Above: The Daxophone

Loading automatically: a short excerpt (MP3) from Hans Reichel’s Le Bal, from the CD Gravikords, Whirlies & Pyrophones

From the book & CD package Gravikords, Whirlies & Pyrophones comes this picture of Hans Reichel’s Daxophone. The Daxophone consists of a thin, finely formed wooden stick secured to a heavier mounting at one end, and free to vibrate at the other. It can be sounded by plucking or bowing. A separate piece, not shown in this photo, is a specially shaped chunk of wood with two slightly curved surfaces, which can be held against the light stick as it vibrates in such a way as to alter and control the pitch and tone quality. A contact mic embedded in the mounting piece allows for amplification. The sounds that issue forth from this thing are totally unexpected: wildly comical and sometimes oddly beautiful. 

Hans’ irresistible Daxophone piece Le Bal appears on the Gravikords, Whirlies & Pyrophones CD, while more photos and more information on his work appear in the accompanying book. You can hear an from excerpt that track by clicking the link above. Better yet: order the book and CD from our catalog now. 

Articles on Hans’ instruments have also appeared in the Experimental Musical Instruments quarterly journal. These include an article on the Daxophone (Volume 4 #3)  and his extroardinary Pick-Behind-the-Bridge Guitar (Volume 5 #1). These and all of the Experimental Musical Instruments back issues remain available. You can follow the link at left for more information or to purchase back issues. 

“Thinking,” a deeply meditative and otherworldly piece that Hans recorded on his Pick-Behind-the-Bridge guitar, appears on our CD collection Experimental Musical Instruments: Early Years.