electronic musical instruments

A $19,000 piano might not seem recession-friendly. But it’s a bargain when it’s nearly indistinguishable from one that costs $100,000 more. The sole difference: The discount grand is digital.

Sound emanates from the entire body of the Yamaha AvantGrand, just as it does from a traditional, handbuilt grand’s vibrating strings. Four separate sets of speakers, each complete with high-pitched tweeters and thumping woofers, play tones recorded from cor-responding locations on an actual piano. That outdoes other digital models, which replicate notes from only two positions.

Enter the Bushwick artists' co-op 3rd Ward between 7:30 and 10:30 pm on the third Thursday of the month, and you'll be greeted with a cacophony of strange ambient digital sounds, a crowd of enthusiastic geek-hipsters, and free PBR. Welcome to the wonderful world of DIY digital music.

If you live in the New York City area, come to our first meeting of the DIY minds at the Etsy Labs space in Brooklyn, Thursday, March 22 (that's tomorrow!). Phil Torrone of Make fame will be demonstrating and selling some of the Make kits, and Eric Singer, founder and director of LEMUR: League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots, will show of some wacky electronic musical instruments, including something called the Sonic Banana. Get more detail here. Hope to see you there!