HOW TO: Make Music By Punching Holes (DIY Music Box Tutorial)

Do you have a DIY music box kit but don't know how to get started? I hope this tutorial helps you! I tried to pair detailed explanations alongside different visuals and analogies. Feel free to skip ahead using my table of contents if you just have a specific question you want to focus on, or watch me in a faster speed.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
0:00-0:50 Introduction
0:50-1:46 Disclaimer
1:47-4:47 Range of 30 Note Music Box
4:48-5:32 Vertical Lines
5:33-6:26 Limitations on Rhythm
6:27-7:51 Sheet Music for Totoro
7:52-9:32 Color Coordinating the Notes
9:33-11:25 Placing the Notes
11:26-12:02 Midi Analogy
12:03-12:50 Punching Out the Notes
12:51-13:05 Final Example
13:06-14:08 Outro
14:09-14:30 Bloopers
How the Music Box Works: • Punching holes = Makin...
My SHOP: boxofmusic.tabormusicbox.com
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Music Box meets ANIME:
• Music Box meets ANIME
Music Box meets POP/ROCK:
• Music Box meets POP/ROCK
Music Box meets MOVIES & TV:
• Music Box meets MOVIES...
Music Box meets VIDEO GAMES:
• Music Box meets VIDEO ...
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Think Outside the Box(OfMusic)

[@nterlaje1551]

Thank you! I’ve been an avid collector of music boxes for YEARS and bought my first DIY music box with the paper. I thought it would be daunting, but your tutorial is very helpful.

[@mjpete27]

One of the best things about your videos is your originality! I also have never seen any other person to create these amazing musical animated videos! You can not teach every discipline in one video! Watching this video makes me wonder all the more at the difficulties that you go through with your videos! This does not even address your amazing artwork and animation! Thank you for sharing this and I hope others appreciate your art even more!

[@BoxOfMusic3]

Check out the time stamps in the description for easy navigation!

[@nikitacherlenok]

Good example,and explained well thanks a lot,I will start writing my songs on it .❤🎉🎉🎉

[@BoxOfMusic3]

Yay! Best of luck!

[@Numocron]

Wow this is such an awesome music box tutorial I love it. Thank you.😃👍❤️

[@user-xg5ci4dq8m]

thank you so much for explaining how the 30 note paper works! I could not find an explanation anywhere else!

[@BoxOfMusic3]

So glad to hear my explanation was helpful!

[@ButterflyPiggy]

Love the tutorials! Thank you for sharing!

[@BoxOfMusic3]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

[@_widas_]

great vid

[@justinnaramor6050]

It's been a while since I've been here :))))) I wrote a comment on one of your other videos, maybe you remember. Interesting thought: The limitation of not being able to repeat the same note quickly on the music box is actually another one of the reasons I've not really used these music boxes much... I find it kind of a stupid limitation personally. I honestly don't even know why the manufacturers of these punch-card-style music boxes had to put that limitation in there, because there's a whole history of other music boxes that solve that problem, with a pretty obvious and clever solution: having 2 or more of the metal bars tuned to the same pitch! So this means that when you're using the punch card to program moments where the same note is repeated quickly, the card is essentially instructing the additionally-required gears to play in between those 2 or more bars to get the same pitch played repeatedly. There are a ton of wind-up single-song-playing music boxes that already use this approach successfully, so why I haven't seen any punch-card-style music boxes using this approach kind of baffles me. Now, for quite a while I've really thought it would be freaking awesome to hear heavy metal music on a music box like this (yes, I'm a metalhead all the way! :)), and the ability for the music box to play the same note repeatedly, and quickly, is absolutely mandatory for this genre; heavy metal famously has moments where you might hear something like 16th notes, for example, played repeatedly on the same pitch (and at a pretty high BPM, I might add), and without that ability it's just not gonna sound heavy-metal-like enough at all! :))) If the music box had that ability, can you imagine how a song like "Through the Fire and Flames" by Dragonforce would sound? Damn! That would sound freaking crazy, I'm sure. If you don't know the song I'm talking about... well then you're missing out :))))))))))

[@BoxOfMusic3]

I agree, it is an annoying limitation! There are so many songs I would love to play if I was able to. Of course there is always the option to turn eighth notes to quarter notes etc. and then crank the music box at double speed, but that isn't always practical (or even possible at all depending on the tempo)!

[@justinnaramor6050]

@@BoxOfMusic3 Cranking the music box at double speed is definitely another possible solution. As you say though, it's not very practical. It also only increases mechanical noise. Another idea would be to simply have 2 or more of the music boxes playing the same song with different parts (think of it like a music box band or something), and then when it's time for the same note to be played repeatedly and quickly, the punch cards would be programmed in such a way that the music boxes would alternate between each other. The challenge, though, is to get the music boxes to play in sync. The other problem is that this solution is a bit convoluted, if you think about it.

[@Brokeninc]

what hole punch do you use? I have the one mine came with and it doesn't work well. Thank you for making the videos you make. It is helping me.

[@BoxOfMusic3]

I'm so glad my videos help you! I also use the hole puncher that came with my music box. My first music box came with a metal one that I didn't like as much, but another music box came with the green hole puncher which I like better because it catches all the hole punches instead of making a mess

[@richardgeiger5893]

You didn't mention transposing as an option to matching the chromatic scales on the punch- hole paper.

[@BoxOfMusic3]

That's definitely an option as well!!

[@motyleqa]

where can I buy the materials needed? Which sellers or brands are better?

[@winterwhack3690]

i’m trying to make a music box for my boyfriend, so nervous that it won’t work!!!

[@ayushmaansrivastav6941]

If I pay you can you make one for my girlfriend song would be "still with you - jungkook"

[@punisher8632]

Hey what’s going on . Did you ever get a custom made one ? I neeeeeed one pls answer