MUSICAL MUSHROOM INC.
@margofreemusic
Our Story
Changing the Game
Vibrational sound healing instruments such as singing bowls, gongs and bells have been around for thousands of years and used in many different cultures both for healing and ritual purposes. The way these instruments have been played has remained mostly unchanged during this time. We believe that the digital era we live in has enabled new technologies which can be harnessed to enhance these time-honored instruments while preserving their traditional essence. Our mission is to introduce new technologies aimed at enhancing the experience while making these instruments accessible to a broader group of practitioners in an effort to help raise our global vibrations.
"The best way to predict the future is to create it"
Abraham Lincoln
Our Technology
A new Interaction Paradigm
Our patent-pending flagship product, the musical mushroom®, enables controlling a traditional singing bowl or similar resonant instrument electronically using a small removable exciter coil glued to the inside surface of the bowl. This new approach replaces the use of the traditional mallet. Electro-mechanical vibrations excite the bowl at its resonant frequencies under the guidance of the performer, whether in close proximity using hand gestures or remotely via wired (USB) or wireless (Bluetooth Low Energy) control using the MIDI protocol. One of the many benefits of replacing the mallet include the ability to physically extend the performer's range, as well as to automatically hold a drone note while the performer is free to simultaneously play other bowls or instruments.
A novel hand gesture sensor enables local interactions using the performer's hands hovering over the bowl. The measured hand position above the bowl is used to modulate the sound volume. This fluid up-and-down movement is very intuitive and replaces the circular movement of the mallet. This enables a new way of interacting and playing with this traditional instrument.
Finally, the ability to wirelessly network multiple bowls during a performance enables the artist to spread bowls across an audience and control them all via a central location instead of being restricted to the arm's length mallet reach, giving the spectators a more visceral experience of lying down between bowls during a sound bath performance. Add some super cool LED lighting effects such as the candle flicker and you have an engaging audio-visual performance!
How Does it Work?
In local interaction mode, an invisible eye-safe laser beam is emitted vertically above the unit to measure the distance from the Musical Mushroom's® top surface to a hand hovering above the bowl. The presence of a hand will cause the bowl to vibrate constantly at its resonant frequency for as long as the hand is present. The closer the hand is the bowl, the louder the sound. Moving the hand up and down causes a pleasing tremolo effect, modulating the amplitude in a similar way achieved by the traditional mallet rotating along the rim of the bowl.
In addition, the Musical Mushroom® will automatically detect the hand movement pattern, whether waving or in a fixed position and will continue it indefinitely when the hand is removed. This is useful for generating an automatic drone note effect, enabling the performer to move to playing other bowls without needing to constantly keep the bowl resonating. To stop the bowl, the hand is simply waved in and out of the beam quickly.
How do I Install This in my Bowl?
The Musical Mushroom® unit has soft rubber feet and is simply placed at the bottom of the bowl. A small exciter coil (similar to a speaker) needs to be secured to the inside wall of the bowl during a performance. To do this, a small plastic hardware mounting plate is glued to the inside surface of the bowl using a small strip of double-sided 3M VHB™ tape. This plate can either be left inside the bowl permanently and won't affect its resonant characteristics should the bowl be played with a regular mallet. It can also optionally be removed by applying a steady pressure with fingernails and won't damage or leave residue on the bowl. Replacement tape strips and plates will be available should they be required. Once the plate is secured, the exciter is simply screwed onto the plate and can be unscrewed when no longer needed.
How Do I Use It?
There are many creative ways to use the Musical Mushrooms® in a performance. Whether they are used to simply drive one or two automatic drone notes in the background to accompany you while you play your key bowls manually. You can automate all your bowls and play them using your hands. You can connect two Musical Mushrooms® to a single bowl to independently control the main frequency as well as the overtone (two tones in one bowl). You can control your bowls while sitting or standing. You can distribute your bowls across your audience and travel between them while playing other instruments. The sky's the limit! We are excited to see what creative uses our users will come up with!!
New Possibilities
We are incredibly excited to see where sound practitioners and healers will take this new technology enabling innovative ways to incorporate sound healing and performance into their practice!
We also hope to bring vibrational sound instruments to a new generation of users.
@light_beams_of_love
@margofreemusic
Stay tuned...
Updates to follow
Our patent-pending technology is now available for purchase through our website as well as through our retailer partners. Subscribe to our social media feeds below and join our mailing list to be kept informed of the latest developments and stock availability.
Don't miss the latest updates and news on our Instagram feed: