randform

Another set of beautiful scans of an old science book. this time it is from a 16th centrury geomancy almanac

This is a follow up to views of the world.
via

This time we have only one entry in the series of underestimated instruments (see here, here, and here): a car.
The car music project makes fantastic instruments out of a car. In this ad it is a
ford focus – the instruments are indeed real and strictily speaking it is not one instrument but a Transmission Case Cello-Dulcimer, Clutch Guitar, Rear Suspension Spike Fiddle, Fender Bass, Hatchback Kick Drum, Handheld Gear Tambourine, Door Harp …

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I knew it.

here . A collection of strange instruments and other sightings at winter NAMM show. This years top oddity is the square drum. Browsing through the past years is interesting as well.

side remark: when I still was a student I attended (but didn’t really understand) a talk at a global analysis conference that addressed the question wether two different (shaped) drums can sound the same (can you hear the shape of a drum), that is wether there are different 2dimensional shapes that have exactly the same modes of resonance, so that you could not tell them apart by just listening to them (or looking at their spectra). It turns out there are (but the shapes do not look drum like at all…)

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