It’s Friday, and you know what that means! It’s time to ask WTF?
This week, we found a working harpsichord made of Legos:
Lego guru Henry Lim is the madman behind this contraption. With the exception of the wire strings, the instrument is entirely constructed out of LEGO parts–the keyboard, jacks, jack rack, jack rail, plectra, soundboard, bridge, hitch pins, tuning pins, wrestplank, nut, case, legs, lid, lid stick, and music stand are all built out of interlocking plastic bricks and related pieces.
Even more amazing, the harpsichord plays (MP3). Yes - it’s a lousy sounding harpsichord, but that is besides the point. It’s made of friggin’ Legos - what do you expect!
Why build a working Lego harpsichord? Because building a piano was too hard.
“Originally, upon thinking about the potentials of making a LEGO musical instrument, I had hoped to reproduce a piano,” explains Lim, “but ditched the idea due to the enormous tension involved (40,000 lbs.)–there’s a reason why pianos have steel frames. Its ancestor, the harpsichord, seemed more practically possible–the key/jack workings are simple levers, the strings are plucked, it’s smaller, and it maintains less tension. ”
Lego Harpsichord Detail Image:
Lego harpsichord specs:
Specifications include a 1 x 8′ disposition (single choir (one string per note), middle C corresponds to middle C on other instruments), single manual (one keyboard), 61 note range (5 octaves, C-c””, A415), 6 x 3 ft. dimension, approximate 150 lbs. weight, and an estimated 100,000 LEGO piece count. The strings (brass gauges .012-.018 and steel gauges .008-.012) exert approximately 325 lbs. of tension.
While Lim’s harpsichord may not be the most beautiful sounding instrument, it’s definitely unique.
Check out more photos and details of the project at Lim’s site.
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