Not from this world instruments

Everyone of us likes to listen to music, which is made with more or less known musical instruments. A lot of people even play some of these gadgets. I personally like piano but I started to learn to play when I was 35. I learned few scores and had high ambitions, but we got our first son and then the second, and my priorities and plans changed. But there is a lot of one of a kind devices that people made exploring new horizons in sound making.

Blue Man Group

Ever heard for Blue Man Group? In a year 1991 formed performance art company become instant hit with their performance on custom build instruments mainly build from plastic pipes. Since then they are continually refreshing the show with new music and, of course, instruments.

Yaybahar: Space Age Sounds

Who would have thought that springs and strings can reproduce sounds that reminds me of space battles. Musician and instrument creator Görkem Şen can even play some interesting pieces on it. The thing is quite big and probably heavy, so you would need a lot of room to store it and it isn't for carrying around.

The Apprehension Engine

Apparently movies are using same sounds and samples over and over to recreate dramatic effects. Movie composer Mark Korven had enough of it and decided it is time to put some freshness in the business. He wanted to craft the perfect sounds for horror movies, so he teamed up with guitar maker Tony Duggan-Smith to craft an original instrument that would better aid in manufacturing fear. He just used material that was laying around his workshop like several bowed metal rulers, spring reverbs, a few long metal rods, and other attachments that allow for spooky interludes and effects.

Marble Machine

Marbles. Didn't we used to play with these things? Never thought they could be turned into musical instrument. While falling, they hit different objects and create sounds, and when put together many marbles, they can play amazing pieces.

This one is called Pipe Dream and it is computer animation, but it is impresive nevertheless. Someone put a lot of its time in making one of this.

The Singing, Ringing Tree

This tornado looking sculpture is made out of stacked pipes of varying lengths. It is places on top of the hill overlooking Burnley, UK. Pipes are pointing in all directions, so when wind is blowing, tree starts to sing. Depending on direction of the wind, different pipe lengths sing different chords.

Seen in the background is Pendle Hill, famous for the Pendle Witches. Maybe in the sculpture, the myth lives on. Designers of this whistles certainly thought this through. Sounds are quite chilling.

The Floppotron or Smells Like Nerd Spirit

Computer trash can be useful still. Some one took a lot of floppy drives, some hard drives and to top it of, two scanners, somehow connected them together, wrote a program and teach them to play few melodies like Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, Star Wars theme song, Europe's The Final Countdown and even Game of Thrones theme song. I must say that it is pleasure to watch

Here is a link about how it was made.

Household appliances

Never throw away you dishwasher or washing machine. You could use them for racing or as instruments as Norway band Hurra Torpedo are doing it.

Every day someone comes up with with new idea how to make sounds and music. I just picked a handful that I found interesting. Please leave a comment and tell if you know some weird and pleasant way of being creative in sound production.