This YouTuber Can Turn Anything Into an Instrument

Engineers try very hard to reduce the vibrations that come from electric motors, because those vibrations ultimately harm efficiency and performance. But it’s impossible to completely remove all vibrations, and those vibrations end up making noise. Musical notes are just vibrations, with the note corresponding to the frequency of the vibration. That means you can use those vibrations to play music, and YouTuber Device Orchestra has taken advantage of that fact to turn a variety of devices and appliances into musical instruments.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen music played through motor vibrations, and musical 3D printers and floppy drives are fairly common novelties in the maker world. But both of those gadgets use stepper motors, which are relatively easy to create musical notes with. Device Orchestra, on the other hand, seems to be able to turn just about anything into a musical instrument, including:

“The Imperial March” was composed by John Williams to be Darth Vader’s theme in The Empire Strikes Back. It has since become one of the most famous portions of a movie score in history, and its simple bass-heavy melody is perfect for low-fidelity “instruments” like a toaster.

In this video, which was Device Orchestra’s first, there is actually a little bit of a cheat happening. The music itself is being produced by the vibration motor on a cell phone. That was then placed inside the toaster so that it would resonate through the metal and sound better.

In this video, the national anthem of the United States is played by an orchestra of seven individual credit card machines. As they print out receipt paper, each one plays a piece of the composition. For a little extra capitalistic flair, the seventh credit card machine is even raised up on receipt paper hoists while $20 bills are released from the rolls of paper.

The Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” was released in 1996 as the group’s debut single. It would go on to receive a double Platinum certification in the UK, reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, and launch the group into international stardom. In what is possibly his most impressive video to date, Device Orchestra has flawlessly recreated the iconic song with five electric toothbrushes, and the result is something to behold.

Device Orchestra has many other entertaining videos on his channel, all showcasing various musical appliances. Be sure to subscribe so you can keep up with his new creations.