Telharmonium
Here’s another amazing and somewhat old one: Google “Telharmonium”. It was basically a precursor to the Hammond organ, but being pre-vacuum tube, it’s tonewheels had to be large enough to drive all the phones in a city at once! A real steampunk monstrosity. Read On!
Music Controlled Face
Daito Manabe is a programmer, artist, and designer who obviously isn’t afraid to experiment. From Daito’s website, “Yes. It is painful. but not as much as you think.” Read On!
Pyrophones and Explosion Organs!
Pyrophones, also known as explosion/fire organs, are musical instruments which are sounded by explosions, fire, rapid combustion, rapid heating, and other thermoacoustic devices. The combustion occurs inside of the actual resonance chamber (the pipe). Fire organs are said to have been around since the 1700s! Read On!
Making an Ice Didgeridoo on the Glaciers of Antarctica
To liven up the dull moments of living on the Antarctic ice, ANSMET scientists and engineers built a didgeridoo out of H2O and butter! Instead of the usual game of “counting the number of grains in a teaspoon of snow,” ANSMET (Antarctic Search for Meteorites) pursued the mission of building a didgeridoo. Read On!
Listen to a Sunrise
Richard Widerberg from Göteborg, Sweden has some very odd and interesting sound recordings on his website including a track entitled “Sunrisescape” which makes use of light sensors and two oscillators to record the gradual illumination of a rising sun. Read On!
50 Particles in a Three-Dimensional Harmonic Potential
The “50 Particles in a Three-Dimensional Harmonic Potential” is a 10-minute composition derived from the algorithms explained in the “Sonification of Particle Systems via de Broglie’s Hypothesis.” The composition is broken up into 5 movements (listed below), each 120 seconds long. You do not have to be a physicist in order to enjoy the sounds of this strange recording but if you are, and want more information, visit Composer Scientist. Read On!
Super Sensitive Mic Can Hear Snail Heartbeats, Ant Footsteps
Somebody pinch me, please… “The microphone has a remarkable contact point design, through which it can detect minute sounds that are virtually inaudible to the human ear, such as an ant’s footsteps or the heart beat of a snail.” Read On!
Native American Flute Diagram
For those of you who enjoy diagrams, here is a great diagram of the systems in a traditional Native American flute. Read On!
An Odd Instrument: Saltwater and Aluminum
nitro2k01 from Gameboy Genius has a theory: The cupper and aluminum works as a battery, much like the lemon battery taught in physics class. However because of the Al2O3 surface on the aluminum, which is released in an opscillating manner, you get spikes of voltage. This is what creates the sound. Compare it to the bubbles you get when you put a piece of a base metal in acid. Read On!
An Odd Instrument: The Tesla Coil
The Tesla coil is a very odd instrument indeed! With the right controller, this wild-beast-of-an-instrument can be tamed to hum a perfect tune. Read On!
ArcAttack’s Musical Tesla Coils (Shocking!)
From Austin, Texas: An advanced composition of Tesla coils, robotic drums, and a computer controlled, self-resonating pipe organ makes ArcAttack and Resonance Studios one wildly electrifying group of sounds. Their main venue is the club/dance/spirit scene and I could definitely picture ArcAttack performing downtown with some high budget videography (as if the 10ft electricity-arcs weren’t captivating enough). ArcAttack has a sound distinct from anything I’ve ever heard before. Read On!
An Odd Instrument: Xylem
Xylem is a very odd instrument. Xylem is a type of plant tissue which is responsible for the transportation of water and mineral nutrients throughout a plant. When water is absorbed by xylem, the cells cavitate, producing a clicking sound. Who knew you could listen in on a tree drinking? Read On!
Tree-Listeners Hear Trees Drinking
Alex Metcalf’s “Tree Listening Installation“: Taken directly from Alex’s website: As you approach the installation you will see 9 sets of headphones suspended from the branches of a very large and impressive Sessile Oak tree, and a beautiful Chestnut Leaved Oak. Read On!
Banned Odd Musical Instrument “Causes Insanity”
The glass armonica’s ghostly notes will cause insanity in its musicians and listeners! At least this is what was thought to be true in the 18th century. People were frightened by the armonica’s sound due to it’s strange interactions with the human brain and ears (more on this later). Read On!
Hydraulophones, Amazing Woodwater Instruments
They are best described as self-cleaning, musical, water-fountain keyboards. Hydraulophones are very similar to woodwinds, but hydraulophones run on incompressible fluid (usually water) rather than compressible fluid (air). Hydraulophones are sometimes called ‘woodwater’ instruments. Hydrolophones have the characteristic of polyphonic embouchure, meaning that the player can dynamically “sculpt” each note by obstructing the holes (mouths) in different ways. Read On!