Music Box

The music box is a finely crafted mechanical instrument that transforms physical motion into sound. At its heart, tuned metal tines are set into vibration as a patterned score passes through the mechanism, each note triggered by direct physical contact rather than digital playback. A stepper motor and roller assembly pull a punched paper card through the box at a precisely controlled rate, converting inscription into melody with clarity and presence. The resulting sound is bright, intimate, and unmistakably acoustic—music you can both hear and see being made.

What distinguishes this music box is the precision with which it moves through time. An Arduino-based controller governs the motor using a closed-loop control system, constantly monitoring the motion of the paper via a light sensor. This sensor reads reference points on the punched card, allowing the system to correct for slippage, wear, or resistance in real time. The result is a steady, reliable tempo that can remain locked in synchrony with human musicians, enabling the box to perform not as a novelty, but as a true ensemble instrument.

Beyond its mechanics, the music box invites reflection on how music exists in material form. Here, musical time is physically pulled through the instrument, moment by moment, rather than summoned instantly from memory. The visible motion of the rollers, the quiet labour of the motor, and the gradual advance of the card make the passage of music tangible. In an age of invisible digital systems, the music box offers transparency and tactility—a machine that works, listens, and sings alongside human performers, one note at a time.

In 2025, the music box participated in the performance of 'Living Ghosts', a new multimedia piece by Kenneth Hesketh combining live chamber music, mechanical sound and stop-motion animation, in haunting meditation on life’s passing cycles.