Instrument Building!

One of our favorite aspects of this project (and of many others we do) is having the chance to create new sounds by building and finding instruments. We are by no means experts at it, and our methods are usually very unscientific (a lot of trial and error through listening). Nor are we remotely inventing the concept: putting aside the way musical cultures like those in Africa find utility in everyday objects, even in western music there was an explosion of wacky instrument building in the 20th century. John Cage sought expression (or non-expression, depending on the period) in cacti and radios, Harry Partch and Lou Harrison designed whole percussion orchestras to fit their unique musical styles.

For the percussionist, this mode of creativity is now part of the toolbox. It may be true that a car brake drum has none of the subtleties of tone color that a great violin does, but the way in which it is combined with other instruments creates a complex musical palate.

Music for Trains is totally fresh for us in that it is music for a place. It is a rare and exciting challenge to make this kind of art. In our several visits up here before July, we were eager to find out what sounds and resources spoke to the vibe of Southern Vermont.

The most thrilling were the Estey Organs. The Estey factory was one of Vermont’s biggest industries for many decades in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They manufactured parlor organs for living rooms all over the world, mostly at a time when recorded music was not yet common. We goofed around in the museum for a while:

In the end they let us borrow two small organs, one originally made for children, as well as some loose pipes to blow on.

Here’s what they sound like:

We have made many instruments in the past out of metal and wood. There is a type of post used for fences (aluminum?) that is really big, but also thin. We’ve thrown them in one at a time before, but I’ve always wanted to make a whole instrument out of them. With the benefit of some power tools and a barn, here’s how it ended up looking and sounding:

 We have been privileged to meet and work with Ahren Ahrenholz, a remarkable artist who lives in Dummerston. Along with Ahren, we conducted a workshop at the River Gallery School in Brattleboro. Families came by and made instruments with us out of all kinds of household junk. This was the debut of “the structure,” a giant sawhorse that Ahren made for us to hang, prop, and rest instruments on.