Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do. As Julie Andrews said in the Sound of Music, "once you have these notes in your heads you can sing a million different tunes by mixing them up." Ugears is proud to introduce the second DIY musical instrument in our collection-the Mechanical Celesta. Like the Ugears Hurdy-Gurdy, the Mechanical Celesta is both a wooden mechanical model and a functional musical instrument. This special musical model is a simpler version of a pianola, and includes elements of a piano, a music box, and a xylophone. There are two modes of playing the instrument |
you can use the keys to strike the metal plates, producing musical notes over an octave range, from C to C, or you can "pre-program" the instrument by composing a melody on the player piano drum, then play it by turning the knob!Thanks to the Mechanical Celesta's ease of use, even the smallest child or those without any prior musical knowledge can begin to play music, by striking the keys or turning the crank to produce pre-programmed melodies. In "manual mode" when you press a key, the hammer strikes the plate and the sound of the corresponding note is heard. In "programmed melody mode" you arrange a series of boards along a rotating drum, then turn the drum as pins on each board trigger the hammers to strike the right notes.Like all of our mechanical models, 3d puzzles, wooden puzzle boxes, robots, automatons and kinetic sculptures, the Mechanical Celesta has a beautiful, clever design, and is sure to delight your family and friends. Build it as a family then enjoy singing simple melodies together, accompanied by a musical instrument you've built with your own hands! Take turns programming melodies into the rotating drum then play a game of "Name that Tune."The Mechanical Celesta from Ugears is a unique combination of design, engineering and art, and is sure to delight musicians, modelers, 3D puzzle enthusiasts and even programmers. Program known melodies into the player piano drum, or create original compositions that others can play simply by turning the crank. Your audiences will be impressed by your creativity and ingenuity as you play original music on an instrument you built yourself! |