Check out this working xylophone made totally from Lego pieces! Every part of Zung Hoang's design is crafted from bricks—each of the xylophone keys is made out of a Lego piece, and each note is perfectly tuned thanks to the small Lego pieces that are affixed to the bottom of each note and perfectly weighted so that they resonate at different frequencies. The mallet is made from Lego rods and Lego tires. Even the strings suspending each bar are official Lego offerings. In the video you can see and hear the instrument, which makes a scale just like a real xylophone. It sounds terrific.
I spotted the instrument at "music artist, technologist, and educator" Andrew Huang's page, where he's posted many other similar creations such as an awesome guitar. Lots of viewers didn't believe the Lego xylophone was actually real or that it really worked, so Huang made a follow-up video demonstrating it.
From Hoang's page at Lego Ideas:
Introducing the Playable LEGO Xylophone: A Fully Functional Musical Instrument 🎵 Built Entirely from LEGO!
Using carefully tuned LEGO plates, this xylophone produces real musical notes from C5 to C6, just like a traditional xylophone. Each key is designed to produce sound based on its weight and size, with heavier keys creating lower notes and lighter keys producing higher ones. By striking the center of each key, you can hear a clear, resonant tone, just like a real xylophone.
How It Works:
The keys are constructed with 4×6 plates and carefully tuned by weight to match the frequency of real musical notes.
Striking the keys with a rubber mallet produces vibrations, creating sound across a one-octave scale (C5-C6).
Each note is designed with unique weight to ensure accurate pitches.
Xylophone – Functional and Playable [Lego Ideas]
Correction: The Xylophone was created by Hoang, not Huang.
Previously:
• Being a Lego Master Builder is a real career path, and I'm seriously reconsidering my life choices
• My kid's latest LEGO Star Wars project
• My daughter loves LEGO, maybe their creative toolbox will encourage her to code
• Good deal on a LEGO Star Wars Porg
• Buy this overpriced Star Wars LEGO set for this one minifig