Hornucopian Dronepipe: 3D printed musical instrument unlike anything else

Sep 11, 2015 | By Benedict

Whilst 3D printing has already been used to recreate sought-after instruments of the past, some forward-thinking designers have created a range of instruments somewhat more futuristic.

The 'Hornucopian Dronepipe', a kind of 3D-printed didgeridoo, is part of ‘MULTI’, an entirely 3D-printed art installation at the 3D Print Design Show at the Javits Convention Center, New York. The installation is comprised of five individual 3D-printed instruments, including a 2-string piezoelectric violin, a 1-string electric travel bass guitar called a monobarasitar, a 1-string piezoelectric monovioloncello, a small didgeridoo, and the aforementioned hornucopian, pictured below.

The five instruments, all constructed via 3D printing, are played by three musicians. The framework of the exhibition, a 3D-printed 5m x 2m sonic environment into which each instrument can snugly fit into a unique contour, is itself also a musical instrument which produces a drone. Additive manufacturing has been used to create not only the diverse range of unique musical instruments, but also the physical habitat in which the instruments are housed and by which the performance takes place.

Images from MONAD Studio

The installation is the work of MONAD Studio, an architecture practice founded in 2002 by Eric Goldemberg and Veronica Zalcberg, two architects who each have a professional degree from the University of Buenos Aires and a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. Goldemberg describes the Hornucopian Dronepipe, whose unusual shape is designed to wrap around the perfomer’s body, as the first instrument of its kind: "The inspiration comes from pythons and strangler fig trees, both species found in abundance here in Florida,” explained the designer. Fortunately, video footage of the instrument in use suggests that the performer is safe from any threat of strangulation from the 3D-printed instrument.

Although 'MULTI' is the brainchild of Goldemberg and Zalcberg, the exhibition is a collaborative project between MONAD Studio and the various performing musicians. Scott F. Hall, one of these musicians, is a Florida-based artist who works across various media and specialises in 'producing sound in ways which are free from the shackles of tuning and time'. Hall has been playing the unusual didgeridoo as well as the other 3D-printed instruments. In the video below, the instrument’s powerful organic resonance is combined with electronic effects to further enhance the drone. Whether 3D-printed instruments and stages will make their way into more mainstream music remains to be seen, but the artistic future looks increasingly 3D.