Banned musical instrument “causes insanity”
By tyler on May 8, 2008 in Glass, Idiophones
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 glass armonica (above) in 1761 after being profoundly moved by the sounds of the glass harp (below).
The glass armonica’s ethereal notes were said to cause insanity, depression, and marital problems. Via Wikipedia:
One example of fear from playing the glass harmonica was noted by a German musicologist Friedrich Rochlitz in Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung where it is stated that “the armonica excessively stimulates the nerves, plunges the player into a nagging depression and hence into a dark and melancholy mood that is apt method for slow self-annihilation. If you are suffering from any nervous disorder, you should not play it; if you are not yet ill you should not play it; if you are feeling melancholy you should not play it.
The glass armonica’s sound is perceived by human ears differently than other instruments because its range is between 1,000 and 4,000 hertz. When sounds are below 4,000 hertz, the human brain compares “phase differences” between the left and right ears to triangulate the origin of the sound rather than comparing volumes. This causes hearing disorientation and a “not quite sure” feeling about where the sound is coming from. The video below is “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from the Nutcracker being played on a glass armonica. Relax and enjoy. 
Friction instruments of this type are called friction idiophones. The glass armonica is called a crystallophone while the glass harp is called a hydrocrystalophone.
Source: Wikipedia, The Bakken Library
From: Polarstern | May 8, 2008 | Reply
I thought it made you carzy because of the high Pb content.
From: tyler | May 8, 2008 | Reply
Lead poisoning is is certainly a valid theory (the glass contained lead), but I doubt many people were getting sick from playing the instrument. 18th century Europe was not the healthiest of places.
*Thanks Polarstern for the first comment!*
From: tmunter | May 8, 2008 | Reply
I think they used lead paint in these, so that would drive the players of the instrument crazy after a while.
From: PsuedoSwamy | May 9, 2008 | Reply
Agggh…I’ll be sending you my therapist’s bill :). Seriously thanks for the facinating information.
From: Barry | May 9, 2008 | Reply
weird. I wonder if they’ve done any scientific studies on the device.
From: Gotttzsche | May 9, 2008 | Reply
Am I insane yet?
From: Jim Bumgardner | May 9, 2008 | Reply
Cool article.
From: John Goulden | May 9, 2008 | Reply
I bet that is a total biatch to tune.
From: moog | May 9, 2008 | Reply
i’m pretty sure that whatever compression that clip uses cuts out the higher frequencies of which you speak, so it’s probably not the best demonstration..
From: Revelation | May 9, 2008 | Reply
Good call Moog, I dare say most MP3 compression would break the audio as well.
From: Seanross | May 9, 2008 | Reply
I Love Sugar Plum Fairy, and I did’nt feel particularly insane after listening to that rendition.
From: Dan | May 9, 2008 | Reply
I wonder if listening to that video really simulates it. Can computer speakers put out frequencies that low?
From: cppchriscpp | May 9, 2008 | Reply
Wow… I actually want to find one of those now… though without the lead. Personally I think it has a kind of amazing sound, would love to hear it/play it in person..
From: Senefen | May 10, 2008 | Reply
>”I think they used lead paint in these, so that would drive the players of the instrument crazy after a while.”
Nothing to do with paint, crystal is glass with lead in it’s lattice.
From: Aaron | May 10, 2008 | Reply
I have to agree that the “insanity” associated with this instrument has mostly to due with lead poisoning.
As I understand it, traditional armonicas were actually composed of crystal bowls, mounted horizontally from smallest to largest, on a spinning wooden rod.
The edges of each bowl were painted (with lead paint, of course), and as the instrument was played, the lead seeped into the fingers of the performer. Over time, the lead poisoning caused insanity.
A nice picture of one can be found here:
http://www.irtc.org/ftp/pub/stills/2006-04-30/armonica.jpg
From: Easy Quiz | May 10, 2008 | Reply
i can just imagine what this sounds like and it actually makes me feel like i want to vomit
From: Mosemer | May 10, 2008 | Reply
the sound are like the begining and ending of harry potter.
i really like it!!!
From: durden | May 10, 2008 | Reply
“18th century Europe was not the healthiest of places”
Nor was 18th century America, which would be where this was invented.
From: Grant K. | May 10, 2008 | Reply
Actually 1000 - 4000 hz are closer to subsonic not hypersonic most compression algorythms can play it back but most speakers will not be able to reproduce it, and also localizing a reverberating sound such as this instantly destroys the mystery of where it is coming from…so no dissorientation.
From: Terry | May 10, 2008 | Reply
The early instrument made only the players go crazy because the “cups” they rubbed extensively to create the tones were made of lead and the instrumentalists received lead poisoning
From: DavidC | May 10, 2008 | Reply
“The glass armonica’s sound is perceived by human ears differently than other instruments because its range is between 1,000 and 4,000 hertz.”
