Music and 3D printing, two things that are very close to my heart. Sheila Munro of Dropping Form Design is now selling her 3D printed flute in “Antique Bronze Glossy” through her Shapeways shop. Called a Shakuhachi Flute, it’s beautifully embroidered and grained. From the picture, it’s tough to even tell if it was 3D printed or hand-carved.
Printing the Music
Even with the flexibility 3D printing provides, that doesn’t mean you’re left with making old instruments in new ways. Rather, it’s easier to prototype and manufacture radical new ones. Onyx Asashi has been developing his new “Beatjazz” instrument, relying on a Reprap to craft his creation. This instrument combines all the elements of DJ’ing and electronics with a new type of hand and mouth gesture interface. When triggered, accelerometers follow the hand and alter the sound appropriately. A pressure sensor attached rung around the neck allows the “beatjazzer” (beatjazzist?) to make all sorts of neat sounds. Take a peak.
If you have a 3D printer handy, and have a sincere wish to make a buzz, take a look at wes‘s Kazoo on Thingiverse. Another featured item is the Empire State Recorder by cymon. By all accounts, the sound produced by this particular instrument antagonizes oversized gorillas.
My favourite item on Thingiverse is the Dual Mouthpiece by Krrrl, inspired by Rahsaan Roland Kirk. If you’ll pardon the tangent, Rahsaan was a blind jazz saxophonist of the 50s, 60s and 70s. He managed to perfect the art of playing 2, sometimes 3 wind instruments all at once. What Krrrl did here was to make a simple Y split for your saxophone, doubling your sax-ing for the price of one breath.
Here’s a little vintage Rahsaan Roland Kirk for inspiration…
