The Metal Quartet

The Freenotes Metal Quartet is the culmination of fifteen years of designing instruments in the tradition of the Gamelan instruments of Bali and Java. Gamelan instruments are characterized by a predominance of tuned and resonated metal bars with an extensive pitch range from deep bass to soprano. While the Gamelan ensembles generally have many instruments and players, it was the goal of Freenotes to recreate this sound using a small number of portable instruments. The Freenotes Metal Quartet is the completion of that effort.

The Quartet is available in G major, D minor and C major scalings, or the scale can be customized by request. The instrument that completes the Quartet is the Colossus, the deep bass instrument that reaches an octave below our Bass Octave. The Colossus consists of five aluminum plates and resonators. The plates are five inches wide and they are resonated by 4 inch ABS pipes which are mitered and folded so as to make the long length of the resonating chambers portable. The instrument measures 38 inches long by 30 inches wide and weighs about 45 pounds.

Temperature and barometric variations can dramatically affect bass resonance. To optimize the sound volume of the Colossus each resonator is equipped with an expansion plug. This allows for quick and precise adjustments to be made for any performance or recording session. Full instructions are included on the use of the expansion plugs. The sound of the Colossus provides a deep foundation for the higher three instruments to play on top of. It is easy for one person to play the Colossus and Bass Octave at the same time, or they can be played separately.

Regrettably, the sound files for the Freenotes Metal Quartet cannot hope to reproduce the deep effect of the Colossus on normal computer speakers. However, our CD "Songs of Metal and Wood" contains a track that does showcase this sound. Track two, "Return to Misty Mountain" has all four pitch ranges of instruments that are included in the Freenotes Quartet. While it was recorded with instruments that are not portable (the deep bass instrument used for this recording stood over six feet tall) the sound is virtually the same as that produced by the Quartet. It has taken almost ten years since that recording to successfully produce these tones in a portable ensemble of instruments.