With world veggie month upon us, whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian or fully-fledged carnivore, MM have discovered an instrumental new use for your greens.
When standing in the veg aisle at your local supermarket it can be difficult enough trying to mastermind what culinary delights will be on the table come dinner time, but there are some taking the art of vegetable creations to a whole new level.
Veggie vigilantes, and University of Salford sound specialists, are taking part in the project Sound Matters which places acoustical engineering (the production, transmission and reception of sound for us layfolk) into the spotlight.
They are hosting travelling workshops in primary and secondary schools to reveal the secrets of how to transform vegetables into a mini orchestra.
Trevor Cox, Professor of Acoustic Engineering at Salford University said: “Getting a note out of one is easy but actually making a range of notes or nice tune is hard.
“I picked up on the idea from the Vegetable Orchestra of Vienna, who are professionals, so the idea’s been around a while.”
But if you’re above the age of 16 and still want to learn how to get a tune out of an errant carrot or cauli rattling around the veg drawer you’re in luck as online tutorials are available on the Growing Sound website.
Step-by-step instructions in video tutorials guide you through the process of how to carve up your own carrot kazoo, radish clarinet, pepper shaker, radish scraper, cauliflower conch and squash udu.
Professor Cox, who has made a series of radio documentaries about sound and has just put the finishing touches to his book, said that the project was music to the ears and the stomach.
He revealed: “The most elaborate thing I ever managed to create was a clarinet using a giant Japanese radish.
“Obviously they don’t last long, but then you can just chop them up and put them in soup.”
One proud workshop attendee said the lessons had providing (vegetable) soup for the soul.
He said: ‘To play a broccoli trumpet is a soul-enriching experience to be honest, which I think will stay with me forever and I shall treasure that moment. Thank you!”
To conjure up your own vegetable orchestra this Veggie Month visit http://www.growingsounds.sound101.org/
Images courtesy of Peter Woodard and The Vegetable Orchestra via YouTube, with thanks
