instrument

Story of the Telharmonium

This enjoyably quirky documentary tells the tale of Thaddeus Cahill’s Telharmonium, the monstrous forerunner of the analog synthesizer, making music before even the age of popular radio – The Telharmonium was a 200-ton behemoth that created numerous musical timbres and could flood many rooms with sound. Beginning with the first instrument, constructed in the 1890’s, […]

Cigar box sitar

Cigar box sitar

My friend Justin Sabe made this nifty cigar box sitar and did an Instructable and a short YouTube vid for it. I decided yesterday to stop thinking about how to do it and finally make a cigar box sitar. The main difference is the buzzing bridge. In many ways, it’s easier to make than a […]

Handheld noise-boxes sound smooth

Handheld noise-boxes sound smooth

From the MAKE Flickr pool The Swooftronic SB instrument creates some sweet signals courtesy of light-controlled filter & frequency. The demo gets particularly interesting @ about the 2 minute mark. – SwooftronicSB5 on Flickr From the pages of MAKE The MoofTronic Mini Synth – MAKE: 15: Music, Page 70 Subscribers–read this article now in your […]

Luray’s cave-strument

Luray’s cave-strument

Said to be the world’s largest instrument – the Luray Caverns’ Great Stalacpipe Organ plays the earth itself! – Located deep in the Luray Caverns in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley is the Great Stalacpipe Organ, the worlds largest musical instrument. Stalactites covering 3 1/2 acres of the surrounding caverns produce tones of symphonic quality when electronically […]

Music maker’s gift guide

Music maker’s gift guide

Musicians know how important it is to add a personal touch to their instruments – and really what better way to make something personal than to actually make it yourself? There are a number of very cool kits for sound-makers out there, from circuit-benders, to serious synthesizers. Here are some great gift ideas for those […]