Nutcracker Suite Played Exclusively on Bicycle Parts
Thought every twist on Tchaikovsky had been exhausted in holiday seasons past? Think again: San Francisco-based composer Flip Baber (aka johnnyrandom, pictured) writes to tell us about a compositional challenge that made him turn bike parts into instruments:
I was recently approached by award winning advertising agency, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners to do a composition for their client, Specialized. Specialized is a bike manufacturer and they needed some Christmas music, but with a twist: They wanted me to create the music from only bike sounds. They didn’t even know if it was possible, so they left the song choice up to me to see what I could come up with. Since Jingle Bells is a little overdone this time of year, I thought Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” would be a great alternative. At first I didn’t think it could be done, but as I recorded sounds from my road bike and mountain bike it started to take shape. Here’s the instrumentation and score:
Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Glockenspiel & Clarinet melody = spokes.
Cello & Violin pizzicatos = plucked derailleur cables.
Triangle = disc brake hit.
Percussion = shifting, coasting, finger over turning spokes, chain pulls, braking, clipping into pedals, back-spinning, air out of tires.
Even knowing what’s being used, it’s pretty unbelievable once you actually hear the results:
MP3, Specialized Nutcracker Suite
Johnny Random composer site (reel, bio, more music)
Specialized Bicycle Components
Updated: Specialized has posted the video that goes with this. Watch through to the end for a sound-by-sound rundown of what each sample is.
Alternative transportation never sounded so sweet; perhaps bicycle part instruments will be the next big thing. Proof there’s little you can’t do with digital sampling. Flip says the visuals are on the way; stay tuned and let us know if you’ve got any questions for the composer. Updated: Flip fills us in on some of the details on the recording process …
I recorded hours of bike sounds and edited the best chunks in BIAS Peak. After that, most of the spokes, cables and disc brakes were fed into the EXS24 Sampler within Logic Pro. It was super tricky since most of these metallic sounds have a pretty warped (no pun intended) overtone series. I interpreted the score by ear from a random mp3 I Limewired for reference. From there it was all about re-arranging the score in my head to compensate for the strange overtones. The source sounds were kept pretty raw besides some mild pitch shifting from keymapping & a touch of impulse response reverb to match the acoustical space of the orchestral reference recording. Between the road and mountain bike, there were octaves of difference (maybe I should get my wheels trued?) and they yielded some great sounds, most of which didn’t even get used…although they will end up on something eventually. Other than that, there were some automated volume swells and plenty of panning since you would associate a bike sounds with stereo movement. I hope this exposes my journey from bike to mixdown!
Flip also adds a link to another great composition (this time, minus the Russian master):
If you dig this, you’d probably love this:
http://johnnyrandom.com/qtp_musicreel/caskey_package.html
The instrument list includes hundreds of everyday object; the familiar into a unfamiliar context for unconventional instrumentation. The film was shot in Brazil, but I can’t share it since it would null & void it from film festivals till it is officially released. Either way, I assure you I fully intend to pursue this vein till I’ve squeezed every last drop of inspiration from it. :)
63 Comments
Leave a CommentTed Kocher
Creative talents like this are the reason they are an award winning advertising agency.
Great website too, amazing.
November 29, 2006 @ 1:26 am
Kevin
Were any of these sounds manipulated in any way? Pitch-shifted, say?
Can’t judge the website. My poor browser got a file not found error when I clicked on the splash page’s links.
Can’t wait for the visuals!
Cheers,
Kevin
November 29, 2006 @ 1:47 am
Nutcracker Suite played exclusively on bicycle parts - rekkerd.org - royalty-free samples and audio software news
[...] Create Digital Music has an article on Flip Baber’s version of Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy, originally from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. [...]
November 29, 2006 @ 2:58 am
Flip
If you dig this, you’d probably love this:
http://johnnyrandom.com/qtp_musicreel/caskey_package.html
The instrument list includes hundreds of everyday objects….the familiar into a unfamiliar context for unconventional instrumentation. The film was shot in Brazil, but I can’t share it since it would null & void it from film festivals till it is officially released. Either way, I assure you I fully intend to pursue this vein till I’ve squeezed every last drop of inspiration from it. :)
November 29, 2006 @ 3:18 am
Marco Raaphorst
Love it!!!
