album: Flying High
An album of cinematic instrumental music distinguished by an original sonic palette created from handcrafted instruments and environmental recordings.
Currently Unreleased: Private Listening Only
Each song below has a description, an audio link, and a video link
SONG 1: Flying High
Summary: Flying High captures the excitement of exploration and discovery
Description:
The heartbeat of the piece is a continuous drum roll performed on the turbine casing of a Boeing 737 jet. The turbine’s large, curved metal housing has a deep, rich resonance that creates an unexpectedly powerful foundation for the rhythm.
To anchor the percussion, I struck large tuned tubes cut to various sizes, while the dramatic timpani-style buildups come from heavy industrial machinery. One of my favourite sounds is an approaching train, whose natural crescendo perfectly captures the energy and anticipation I wanted the music to convey.
Throughout the recording process, I searched for resonances that felt completely original. A single hand clap in a stone staircase in Spain became the crack of a snare drum, while drumming a kick drum beat on a garbage can in the attic of a century-old East German farmhouse revealed a warm, resonant tone unlike anything I’d heard before. I also performed an ostinato rhythm on a massive steel structure, giving the piece a driving pulse and relentless momentum.
One of my favourite moments comes in the climactic drum rolls, created by striking abandoned cars in a junkyard. Every vehicle has its own unique metallic voice, so together they become a set of toms unlike any conventional drum kit—another example of how Orchestra of Sound transforms the sounds of the world around us into music.
Description of the sounds used:
Melodic Sounds:
Recycolin (violin made from paper cache and a baseball bat), Tincello (cello made from a tin garbage can), Wheel Barrow Bass (upright bass made from a wheel barrow), Lego Piano (piano built from old electronic piano components and Lego bricks), Garbuitar (guitar made from junk and a guitar neck), Saxycle (sxophone made from the front end of a bicycle), Garden Hose Trumpet (trumpet made from a garden hose), Tubes (different sized tubes cut to different lengths), Wind chimes and Church Bells
Percussive Sounds:
Fuselage and turbine of a 737 jet, toms made from pails with cellophane tape heads, junkyard automobiles, a satellite dish, metal pot tapped for resonance in a century-old East German barn, train track wooden ties, hand claps in a cave in Spain, tapping on the thick metal of a bulldozer, steel bowl hi hat and ride cymbal, broken crash cymbal, shattered window crash cymbal, sheet metal timpani played by shaking the metal at different speeds, empty oil drum timpani, lawnmower timpani with sound that increases as the lawn mower starts up, boat propellor, volleyball net in water for a deadened resonance, door latch, underground cellar snare for resonance, metal wall timpani, metal train tower timpani, train horn approaching timpani and train crossing signal bells
SONG 2: Good Times
Summary: Good Times is a joyful cinematic instrumental that blends handcrafted instruments and environmental sounds into an uplifting celebration of creativity and exploration
Description:
An upbeat, high-energy composition built from an orchestra of everyday sounds. The driving rhythm is played on the Glube, a percussive glockenspiel I created from differently sized drainage tubes. By striking each tube at its most resonant point, the instrument produces a rich, melodic percussion unlike anything found in a traditional orchestra.
The main melodic voice is a slide guitar made entirely from recycled materials, giving the piece its gritty, expressive character and driving pulse. Delicate wind chimes add moments of purity and contrast, while a playground slide provides the kick drum. The large plastic structure has a surprisingly deep, resonant tone that creates a powerful low-end foundation. I also use the steady hum of a coffee grinder, tuning its natural pitch to blend seamlessly into the harmony.
Throughout the piece, I searched for unusual resonances that could become instruments in their own right. Striking a large hollow steel structure in the middle of a town revealed a collection of distinct notes hidden within its different-sized tubes. High above the ground, I performed an ostinato rhythm on a massive steel framework, where the long tensioned cables produced an unexpectedly rich and percussive sound.
For the dramatic buildups, I turned to the thunder of a bowling ball racing down the lane and the cascading rhythm of falling dominoes, both of which create timpani-like crescendos. The sharp crack of a golf ball being struck, along with hand claps echoing through an old Spanish tunnel, became distinctive snare drum sounds, each shaped by the unique acoustics of its surroundings.
Toward the end of the piece, I take a solo on my Lego piano, bringing the composition to a playful and energetic conclusion while celebrating the idea that music can be found in the most unexpected places.
