Wednesday, March 02, 2016
This Ludicrous New Instrument Makes Music with 2,000 Marbles
Colossal: Swedish musician Martin Molin has long had experience with esoteric instruments like the glockenspiel, traktofon, or Theremin, but he may have topped his musical prowess with the invention of his own new instrument: the Wintergatan Marble Machine, a hand-cranked music box loaded with instruments including a circuit of 2,000 cascading steel marbles. As the devices cycles it activates a vibraphone, bass, kick drum, cymbal and other instruments that play a score programmed into a 32 bar loop comprised of LEGO technic parts. The marbles are moved internally through the machine using funnels, pulleys, and tubes.
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8 comments:
I am insanely impressed by this machine. The amount of planning and fine tuning that it must have taken to get this thing to work is astounding. Not only did all of the components need to interact consistently and flawlessly, but Molin also had to make sure it produced the sounds he wanted when he wanted them. I think it is interesting how the scope of the project grew as he worked on it, and the method by which he approached it evolved as he realized that the project couldn’t have as much pre-planned as he wanted initially. Despite this article's title, I’m not sure if I’d call it an instrument. I can see why it would be called that, but based on the way it is built, I assume it can really only play this one song, or variations on it. It feels more like a giant music box to me. I’m also really impressed by the appearance of the machine. It looks really cool and cohesive. I wish it could travel, but I understand why it can’t, and I’m curious what he will build next.
When you first look at the photo of the machine that the article provides, you see a medieval torture device hell bent on eating the player. However, listening to it, you hear the beautiful music it makes, and I think it draws an interesting parallel to the rube goldberg machines we are currently designing. Every single action you perform on the instrument triggers another one in perfect sync, which is what allows the music to work. I can't imagine how Molin arrived at the idea of using marbles for this instrument, and how he realized he wanted an instrument that made a sound that distinct and specific. I'm reminded of the musical saw, which is a dulled saw that you play with a violin bow that makes a very resonant, whining sound. I disagree with Julian on whether or not it can be called an instrument, since every song is using something with a very limited range to create music, and this is no different. Another thing that sticks out to me is the etched labels on the different chords of the machine, so that the onlooker can see exactly what sound each section of the machine makes. I hope that I get the chance to see one in person.
This machine reminds me of Theo Jansen’s Strandbeests. They’re both highly intricate devices made by dedicated and hugely talented creators. But beyond that they’re both powered by a remarkably simple source, wind for the Strandbeests and Molin himself for the Wintergatan Marble Machine. I’m with Julian in wishing he could travel with it more easily, I would love to see and hear it in person. I know the Strandbeests travel to museums sometimes, if Molin is able to go through with his plan of making more on different scales it would be really cool if a similar thing happened with them. It would be even better if there was a way to do some kind of interview with Molin, it would be fascinating to talk to someone who invented not only invented such an intricate device but then figured out a way to make the whole thing.
I'm really excited that this article is on the blog, as I watched this video a couple days ago and I loved it. I doubt that I would ever have the patience for two years of meticulous work like that, but the end product was definitely. I agree with Julian that this seems more like giant music box than an instrument, but that doesn't make it any less amazing. The fact that he is able to manipulate this machine to make music is really impressive, as it's really just a big collection of metal, wood, and marbles. It is sad that the machine itself isn't portable, as it would be a really fun exhibit to bring around to various museums. As a side note, it's really cool to see a video like this go viral. He really deserves the amount of recognition and support he's been getting, because I can't imagine how hard this was to create.
This is so impressive. The machine is gigantic and yet the music it produces is so crisp and delicate. One thing I noticed is unlike other instruments, the score is already pre-programmed into the instrument and so the musician for most of the time just had to keep the instrument going. This makes me wonder how the music was composed, and whether if it was composed on this machine (which from the video seems to be not very possible) or on another instrument and then programmed into this one. I really liked it when he played the notes individually by hand as opposed to rolling the engine. Another thing I really like about this machine is how it incorporates other instruments such as a kick drum and bass. This combination of instruments that are already well known with the machine I think creates unique and innovative sounds. I definitely admire the amount of the intricacy and complexity involved in this machine, especially in one shot where it shows all the cables plugged in at the back of the machine; I can see the musicians passion for music through this machine alone. I'm very excited to see it evolve in the future.
This machine is hilarious. And pretty dang amazing. The amount of different types of instruments involved in one thing is impressive, and it’s all pretty compact. I particularly enjoyed how most of it was made out of plywood. Such a simple material made to so elegantly create music. Using marbles was a clever way to be able to hit multiple notes at the same time without just having mallets that pop up and down and the machine turns. That challenge made the machine the much more interesting to watch. Now that he has made this new instrument, and ti took him over 14 months to complete, what is he going to do with it? I hope in the future we can see a lot more videos of him creating new songs. Because it seems that since the instrument works, all he would have to do it exchange the belt with the little pegs and he would have an entity new song to explore and have fun with.
This machine is absolutely ridiculous (in the best way possible). It is so unbelievably intricate. I saw this video a few days ago, and I am so glad it is on this blog now so I can ramble about how incredible this machine is. One of my first thoughts after watching the video was, "That must have taken FOREVER to make." I was so surprised to read in the article that he started in August 2014, which is less than two years ago. A machine as detailed and fine tuned as this one seems like it should have taken five years at the very least. There must have been so much insane trial and error with this machine, and I can not believe how beautifully and seamlessly it works. He has made everything perfect, down to the angle at which the marbles will bounce in order to land in the receptacle that then carries them back to the top of the machine.
This video is incredible to me. I’m not sure if the fact that he spent 14 months on this over or under whelms be, because while that’s a very long time, I wouldn’t be able to figure this in 14 years. When this article says this creation has a Frankenstein appearance I laughed, this entire thing seems so much more precise than that monster. And to think that all the mechanisms were hand made, that absolutely blows my mind. So much detail was required in the making of this. I really enjoy how he makes this into a performance, interacting with the crank and occasionally plucking strings. It elevates the entire thing for me, really transforming this thing from machine to instrument. This video is really going viral, and I hope it shows artists the power of live sound, as well as showing the world what sound could be. It is currently very underrated.
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