You've Probably Never Heard Of This Enormous Instrument, And Sometimes You Can't Hear It
If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, does it make a sound?Â
If an ancient instrument is able to produce frequencies so low that the human ear cannot hear them...well, does THAT make a sound?Â
The answer to both, of course, is yes, and the latter question is actually in reference to one particular ancient instrument—the Octobasse, invented by French musician Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume.Â
This is Colin Pearson, a curator at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. Pearson is playing a more recently constructed version of the instrument, a replica that is actually playable. This particular replica is tuned exactly two octaves below the modern cello.Â
These are more musicians at the MIM, just having some fun on a crazy big instrument!