Here are just a few other instruments that can play notes well into this range: Violin, Harp, Mandolin, Piccolo, Organ, Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Piano.
From: jesse | May 10, 2008 | Reply
Hm, didn’t expect to see Benjamin Franklin himself playing it.
From: Z0E | May 10, 2008 | Reply
I was kinda disoriented at first for like 3 seconds then immediately closed it ‘cus i was scared. lmao, then i heard it with my mom. and nth happened. wth?! Yeah, i agree with Grant K.’s statement:
“Actually 1000 - 4000 hz are closer to subsonic not hypersonic most compression algorythms can play it back but most speakers will not be able to reproduce it, and also localizing a reverberating sound such as this instantly destroys the mystery of where it is coming from…so no dissorientation.”
But it was still weird why i still felt a lil’ bit… hmm. oh well.
From: fishfingers | May 10, 2008 | Reply
I’m fairly sure Ben Frankin lived in France at the time he invented his mechanised armonica..
From: fred | May 10, 2008 | Reply
has anyone mentioned the lead thing yet?
From: tyler | May 10, 2008 | Reply
What lead thing?
From: Cute Franzie | May 10, 2008 | Reply
I have seen a similar instrument in Dresden, Germany.
It was made from glass, but with a metal ball attached to each singular node.
From: Jon W | May 11, 2008 | Reply
1000 - 4000 hz is the same a 1 - 4 khz. most speaker systems will respond to frequencies as high as 18 - 20 khz (or 18000 hz - 20000 hz). Average quality Mp3 Compression only starts to attenuate frequencies starting at about 12 khz and higher. As I am Bored right now, I ran this video through a spectrum analyzer and most of the sound generated by this instrument is between 800 and 2000 hz. During the solo part, one of the notes went as high as 3000 hz as the musician never actually hit the highest note. the piano in the background created harmonic frequencies as high as 16000 hz. Thus, the compression does not seem to have limited the sound much other than ruining the clarity on the high frequencies. Based on my observation, I think the whole point the article was making about the 100 to 4000 hz range is that this this instrument does not appear to generate any harmonic frequencies above 4000 hz which gives it a unique sound due to the very tight spectrum being played.
From: Beautiful | May 11, 2008 | Reply
Beautiful. How about a duet with a musical saw
From: anonymous | May 11, 2008 | Reply
Some of you people (1) need to **read** the comments that have already been posted so you don’t repost the same comments, and (2) get a brain. And thank you Jon W for being one of the few intelligent people to comment on this.
From: Anonymous 2 | May 13, 2008 | Reply
They went insane
From: Carlo | May 13, 2008 | Reply
We must find something to let therapists work too!
From: Sageylee | May 17, 2008 | Reply
What an incredibly beautiful instrument!
Thank you,,,
From: Utah Seo | May 17, 2008 | Reply
Well, the Sugar Plum Ferries was pretty cool, but I can see how you’d go nuts.
From: Andy | May 29, 2008 | Reply
I like the sound from such water filled glasses.
From: someone who doesn't read comments | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
Duh- it coz there was mercruy in all of the glasses back then- that’s waht made everybuddy go nutz!
From: Bearyfaery | Jun 24, 2008 | Reply
I love how people explain the insanity by lead paint.. how would the lead paint influence the listeners, I wonder?
From: tigoda | Jun 29, 2008 | Reply
i have had the pleasure of hearing one of these live, and they are dead creepy, the video show the instrument but cannot replicate the noise
From: wikicat | Jul 3, 2008 | Reply
I figured that the speakers wouldn’t be able to reproduce the effect, and I didn’t notice one, but my cat started freaking out while I was watching that video, if that’s any indication of anything.
From: Muu | Jul 3, 2008 | Reply
It’s pretty sounding. Ethereal, but nothing terribly abnormal.
From: demented genius | Jul 4, 2008 | Reply
Well, Youtube has a limit of 16 bits 22KHz on sound, so any resonant frequencies to “cause insanity” per se would be above 11KHz.
However, I don’t think they meant any hidden frequencies back in the 19th century, but the general quality of the instrument’s haunting sound as perceived by the human ear. The human ear can perceive up to 20KHz (which is why 44KHz is the sampling frequency on CDs and mp3:s). The 400-4000 Hz range is about what a modern cellphone can reproduce.
I won’t go into why the frequency is doubled to reproduce a sound as high as half that frequency. It’s just the way it is, and at 22KHz Youtube can only reproduce frequencies up to 11KHz.
I’d like to note that the glass sound is close to a pure sine wave. We’ve all heard that in the beeps on radio and on TV. So we’re all insane by now.
From: dave | Jul 4, 2008 | Reply
It was thought to cause insanity because of the unique tones - there are virtually no harmonics, they are nearly pure, like a tuning fork AFTER it has been struck.
