A Cool New Way to Make Music

The Ice Music Festival in Norway is a sight to behold. Many musicians play in a concert hall completely constructed out of ice and snow with special instruments carved from blocks of ice using chainsaws and chisels. The festival was started by Jazz percussionist Terje Isungset who first discovered the beauty of ice after playing inside a frozen waterfall. Isungset began to construct instruments out of ice, of course starting with drums then trumpet and harp. For each festival a new instrument is reimagined in ice and musicians are encouraged to come and play the new, strange, and inventive way to make music.

Read more here

Watch the instruments in action here

 

Which Instruments Would you like to see carved in ice? Why?

I would love to see a didgeridoo carved out of ice because a didgeridoo is already a strange instrument and I am curious to know how it would sound if it were to be made of frozen water.

If you had the opportunity to go to the festival, would you? Why or why not?

I would love to go and see people play unconventional instruments, but the only thing that could potentially dissuade me from going would be the temperature.

What is most intriguing to you about the instruments and the festival?

I am mostly curious of how the instruments and concert hall are created, but I also wonder how much the normal instruments vary from their ice counterparts.

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  • Well done Emma! Interesting story!

  • I think that a trumpet would be pretty cool and maybe some drums. If Ihad the choice to go to this I probbly wouldnt yea it sound cool but I would rather do somthin else.I think that the insturments are the cool part of this.

  • I don't really know anything about instruments, so I don't know if I would really like to see any instrument in ice. I would probably not go because I don't really like that kind of music. I think that this is cool just because it is made of ice.

  • I dont know much about instruments but I think any would be really cool to play and expirence how they work. If I had the opportunity to go to this I might just because it would be a cool trip , I think the coolest thing is how they make music out of ice.

  • I would like to see any instrument made out of ice because it would be really interesting to see how they worked. I would go to see all the instruments made out of ice. I'm intrigued by the instruments and concert hall being created from ice.

  • Any instruments would be cool to see especially really big and intricate ones. If I had an opportunity I definitely would go to the festival and see people play the instruments. 

  • I don't know too much about instruments, (uhh not really anything) so I don't know what I would want to see carved into ice...This seems interesting, but to be honest, I probably wouldn't go; I would be really cold. I would like to hear what it sounds like, but maybe on a recording or something!

  • I think it would be really cool to see some type of guitar carved out of ice because it is a really cool instrument. I think it would be a really great experience to go to this type of festival and I would love to hear what all of the instruments sound like made of ice. 

  • 1. I would like to see an acustic guitar or a grand piano carved in ice because they are my favorite instruments, besides I think they could be very beautiful made of ice, the piano above all.

    2. If I had the option to go I would say yes, because it is somethings very curious and is an experience that I could remember, it is also original and I had not heard any of this before.

  • I would like to see the guitar because there is no way you can make strings out of ice but maybe. If it was close and free I may go just to see what it is like. I think the different sounds they make and how they work would be pretty interesting.

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