Description of the sounds used:
Melodic Sounds:
Recycolin (violin made from paper mache and a baseball bat), Tincello (ello made from a tin garbage can), Wheel Barrow Bass (upright bass made from a wheel barrow), Lego Piano (piano built from old electronic piano components and Lego bricks), Sled and Guitar Pick (single-stringed guitars made from wooden sled and from a pitch fork), PVC Flute (flute made from PVC piping), Tubes (large tubes cut to different lengths for deeper tones), Glube (glockenspiel made from tubes cut to different lengths), Copper Tube Xylophone (xylophone made from recycled copper pipes cut to different lengths), Wind chimes
Percussive Sounds:
Golf wing snare, breaking glass crash cymbal, metal bowl and kettle ride cymbals, sheet metal timpani played in a cement tube for resonance, crunching footsteps in the snow, handclap under a Spanish bridge, timpani with bowling ball rolling and hitting pins, timpani with dominos falling, snare on door in underground cellar for resonance, large metal wheel, tugboat metal chimney timpani, metal structure atop mountain, metal building exhaust, steel staircase in lighthouse, children plastic slide in playground, blue bins, metal shed timpani, metal slide in playground, wine barrels, hollow metal city pipes
SONG 3: rain
Primary genre: Cinematic Instrumental
Summary: Rain is a contemplative cinematic composition that blends environmental recordings with handcrafted instruments to create an immersive musical landscape inspired by the sounds of nature
Description:
This composition celebrates the remarkable musicality of the natural world, blending the sounds of nature with instruments created from everyday objects. Thunder becomes the timpani, adding power and drama, while rainfall provides a constantly shifting atmosphere. The wind moves through the piece like a warning of what’s to come, creating a sense of anticipation long before the music reaches its climaxes.
A massive bridge provides the heartbeat of the composition, its deep resonance driving the pulse forward. The piano carries the main melody, while an array of unconventional percussion creates a rich rhythmic landscape. One of my favourite recordings was a drum kit built from garbage pails and a water cooler, performed in one of the most unusual locations imaginable—more than a kilometre from shore on the exposed ocean floor at low tide. The vast, open surroundings gave the drums an atmosphere that could never be recreated in a studio.
Many of the stringed instruments were built specifically for this piece. I transformed a canoe into a cello, using the large fibreglass body to produce a warm, resonant tone, while the metal lid of a large barbecue became the foundation of a metallic bass. To create the driving ostinato, I performed on large water pipes at a construction site, discovering resonant pitches that could be tuned into the harmony while providing the rhythmic momentum of the piece.
Another distinctive voice comes from drumming a kick drum beat on the large white steel structure supporting a pavilion. Its broad metal surfaces produced a unique resonance, adding yet another sound that is rarely, if ever, heard in music. Together, these recordings reflect the central idea behind Orchestra of Sound: that extraordinary music can be found in the sounds of the world around us.
Description of the sounds used:
Melodic Sounds:
Recycolin (violin made from paper mache and a baseball bat), Tincello (ello made from a tin garbage can), Wheel Barrow Bass (upright bass made from a wheel barrow), Lego Piano (piano built from old electronic piano components and Lego bricks), PVC Flute (flute made from PVC piping), Saxycle (saxophone made from the front end of a bicycle), Canoe Violin (violin made from a canoe), BBQ Bass (bass made from a steel barbecue)
Percussive Sounds:
Tree trunk tapping, toms made from pails with cellophane tape heads, snare made from a water jug container, recycled broken crash cymbal, suitcase tom, metal pavillion support post, collapsed structure sheet metal roof, metal teardrop, metal cup over lake, metal gate, train bridge structure, bulldozer metal shovel, picnic table bongos, wooden door snare on underground cellar, metal dumpster, construction tubes
Other Sounds:
Thunder, rain, wind
song 4: the month of may
Summary: The Month of May is an uplifting cinematic instrumental that celebrates the beauty of spring through handcrafted instruments and environmental recordings, inviting listeners on a warm and joyful musical journey inspired by the natural world.
Description:
The main beat is a constant drum rhythm on a homemade instrument called The Glube, a glockenspeil built from drainage tubes cut to proper lengths to make the required tones. The song is an upbeat, fun composition.
One of the most energetic pieces on the album, this composition is driven by a relentless ostinato rhythm that begins on a simple steel post before expanding into a rich tapestry of unconventional sounds. The piano carries the main melody, while an orchestra of handcrafted instruments and found objects provides the momentum and character of the piece.
