Musical Instruments
You've Never Heard A Music Box Like This
In a funky New Orleans experiment, musicians turn a ramshackle house into a cacophony of sounds
June 2012 |
By Jamie Katz
Joe Temperley’s Ageless Sax
The Scottish baritone saxophone musician recalls his 60-year career and the famous singers he’s accompanied
October 13, 2011 |
By Jeff Greenwald
A Musical Tour Along the Crooked Road
Grab a partner. Bluegrass and country tunes that tell America's story are all the rage in hilly southern Virginia
September 2011 |
By Abigail Tucker
Q and A with Eddie Van Halen
The rock guitarist talks about his custom-made Frankenstein 2 that is now in the collections of the American History museum
June 2011 |
By Beth Py-Lieberman
Gene Krupa: a Drummer with Star Power
Rising to fame with the Benny Goodman band, Gene Krupa was the first superstar drummer
March 2011 |
By Owen Edwards
Alvino Rey’s Musical Legacy
As the father of the electric guitar and grandfather of two members of Arcade Fire, Rey was a major influence on rock for decades
December 03, 2010 |
By Anne Miller
Scanning a Stradivarius
Medical 3-D imaging makes it possible to study the world's greatest stringed instruments – and uncover the secrets of its makers
May 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
Lester Young Turns 100
Billie Holiday’s favorite musician, jazz great Lester “Prez” Young brought a hip, freewheeling sensibility to his saxophone playing
August 25, 2009 |
By Jamie Katz
Benny Goodman's Clarinet
Late in his career, jazz musician Benny Goodman favored a Parisian “licorice stick” as his instrument of choice
April 2009 |
By Owen Edwards
Colombia Dispatch 6: Accordion Rock Stars in Valledupar
Andres 'Turco' Gil's accordion academy trains young children in the music of vallenato, the folk music popular across Latin America
October 29, 2008 |
By Kenneth Fletcher
Colombia Dispatch 7: Turning Guns into Guitars
Musician Cesar Lopez invented a new type of guitar, made from the shell of an automatic weapon
October 29, 2008 |
By Kenneth Fletcher
Squeeze Play
A new Smithsonian Networks Film brings alive the upbeat music of Colombia's cowboy country
June 2008 |
By Kenneth R. Fletcher
Ivory Merchant
Composer Irving Berlin wrote scores of hits on his custom-built instrument
May 2008 |
By Owen Edwards
Paderewski's Piano
When Polish pianist Ignace Paderewski toured America, he became a celebrity—and boosted Steinway
March 1999 |
By David Taylor
Sharing the Gift of Music
An endowment accompanying rare instruments lets them be heard in performances and on recordings
August 1998 |
By Michael Kernan
Sure the piano-violin can do two things at once but can it do them well?
November 1995 | By Katharine Whittemore
