Austrians Must Make Great Interrogators Since They Can Make Even Pianos Talk

I have a weakness for piano players, but I don't think I can call this Austrian guy a piano player: He doesn't play them, he makes them talk. Freakin' hell, here I am barely able to play the accordion. More »

Maywa Denki's Otamatone: One Part Theremin, One Part Synth, One Part Insanity

The Otomatone is the new instrument created by Novmichi Tosa, and it's maybe the most Japanese instrument ever. Also, it's awesome. More »

Harmonic Generator Should Be Renamed Seuss-a-Phone

A crazy site appropriately named Oddmusic has revealed a totally new musical instrument called the Harmonic Generator. Its 64 piano strings are tuned into 32 chromatic notes (so just shy of 3 octaves' worth). The strings are stroked by bristle brushes attached to motors that are activated by the standard piano keyboard. Lest you thought the mechanical paint brushes were weird, read on. More »

BodyBeat Metronome Keeps Beat Silently, Forgets Musicians Need Their Fingers

The Peterson BB-1 BodyBeat attaches to your finger/random appendage, sending tiny rhythmic pulses that you can feel on your skin. The non-aural stimulation will give you a silent way to count measures while playing the piano... and since you have to use your fingers to do that, you will have to clamp this to somewhere else. The question is where? More »

Stylophone, Scourge of Seventies Britain, is Back, Back, BACK!

Rather like the kazoo, the Stylophone is what you might term a "musical" "instrument." The farty-bontempi sound was a feature of school playgrounds up and down the land—and even David Bowie used one on Space Oddity. And then, suddenly, rather like white dog poo, and "I choked Linda Lovelace" T-shirts, the Stylophone disappeared from view. Until now. More »

Tiny Electric Guitar Has Normal-Sized Frets

Behold the smallest electric guitar in the world. Well, it's called the "smallest precision electric guitar available," because even though its body is just 1/6 the size of a normal instrument, its fretboard is the same size as an ordinary guitar. This is not a toy; it has a couple of pickups that can give you your choice of humbucking or single coil sound, and tuning machine heads that look pretty solid. The makers even tried to mimic the cellular structure of wood with its plastic body, injected with air bubbles in an attempt to give it more resonance despite its diminutive stature. Plus, holding his guitar will make you look really, really big. If that's important to you, it'll cost you $799.95. Kinda reminds us of that little Martin Backpacker. Click through to the next page for a big pic of this tiny electric ax. More »

Gibson Intros "World's First Robotic Guitar": Tuning May Be a Thing of the Past

We posted a video of the Robot Guitar in action early last month, but now we have some sexy pics and some release date info for guitarists the world over to get excited about. In case you haven't heard, the Robot Guitar can tune itself with a simple push of a button. Servos in the headstock can tune the guitar to one of seven presets; with default being A440, and the remaining six being based on hit songs. The guitar can also be tuned manually via a knob located on the body that doubles as a volume controller. More »

Balloon Organ Sounds Like Awesome Interplanetary Bagpipes

Addi's Inflatable Minute brings us a wild musical instrument that's powered by a balloon and a foot pump and made out of PVC pipe and clothespins. Invented by Aaron Wendell, a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Balloon Organ makes a mournful bagpipe-like sound we found quite pleasant. Each note is bendable, so a variety of satisfying and sometimes dissonant sounds ensue. Notice Fran, the balloon organist who is capable of extracting some rather arty sounds from the thing. Remarkable. [Gear Wire, via Boing Boing]

Matryomin Theremin Kicks Out Some Weird Jams

Japanese theremin maker Mandarin Electron has embedded a pitch only theremin inside a Russian matryoshka doll dubbed "Matryomin" as a means of creating art with art. For those of you who don't know, the theremin is an old-timey electronic instrument that can be played without actually being touched. Apparently, Matryomin can be "easily manipulated" to produce sounds that seem to emanate from the doll as a singing voice. If you don't believe me, groove on the bizarre orchestra in the video above. [Mandarin Electron via Trends in Japan]

Guitar Captured with Enough Coke Stashed Aboard to Take Us All to Electric Ladyland

What on earth would make this Stratocaster clone worth well over a million dollars? As you can see in the pic above, the electric guitar was stuffed with lots of cocaine, that's what. We former musicians are well aware that the gigsters always have the best blow, but this guitar player went overboard when he decided to fly from Costa Rica to Rome with his drastically modified Squier ax in tow. Too bad The Man noticed a bit of telltale powdery residue poking out of a conspicuous spot on this git-box. We have another pic of the guitar before it was dismantled, looking perfectly innocent. More »

Terpstra MIDI Keyboard, for Musicians from Another Planet

This Terpstra keyboard must be the strangest one yet, but don't be getting worried that you'll need to type on it because it's a MIDI keyboard for musicians. The gigsters will like it because it's velocity sensitive, letting keyboard players put more expression into their music just like when they're playing a piano. Only problem we have with it is there must be a tremendous learning curve with this strange honeycomb-shaped arrangement of the keys. Notice the sharps and flats are in groups of two and three, just like on a piano keyboard, but sheesh, after that, all bets are off. This can't be easy. [Cortex Design, via Crave] More »

