Music is Everywhere

Music comes in many different forms. Most people probably think of pop bands, rock groups, symphonies or other traditional music ensembles. However, there are so many more ways to create music that aren’t as well-known. Not every instrument has to fit into a neat category of wind, percussion and string. Many artists challenge the definition of what is considered “music” through experimentation.

One famous example of abstract music is John Cage’s three-movement 4’33”. The musicians do not play a single note throughout the three movements. The point of the piece is to hear the music that is constantly being made around you. Audience members coughing, shuffling in their seats or even booing the performer are all considered to be a part of the music.

The Vegetable Orchestra is another example of abstract music. It is exactly as their name suggests; all of the performers play on instruments made of vegetables. They also use power tools in conjunction with the vegetables to create music. They have to create new instruments every time they perform since the vegetables go bad quickly. Many of the instruments they create resemble instruments one sees in a traditional concert band. For example, there are celery guitars, carrot flutes, calabash horns and pepper horns.

 

There is an organ in Zadar, Croatia that is played by the sea. There are a series of tubes found underneath a staircase that leads into the sea. Music is created when wind and waves crash against these tubes. The sound from the pipes underneath escape through air holes on the stairs. While chords are sometimes created, the music often sound random and chaotic.

 

Nikola Tesla created Tesla coils to wirelessly generate and transmit electricity, but now they are mostly used for entertainment purposes. One version is called a singing Tesla coil or sometimes a zeusaphone. The sound is electronic and gives off futuristic vibes. The electric sparks created by Tesla coils add a flashy visual element to the performance. Some musicians control the Tesla coils from a distance to create music, but others prefer to take a more hands-on approach. These musicians wear a metal suit to conduct the electricity from the coils and control the coils with specialized instruments.

Music is art, and art is subjective. Anything can be an instrument if you want it to be. Even the quiet shuffle of feet on a sidewalk is musical. Take a moment to open yourself up to the world of sounds constantly around you and really take it in, even if it doesn’t seem like the standard definition of music. No great discovery was made without a little curiosity.