Play Harry Partch’s Musical Instruments Online

Harry Partch was an American instrument inventor, innovator, and composer who is known for his valuable contributions to the advancement of music theory and his original thinking regarding the relationship between music and speech.

Part of the keyboard of Harry Parch's Chromalodeon

American Public Media has produced a playable-online collection of Harry Partch’s musical instrument inventions for your extreme enjoyment!

Some of my favorite instruments (that you can play by clicking the links) include the ever so versatile “Spoils of War” and the bamboo hive that is “The Boo.” Check out all 20 of the musical instruments here.

Harry Partch Portrait from Personnalités

Harry was an obscure figure. During the Great Depression, Harry spent 10 homeless years wandering the country on trains and hitchhiking, often transcribing the overheard pitches of strangers’ conversations in music notation in his journal. Harry Partch’s musical instruments can be classified as aesthetically captivating sculptures, full-body workout machines, and versatile tool boxes for creating incredibly original sound. Besides designing more than 23 new musical instruments, Harry is known for writing music using the notes from his 43-tone-scale rather than the standard 12-tone-scale used in Western music.

Are you a fan of Harry Partch? Who is your favorite influential musical figure?

Photos from the Harry Partch Information Center