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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  • I would definetly go to the festival! It would be really cool to see if the ice instruments would sound the same as the real thing and what kind of music they would play. Jazz involves a lot of movement and parts that need to be covered. If I had a quick way to Norway, I would definetly want to see this. I love music and how people interprit it.

    • The festival would be fun to attend as long as you bring a coat! Ice is an interesting material for an instrument and I am also interested in how they sound and which type of music is played at the festival.

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    I would love to see a piano constructed of ice. I think that an transparent piano would be quite the sight, though I am curious as to how it would work. Except, I'm curious as to how any of these instruments work, so I'm sure the creators wills find a way. If I had an opportunity to go, I would definitely go to the festival. It would give me an opportunity to see an amazing and unusual sight that not everyone is given the opportunity to see. I would also love to hear the instruments being played by professionals and see how they work. The most intriguing part about the instruments would probably be the fact that they are made of solid blocks of ice and that they actually produce music. i find it very impressive, and it must have taken the carvers a lot of time and hard work.

    • A piano would likely be difficult to make, but I also would love to see one. It would be interesting to see all the works of a piano through the ice. The festival would be a neat event to go to and I would also love to see how the instruments work and produce sound.

  • I would love to see any of the woodwinds carved. In my eyes, the woodwinds are beautiful. I would definately go. I would love to see this. I am intrigued by the fact how the sound would be coming from ice.

  • 1. I would like to see a carving of recorder I like to see if it possible to carve stuff that detail.

    2. I will because it would be interesting to see them at work and admire there art.

    3. How it create just a few tools and how there many different thing they can create.

  • It would matter to me what instrument was carved into the ice, I would be amazed no matter what. I would attend this festival because it's located in Norway, and I think that would be a fun place to visit. I also think that visiting this festival in particular would be a fun tourity type thing to do. I'm curious to know how the instruments made of ice are able to produce sound like normal instruments. I'm also interested in seeing the design of the fefstival and how it's all made from ice. 

    • I agree, any instrument carved from ice is amazing! Norway would be a fun place to go especially for such a unique event as this. The way ice instruments make sound compared to 'normal' instruments is definitely something I might have to look into.

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