Concept fretless uke by Michihiro Michi Matsuda

There are plenty of instrument-as-art out there. Most of those do nothing for me. It seems to me that mostly the instrument-as-art pieces are a deconstruction of an instrument. So much so that you could never play it. So what's the point?

Michi doesn't seem to take that tack. His seem to be an instrument built from an art piece. When I first saw that uke a few years ago, all I wanted to do was look at it close up, to take in all the minute detail that I'm sure must be there when you look in person. Playing it would just seem kind of pointless.
 
Well, this one has frets and a smaller bridge, same concept though. Sounds tinny to me. Maybe it's the (samisen?) strings.
 
Seems like having no sound chamber (it is basically a floating soundboard from the pics) it has a sound akin to an unplugged electric guitar. The banjo tune the dude is playing is also contributing to the general tinny tone though.
 
When I first saw that uke a few years ago, all I wanted to do was look at it close up, to take in all the minute detail that I'm sure must be there when you look in person. Playing it would just seem kind of pointless.

I played the first one he built. I didn't care for the way it sounded, but I was still mesmerized by it.
Liam, all those details are there.....its an amazing thing to behold.
 
I'm just not interested in musical instruments that aren't musical instruments. I'm a tool maker; I make musical tools for musicians.

I can appreciate sculpture as much as anyone, but if sculpture is the goal, why not have the guts to go all the way and be a sculptor? Or why not go ahead and drop any pretense of the object having any possibility of playability? Or invent new instruments like Oliver DiCicco does?

In the electric realm, we can go to nearly pure sculpture and still have a playable instrument...just Google up Gittler Guitars, about to be reissued at NAMM. Now that's a piece of musical sculpture I can get behind. No, not the most comfortable thing to hold, but fully functional.

Michi comes out of the Ervin Somogyi "school" of art lutherie. I've never seen a professional or even amateur guitarist play a Somogyi on stage other than at a lutherie exhibition. The craftsmanship is superb; the art is interesting; but as functional and desirable musical instruments, they just aren't there from what I can see, and I think there are some very sketchy build features...like backs you could easily put your thumb through.

I admire Michi's eye, but I want instruments to please my ears...
 
I really like a lot of Matsuda's guitars. This ukulele not so much. Some of the inlay and rosette work on the guitars is very original and beautiful to my eye.
 
Sorry to resurrect the "dead"...

In the electric realm, we can go to nearly pure sculpture and still have a playable instrument...just Google up Gittler Guitars, about to be reissued at NAMM. Now that's a piece of musical sculpture I can get behind. No, not the most comfortable thing to hold, but fully functional.

I've just spent way too many hours looking up the Gittler story, and I've come away with 2 questions:

1) Rick, can I presume that you'd pair a Gittler Guitar with your Mama Bear emulator for laughs?
2) After I've also come across the "Pannenrekje/pot rack" bass, I'm wondering whether experimenting in this direction for uke would pan out? A materials substitution would probably be involved to pair with the nylon string tension & note range... Quick, someone find Rigk Sauer! :rotfl:
 
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I think the uke has served a purpose as an art object. Some believe art is meant to provoke and this thread has certainly provoked some interesting thought.
Art means different things to different people. Some buy a picture because they like it, others because it will appreciate in value, others because they see the incredible workmanship, others to hide a stain on the wallpaper.
Ukuleles mean different things to different people as well.
If everyone thought exactly the same it would be a pretty boring world.
Miguel
 
Glad you said it Rick - I don't think that as a concept or sculpture it works and it certainly sounds poor; it falls way short in both categories for me anway :(
The crappy lap-top speaker argument works for us because if it sounds half way decent on a useless sound system, what do you think it's going to sound like IRL? However I love the way people want to experiment. It validates and often vindicates boring traditionalists like me who just want to put 26 sticks of wood tgether the best way they can... Going out of the shop yesterday was my baseline traditional Hawaiaan tenor. It looked plain and simple, was a complete canon and the client couldn't stop smiling :) :)
 
Agreed, the piece is interesting as art. It's not fair to compare it to a functioning instrument since it's not meant to be a functioning instrument. A bit like comparing a concept car from an auto show to the real deal.

Related note (heh heh): at Guitar Merchant open mics lately, we've had several Chapman Sticks appear. Art pieces? Could be. Musical instruments? Without a doubt.
 
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