s a solid approach – the grain really does talk back if you listen. Maybe try a tiny notch or an inner lip thinning to tweak the pitch, and run a quick frequency scan to see the exact change. I can help set up a small audio probe if you want to lock in that perfect note.
Artefacto Artefacto
I’d be grateful for your help with the probe. The idea of slicing a tiny notch or thinning the inner lip feels like a small gesture that could coax the right tone out of the clay. Just feel the rhythm of the material as I work, and we can see how the frequency shifts. It’s a quiet dance, but I think the sound will thank us for it.
Fizy Fizy
Sounds good, let’s set up a quick probe. I’ll grab a small contact mic and run a frequency sweep while you make the notch, so we can see the shift in real time. Keep a steady hand and let the clay’s grain guide you—tuning a vessel is all about feeling that subtle push and pull.