Tag Archives: Instruments

Dominique Boeynaems pulls a-head with LEGO creativity

The Iron Forge competition just concluded its second week-long sprint where twenty builders were tasked with making creations using the ubiquitous LEGO minifig head as the featured “seed part.” So many delightful builds emerged from the prompt, but one builder kept delivering smiles: Dominique Boeynaems. Each of these builds is worthy of sharing on its own, but together they’re an inspiration to builders and a showcase of what makes the Iron Forge such a wonderful part of LEGO fandom.

Leading with Dominique’s final build, this nearly lifesize accordion came together during a 10-hour sprint and incorporates no less than 44 minifig heads for the keys. Vidyo straps work great for the handles. With the competition name and year worked into the instrument, it’s both a wonderful build and the perfect memento.

Dominque’s frog uses three minifig heads – two for the eyes and one for the fly. A car hood makes for a perfect amphibian forehead.

Click to see more of Dominique’s colorful and heady builds

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This life-like LEGO Les Paul will rock your socks off!

If you’re a guitar person, you will generally fall into one of two camps. Either you’ll be on the side of the surf-rock Fender Stratocaster, or you’ll favour the heavier, crunchier sound of a Gibson Les Paul. LEGO have already made a set out of one of those – but it’s nowhere near as big as the one Hungarian builder LEGO Revival has just made! This is a life-size replica of not just any guitar, but their very own instrument, which you can see in the background of this shot. And although I learned to play on a variant of the Stratocaster, I always coveted a Les Paul Standard like this. So excuse me while I geek out on guitars for a little bit!

Come and nerd out with me, and see the incredible detail in this guitar

The Maestro is ready to drop some ‘bows

While I haven’t been plotting any LEGO villainy in the opening round of this year’s Bio-Cup, I have been working with brown Bionicle bits as of late for my own malicious machinations. So let me tell you, Ted Andes was employing quite the limited part palette when he took on a violin-themed evil-doer, Il Maestro Di Violino. The shape he’s managed here is excellent, and the incorporation of the Kakama Kanohi mask is perfect. For a “last minute entry,” this feels like a well-planned symphony of parts. It immediately conveys “violin” and “villain” with just one glance.

Speaker loudly and carry a multi-pronged stick

Today we double-dip into the LEGO world of Ralf Langer with his build Open Air 2053, providing a look into the future of concert music. The towering stack of speakers in the background is impressive, utilizing the largest tires around to churn out some thumping beats. I like the subtle changes in color and style between the different units, highlighting that this is a collected array of equipment, not a part of a set. The well-scaled drum kit appears more uniform, as of course it should. And the use of tank treads for the drum hoops is excellent! Finer details like cords and controls, both on the speakers and the keyboard array, put in a lot of work here. Through these details, we see that instruments and equipment haven’t changed much in 31 years. However, the musician has gone through a complete makeover! Given Maestro9000’s innate multi-instrument ability, this one was no doubt programmed by Dave Grohl himself.

The envy of all band nerds

In 5th grade, my classmates and I had the option to pick up an instrument and join the school band. I desperately wanted to play the drums but my parents couldn’t stand the thought. My second choice was the saxophone, simply because it looked rad as heck. All those pearl and gold keys! Shiny, soulful, sultry: the royalty of reed instruments… This little sax, built by musician and LEGO artist PaulvilleMOCs , brings me back to those days. It truly is unique – especially this tribute, with its banana gooseneck and other neat elements such as binoculars and a roller skate for sections of the body/keys.

I’m envious of Paul and his saxophone, and I wonder if he plays as beautifully as he builds. Back then, my mom took me to the music store where I was already taking piano lessons, and upon hearing the “member discounted” price of a sax, almost had a heart attack. I ended up with a family friend’s clarinet – which felt like a small step up from the boring 4th-grade recorder. But as a dutiful band-nerd, I kept with it until I switched to its cooler cousin, the bass clarinet, in high school. One of a kind in a symphonic band of 60+. Total rockstar… And I could barely remember a lick of it now.

Let the beat build

For over 30 years, music producers have been devoted to building beats using audio hardware to sequence their signature drum loops, or sample elements from vinyl records. Yet, no matter how much music is digitized through virtual studio programs, beatmakers still craft timeless hits through tapping buttons, turning knobs, and sliding faders. One of the latest LEGO creations from Arran Hearn honors one of music’s most iconic tools of the trade, the E-mu SP-1200.

