Odd Instruments Inspire

Apr 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Tracy Katz

           
 

FIG. 1: The Sea Organ is a man-made instrument played by the waves and enjoyed by all.

Have you ever made a noise unintentionally and found the sound so pleasing that you did it again for the sake of recording it? Or maybe you're a hard-core modifier and you enjoy fusing unexpected sound sources together. If that sounds like you, you'll get a kick out of Oddmusic.com, a Web site that features photo galleries and detailed descriptions of some of the coolest, most inventive instruments of our time. The Sea Organ (see Fig. 1), for example, is a 230-foot-long organ built into a stone staircase on the shores of Croatia. Located below its steps are 35 tubes with whistle openings that produce sounds when waves push air through the structure.

Oddmusic.com is also home to dozens of other musical creations, including the Serpentine Bassoon (a double-reed instrument that controls synths and effects machines) and the wind-operated Weather Harp. In addition to photos and educational text and diagrams, the Web site provides audio clips that demonstrate the sounds each instrument is capable of producing.

When it comes to making music, we all appreciate a well-designed plug-in and sample library. But sometimes it's more rewarding to create that special sound yourself.