While acoustic instruments are in no danger of falling into the scrap heap of history, there can be no doubt that music of the future will look (and sound) quite different than the music of today.  As analog gives way to digital so to does acoustic give way to electronic.  A perfect example of this evolution happened in March at a competition designed to feature newly invented musical instruments, and provide a cash prize to the winner.  While not as grand or awe inspiring as Burt Rutan's Space Ship One flying into space with no NASA logo needed, taking a look at these new instruments can be very enlightening and send the mind wondering exactly how and what we will be teaching our kids to play in another ten or twenty years.

 

The instruments featured at this competition ran the gamut from simple to incredibly complex.  The grand prize winner came in the form of a silent drum made by Jamie Oliver.  In essence, the drum does not use percussive force to make the sounds, it uses an optical sensor that determines where and how hard the player is pushing against a fabric membrane.  This and several other videos of the finalists of the competition are available in the General > Music Technology category of our Video Resources section.  For a full detailed list and photographs of the contestants and their instruments please visit the full article at Wired Magazine.