Premium contest/2021-08 - Music to my Ears
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Got a song in your head, and just need the right instrument to bring it to life? Well here's your chance to design one! Here are the requirements: 1. Design a short (15/15/15) OR Long (up to 60 characters) description for an instrument. Note that the instrument MUST be genre-appropriate and able to actually exist in GemStone. 2. Design the LOOK of the instrument. This is what is seen when you LOOK at it. 400 characters max. 3. Design a short (15/15/15) OR Long (up to 60 characters) description for a container to hold the instrument from item 1 above. This container MUST use one of the following nouns: Case, Satchel, or Harness. 4. Design a second instrument following the same protocols and guidelines from item 1 above. 5. Design the LOOK of the second instrument. 400 characters max. 6. Design a container for the instrument from item 4 above, following the same rules and guidelines from item 3 above. 7. Pick ONE of your two instruments and give it a name. This name must be genre-appropriate and be something that would be appropriate to exist in GemStone. Example of a submission: 1. a tiny brass flute. 2. The flute is highly polished, without a single hint of tarnish, though here and there variations in the hue of the material indicate heavy usage. 3. a mahogany flute case with brass hinges 4. a cracked ebony mandolin 5. The mandolin has a lengthy crack running along the body of the instrument. It has been inexpertly repaired, and is held together at one point with some sort of improvised adhesive. 6. a stained instrument harness 7. The mandolin's name is LUCKY. Entries that do not conform to the above requirements will not be considered eligible. Contestants have until 11:59 pm PT on September 3rd, 2021 to get entries submitted.
Winners
Here are the Premium Contest winners in alphabetical order:
- Kalyrra
- Laehna
- Leifa
- Lianea
- Luxelle
- Meliyara
- Mnute
- Raelee
- Vincien
- Ysaeril
Entries
1. a flared maoral mbira bound with lamellae of etched bronze 2. The mbira is slightly rectangular in shape, the grain of the lustrous maoral wood running lengthwise from the narrower end, where delicately etched bronze lamellae are bound between two steel bands, to the flared end. The flare extends past the tips of the varied lengths of the bronze strips, which are unbound at their opposite ends and just waiting to be plucked. 3. a velvet-lined polished maoral mbira case 4. a mahogany tabor ornately engraved with dancing figures 5. The expertly-crafted tabor has taut rolton skins stretched across either side, held in place by a length of rope laced tightly in a v-pattern around the side of the cylindrical mahogany drum. Between the laces, intricately engraved dancing figures can be seen. A silk snare is stretched across one side of the tabor, and a small clip on one side holds a carved mahogany stick with a rounded head. 6. a padded woven silk tabor neck harness 7. The tabor's name is SPIRIT.
1. velnalin hide bagpipes 2. These bagpipes are made with velnalin hide bellows, saddle stitched with black leather, haon wood blowpipe, and highly polished maoral chanter and two drone pipes. The chanter is embellished with ora rings and seals. 3. The case is avelnalin hide case, stretched over an expanding metal frame, carried over the shoulder. 4. old mesille fiddle 5. This old fiddle has passed through time. The wood needs shined; the board needs new fittings. But it still has an echo of a fine sound. There is a brass plate on the back. 6. A scuffed, weather beaten, many-patched case with a shoulder strap made from a baldric. 7. The fiddle has been named Sea Mist.
