That was pretty. That was neat. That was pretty neat. posted by cjorgensen at 9:21 AM on December 10, 2011
I would listen again.... This is EXACTLY the instrument this piece needs to be played on. posted by tomswift at 9:41 AM on December 10, 2011 [3 favorites]
Impressive! I didn't realize you could get such staccato sounds out of a glass harp - I've always heard more sustained notes. (Although some of the fast glissandos required them to slow down since the glasses are quite far apart compared to the keys/strings on conventional instruments.)
I'm constantly amazed by the human compulsion to create music. It seems like there should be a Rule 34 for musical instruments - if something exists, somebody somewhere has figured out how to make music on it. Old oil drums, computer peripherals, wine glasses, even bike parts (for more Sugar Plum Fairy goodness!) As a species, we have a lot to be ashamed of but I like to think music is our saving grace. posted by Quietgal at 9:43 AM on December 10, 2011 [4 favorites]
That is just achingly beautiful. Thanks. posted by pjern at 9:55 AM on December 10, 2011 [2 favorites]
@double block and bleed: QFT. :) :) posted by ZakDaddy at 10:41 AM on December 10, 2011
Surprisingly amazingly good - thanks.
This instrument really needs not to be called a "glass harp". I was expecting a harp made of glass. Also, the timbre is essentially a bowed sound which makes the harp moniker seem even more inappropriate. Not sure I can think of a better name, though. posted by iotic at 10:41 AM on December 10, 2011
Wow. Yes, very impressive – seconding Quietgal, I was surprised at how they were able to "articulate" on glasses.
The dynamics also showed their expertise – "Sugar Plum Fairy" is a rather simple piece, but they managed the dynamics so well, both as a duo and on beverage containers(!), that their musicianship is clear. When I first saw the glasses, I expected a monotone performance with a single type of articulation... instead we're treated to a piece with true expressiveness. Thanks for posting! posted by fraula at 12:04 PM on December 10, 2011
Splendid. The tempo got just a little deliberate a couple of times, otherwise a perfect realisation. I'm sure Tchaikovsky would have loved it. posted by Segundus at 1:00 PM on December 10, 2011
Almost as good as Hugh Hefner's rendition of Peter and the Wolf. posted by furtive at 1:02 PM on December 10, 2011
I was not expecting it to be anywhere near as good as that. Thanks! posted by Hartham's Hugging Robots at 1:38 PM on December 10, 2011
I just noticed the url on the bottom of the video... more goodies here in case you (as I did, being mesmerized by the performance) missed it. posted by tomswift at 2:24 PM on December 10, 2011
Where did they get such an awesome set of matching glasses? posted by psycho-alchemy at 4:09 PM on December 10, 2011
posted by cjorgensen at 9:21 AM on December 10, 2011