Orator,—to what Extent,and how most readiiy attainabie” 323 
Not content with the assertion of the writer, who made the 
experiment with a wire several yards in length, I constructed a 
simple monochord (that of which I have just spoken), and found 
the results to correspond. As this very simple instrument is’not 
only amusing, but on many occasions instructive, I shall de-’ 
scribe it, 
Monochord. 
Take an even strip of deal, free from knots, about three feet 
long, five inches broad, and three-quarters thick. Plane it fair, 
and glue upon each end a piece of hard wood about an inch and 
ahalfin height. Stretch a steel wire horizontally over these by 
means of two upright iron pegs suited to a common tuning-ham- 
mer. Lastly, procure a perpendicular bridge of hard wood, 
about an inch long, whose base may be three-quarters, and whose 
summit about one-quarter inch in breadth: let it move freely to 
and fro beneath the wire, (merely in contact and no more, lest 
the pitch should be altered,) and press it (the wire) down upon 
the aforesaid bridge, at the destined mark, with your nail, or, 
which is better, with a small oblong square piece of hard timber. 
The monochord is thus complete; and by way of a sounding= 
board, you have only to place it on a table, or on the leaf of a 
piano-forte. : 
A rough side-view may explain it better. 
AA, Blocks which serve for feet. 
B B, Permanent bridges, each one inch sia a half high. 
Cc C, Blocks in which the pegs are inserted, 
D, Moveable bridge. 
Let me now describe the experiment which proves the grada~ 
tion of our concords. 
Experiment 3. Take a strip of fine soft paper (news paper 
will answer) about one inch and a half long and half an inch - 
broad, bent longitudinally in a triangular form, like a sadd/e. 
With one extremity of this saddle {its apex being upward) the 
string while sounding is to be gently pressed at given points, and 
tones different. from the original will be strongly perceptible. 
$Y Thus, 