One of my favourite creations is a kalimba built from the wing of a Boeing 737 jet. The wing’s broad sheet of metal produces an unexpectedly rich resonance, giving the instrument a bright, distinctive voice. At a historic castle in Germany, I discovered another remarkable sound by playing bongos on the rusted lid of an ancient stone well. Each strike echoed deep into the centuries-old chamber below, creating a resonance that seemed to carry history within it.
To fuel the driving percussion, I built a makeshift drum kit from plastic pails fitted with drum heads made from layers of cellophane tape. Despite their humble construction, they produced surprisingly full, energetic toms that became the backbone of the rhythm section. The sharp crack of a stick striking the surface of a perfectly still mountain lake became the snare drum, while the distant horn of an approaching truck created a dramatic timpani-like crescendo that naturally builds in intensity.
I also performed an ostinato rhythm on the turbine casing of the Boeing 737, whose hollow metallic resonance adds another layer of driving percussion. For the melodic percussion, I built a xylophone from old copper pipes cut to carefully tuned lengths. I discovered additional notes in the metal slats of a park bench; although their natural resonance was muted by the bench’s construction, blending them with the copper pipes produced a unique and expressive sound.
The piece concludes with another instrument built from recycled materials—a saxophone fashioned from the front end of a bicycle. The hollow handlebars provide a surprisingly warm metallic resonance, giving the instrument a voice unlike any conventional saxophone and bringing this celebration of inventive sound-making to an energetic close.
Description of the sounds used:
Melodic Sounds:
Recycolin (violin made from paper mache and a baseball bat), Tincello (ello made from a tin garbage can), Wheel Barrow Bass (upright bass made from a wheel barrow), Lego Piano (piano built from old electronic piano components and Lego bricks), Garbuitar (guitar made from junk and a guitar neck), Saxycle (saxophone made from the front end of a bicycle), Tubes (different sized tubes cut to different lengths), Copper Tube Xylophone (xylophone made from recycled copper pipes cut to different lengths), 737 Jet Airplane Kalimba (kalimba made from the wing of a jet airplane)
Percussive Sounds:
Breaking glass crash, oil drum tom, metal handrail, playground metal bars, haystack, old seaside wooden house siding, log toms, lake water snare, abandoned train car, locks hi hat, semi truck horn Timpani, wooden fence, metal bench, airplane 737 jet turbine, metal shed roof, metal dumpster, snowboard at top of mountain, historic German castle metal well cover
song 5: the ocean
Summary: The Ocean is an expansive cinematic composition inspired by the sea, blending handcrafted instruments and environmental recordings into an immersive musical landscape
Description:
With this piece, I wanted to capture the vast beauty and quiet power of the ocean through its own voice. It begins with the heartbeat of a whale—a gentle pulse that remains throughout the composition, grounding everything that follows. The soaring melody is "sung" by whale calls, carefully tuned to create long, lyrical musical phrases.
To evoke the ocean wind, I designed a custom breath-controlled instrument called the Ocean Wind, using recordings of breath blown across bottles. The instrument is played with a breath controller, allowing the music to ebb and flow like the sea itself.
The soundscape is filled with the voices of marine life, while crashing waves become a dramatic timpani-like crescendo. A driving ostinato rhythm comes from striking a metal fence with soft mallets high on a mountain in Italy, adding an unexpected texture that propels the music forward. Other percussion comes from the sea itself: a 40-foot metallic post rising from the water, a floating buoy, and even an empty kayak, each contributing its own distinctive voice. I also capture the sound of a spoon striking a metal cup underwater for a completely unique sound.
Every sound in this piece comes together to celebrate the ocean's grandeur, inviting the listener to drift into a world where nature itself becomes the orchestra.
Description of the sounds used:
Melodic Sounds:
Recycolin (violin made from paper mache and a baseball bat), Tincello (cello made from a tin garbage can), Wheel Barrow Bass (upright bass made from a wheel barrow), Lego Piano (piano built from old electronic piano components and Lego bricks), Copper Tube Xylophone (xylophone made from recycled copper pipes cut to different lengths), music box comb, bottles blown across the top, prayer bowl
Percussive Sounds:
Old wooden boat, metal train tower, steel bowl hi hat, sheet metal cymbal, stop sign, wooden fence atop a mountain in Italy, metal pail ion attic of century-old East German farmhouse, spoon tapping cup underwater, finger snaps underwater, lake water snare, splash in cave in Spain, steel dock post, ocean buoy bongos, lighthouse horn timpani, kayak bongos, ship horn timpani, metal shed roof timpani, sea glass
Other sounds:
Whale heartbeat, blue whale, grey whale, seal, otter, seagull, dolphin, penguin, ocean waves
song 6: the sounds of canada
Summary: Inspired by a cross-Canada journey, The Sounds of Canada transforms authentic environmental recordings and handcrafted instruments into a sweeping cinematic composition that celebrates the beauty, diversity, and spirit of the Canadian landscape
Description:
This composition is a musical journey across Canada, built from the remarkable sounds I discovered while travelling coast to coast—and back again—in an electric vehicle. Every region offered its own unique voice, becoming part of an orchestra as vast and diverse as the country itself.
