Kulturtechno

The Flute-playing Machine(1979-82)
Alto flute, range g to g‘, blower, electro-magnets, electronics.150cm high.

On the right is the blower encased in its soundproof black box. On top of it is a valve that admits the air into the mouth piece of the flute. The horizontal brass tube is an especially made alto flute with a range of g to g‘. It is fitted with 12 electro-magnetic keys corresponding to the fingers of a human player. The diagonal slide on the right guides the music roll over a row of 15 photocells. Their signals are amplified by circuitry in the box below the flute and operate the keys and the air valve. The box below that contains the power supplies and the speed controller for the blower motor.

Martin Riches baut schon seit langem Instrumentenmaschinen (hier der Motormund). So sieht dann zB die Partitur für die Flötenmaschine aus, und darunter was dem in normaler Fünfliniennotation entspräche:

Leider habe ich kein Klangbeispiel gefunden. Es wäre ja sehr interessant, ob man damit, vergleichbar Conlon Nancarrows Studien für mechanisches Klavier, unspielbar virtuose Flötenmusik auf der Maschine spielen könnte (und dann ein Duo für Player Flute und Player Piano).