1. A modwir djembe with a pale umber velnalin-hide drumhead 2. Criss-crossing woven ropes connect to a pale wooden ring, stretching a circular velnalin hide drumhead over a goblet-shaped drum of carved modwir. The dark spine of the hide crosses directly over the middle of the drum, resonating softly with the slightest touch. 3. A pale macrame harness decorated with cowry shells. 4. An earthenware udu decorated with leaping velanalins. 5. The udu resembles a small, pot-bellied clay jug with a short, collared neck and a plum-sized hole in its side. 6. A knotted twine satchel. 7. The djembe's name is Peace
1. a kelyn-cranked/cocobolo/hurdy gurdy 2. Appearing like something akin to a large, rectangular music box, the hurdy gurdy's body has been lacquered to bring out the natural beauty of the distinct grain of the cocobolo wood. The keybox is covered in mother-of-pearl which has been carefully painted with a dizzying array of cherry blossom florals, which cover delicately carved kelyn keys. 3. a rigid/velnalin-suede/case with embossed floral arabesques 4. a pear-shaped/glowbark/hurdy gurdy 5. So faint it appears to be illusory, a gentle glow emanates from the glowbark body of this exquisite instrument. The crank is a single piece of moon-hued silver with a matte finish that disappears seamlessly into the instrument's casing. It's keybox is set with ghostly blue glowbark leaves and then layered over with clear lacquer preserving their haunting beauty for all time. 6. a soft/brushed-suede/harness covered in cloth-of-vaalin 7. The glowbark hurdy-gurdy is named 'Dew of the Morning Star’
1. a rickety multicolored glockenspiel 2. The glockenspiel appears to have been cobbled together from the cheapest, mismatched materials available within arms reach of its builder. The instrument, if it can be called such, has a flimsy base and bars made from an unknown combination of metals. 3. a frayed canvas shoulder satchel 4. an ornate faewood recorder 5. The recorder is made of polished faewood, and is accented with delicate golden trim. The intricate appearance is marred only by slight wear around a few specific finger-holes. 6. a canvas satchel embossed with an ancient drake design 7. The recorder's name is DINO.
1. a segmented brass carnyx crested with a dragon's head 2. The elongated wind instrument consists of several lengths of brushed brass piping that form a contiguous tall tube leading from the mouthpiece and curved in an S-shape to meet the much wider bell. The bell affixed atop is styled in the shape of an open-mouthed dragon. The instrument's height is significant enough to be heard over heads in battle. 3. a hinged brass instrument case crested with a dragon's head 4. a primitive ceramic drum lashed with eel skin 5. The goblet-shaped percussion instrument appears to be crafted of roughly fired earthenware. A swathe of cured eel skin is stretched tightly across the opening of the pot and lashed beneath the deep bulbous basin with fish gut rope forming a taunt head. The instrument appears to be used by striking the head with bare palms to emit a deep bass sound. 6. a colorful woven drum satchel 7. The drum's name is DOUM
1. a weathered cedar dulcimer featuring scrimshaw tuning pegs 2. Gleaming ivory frets span across the darker finger board in their precise spacing under the strings. Several mother-of-pearl inlays decorate the instrument's fretboard, looking like sails. The two pairs of soundholes are mirrored dolphin shapes upon the smoothly polished soundboard top. 3. an oiled thrak hide case clasped with verdigris latches 4. a scrimshaw fife carved with tiny ships afloat on wavecrests 5. Except for the areas around the finger holes, which are worn smooth, the small hand-carved tube contains detailed miniatures of masted vessels at sea. Wavecrests entwine around the various ships with the small and large sprays of an undulating ocean. The design of this masterpiece of craftsmanship wraps seamlessly around the hollowed out body of the entire instrument. 6. a small rolled leather case 7. The fife's name is Firesong
1. a five-stringed zydris rebec 2. The rebec's narrow, boat-shaped bowl is crafted exquisitely from a single, solid piece of creamy gold wood from the zydris tree, with rich, matte black grain lines in a swirling marbled pattern throughout. The five strings are delicately wrought from shimmering silver siren's hair. 3. a tree-patterned flyrsilk satchel with plush paeline lining 4. a klysmar-shelled tabor 5. The tabor's shell is masterfully fashioned from natural, undyed silver-green klysmar wood. An adjustable ramie silk snare accompanies the brindlecat hide heads. The sturdy, dark purple leather strap is fancifully embroidered with the words, "The singers of the melody to which all things are harmony." 6. an amethyst-hued harness woven from marbrinus silk 7. The rebec's name is L'NAERE'S GRACE.
