Alumina is a musical instrument made from a hollow aluminum bar. The complete set of 3 bars are in C Major Pentatonic. It has precise tuning with a wonderful long sustain. Perfect for relaxation, yoga, meditation and music/sound therapy settings.
Product Videos:
- Small Bar 13" x 1.5" - D5 and A5 has the highest voice. D - Sacral Chakra. A - Third Eye Chakra.
- Medium Bar 14" x 1.5" - C5 and G5 has a medium voice. C - Root Chakra. G - Throat Chakra.
- Large Bar 15" x 1.5" - A4 and E5 has a low voice. A - Third Eye Chakra. E Solar Plexus Chakra.
It has two tongues cut on each side of the bar creating two tones in one instrument. Each side of the bar is tuned to a different pitch in our unique patent pending design. One side of the bar is the fundamental pitch. The other side is a higher 5th frequency of that fundamental pitch.
Why 5ths? It just 'feels' right and blends beautifully with the fundamental tone. In music theory, a perfect fifth is the musical interval corresponding to a pair of pitches with a frequency ratio of 3:2. The perfect fifth is more stable than any other interval except the unison and the octave. It occurs above the root of all major and minor chords (triads) and their extensions.
The tongues are joined in the middle of the bar and their energy vibration is shared. This leads to an even longer sustain when they are played at the same time. Playing one side or the other will send energy to the opposite side and excite it into lightly ringing.
Music therapists have long recognized the benefit of music vibrations on the body. Alumina is a powerful tool in the hands of music therapists, energy workers and even novices who enjoy feeling music vibration. Tone sustain varies between 20 seconds for the shortest bar length to 30 seconds for the longest bar. Great when used with meditation and yoga as well.
The Alumina can be used in the included wood stand or it can be held in the middle of the bar by hand and played. It fills the room with sound but also focuses it out the ends of the bar. Get it ringing and then position the end of the bar towards your head while slowly moving it back and forth between the ears for a powerful sensory experience. Hover it just above different parts of the body or even gently press one end against the skin and play the other end to feel the energy vibration.
Playing a set with different pitches creates a rich sound. Build simple rhythms and patterns between them for an amazing sound experience. We design each one to mesh beautifully with any of the others so there are no wrong notes to play. Because of the precise tuning, they can be used with a variety of other musical instruments as well. Tuned to the standard concert pitch of A 440hz.
Vibrato port. Vibrato is a musical effect consisting of a pulsating change of pitch. By simply using the side of your hand or thumb to cover and uncover the vibrato port you can create fun vibrato effects.
The stand is designed to beautifully display your instrument and to remind you to play it. Set it on any flat surface. It is designed to gently cradle the instrument and allow maximum tone. The stand arrives in flat pieces that you easily slot together to build. Instructions included.
Comes with a free mallet for playing. We originally developed this mallet for our tongue drums and have found it to be excellent with this instrument as well. Lightly strike around 1" from each end of the Alumina for the best sound experience.
Includes:
- 3 Alumina Bars
- 1 Mallet
- 3 Wooden Stands with Velcro Straps
- 1 Instruction Book
Purchase one bar or build a set. We offer a discount if buying a whole set at once. What are you waiting for? Start enjoying your Alumina now! In stock and ready to ship.