tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57449372026-03-13T17:31:46.860-07:00random thoughts about obscure or interesting musical instruments and the people who make them and play themUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger174125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-23597836634099206662013-04-02T13:49:00.001-07:002013-04-02T13:49:53.629-07:00

Great news: after 5 years of patiently waiting my turn on the waiting list for a Pantheon Steel Halo Drum, I won the right to purchase a batch three drum this year. Here's where I need your help. I can't decide what tuning to select. Here's a link to all of the current Halo sound models Here's me (current) list of favorites: 1. Celtic tuning b. La Serena w/C# 3. Avalon What's your

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-28626478950651343182012-03-27T22:23:00.002-07:002012-03-27T22:23:43.050-07:00

Wanna jam on the piano with random folks on the internet? Check out MultiPlayerPiano It's good for some random playing with random people. I had a few interesting interactions with folks. My suggestion is to create a room with some description like "Black Keys Only" or "Key of C", to give folks some idea of what to play. Enjoy!

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-28945193317141878542011-09-28T16:16:00.000-07:002011-09-28T16:16:05.998-07:00

Here's a crazy video that I stumbled onto with some very creative "seats"

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-4584196621723289552011-09-19T12:18:00.000-07:002011-09-19T12:19:07.951-07:00

I love Diego Stocco's creativity, the guy has a mind that works like mine, but he's out there making music from all sorts of awesome "Found Music" sources. Diego is my inspiration. Check out his latest video where he makes music with the sounds found in a neighborhood dry cleaning store.   More info and pictures are available at the Behance gallery:http://www.behance.net/gallery/

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-47394595973923509892011-09-16T17:23:00.000-07:002011-09-16T17:23:36.020-07:00

My friends from Moyo Drums are having a sale this weekend on their drums ahead of the The Yosemite Flute and Art Festival, where they will be exhibiting. This weekend only, Moyo Drum is offering the show price of $305 for any in stock Moyo Drum PLUS FREE SHIPPING.  SALE ENDS SUNDAY 9/18 6:00pm ACT NOW! If you are planning to attend the festival you will be able to see and play all

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-80499199241603806282011-09-08T11:21:00.000-07:002011-09-08T11:21:47.270-07:00

I just stumbled upon Noisejunk which is a site dedicated to cataloging unusual musical instruments. This is an excellent resource for finding new ideas. If you are a builder, be sure to reach out to them to get your site included.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-1726301797736630842011-08-30T21:42:00.000-07:002011-08-30T21:42:43.453-07:00

I spotted these awesome bass guitars today, and I am blown away by the craftsmanship in these instruments. Just have a look at the ergonomic design of these bass guitar. They call it the Torzal Natural Twist and (per their website): the ergonomic design increases the efficiency of the hands, wrists and arms, reducing the risk of developing repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-90771427994601686122011-08-25T09:40:00.000-07:002011-08-25T09:40:42.533-07:00

WHAT: The second annual Pennsylvania Cigar Box Guitar Festival WHEN: Friday, August 28 and Saturday, August 27, 2011 TIME: 10am-5pm WHERE: Downtown York, PA. on the grounds of The York Emporium DETAILS: The fest will host 14 acts on two stages plus demonstrations, instrument vendors and more. Headlining acts include Purgatory Hill, Shane Speal (from Cigar Box Nation) and psych-folk legends,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-60343844574630097032011-08-22T09:37:00.000-07:002011-08-22T09:37:00.039-07:00

Here's an awesome sound creation tool that works for free on the web, or you can download for $.99 for iPhone and iPad. You can chose the scale and tempo as you setup the generative items. There are 40 scales to choose from. I picked up my Native American Flute in the key of E and jammed along, it was great. I downloaded to my iPhone 3 and there isn't enough processing power, it sounds

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-88301299453715889702011-08-21T09:27:00.000-07:002011-08-21T09:27:00.717-07:00

I saw this interesting musical instrument in the video by Michael Hearst that i posted yesterday. I thought that it was worth some additional investigation. The Otamatone is an electronic instrument, designed by Maywa Denki. Some would call it a toy, but it's shaped like a musical note. I think that there are some real musical possibilities This video gives you a pretty good idea of the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-42027589288561648262011-08-20T21:11:00.000-07:002011-08-20T21:11:49.938-07:00

Saw this awesome video today: Including (in order of appearance): Knockman “ChaCha” Daxophone Hohner claviola Bass melodica Stylophone Otamatone Moog theremin Elasticbrand Audioware rattle Porter’s bell

