DIY Music Box Demonstration and "Christy's Theme" Video

Here is the amazing Mechanical Music Box by Kikkerland. I searched and searched for a music box that could play an original composition, but they don't really exist. Then, for less than $15, I found this one that plays music from a "piano roll" style strip of paper that you can punch holes in to make it play whatever you want.

Finally, I can play this theme that I wrote for my wife as a wedding gift. Today is her birthday, and later this month it will have been 20 years since I proposed to her. I love you Christy - here's your song!

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AirplaneFoods: Awesome tutorial! I've linked this on all of my videos. and what a beautiful song. I also want to add to the tutorial: this music box is diatonic and can't play any flats or sharps! It also can't play quick repeating notes. It uses 80 lb paper if you want to try making your own strips rather than buying them. Have fun with it!

synthfiend707: Thanks AirplaneFoods! I've enjoyed watching several of your music box videos too. These are good points - it is only diatonic (i.e. on a piano, that'd be only the white keys), and it cannot play quick repeating notes (I altered my arrangement accordingly).

extracheeze: Hi Synth! I just saw your fantastic Music Box vid and ordered one right away! I want to make one for my girlfriend and put "our song" on it. I was wondering though if you could provide me with some help. I have very some music background but feel comfortable enough with reading sheet music. How would I go about making a song on the sheet? I feel like I don't know where to start with this and with only a few sheets bundled, have little room for error. An advice? Thanks so much!!

synthfiend707: Start by figuring out what the quickest notes in the song are (i.e. 8th notes? 16th notes?) - then choose every vertical line to be a unit of time (in my video, each vertical line is the equivalent of 1/16 note - so notes spaced every other line are 8th notes, and every 4th line is quarter notes - hope this makes sense). You also have to make sure that your song could be played on the white keys of a piano in a two octave range of C-C (i.e. no sharps, no flats - no black keys)

synthfiend707: If you're worried about using up the paper, you can work on one - if you make mistakes, you can tape over them. Once you get everything done, the paper may be messy, but you can use it to make a clean copy (that way you only end up using two). You could also buy some cardstock and cut it to the same general width - only it won't have the grid on it. Oh, and they also sell refills. Another idea (I haven't done this) is experiment in a software sequencer using the "piano roll" view.

Author: synthfiend707; Uploaded: Nov 11, 2009; Duration: 6:4; Views: 551

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