November 29, 2006 @ 3:39 am
RITTANDOCHO SENORODOFOSHOLO PROMOLOKOCHOKOCHOKO
It’s cute. I hope the video is as creative too.
November 29, 2006 @ 5:50 am
jason
Dugg!
http://digg.com/music/Nutcracker_Suite_Played_on_Bicycle_Parts_Amazing
November 29, 2006 @ 9:56 am
CB
Brilliant! Really dynamic and exciting work… I want to hear more!
November 30, 2006 @ 3:25 am
mark
great work. really nice editing.
@kevin.. he explains above that he pitch shifted (key mapped) some of the sounds. i’m actually more impressed that he interpreted the score by ear.
November 30, 2006 @ 8:20 am
in my diatribe » link me in the morning, then just walk away…
[...] Nutcracker Suite Played on Bicycle Parts [...]
November 30, 2006 @ 8:51 am
ger
FAKE!
November 30, 2006 @ 8:52 am
Relaxed Fit
Here’s an all animal orchestra performing the Dance of the Sugar plum Furry: http://www.switchzoo.com/activities/sugar_plum_furry.htm
November 30, 2006 @ 9:04 am
Jeff
Cool! Would love to see a video.
November 30, 2006 @ 9:16 am
jack
I recently found a very interesting website:
http://alreadylinked.com/
There you can purchase ad space for your Blog etc.
November 30, 2006 @ 11:35 am
McD
Nicely done!
This is the best use of sampling capability. It has a reality to the sound but it’s got that quirky humor aspect to it.
I’m sure you worked tirelessly to get it right… it shows in the result.
November 30, 2006 @ 12:18 pm
flip
Thanks Mark… I thought it would be quicker to do it by ear, till I got snagged on some super quiet string parts that were so delicate that I could barely hear them in the mix. Figuring out the parts was easy compared to wrestling with those overtones. Sometimes I could only use one spoke sound for one note, another for another. I guess we take it for granted that conventional instruments have such a organized, predictable overtone series.
Ger: I could send you the track stems, or better yet, the whole logic project file. :)
November 30, 2006 @ 12:25 pm
Nutcracker Suite on Bicycle Parts « Trading Tacos
[...] Link Filed under: music, instruments, sounds, bicycle, Tchaikovsky, Baber, johnnyrandom | [...]
November 30, 2006 @ 12:37 pm
A Blog Apart // Create Digital Music » Nutcracker Suite Played Exclusively on Bicycle Parts
[...] Create Digital Music » Nutcracker Suite Played Exclusively on Bicycle Parts nuff said Tags: [No Tags] Related Posts: [ ] [...]
November 30, 2006 @ 12:46 pm
gwadzilla
very fun!
November 30, 2006 @ 3:01 pm
gwadzilla
yes….
images would make it more entertaining
stills or video
something to give us an idea what parts are making what notes
November 30, 2006 @ 3:02 pm
DanWilt.com
[...] on Bicycle Parts No Comments so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI Leave a comment Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTMLallowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong> [...]
November 30, 2006 @ 3:34 pm
Dv8Sean
The full audio/visual package will hit Specialized.com the week of the 4th.
November 30, 2006 @ 4:51 pm
Bird In Macaroni
Can you please put a volume control in your embedded player?
November 30, 2006 @ 5:11 pm
Peter Kirn
Hey Bird, thanks … and, yeah, good idea. Let me see what I can do. ;)
And Dv8Sean, thanks very much for the update. We’ll be sure to point to the finished ad.
November 30, 2006 @ 5:13 pm
Sugar Plum Fairy with a Twist «
[...] San Francisco composer Flip Baber (aka johnnyrandom) recreates Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy using Bicycle Parts. Check out the tune at createdigitalmusic.com [...]
November 30, 2006 @ 5:41 pm
Neatorama » Blog Archive » Nutcracker Suite
[...] Link - Via Metafilter [...]
