Music
November 23, 2023

Airplane Passenger Sits Next to Man Playing Electronic Bagpipes and Shares This Discovery With the Internet

Among contemporary musical instruments, there are synthesizers, electronic drum kits, and electric guitars. But it turns out another instrument also has a modern counterpart. A video posted to Twitter by user @Vamos_DCU has been making waves online by introducing thousands of people to a unique invention—the electronic bagpipe. The user first spotted this gadget when his seatmate took it out on a flight. “A guy in my flight apparently plays the bagpipes,” they write.

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Music
November 22, 2023

Ed Sheeran Notices a Fan Harmonizing With Him at a Show and Invites Her up Onto the Stage To Sing

Many music fans dream of seeing their favorite singers live. But for one woman named Annemarie Schmidt, the dream went even further. Not only did she get to see Ed Sheeran in an intimate venue, but she even got to share the spotlight with him. During the acoustic part of his set, Sheeran noticed the young woman harmonizing with him.

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Illustration
November 22, 2023

Beautiful 19th-Century Illustrations of Every Known Hummingbird Species in One Dynamic Poster

Before photography, it was up to illustrators to accurately record plants and animals. In the 19th century, artist John Gould set out to capture all of the known species of hummingbirds at the time, which meant traveling to different continents to observe their appearances. Ultimately, these efforts culminated in A Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming-Birds, a five volume series of 360 hand-colored lithographic plates.

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Video
November 21, 2023

Watch How a Skilled Instrument Repairer Restores a Crushed Trombone and Makes It Look Like New

Brass instruments are priceless creative tools for the musicians who play them. But no matter how much care goes into them, sometimes accidents happen. Luckily, there are specialized shops dedicated to restoring these beautiful instruments, whatever their level of damage. Recently, J. Landress Brass, a NYC-based brass instrument store and repair shop, gained a lot of attention for the marvelous job they did restoring a crushed trombone.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.