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-37951031131181790762011-08-19T14:13:00.000-07:002011-08-19T14:13:52.917-07:00

To help support artists traveling from overseas and other parts of the country to join Thingamajigs for its Annual Music for People & Thingamajig Festival, a special fundraising concert will be held at Meridian Gallery in San Francisco. Local Bay Area artists will volunteer their time to perform music and demonstrate their special instruments to audience members and bring awareness to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-50827979992577228002011-08-05T07:07:00.000-07:002011-08-05T07:07:42.272-07:00

Here's an awesome example of both craftsmanship and ingenuity. This guy created a musical desk:

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-45683530910431569342011-07-07T13:58:00.000-07:002011-07-07T13:58:00.461-07:00

The Vibratron tries to play one of the most intense pieces of piano music ever composed. Unfortunately, despite recirculation (at a rate of about 5 balls per second) all 6,000 balls were exhausted before the song was finished. ...

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-83381678000717960222011-07-05T11:35:00.000-07:002011-07-05T11:35:00.173-07:00

This is "found music" at it's finest:

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-3379069313207972022011-07-03T09:43:00.000-07:002011-07-03T09:43:00.802-07:00

Kala announces their new Solid Body UBASS Guitar

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-44939211744233903002011-07-01T09:37:00.000-07:002011-07-01T09:37:00.404-07:00

The Knock Box was designed to serve as a percussion tool for all musicians. Lightweight and compact, the Knock Box is a must for the traveling musician. Run it through an equalizer and all sounds are possible.The Knock Box is a small, wooden box equipped with Big Twin transducers by K&K Sound.Features include:ergonomic heel rest which folds over the Knock Box to protect it while in

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-11239885469590408352011-06-28T17:27:00.000-07:002011-06-28T17:50:10.397-07:00

I attended MakerFaire 2011 in San Mateo, CA this year. It's becoming an annual event for me and my son to check out all of the cool things that folks are 'hacking' in their garages. This year I ran into Andy Graham demo'ing his latest creation The Slaperoo.Andy describes the The Slaperoo on his website as:"Inspired by a long shipping crate with a highly tensioned steel strap, the SLAPEROO™ uses

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-36295136624734404582011-06-23T10:17:00.000-07:002011-06-28T17:24:54.138-07:00

Alesis has announced a new product designed to fill the gap in getting all of your music instruments connected to your iPad and providing the necessary outputs from your iPad so that you can get all that great sound out to your audience in a pro-audio format.They are not shipping yet, but I sure would like to get my hands on one to test the sound quality in and out.Suggested Price: $399 USD (but

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-30732073461488843732011-04-28T07:41:00.000-07:002011-04-28T07:41:00.072-07:00

The "Music for People & Thingamajigs Festival" is scheduled for Sept 22-25, 2011. This is the 14th year for the festival, and it is a celebration of unusual music made from unique (and found) instruments, by unique musicians. Past participants include Carla Kihlstedt, Walter Kitundu, Peter Whitehead, Brenda Hutchinson, William Winant, Laetitia Sonami, and many others. Call for Proposals for

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-7443113377471938812011-04-27T13:07:00.000-07:002011-04-27T13:11:22.327-07:00

MakerFaire is next week in San Mateo (I am going!). Here's a great video highlighting one of the experimental musical instrument makers who will be in attendance: Sung Kim

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-70852950088641242272011-03-17T11:27:00.000-07:002011-03-17T11:29:33.138-07:00

This is a very cool sound sculpture installed at the Joshua Liner GalleryTrue Value (paint fukette) from joshualinergallery on Vimeo.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-9715275403660396662011-01-13T09:26:00.000-08:002011-01-13T11:36:32.679-08:00

Very cool innovation from Swan Percussion being shown at NAMM 2011 show this week. I'd love to try out this drum, looks like fun.Link: Swan Percussion

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-10583245896051949422011-01-07T22:23:00.000-08:002011-01-07T22:23:00.359-08:00

Doing a little internet and youtube research tonight. While I still have my place on the waiting list for a Halo, I also stumbled onto another new Hand Pan maker called "Bali Steel Pan". Not much to go on other than a website and a youtube channel. It looks like they're being made in Bali by a trio of builders. The youtube videos offer some insight.Current price looks to be $1050 (USD), plus

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744937.post-70226699243648022792011-01-06T22:07:00.000-08:002011-01-06T22:08:45.946-08:00

Just a little, awesome teaser from Pantheon Steel and the Halo

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0