November 30, 2006 @ 6:26 pm
Ji Mu
That was excellent! It would be great if you did the entire piece. I’d buy it as an mp3.
November 30, 2006 @ 9:34 pm
martron
After riding across the prairies this summer I caught the touring bug and have decided to go cross canada next summer with a few friends. In order to make it more sustainable I started thinking that I could make it a musical tour, but figured that my sax would just be too big to carry for the whole trip. Sometime in September it dawned on me that we could try and use our bikes as sound sources and bring a few mics and a laptop (running pd and maybe ableton) to create some biketronica. I plan to start experimenting with this in January when I’ve got some more time (and a better sound card!) and you just renewed my faith in the experiment. Thanks for the proof of concept and sound ideas!
WTG on the piece, it’s definitely well put together and sounds like it took a lot of time and effort.
November 30, 2006 @ 11:12 pm
Apreche.net » links for 2006-12-01
[...] Create Digital Music » Nutcracker Suite Played Exclusively on Bicycle Parts nutcracker on bicycle (tags: music hack bicycle) [...]
November 30, 2006 @ 11:21 pm
Treadly and Me
The Ride of the Sugar Plum Fairy…
Don’t you just love a novelty song? Especially when it’s played on bike parts………
December 1, 2006 @ 12:03 am
Front Row Crew - GeekNights » Blog Archive » GeekNights 061130 - A Rambling Retrospective
[...] Scott’s Thing - Bicycle Nutcracker Rym’s Thing - Pulp Fiction: The Short Version [...]
December 1, 2006 @ 12:15 am
Dave H
You can make a very respectable Xylophone from a broken rim cut to various lengths and perced on inverted spokes with reverse fitted nipples set into a sounding board. The waveform generated by various dynamos (which are really alternators) is also interesting as most give a dirty sine wave output.
DH
December 1, 2006 @ 9:01 am
lisa
flip, you have a true talent. i can’t wait to hear more of your work.
December 1, 2006 @ 9:02 am
Marshall blog » Blog Archive » Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy… played on bike parts
[...] Nutcracker Suite Played Exclusively on Bicycle Parts [...]
December 1, 2006 @ 11:18 am
Damon
Amazing… it’s so convincing it almost denies novelty status…
December 1, 2006 @ 6:39 pm
wheel clever « Big Blog of Cheese
[...] Few covers live up to their premise, especially when they’re classical music played on modern instrumentation. That said, I think that The Nutcracker Suite Played On Bike Parts is great. [...]
December 1, 2006 @ 9:00 pm
Madness Factor » A new spin on Christmas music
[...] Over at Create Digital Music, there’s a post about sound designer Johnny Random, who was hired by an ad agency to record a holiday composition of his choice for their bicycle company client. The catch? Instead of traditional instruments (or even virtual instruments), he was asked to use sounds made by bicycle parts. He chose “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. To see the complete post, and to hear the recording of the “bicycle-part orchestra,” click here. [...]
December 2, 2006 @ 1:45 am
Cathy
That’s pretty cool. Looking forward to the video. However, I believe Tchaikovsky originally wrote the piece for the celeste (a keyboard instrument) not the glockenspiel. Matter of fact, I think it was the first use of the celeste in a orchestral piece.
December 2, 2006 @ 6:47 pm
flip
Cathy: Really? Well, my orchestration street cred just flew right out the window, eh? You have to admit those two instruments sound very similar though. They are both great for creating a very metallic, clear, crisp melody…unlike some stubborn bike spokes I’ve encountered. To be honest, I didn’t check to see what the actual instrumentation was since the turnaround was so fast. I think I spent about 2 hours total recording sounds and about 4 hours interpreting and composing the arrangement. If I had used sheet music I would have caught the instrumentation. Either way, I’m glad you liked it. NPR aired it yesterday and the response was huge. I had to put my cell phone on silent for about a day since so many people were calling to see if it was part of an album or if they could buy a CD. Little did I know when I was tinkering around with my bikes that this would take off like it has. Crazy, huh?
