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Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net. She writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine and is the author of Before the Lights Go Out, a book about electricity, infrastructure, and the future of energy. You can find Maggie on Twitter and Facebook.

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  • relawson

    I was looking through some contrabass instruments http://www.contrabass.com/  and it seems like the bass trumped is just a baritone? lol

    • Antinous / Moderator

      Contrabass balalaika.  That is all.

      • relawson

        Ok, who wants to join my all-contrabass band??!!

  • splashu

    Contrabass wind instruments are great because they make the person playing look tiny/make it look like they’re holding a futuristic superweapon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXBeu7o9uUM

  • Paul Renault

    Jeepers, doesn’t anyone manufacture tripods any more?

  • CastanhasDoPara

    This is a pretty cool video if you like big instruments and a maker’s touch.

    I give you hyperbass flute:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ospGzeUncmI&feature=player_embedded

  • hugh crawford

    Sax mouthpiece on a trombone is pretty awesomely low, I can only imagine what a Sax mouthpiece on a Sousaphone would sound like.

  • lafave

    i love bass/contrabass recorders

    • kiptw

       Dad played one of those for some occasion — didn’t own one (tenor’s as big as we got). It was like a wooden box with a bunch of key extensions on it, and required ridiculous breath control to keep it making a sound.

  • Russell Almond

    Interesting video.  I’ll offer this one of my favourite band Piffaro (http://www.piffaroplaza.com) playing a consort of recorders including the 8′ tall contra-bass (an octave above the 16′ flute in your video).
    http://piffaroipower.ipower.com/education/intro/instruments_recorder.html 

    • SuperMatt

      I’ve performed with Piffaro before and they are world-class musicians and people.

  • PaulDavisTheFirst

    Nathan “Flutebox” Lee was the first person I saw beatbox on a flute:

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF2hzA5RNwg

    I don’t think he invented the technique at all, but he is pretty impressive. See him also with Beardyman performing a lunchtime concert for googlers in London:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3kyNGVK-hI