Last week, Arran revealed the LP-1200 on Instagram, his biggest LEGO build yet, with over 2,000 parts. It includes the playable feature of a mini-floppy disk that can be inserted and ejected. The unit is well-branded through Hearn’s custom stickers representing the model LP-1200, the maker N-umo Systems, Inc., plus a sticker where machine’s digital screen displays data. The original drum machine studio staple is still used by hip-hop super producers like Pete Rock and Madlib (mentioned in his post). Arran’s LP-1200 was teased back in October 2018 with a photo of the internal elements. Previous creations included the MPC 2000 XL, the L-447 Turntable Cartridge, and the Technics 1200 + mixer setup. Hip-hop, you don’t stop!

Here is a detail highlighting some of Arran’s custom sticker work.

Music for my babushka

Last weekend, Timofey Tkachev went to see his babushka. There is no place like a countryside cottage to spend long summer evenings, sipping hot tea, and enjoying a slice of a berry pie. But one doesn’t simply go to babushka empty-handed. Being a very talented LEGO builder, Timofey designed something exceptional: a full-sized replica of a traditional balalaika, a Russian stringed instrument. The brick-built design looks wonderful in its simplicity. The iconic triangular shape became possible thanks to the clever use of regular slope pieces. And thanks to the hues of LEGO colors, this balalaika looks almost exactly like a real one.

Kudos to Vera Senyuta for joining the tea party and taking her camera with her. We always love to see custom LEGO creations shot in beautiful settings. For a musical instrument like this one, there is no better background than a couple of birches in the evening sun.

How to build the baby-est of baby grand pianos [Instructions]

Back in January, we featured a tiny LEGO upright piano with instructions, built by Tiago Catarino. Now he brings us another mini masterpiece: a baby grand! While they’re both adorable, I have to say, this one is my favorite. He captures the shape perfectly.

Click to watch the tutorial video

Surrounded by a rainbow of sound

Each year, talented LEGO builder City Son reveals a new focal creation. This time he was inspired by something special to so many: music. Not just music, but the inherent emotional beauty of it. It’s something that many can relate to. Personally, ever since I was a child, my dad would play all kinds of different music and quiz me on the titles and artists until I had them memorized. As I grew, I learned to play a few different instruments, and when I hit high school, the saying, “music breathes the words we cannot speak,” was my mantra. Indeed, it got me through tough times, and I still cherish it every day. And it’s true; music does speak. It speaks a language so powerful that it’s universal across all ages and races, no matter their tastes or connection to it. This colorful piece embodies the emotion of music. The dimension, liveliness and expertly crafted instruments speak for themselves. But I am most impressed with the expression of pure bliss upon the face of the headphone-clad woman. It takes a truly brilliant builder to bring LEGO to life in this way, and he couldn’t have done it better.

If you’re on a music kick, take a look at our music archive. You can also check out City Son’s animal inspired creation from last year.

Tinkle the tiny ivories with this teeny piano [Instructions]

Already built an awesome LEGO pool table with yesterday’s instructions? If you are now looking for the next perfect addition to your LEGO pool hall model, or just want to add a touch of class to any interior scene, why not build this adorable upright piano along with Tiago Catarino?

Watch the video instructions to find out how to build your own.

Masterful grand piano made from LEGO

While all the things that LEGO builders can create from their own imagination are amazing, building real-world objects can be rewarding in their own way, especially if you have a personal passion about the object you are building. Just one look at this sleek piano by delayice and it’s clear to see that the builder is paying close attention to details, from the gold on the feet of the piano and the bench to a very well proportioned number of white and black keys. And the gentle curves of the body and the lid are masterfully done.

New York, London, Paris, Munich, everybody talk about block music

Are you ready to rock? That’s what David Liu is asking with his latest LEGO creation — a selection of excellent brick-built musical instruments. There’s a classic Flying-V electric guitar and amp, a synth, a full drum kit, and an acoustic guitar. Now the band might be lacking a little in the bass department, but this is still an impressive line-up of gear. The guitars show nice shaping for the scale employed, and the keyboard is packed with details — don’t miss those black keys, raised and correctly spaced!

The full line-up of instruments is great, but the highlight for me is that drum kit. Worthy of a closer look, especially the sweet parts use for the tripods and drum kit legs…

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