December 2, 2006 @ 9:37 pm
flip
By the way:
A very humble thank you to everyone who has enjoyed this track, linked it and emailed it. I give Tchaikovsky full props as the genius behind this timeless composition. I hope he’s not turning over in his grave from my arrangement. Who knows…maybe he was an avid cyclist since the bike was invented around 1790 and he was born in 1840? I hope so!
December 2, 2006 @ 9:47 pm
robZ
More bike music:
http://www.zverina.com/2005/0620.htm
December 3, 2006 @ 10:52 pm
Will Quah Dot Com » It’s beginning to look a lot like christmas…
[...] So, tis the season, once again. I only decorated my website today, but my tree has been up since mid-November (yes, I bow down to the blatant power of commercialism). By the way, for a truly mind blowing Christmas musical experience, please check out the following link. [...]
December 4, 2006 @ 10:34 am
Create Digital Music » Music for Bicycles: Ensembles, Symphonies, and Bikelophones
[...] The Bicycle as Musical Instrument turns out to be a surprisingly powerful meme. Last week’s story on the Nutcracker Suite, reconstructed from sampled bike sounds has unleashed links to a whole universe of music produced on bicycles. [...]
December 4, 2006 @ 3:43 pm
blog.transporteativo.org.br » Seção de dados do blog » Inspiração e Instrumento
[...] Do mesmo autor, outra música com sonoridade parecida. Tudo originalmente visto aqui, repassado pelo Lilx à lista da bicicletada-sp. [...]
December 4, 2006 @ 3:46 pm
The MakeShift Mixes » Blog Archive » Suite Sounds
[...] Appropriate for the season, artist/musician Johnny Random plays the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite exclusively with bicylce parts. [...]
December 4, 2006 @ 4:12 pm
<<linda<<morgi<< » Blog Archive » Bike Music: awesome
[...] He recorded hours of sound bits from different odds and ends and then merged them together digitally. He says that: “The source sounds were kept pretty raw besides some mild pitch shifting from keymapping & a touch of impulse response reverb to match the acoustical space of the orchestral reference recording.” Amazing what you can do with a bike, isn’t it? You can read more about the story here. Click on the Picture to see the finished Specialized ad. So here is a nice forward to your bike-buddies for x-mas. Seems like there is some good about this holiday with 6 weeks full of obnoxious “Last christmas I gave you my heart” and other pop carols… [...]
December 5, 2006 @ 5:45 am
Alethea
Listening to your piece raised my energy level to new heights…… How talented you are … keep it up, bicyle parts or otherwise. I will listen to it over and over…. congratulations!
December 5, 2006 @ 1:08 pm
Create Digital Music » More Musical Mayhem, Instant Art with Bicycles (Pt. III)
[...] Nutcracker Suite Played Exclusively on Bicycle Parts [...]
December 6, 2006 @ 2:18 pm
A Specialized Nutcracker Suite: tunequest: music notes and itunes tips
[...] The catch is that the piece is played entirely on bicycle parts. From createdigitalmusic.com: Glockenspiel & Clarinet melody = spokes. Cello & Violin pizzicatos = plucked derailleur cables. Triangle = disc brake hit. Percussion = shifting, coasting, finger over turning spokes, chain pulls, braking, clipping into pedals, back-spinning, air out of tires. [...]
December 9, 2006 @ 6:21 pm
<<linda<<morgi<< » Blog Archive » Bike Music: awesome
[...] He recorded hours of sound bits from different odds and ends and then merged them together digitally. He says that: “The source sounds were kept pretty raw besides some mild pitch shifting from keymapping & a touch of impulse response reverb to match the acoustical space of the orchestral reference recording.” Amazing what you can do with a bike, isn’t it? You can read more about the story here. Click on the Picture to see the finished Specialized ad. So here is a nice forward to your bike-buddies for x-mas. Seems like there is some good about this holiday with 6 weeks full of obnoxious “Last christmas I gave you my heart” and other pop carols… [...]