Yamaha's Latest Electronic Pianos Fix What's Baroque (Gallery)

Today at Yamaha's line show in NYC, pianos took center stage. Yamaha, one of the world's biggest piano makers, has been innovating on the design for years. The current crop of radical, digital shifts forward: More »

Mandala High-Def Drum and Synthesizer Version 2.0 On the Way

Now the Synethesia Mandala high-def drum and synthesizer is about to bust out in version 2.0, sprouting itself a USB 2.0 port that lets you hook it up to any PC or Mac. Synethesia is calling it "the only electronic drum that truly emulates an acoustic drum." It's called high-def because it has 128 concentric rings from the center of the head to the edge that can detect the exact location and force with which you hit it. This version 2.0 also includes 3000 proprietary samples of the famed Black Beauty snare drum, along with 4GB of sounds from 100 different instruments. In addition to its USB connectivity, it also has a MIDI port with a trigger that's said to be one of the world's fastest. To be available November 1, it'll retail for $349. [Synethesia Corporation, via TMCNet] More »

Gibson Powertune Automagically Tunes Up Guitars, Tin-Eared Guitarists Rejoice

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Craziest Guitars Ever Made

If you think you've encountered some weird guitars, you ain't seen nothing yet. Ed Roman, owner of a huge guitar shop and self-proclaimed "Guitar King of Las Vegas," has put together a new online collection of some of the strangest axes ever to grace this planet. One example is the sexy "BC Rich Bitch" guitar you see above, whose long neck is a clever play on words. Gives new meaning to the term "tailpiece." More »

Gibson Pops a 180 with Awesome Reverse Flying V Limited Edition Guitar

Attention guitar players: Gibson just turned the guitar world upside down with its Reverse Flying V electric guitar, installment number 29 in the company's Guitar of the Week series. It'll be built in a limited edition of just 400 instruments. Even though purists who still worship the classic 1958 design might be soon calling this the Perverse Flying V, we kind of like the way the thing has been flipped around in a way that makes it look like a cursor on a computer screen. More »

HipDisk Musical Instrument, the Hula Hoop of Your Nightmares

As if the world needed yet another weird musical instrument, Danielle Wilde has created the hipDisk, a pair of doughnut-shaped platters activated with a series of movements that might be quite attractive with the right person doing them. The idea incorporates not just one of these noisemakers, but duets, trios, quartets or even choirs of such dancers/musician angels, filling the air with discord, rude noises and dissonance. It's not entirely clear why a bathing suit must be worn during the performance. Jump to the next page for the video, but we're warning you, get ready to turn the sound down. More »

Yamaha PSR-S900 Keyboard is Not Your Grandpappy's Player Piano

This Yamaha PSR-S900 keyboard bridges the gap between musical instruments and the Interwebs, and it can play music and connect to the Net at the same time. It has an Ethernet port that gives you a direct connection to the Internet without even using a computer, and that lets you download thousands of compositions and 7,000 karaoke arrangements. It's pretty much a computer unto itself, with a 5.7-inch 320x240 color display. Have pianos come a long way, or what? What else can it do? More »

USB Drum Kit: Drive Your Fellow Cubicle Whores Wild (and not with Desire)

If there were a reason why God invented the USB accessory, this surely is it. A roll-up drum kit that you plug into your USB port and drive your coworkers wild with. WILD, I say. There are six pads for you to play around with, and software that will teach you how to drum along to your favorite songs at whatever tempo you want. More »

Blackbird Rider: Carbon Fiber Guitar Waited for this Moment to Arise

The Blackbird Rider is a guitar made out of carbon fiber that was designed using 3D CAD software. It's 2/3 the size of an ordinary guitar but makes up for that by being hollow throughout—even in its neck and head—making the entire guitar a sound box. The goal of this design was to get the sound of a big acoustic guitar in a smaller form factor that's easily portable. More »

Roll-up USB Powered Piano Keyboard

If you have ever really wanted to prove to your cubicle neighbors that you truly are the reincarnate of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, this $30 roll-up, rubber piano keyboard may be the best option. The keyboard also has more than 128 different instruments available (in case you also want to prove that you are also the reincarnate of Kenny G) and it allows for recording via the PC. – Travis Hudson More »

Hottie Amplifier: Burnin' Sound, In the Slot

That's right, that's a real guitar amplifier inside that toaster. It's a Hottie Amplifier, available in a variety of toaster styles for $149. More »

Hello Kitty Stratocaster Guitars

So, today I realized it has been almost two months since our last Hello Kitty related post, which happens to be two months too long. So here is a Fender Hello Kitty Stratocaster guitar. It is available in pink or black and features the famous Hello Kitty head. If bass guitar is more of your bag, there is always the Bronco featuring that son of a bitch penguin, Badtz-Maru. Either guitar will set you back $200 from Musicians Friend with optional Hello Kitty accessories also available. – Travis Hudson More »

