8Bit Harmonica – Play That Rhythm And Bit-Blues

Learn of the latest musical creation that could revolutionize the chiptune world.

8Bit Harmonica image 1

With the rise of the chiptune scene, I could totally see this newly created instrument by Basami Sentaku being used by Anamanaguchi or the Nullsleep’s of the world to make sweet, sweet bit-sounding music. Using the cartridge to the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. on the Famicom, Sentaku made an 8bit Harmonica that plays 8-bit music.

Famicom carts, as opposed to their American NES cartridge brothers, have the harmonica shape down, so that part makes the most sense. But the real magic to Basami Sentaku’s chiptune mouth organ lies underneath the orange plastic case, where a sound chip from an actual NES system is located and used to produce the sound exiting the harmonica’s built-in speaker.

8Bit Harmonica image 2

Of course, for sound to come out of a harmonica one must blow air into it. And likewise, amazingly, you have to do the same for the 8bit Harmonica. Blowing into one of its individual microphone sensors a different note is summoned. Watch as Sentaku and his two friends, using 8bit Harmonicas of their own, perform a classic ditty from Super Mario Bros.

It’s a lovely performance, and makes me wonder what kind of groovy-sounding music could be made with the 8bit Harmonica. Great things, I bet!

VIDEO TO ADD [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLpDXkMQmcc#t=78]

For more geeky inventiveness, a rear-facing handheld keyboard for mobile devices, and a life-sized LEGO roadster, keep tuning (see what I did there?) into Walyou.