From: Mike Arkham | Jul 6, 2008 | Reply
I’ll take two.
Can you deliver them for tomorrow?
From: Petey | Jul 7, 2008 | Reply
I saw this in Cali when i was there and it was beautiful– Defiantly something that would not drive you crazy…. it is just like wine/crystal glasses…dont trust wiki as your source…but the person in this vid must be insane to wear that outfit..
From: John | Jul 7, 2008 | Reply
BRAAIIIINSS!!!!
From: Dazed | Jul 7, 2008 | Reply
Just wanted to say.. most of you are tards. Stop going on about the mystical nature of the sounds this instrument makes. Its the same crap as the clowns on the street playing glasses of water.
From: justin | Jul 8, 2008 | Reply
yea, i watched a few vids on youtube about this instrument and i couldn’t stand that sound anymore, I started getting mad for some reason.
From: Benny Y | Jul 9, 2008 | Reply
I feel like this is more of an experiment concerning placeboes than anything else. you people think something would happen and so your brain makes it that way
From: Mike | Jul 9, 2008 | Reply
Yeah I agree. It sounds harry potter.
From: Ben | Jul 9, 2008 | Reply
I always thought it wasn’t lead paint causing the insanity so much as the lead crystal used in the production of the bowls. The ones that are around today are quartz crystal.
From: vegasrandall | Jul 9, 2008 | Reply
I have read that the vibrations caused a type of arthritis in the musician
From: keiran | Jul 13, 2008 | Reply
listening to that made a shiver go up my spine and i can earr it going through my head. as for the insanity, maybe we dont go insane because our hearing is more advanced and more used to hearing higher tones i.e tv frequencys but to be honest i dont really know, just a thought
From: Lara | Jul 13, 2008 | Reply
What on earth is with the lead paint theory? Let me debunk it.
Firstly, There is the assumption that all these instruments had lead paint on them. Secondly lead poisoning is caused by ingestion (or in rare cases inhalation of lead dust). It is not caused by absorption through the skin (thus it is perfectly safe to handle a lead sinker). Also, lead poisoning does cause some behavioral issues such as wristdrop, irritability, hyperactivity or lethargy, insomnia and lower IQ and behavioral problems in children. However it does not cause adults to become insane. The only time it can cause insanity is when children are exposed to high levels of lead when they are in the womb and then they can develop schizophrenia.
Exposure to mercury is what caused mad hatters people (they would rub it on felt hats to make them shiny). Where did the lead theory come from? Where? I have never heard anyone say that before now.
Sorry about the rant.
From: Sean | Jul 13, 2008 | Reply
It was lead poisoning. They have already had autopsies done that prove it.
From: Lara | Jul 15, 2008 | Reply
Sean, next time I see you I am going to punch you in the face.
From: Danneh | Jul 15, 2008 | Reply
One thing to take into account here, is that part of the ‘insanity’ thing can be played through the speakers.
Close your eyes try to pinpoint where the sound is coming from.
It’s ‘hard’ to do- if one doesn’t know where the speakers are.
From: max | Jul 15, 2008 | Reply
…please tell me you’re kidding
From: Pet Tips and Quality PetSupplies | Jul 16, 2008 | Reply
EEEEEEEKKKKKKKKK!!!!
From: Spuffler | Jul 16, 2008 | Reply
Thanks! What an interesting instrument!
From: paresh | Jul 18, 2008 | Reply
different instrument, thanks for sharing
From: JohnDBibble | Jul 20, 2008 | Reply
Pancakes!
From: Kevin | Jul 24, 2008 | Reply
Dear God! What madness have you unleashed upon the world you sick bastard?!
From: whitecat | Jul 28, 2008 | Reply
The lead in lead crystal is so embedded in the glass that it will never leach into the skin no matter how long you rub on it. Lead in paint does not come off in your hands when being rubbed. Did anyone notice that the lines on the bowls were markings similar to the markings of a keyboard and he was playing by touching the rim of the bowl, not the stripe. Besides, in 18th century, everything would cause mental problems. Glass would probably be one of the safest things out there at that time.
From: DJM | Jul 28, 2008 | Reply
You should check the cristal organ too :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RcGXkhtTCQ
owned by Steve Shehan.
As he explains in the above video, he was looking for a kind of instrument similar to the other glassophones he had seen or heard.
Sincerely
DJM
From: Jamie | Jul 29, 2008 | Reply
I think it sounds really pretty… I quite like it. :3
From: harmonia | Jul 30, 2008 | Reply
this is beautiful.
you are only as (in)sane as you believe yourself to be.
From: tar | Jul 30, 2008 | Reply
hmm, my electronic keyboard has a Glass Harmonica setting…
it’s probably nothing like the real thing though.
From: Randy | Aug 3, 2008 | Reply
How much and where can I get it?
From: dd | Aug 3, 2008 | Reply
This is a joke right?