Light harps are interactive art installations that use laser beams to detect motion which, in turn, play corresponding musical tones. Jen Lewin, who created the instrument below, has been building light harps for the past 12 years. Her work has varied from indoor musical laser sculptures to on-stage performance pieces and outdoor installations.

This [...]

ADACHI Tomomi, an accomplished musician and instrument inventor from Japan, invented this spectacle called the “tomoring.” Springs, bars, wires, and strings are mounted on an acrylic board to be joyfully plucked, bounced, pulled, flicked, scrubbed and otherwise manipulated in any way imaginable! This odd instrument is completely physical (not electronic) with only piezo [...]

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.

Before we get into the details of your instrument, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Tom: I studied at Leeds Metropolitan University, doing a Music Technology degree. This was the final project, in my final year. It was a group project by myself and three other music technology students.
Please tell us about your instrument and [...]

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. From these headphones the public is given the opportunity to listen to the sound of the [...]

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). Benjamin Franklin invented the [...]

Another wonderful homemade instrument from Ranjit on vimeo. The pitch of the note is controlled by a solenoid motor which changes the tension of the wire as it is strummed by an automatic strummer. Check out Ranjit’s actual website at moonmilk.com

From Ranjit on Vimeo comes a very strange instrument. From Ranjit:

Simple automatic instruments are constructed from local materials and objects on site. The system learns the sounds it can make by trying out its instruments, and then uses its range of sounds to try to reproduce the rhythmic and melodic qualities of sounds such [...]

Dewanatron is composed of two cousins, Brian and Leon Dewan. In this video, they are playing one of their homemade instruments, the Dual Primate Console.

Each side of this instrument is operated by one primate. Each side has identical controls, except for a single tempo control on the side.

It is the responsibility of each primate [...]