The alphorn (or alpenhorn) is a natural wooden aerophone traditionally used by the mountain folk in Switzerland (Alps), and elsewhere. These lengthy horns were used to communicate in mountainous regions and across vast distances as well as announce daily activities in the village. Herdsmen used these horns to communicate to each other during [...]

The Tenori-on (Japanese for “sound in palm”) is a new electronic instrument that consists of a 16×16 grid of LED buttons. The amazing thing about the Tenori-on is that the sound corresponds to the LED patterns and vice-versa, making it extremely intuitive and easy to play (since most of us are visual learners).

The nice [...]

Congratulations to Walter Kitundu who is 1 of 24 people to be awarded a $500,000 grant by the MacArthur Foundation. His work in experimental instruments is truly incredible. Walter is a 35 year-old bird photographer, teacher, and oddstrument maker. He is the creator of the phonoharp (a hybrid turntable harp) pictured below.

Check [...]

Host Andrea Seabrook asks listeners to send in home recordings of their oddest musical instrument. Those recordings can be e-mailed to NPRHomework@gmail.com.
More info here and here.

Emilio, from Chiapas, Mexico, sent in a home brew of some of his sound experiments. Four “soundscapes,” each one representing a different element (Earth, Fire, Air, and Water), are listenable through the earthy table below. These tracks are rich with texture and familiarity, especially “Fire,” which filled my thirsty ear with popcorn popping [...]

Judy Dunaway, also known as “The Mother of Balloon Music,” is an experimental composer, conceptual artist, social activist, and noise enthusiast. She has created over thirty works using latex balloons as her instrument of choice!

One of my favorite pieces, “Surabaya,” can be heard below:

More balloon music
Through POPPING, squeezing, and rubbing, Judy has carved quite [...]