MAKE Asks: Creative Reuse
MAKE Asks: is a weekly column where we ask you, our readers, for responses to maker-related questions. We hope the column sparks interesting conversation and is a way for us to get to know more about each other.
Music
Take your creations beyond the workshop and onto the stage with diy music instruments! Let us show you how these creations range from simple, basic setups that produce beautiful sounds to more complex projects that require a greater level of engineering knowledge. With these tutorials and examples, we’ll guide you on this journey to make your own musical instrument for experimental, artistic or everyday use – so whether you’re starting out new or a seasoned sound creator, come explore the wonderful world of making your own music.
Old Horns Transformed into iPhone Amplifiers
Austin, Texas-based artist and audiophile Christopher Locke takes old horns and transforms them into amplifiers for iPhones and iPads, calling them AnalogTelePhonographers. The visual blending of analog and digital is certainly intriguing and the sound (video below) is great. His pieces harken back to a time when classic audio equipment was more a piece of […]
The Triolin: Mutant Violin Requires Three Players
It certainly looks challenging to play, and I’m not sure why they three instruments weren’t connected by the scroll-ends, but Alex Sobolev’s Triolin sure is lovely.
Make a Didgeridoo Out of PVC and Wax
MAKE staffer Chris Connors made didgeridoos out of PVC pipes with a beeswax coating on one end, serving as the mouthpiece — he repeatedly dips the end into molten wax just like he was making a candle.
What Happens When Your Kickstarter Fails?
Andrew Deagon, Steve Frehn, and Ian Schaser were inspired to create NeckFX after Andrew dreamed up the idea while recovering from knee surgery (Because you know…pain meds). NeckFX is a custom attachment for guitars that light up LEDs as the guitar is played. While I don’t play the guitar (or have any musical ability what so ever) an LED powered guitar seems pretty cool to me. They built a few prototypes like the one shown in the video and even sold them to bands and musicians. They launched a Kickstarter campaign in hopes of raising enough money to ramp up production and really scale up their maker business.
But it didn’t work out that way.
How-To: Fretboard “Shredcam”
Fran Blanche is a self-described “corset maker, pedal designer, engineer, artist, musician, occasional radio DJ, subpar singer, and full time goofball” from Philadelphia who has, at least in the not-too-distant past, run a bespoke guitar FX business called Frantone. So much win.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Things About Meara O’Reilly
Saying Meara O’Reilly is a sound artist is not just a fancy way of saying she’s a musician — Meara creates visual art from sound and builds her own instruments, as well as sings and writes music. She’s also an educator in residence at the Exploratorium, sharing her passion for auditory perception. Meara recently collaborated […]