From resonant rocks high in the Rocky Mountains to prairie haystacks, from weathered lobster traps in the Maritimes to a lighthouse transformed into an unlikely set of bongos on the Atlantic coast, each province contributed its own distinctive colours and rhythms.
To capture the feeling of reliving the adventure through photographs, the steady click of an old slide projector and the shutter of an SLR camera provide the rhythmic heartbeat that carries the journey forward. The Lego Piano—an instrument I built from reclaimed electronic keyboard components and LEGO® bricks—takes centre stage in a contrapuntal bridge before the music builds toward a dramatic climax, driven by the unexpected percussion of a gas station signpost and the immense power of a cascading waterfall.
The Sounds of Canada is a celebration of exploration, curiosity, and the extraordinary music waiting to be discovered in the landscapes, landmarks, and everyday objects that define this remarkable country.
Description of the sounds used:
Melodic Sounds:
Recycolin (violin made from paper mache and a baseball bat), Tincello (cello made from a tin garbage can), Wheel Barrow Bass (upright bass made from a wheel barrow), Lego Piano (piano built from old electronic piano components and Lego bricks), Glube (glockenspiel made from tubes cut to different lengths), PVC Flute (flute made from PVC pipe)
Percussive Sounds:
Metal heater, oil drum, breaking glass crash, metal shed roof timpani, metal balls, old metal flower truck door, destroyed metal sign, wooden East German roller, metal bowl hi hat, crystal bell, bird closing metal cage door, East German wooden hay machine, bowling ball timpani, forest metal bridge wire supports, chains, metal cover in field
Other sounds:
Grandfather clock, dialup modem, rotary phone dial, DTMF phone pad, mobile phone ringing, old typewriter keys and carriage return ding
song 7: The Way We Communicate
Summary: The Way We Communicate transforms everyday sounds into a cinematic exploration of connection, conversation, and community, blending handcrafted instruments with environmental recordings to reveal the music hidden within human interaction
Description:
Communication has always evolved—from the click of mechanical keys to the digital world we live in today. This composition explores that journey by transforming the sounds of communication, both old and new, into music.
An antique manual typewriter provides the driving ostinato that carries the piece forward, while the Glube—a glockenspiel I built from drainage tubes cut to different lengths—adds a steady rhythmic pulse. The sounds of evolving technologies weave throughout the composition, creating a musical conversation between past and present.
The main melody is played on the PVC Flute, an instrument I created from reclaimed PVC pipe. Additional textures come from striking the thick suspension cables of a forest bridge, producing a beautifully muted metallic tone, while the rich resonance of an empty oil drum becomes an expressive hand drum.
Perhaps the most enthusiastic performer is my conure, Cinnamon, who keeps impeccable time by joyfully slamming the metal door of her cage in rhythm with the music.
By turning everyday objects and familiar sounds into instruments, The Way We Communicate celebrates humanity's endless creativity and reminds us that communication isn't just about words—it's also found in rhythm, sound, and the unexpected music all around us.
Description of the sounds used:
Melodic Sounds:
Recycolin (violin made from paper mache and a baseball bat), Tincello (cello made from a tin garbage can), Wheel Barrow Bass (upright bass made from a wheel barrow), Lego Piano (piano built from old electronic piano components and Lego bricks), Coffee Grinder, Arctic wolves howling, Wine Glass Rims
Percussive Sounds:
Rice shaker, steel bowl hi hat, house metal exhaust, breaking glass crash, camera click, old boat kick drum, rusted garbage can, log toms, slide projectorfootstcps on gravel, metal RV bumper, handclap in cave, playground plastic wall, lighthouse wall bongos, wooden crab traps, mountain rocks bongos, haystack, provincial border sign timpani, gas station sign timpani, wooden covered bridge, metal tractor wheel, forest bridge cable, junkyard automobiles, picnic table bongos, eagle wings flapping, waterfall timpani, kitchen sink