Excellent project and write-up from Robin Newman. Thanks Robin for writing in and sharing your build!

Having completed successful project to produce a Glockenspiel driven by OSC messages from Sonic PiI wondered how I might improve the project. One of the difficulties in reproducing the first version  was the difficulty in finding a suitable Glockenspiel which satisfied the constraints of the hammer mechanisms employed. The choice of “gravity return” hammers, which were easy to implement, meant that the Glockenspiel needed to be raised up so that the hammers would fit underneath, and there was also a requirement that any braces underneath the hammers didn’t conflict with their action. This didn’t matter with the Glockenspiel I was using, but this was an old instrument no longer manufactured, and I couldn’t find very many replacements which satisfied the requirements. Many more modern Glockenspiels either came fixed in a case, or the notes were supported in a way which made it difficult to implement hammers from the underneath. Also it seemed more natural to hit the notes from the top which is the way that the instruments were designed to be used.

Read more.

Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!