The Nutcracker Suite, On Bike Parts

Specialized, a company that makes specialized bike parts, has a new promo that features Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite performed entirely on bicycle parts.

Here’s how composer Flip Baber, aka Johnny Random, did it:

Specialized is a bike manufacturer and they needed some Christmas music, but with a twist: They wanted me to create the music from only bike sounds. They didn’t even know if it was possible, so they left the song choice up to me to see what I could come up with. Since Jingle Bells is a little overdone this time of year, I thought Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” would be a great alternative. At first I didn’t think it could be done, but as I recorded sounds from my road bike and mountain bike it started to take shape. Here’s the instrumentation and score:

Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

Glockenspiel & Clarinet melody = spokes.
Cello & Violin pizzicatos = plucked derailleur cables.
Triangle = disc brake hit.
Percussion = shifting, coasting, finger over turning spokes, chain pulls, braking, clipping into pedals, back-spinning, air out of tires.

Baber sampled the specialized components and pitch-shifted them to create a playable virtual orchestra of bike parts.

via CDN

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