This "glass armonica" a banned musical instrument apparently “causes insanity” - I'm not sure about that but it's gorgeous looking and sounding... (more about it at the Wikipedia too).
Crazy glass armonica
Recent Entries
- Screw-in coffin patent issues
- Beginner woodworking project for illusionists?
- Brickarms molds
- LED people remake
- <3 your maker: MAKE's Valentine's Day gift guide
- Don't walk! Controlling a pedestrian sign with an Arduino
- UC Berkeley has "Nobel Laureate Only" parking spaces
- LEGO PCB Agitator
- Volkemon in Space: Additional launch pics
- "Batteries Out of Thin Air"
Comments
Oldest comments listed first.
Leave a comment
Subscribe to MAKE Magazine!
Subscribe today, save 42% and get web access to MAKE free. MAKE Digital Edition is available only to subscribers.
$34.95 / 1 year
(4 Quarterly Issues)

































Featured prominently in an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?erube_fh=wttw&wttw.submit.EpisodeDetail=1&wttw.EpisodeID=57275&wttw.Channel=WTTW
Reply to this comment
The old glass armonicas were made out of leaded crystal so the people who played them a lot would get lead poisoning. Thus, the craziness.
Reply to this comment
Made me go insane; but then, what do I know. I'm insane.
Reply to this comment
Haahahah, thanks guys! You guys rock!
http://oddstrument.com
Reply to this comment
Wasn't this invented by Ben Franklin?
Reply to this comment
I guess if I read the Wikipedia link I'd know that, yes, it was invented by Ben Franklin.
Reply to this comment
We've seen Dean Shostak play this thing every holiday season for the past four or five years. It's truly a haunting and fascinating performance.
He's added other glass instruments over the years. He now plays a 100% glass violin on stage as well.
There was a rumor of a glass Cello. But I don't know how that's going.
Reply to this comment
here a link to a virual glass armonica
http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/musician/virtualarmonica.html
Reply to this comment