1. a simple etched-bone flute 2. A closer inspection reveals that despite its simple decoration the flute was cunningly crafted by practiced hands and intricately etched with infinitesimal depictions of the hunt. 3. a raw leather harness 4. a fanciful clockwork symphonia with an incongruous crank 5. A dazzling array of strings, levers, buttons, keys, knobs, and assorted unidentifiable inputs cover every surface of the contraption, and still the massive black iron hand crank affixed to one end stands out. 6. a hefty metal case with multiple mismatched latches 7. The symphonia is named HURDY-GURDY
1) a bamboo pan flute painted in a series of blues 2) Translucent blue glaze coats each of the eight bamboo pipes of the pan flute, allowing its natural grain to show through. The shortest pipe is a deep midnight blue, with each successive pipe painted a lighter shade, culminating at a pale sky blue on the longest. Jute twine binds the pipes together, with simple lapis and quartz beads dangling from the intricately braided strands. 3) a soft azure linen flute case 4) a varnished maoral hurdy-gurdy patterned with red blossoms 5) A hand-painted pattern of simple ruby blossoms borders the side panels of the hurdy-gurdy, blending nicely with the natural red hue of the maoral wood. Occasional fruits, including apples and cherries, break up the pattern of flowers. In stark contrast to the shades of red, a canary yellow number thirty is painted just beside the hurdy-gurdy's brass crank. 6) a brass-clasped crimson leather case 7) The hurdy-gurdy's name is "Purdy Hurdy-Gurdy #30"
1. A delicate faewood flute 2. The slender flute is carved from a single piece of lightweight faewood, polished to highlight the natural grain of the pale grey wood. A single faewood flower is carved around each finger hole and painted with faint white brushstrokes that subtly reflect the light. The raised lip plate is a slightly darker shade of grey and engraved with ornate sheaves of grain. 3. A slender flute case hung from a worn leather strap 4. A polished modwir dulcimer 5. The hourglass body of the modwir dulcimer is polished to a high sheen that accentuates the rich grey hues of the wood. Centered between a pair of elegantly carved doe, the intricate fingerboard is inlaid with leaves of olivine faenor-bloom crystals between lustrous, deep-brown petrified modwir frets. 6. A soft doeskin satchel 7. The flute’s name is IMAERA’S MELODY
1. a painted harp with a dolphin-carved column 2. The playfully leaping dolphin is covered with pewter-hued stain, while the remainder of the harp is washed with pale green-blue paint. The neck is further adorned with paintings of various sailing vessels, and each side of the soundboard bears the image of a young blonde woman wearing a draping teal gown hovering above white seafoam. 3. a sea green doeskin satchel lined with dark grey velvet 4. a jasper-inlaid lyre with feather shaped arms 5. Red and yellow jasper carved into pairs of wings are inlaid across the front and back of the bright green lyre's soundbox, surrounding a white chalcedony feather set in the center of each side. The arms are carved into long feathers, the tips curving out away from the smooth yoke spanning between them. 6. a white leather satchel adorned with multicolored feathers 7. The lyre's name is SONGBIRD.
1. a black willow lyre with flame-shaped laje pegs 2. The lyre is designed in the classical style with a hollow body fashioned from black willow and connected across the top by a yoke of reddish-gold kakore. The strings stretch from the yoke to the bridge and are tightened by a series of polished laje pegs shaped into tongues of flame. 3. a slim kakore case with a flame-embossed leather strap 4. a slender fife crafted from pale persimmon wood 5. Fashioned from the younger heartwood of a persimmon tree, the fife consists of six finger holes and an embouchure hole. Each end has been decorated with a series of thin gold-inlaid rings, serving as both an adornment and protection against wear and tear. 6. a narrow marquetry case cornered in burnished gold 7. INFERNO (for instrument #1)