Re-inventing musical instruments

Instruments and discussions about them always reflect their times and how things change, just like music, composing and the work of a performing musician. This Special Feature brings together interesting aspects and issues of how instruments are made and used today, at the threshold of the 2020s.

Should musicians living in an era of climate crisis think about the ecological sustainability of their instruments? Can they afford to ignore the whole thing? Do choices matter? And where does the wood come from, anyway?

Microtonal classical music comes across as a nerdy pastime operating in the margins between "real notes," and with good reason. An experimental microtonal instrument is typically encircled by a close-knit community of musicians and composers who are unable to evangelise their discoveries because of difficulties in playing technique or other challenges. However, in recent years so many microtonal instruments have been developed and adopted in Finland that the colourful world between the notes is finally opening up to wider audiences.

Born of birch and handicraft, Kumu drums are earning fans around the world.

The jouhikko, a traditional bowed lyre that represents a dead end in the evolution of musical instruments, is enjoying a renaissance not only in Finland but internationally too. Jouhikkos are being played and built as far afield as in the Americas, by amateurs and professional instrument makers alike. But what should a jouhikko actually look and sound like? What are the ideals governing its development? Jouhikko virtuoso Ilkka Heinonen adds his two cents.

Harpsichord, viol, recorder... many instruments are associated with a specific epoch and its music. Why could they not be contemporary instruments?