Roland's Karaoke Music Keyboard / Digital Hub

Microsoft, Apple, Sony, Nintendo, and others want to turn your living room into a Web-enabled entertainment center. Roland wants to make it into a full-featured karaoke parlor. Their new "VIMA" keyboard is a bizarre mash-up of digital piano, digital media hub, and karaoke machine. Plug in your iPod, hit center cancel to remove vocals, plug in one or two mics, and the keyboard transforms into a karaoke workstation. The keyboard can even store digital audio, photos, and videos for making custom music videos or karaoke accompaniment, with full support for lyrics display. It's either the perfect way to start your own karaoke bar, or, if you believe the Roland press release, to create "customized family entertainment." Coming hot on the heels of the do-all entertainment center / DJ-VJ station / Windows PC synth MiKo, the VIMA is a further sign that music keyboard makers want in on the battle for the living room. But will it catch on outside Japan? (Hint: large quantities of your favorite alcoholic beverage might help the customized family entertainment.) – Peter Kirn More »

Hohner Six-Sided Harmonica Plays the Blues Six Ways to Sunday

Blues harmonica players, or harpists as we like to be called, play the blues for a number of reasons, but one of them is that our diatonic instruments are so limited. When the band changes keys, we have to go rummaging around for another harmonica. Not any more with the Hohner Six-Sided Harmonica made by the company that's been supplying blues harmonicas to the stars for way over a century. More »

Crystal Roc Instruments Lined With Swarovski Gems

Swarovski crystals (you know, the same kind that every Tom, Dick and Harry company uses to line their products) line a series of musical instruments from Morten Schjolin, the man who helped bring us such useful members of society as Jennifer Lopez. Given the name Crystal Roc, these instruments— microphones, drums and guitars—are also just as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside, with audio circuitry provided by the likes of Technics and Shure. More »

Native Instruments Audio Kontrol 1: DJ and Musician-Friendly Audio Interface

It doesn't take long for DJs and musicians to figure out that internal audio cards are crap for any real work, when it comes to sound quality, features, and performance. So, with a mind-numbing array options, how do you choose a replacement? Native Instruments' new Audio Kontrol 1 could be a good choice, with a $300 list price. It's got a slick-looking, honking-huge knob on the top you can use to control sound level easily, and controls that are neither ugly nor confusing as with some of its competitors. Low-latency (4ms) USB 2.0 audio drivers let you can run your instrument through it or play software instruments without a noticeable delay, specially important on Windows. And a dedicated headphone jack lets you cue through headphones, which is handy not only for DJs, but when you want a separate headphone mix for recording or performing. There's stiff competition in this field from other terrific, cheap interfaces, but the Audio Kontrol 1 ought to be on the short list. – Peter Kirn More »

The Breath Car

I may not have a musical bone in my body, but I can understand how difficult it is for beginner musicians to train the mouth to handle horn instruments. Matthew Brown is trying to help the beginner musicians train their controlled breathing with the Breath Car. More »

USB One Man Band Keyboard/Guitar/Vocal Box

You sing, you play guitar and bass, you record and play live, you play keys, and now you want a single USB device to handle everything in a single box. First, you're more talented than us. Second, you might want to check out Line 6's upcoming TonePort KB37. Announced at the summer music equipment trade show this weekend in Austin, this small keyboard includes controls for your fingers, inputs for footpedals for your feet, and uses software to model amplifiers, mic preamps, effects, and stompboxes, with processing options for vocalists and guitarists alike. Line6's equipment has plenty of competition, but it tends to be affordable and reliable. You may need to grow two extra feet and two extra arms to take full advantage of the thing, so Zaphod Beeblebrox, your audio gear has arrived. – Peter Kirn More »

Bizarre Fish-Themed Technology

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Guitar Picks From Space: Meteoric Sound, Astronomic Price

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Datasound: Music for the 23rd Century?

We're still scratching their heads over this one, the Datasound, a device that takes digital bits and turns them into music. On the left side of the "deck," there's a turntable-like device that plays old-fashioned 5.25" floppy disks, letting you scratch its sounds similar to a vinyl record. On the right is an odd kind of sampler with various objects inside that generate data and electronic noise. Under the glass, there's a hard disk, neon light, the innards of a flatbed scanner and some other unnamed electronic objects. All of this is fashioned into an enclosure that resembles a museum case. More »

Blue Man Group Musical Noisemakers

If you've ever experienced the Blue Man Group, you've probably wished you could get your hands on one of their other-worldly musical instruments. Now noisemakers patterned after the group's PVC monstrosities have been licensed to toy company ToyQuest, where you can get a Keyboard ($80), Percussion Tubes ($70), a Drum Suit and an Air Pole. More »

Tritare: Guitar 2.0

Even though we think the guitar is near-perfect the way it is, inventor Sophie Léger is trying to improve upon it with the Tritare, a guitar with triple-ended strings. The Y-shaped instrument has one normally-fretted neck, and two others that don't have any frets and resonate the sound. You can see the two fretless necks in this picture — they're the ones upon which the guitar is standing. More »

BCD2000 Mix & Scratch DJ/VJ Controller Reviewed (Verdict: Good, Mostly)

What with these kids today carrying around their laptops for DJing, live visuals and VJing, and live laptop music, there's a surprising dearth of physical controls for playing laptops live. More »