December 10, 2006 @ 10:14 am
aresultofboredom.org » Boredom Busters! 12.11.06
[...] Listen to/Read about how someone played “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” using only bicycle parts and a little post-production. [...]
December 11, 2006 @ 8:08 am
Danya Ruttenberg » Blog Archive » Misc. Link Roundup
[...] It’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” played exclusively on bicycle parts! [...]
December 12, 2006 @ 5:40 am
Jewschool » Blog Archive » Mishegas, Holiday and General
[...] It’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” played exclusively on bicycle parts! [...]
December 12, 2006 @ 5:45 am
Create Digital Music » Free Christmas Tunes: Garritan Community Christmas Album, DJ Riko Mad Mix
[...] The Garritan Personal Orchestra forum has become more than a place for users of this sampled orchestra library to troubleshoot and ask questions — it really is a community in its own right. From sharing new compositions to assembling an orchestration guide, the GPO users are busy. Their latest creation is an 18-track album of (mostly traditional) holiday music, arranged for the sampled virtual orchestra of GPO. Download the music, or Garritan will even send you a CD. While you’re there, scroll down for a rendering of the Nutcracker in GPO — even if we might start to prefer it on bike parts. Now in its third year: [...]
December 14, 2006 @ 11:11 am
The Nutcracker Suite, On Bike Parts at Synthtopia
[...] via CDN (No Ratings Yet) Loading … Bookmarking links: Related articles: Virtual Wavestation Sample CD Pulled From MarketPrecisionsound Intros Persian Santur Sound LibraryAcoustic Legends HD Offers 19 Gigabytes Of Acoustic GuitarsBattery 3 Demo, Update Now AvailableBT-Stealth Tags: samples, soundtrack. [...]
January 16, 2007 @ 12:15 am
Now this is great. « Scott Plummer
[...] Now this is great. Filed under: Classical Music — ssravp @ 3:47 pm Create Digital Music » Nutcracker Suite Played Exclusively on Bicycle Parts [...]
February 13, 2007 @ 10:51 am
Podcomplex Music Technology Resources » Blog Archive » Cycle Through The Faire
[...] Music and bicycles do seem to be strangely compatible - CDM’s most-viewed article ever was about an arrangement of The Sugar Plum Fairy performed solely on bike parts. On the Dublin music circuit, The Jimmy Cake’s live sets often featured the playing of a set of bicycle handlebars. CDM also has another article which covers bike ensembles and the delightful bikelophone (see below). Share this Post: [...]
May 24, 2007 @ 10:37 am
Christer Hedberg » Arkiv » Fredagsflams - Nötknäpparsviten bicycle style
[...] » Lyssna på musiken » Mer info om hur man gjorde » Kompositören [...]
July 29, 2007 @ 12:05 pm
Nutcracker Suite played exclusively on bicycle parts
[...] Create Digital Music has an article on Flip Baber’s version of Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy, originally from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. [...]
August 1, 2007 @ 1:33 am
Ten Cool Music Links Worth a Look | MusicJot
[...] #2 Nutcracker Suite Played Exclusively on Bicycle Parts - this is pretty damn amazing. This San Francisco-based composer Flip Baber turned bike parts into instruments and plays the nutcracker, check it out. [...]
August 22, 2007 @ 8:26 am
Polymer Clay Notes » happy holidays
[...] You can see the end result in the video below: Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker Suite, played entirely on bicycle parts. Read how he did it here. [...]
December 24, 2007 @ 9:34 am
Create Digital Music » Hear a Robot Read A Christmas Carol on iPod, and More Holiday Cheer
[...] If you didn’t see it last year, there’s always — through the magic of digital sampling — the Nutcracker Suite played entirely on bicycle parts. [...]
December 24, 2007 @ 7:54 pm
Create Digital Music » Interview: Building a Musical Ensemble Out of Ford Focus Car Parts
[...] and turntables made from motorcycles, and bicycle parts turned into DJ setups, ensembles, and The Nutcracker. But The Car Music Project has gone further, building two entire ensembles out a single car, first [...]
February 5, 2008 @ 1:48 pm
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