The Instruments
Instruments built from imagination, recycled materials, and a passion for sound.
One of the defining features of Orchestra of Sound is its collection of original instruments created by Paul Snider from recycled and everyday materials. Developed over more than a decade through projects such as Junk! The Musical and The Music of Junk, these creations transform ordinary objects into expressive musical instruments.
A violin made from a baseball bat and paper mâché. A cello built from a tin garbage can. A bass created from a wheelbarrow. A trumpet made from a garden hose. While unconventional in appearance, each instrument is carefully designed to produce unique and beautiful sounds.
Alongside field recordings collected across Canada and beyond, these instruments help create the distinctive sound world of Orchestra of Sound. Together they demonstrate a simple idea: extraordinary music can emerge from the most unexpected places when we take the time to listen.
RECYCOLIN
Violin made from paper mache and a baseball bat. A stuffed animal is used as a shoulder pad. Guitar tuning pegs are used for tuning.
Bed harp
Harp made with piano strings on a wooden bed frame. Played plucking strings vertically. Piezo microphones are used to amplify the sound
COPPER XYLOPHONE
Copper water tubing cut to size to make specific tones. Held suspended in place using strings. Played by striking tubes with mallet
garbuitar
Guitar made from various found objects and an old guitar neck for frets. Held together using a hub cap
oil drum
Empty oil drum used as a percussive drum
sled guitar
Slide guitar made from an old wooden snow sled. Uses a piano string and piano peg for tuning
wheelbarrow bass
Upright bass made from a wheelbarrow and old wood as the neck. An old boot holds the strings in place
wine glass harp
Various wine glasses filled with water in order to tune the sound. Pure sound is made by sliding a damp finger around the outside of the glass, causing the glass to ring like a bell
xyladder
Xylophone built from wood in the shape of a ladder. Wood is cut to size to make the required tones. Each 'step' has a different tone and is struck with a rubber mallet to make a sound
percussion objects
Various found items which are struck to make percussive sounds and tones. Drum heads created by hollowing out the bottoms of pails and covering with packing tape
tincello
Cello made from a tin garbage can and PVC tubing, the strings played with a cello bow
ballute machine
Instrument made from various sizes of PVC tubes. Hoses are connected to the tube 'whistles' and a foot air pump drives air through the tubes to make the various tones. A tube is activated with the on-off tap
PIANEGO
Piano made from old electronic piano components and Lego bricks
GLUBE
Glockenspeil made from flexible tubing, cut to size to create specific sound tones. Played by striking tubes with hard mallets or drum sticks
ocean wind
Wind instrument played using markers attached to MIDI controllers which triggers the sound to play. It uses a breath controller for volume. The triggered sound is created by recording breath over a bottle top to make the different tones
TUBE INSTRUMENT
Hard drainage tubes cut to size to create the appropriate tones. Struck with large mallets. The long tubes create low tones
sliding tube
Tube that slides to create length which changes the pitch. Sound is created by passing blown air over a rubber glove membrane that vibrates when air passes over it
GRUMPET
Trumpet made from a garden hose
table trumpet
Trumpet-style instrument, using a trumpet mouthpiece to play through the metal tubing in the leg of a metal desk
autodrum
Drum made from the front end of an automobile
Balloon bagpipes
Bagpipes made from PVC tubing and balloons for air pressure
COOKESIZER
Keyboard made using a Maki-maki electronic chip, silverware, and various wiring. Touching a piece of silverware creates a circuit loop and triggers a MIDI sound
Wood Guitar
Guitar made from old wood, electronics and a guitar neck
SAXYCLE
Saxophone made from the front end of a bicycle
PVC FLUTE
Flute made from PVC tubing
