Are you one of those people who believe in the saying “there is nothing new under the sun” or “everything that can be invented has been invented?” We hope not, because new things are being created every day, proving that there is plenty of new stuff under the sun (or at least on this earth).

Obviously, we can’t list all the inventions here and now, so let’s focus on just one category, which should come as no surprise to anyone: musical instruments. As much as we love the existing instruments, we are always excited to hear about all the cool ones that are being created.

The shape of things to come

Last month, scores of new instruments were unveiled at the annual National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) exhibit held in Anaheim, CA. Some truly interesting inventions were presented. Are they really new and different? NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond says they are: “Some products at the NAMM Show are so beyond the cutting edge they’re on the bleeding edge!” You be the judge – here are some of them (and we hasten to add that this is in no way an endorsement of any kind; we list these instruments here for informational purposes only). Electric violins: Yamaha’s YEV violin series features an all-wood construction, instead of plastic or other material, and a sleek design. 660 Guitar: A 7-pound guitar made entirely of aircraft aluminum with a carbon-fiber neck, the company’s guitar is practically indestructible and, according to its manufacturer, 660 Guitar, its sound is just as good as any high-end wooden guitar. Occulus Rift Virtual Reality Drum Set: Air-drumming instrument uses that uses a computer and motion-capture technology to create a functional-but-invisible drum set. But while we marvel at all these super-duper inventions, let’s not forget that the musical instruments, which are now considered as “conventional” were once, in centuries past, just a vision or an idea in their inventors’ minds.

Back to the basics

It’s always fun to see what the music industry comes up with in way of new instruments and gadgets. We like to see what the future holds, though it is impossible to predict which novelties will become part of the mainstream. Perhaps back in 1700, musicians also wondered whether the new-fangled instrument known as the pianoforte, invented just that year by Italian craftsman Bartolomeo di Francesco Cristofori, would ever replace the harpsichord? This is what we do know: at Hey Joe Guitar, we teach the instruments that have been around for a long time: the guitar, piano, violin, flute, and many others. Whichever of the (already existing) instruments you’d like to learn, one of our teachers will come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home of office to give you as lesson!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons Licence.

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Here’s a question you might not have considered before: is there such a thing as a magical or enchanted musical instrument? In art and literature there are examples of instruments that have special powers. Take, for example, a recently published book titled “Echo” In it, the main protagonist is a magic harmonica, which has the ability to break a witch’s spell and save three lives. We won’t tell you how it all ends, but let it suffice to say that this little instrument is very special indeed.

And there are other examples of musical instruments that have special, magical powers.

It’s magic!

If you read “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” you probably remember an enchanted, self-playing harp that lulls Fluffy, the three headed dog, to sleep. (In fact, in this very book, Albus Dumbledore notes, “Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here!”) But magical instruments are not limited to literature. How about Mozart’s opera, “The Magic Flute?” In it, a young prince, Tamino, saves his princess by playing, ever so beautifully, an enchanted flute . Of course, you may say that the above-mentioned harmonica, harp and flute are fictional. This may well be, but in real life there had also been many musical instruments that some cultures considered to have special, mythical powers. For instance, the sound of the tanbur is believed to have had healing and calming powers, while the conch horn’s trumpet-like music was credited with bringing long and prosperous life.

Be spellbound!

“Music is the strongest form of magic” ~ Marilyn Manson Whether or not you believe that instruments have special powers, one thing is certain: music itself is truly magical in the way it brings out so many different emotions. It is soothing, uplifting, therapeutic, and generally a positive and meaningful experience for children and adults alike. Now, our teachers, enchanting as they are, do not possess mysterious or supernatural powers. In fact, their main “power” is the ability to teach music. They are definitely not witches or wizards, but when they come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office, they will show you how to coax a truly magical sound out of your ordinary harmonica, flute, or any other instrument!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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New York musician Boujemaa Razgui had a big surprise – but not a good one – waiting for him when he landed at JFK recently. U.S. customs officials seized and smashed each one of his handmade flutes – 11 neys and two kawalas, which are commonly used in Middle Eastern music.

What possible danger did these instruments pose to the nation’s security, you may ask? Customs inspectors decided that the bamboo flutes were “agricultural products” capable of unleashing foreign pests and diseases onto U.S. crops and livestock.

This wacky-but-true story brought to mind other interesting incidents involving musical instruments. We are happy to share them with you here!

Unfriendly skies

It would seem that airports are not the friendliest and safest places for instruments – as the above example demonstrates.

A few years ago, another story made news, this one unfolding on the tarmac of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Canadian musician Dave Carroll and his band, Sons of Maxwell, looked out the plane’s window and watched in horror as baggage handlers tossed Dave’s expensive guitar.

The guitar was damaged, but when Dave complained to United Airlines, he got the runaround. Frustrated, he wrote a protest song of sorts and posted it on YouTube The video
quickly went viral and the airline, embarrassed by the negative publicity, eventually compensated Dave for the damage.

In the meantime, the song not only became a YouTube and iTunes hit, but also made TIME Magazine’s list of the Top 10 Viral Videos of 2009. And that’s not all: Taylor Guitars, a company that manufactured the mishandled instrument, offered Dave two guitars and other props for his second video ; that and the following one recount the entire United-versus- guitar saga, as it unfolded.

Dave has successfully turned his tale of woe into a series of tongue-in-cheek videos; we love the way he handled this matter and are happy that he prevailed in the end!

Lost – but found!

Another tale with a happy ending is that of an old Stradivarius violin and its absent-minded caretaker.

A 2012 story out of Switzerland reported that a musician left the priceless instrument, which he borrowed from a friend, on a train. Surveillance tapes showed another passenger leaving the train with the violin in his hand, and authorities immediately launched an appeal for help.

Now, you must know that Stradivarius violins are not exactly a dime a dozen. They are rare – only several hundred of these 17th century treasures remain in existence today – and they are very, very expensive (the one left on the train was reportedly worth several million dollars).

So it must have been music to the hapless fellow’s ears when he found out that the person seen with the violin in hand was not a thief but a Good Samaritan carrying the instrument to the station’s “lost and found” office. As the savior explained it, “There were some drunks on the train, so I took the violin case to make sure nothing happened to it.”

There are lots of other great stories involving musical instruments – funny, wacky, or just interesting.

And here’s an anecdote we find hilarious: For Christmas 1936, Spanish painter Salvador Dalí sent comedian Harpo Marx a harp with barbed-wire strings. Harpo sent back a photograph of himself “playing” the instrument with bandaged fingers. Isn’t this …surreal?

“TLC” is our middle name!

You already know that Hey Joe Guitar is an excellent music school and our teachers are second to none.

But here’s something you might not have known, so we hasten to add it: our teachers handle instruments with tender loving care. You can rest assured that when they show up at your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale (Bronx) home, they will NEVER smash the flutes, damage the guitars, or wreak havoc with any other instruments!

Photo by drinks machine

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