Carrot clarinet | Linsey Pollak | TEDxSydney

Linsey Pollak turns a carrot into a clarinet using an electic drill a carrot and a saxophone mouthpiece, and plays it all in a matter of 5 minutes.
Linsey Pollak is an Australian musician, instrument maker, composer, musical director and community music facilitator. He has recorded 31 albums, toured his solo shows extensively in Europe, Nth America and Asia as well as performing at most major festivals around Australia.
Linsey has devised many large Festival pieces such as "BimBamBoo" and "Sound Forest", as well as collaborating on many music and theatre projects around Australia. He established The Multicultural Arts Centre of WA, and has co-ordinated five Cross-cultural Music Ensembles in three different States. Linsey has also worked as a musical instrument maker for 40 years and has designed a number of new wind instruments as well as specialising in woodwind instruments from Eastern Europe.
TEDxSydney is an independently organised event licensed from TED by longtime TEDster, Remo Giuffré (REMO General Store) and organised by his General Thinking network of fellow thinkers and other long time collaborators.
TEDxSydney has become the leading platform and pipeline for the propagation of Australian ideas, creativity, innovation and culture to the rest of the world.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[@hoouos2]

gives a whole new meaning to playing with your food

[@LucyKing411]

+ShadowSage6 Ba dum tss

[@kathering65]

+ShadowSage6 lol true dat

[@zachbarton5670]

ShadowSage6 when you think about it, all those people went there to watch a guy play music out of a frickin carrot.

[@peachnotperf]

Lol true dat

[@frogg002]

lol

[@Muscleduck]

That sounded a million times better than I ever imagined.

[@gregortheteror8764]

uhh it did all the way ...

[@abigayleamazingYT]

Ikr

[@spdcrzy]

Carrinet?

[@comedyclub333]

You deserve more upvotes LOOOOL

[@goldenvibes952]

upvotes? you mean likes?

[@spdcrzy]

Reddit is leaking again XD

[@comedyclub333]

Yeah, that's what I meant xD

[@barretthoven]

Sai Namuduri 200th like

[@ndexohill]

I want to see him make and play a pickle-o

[@eliasklotz4173]

hahahaha

[@raymondpotier5283]

Mother of God sur

[@gorgestboi1028]

@Nat King Cobra get out

[@stephenphillip5656]

Or a tuber...

[@taffel223]

A pickle is to wed to play

[@Matt-ow2xs]

The last 50 seconds when he's playing the final product is sublime. It's a short but amazing composition. I pull up this red talk every so often just to listen to the last 50 seconds numerous times in a row.

[@danielvandommele1204]

yup, same here. I love it :D

[@mythicalmop2354]

4:16

[@dingdongyourmomswrong6603]

I was surprised by how low the pitch was for such a short instrument, so I had to do the math for myself. He cuts the carrot to 178mm length. That's from his (now defunct) website, but fits the size of his hand in the video. He's using a saxophone mouthpiece, which has a bore diameter about three times the bore diameter that he drilled in the carrot; the larger diameter of the mouthpiece coupled to the smaller bore increases the effective acoustic length of the mouthpiece to about 150mm. The fundamental frequency for a clarinet (all holes covered) would be f = S/4L, where the speed of sound (S) is 345 m/s and the total acoustic length (L) is 0.328 m, works out to 263Hz which is fairly close to middle C, which is what he played. If he had used a clarinet mouthpiece, he would have needed a bigger carrot to get the same pitch.

[@calliarcale]

I really appreciate the time you took to comment. I know the calculations for focal length of a telescope, but I don't know the calculations for fundamental frequency -- and that's despite playing woodwinds most of my life (primarily bassoon). I know very little of the acoustic science behind them. So thank you! And thank you for explaining why the saxophone mouthpiece was the right choice for this carrot clarinet. I have learned something today, and that means it was a good day. Thank you very much. ;-)

[@thepinnacleofretardation3345]

its sodium chloride

[@ajfiaewoipaweipefawejpfwoe1049]

@@thepinnacleofretardation3345 no dude, it's salt

[@lucyfoster4082]

dingdong yourmomswrong Has the timbre of a saxophone, IMO-are characteristics of the sound more from the mouthpiece?

[@ThisCanBePronounced]

@@lucyfoster4082 likely. You can make a clarinet sound like one if you use a soft reed and / or play with lips loose. I do it pretty often - since I'm still learning clarinet and can't always keep up the pressure, lol.

[@agiar2000]

Strange; It does not sound like a carrot.

[@frh6668]

i wonder what a carrot sounds like

[@agiar2000]

Fred RobidouxH Crunchy

[@frh6668]

agiar2000 you are quite right, my dear

[@hirof4357]

@@agiar2000 hahahha I died. Good one!

[@agiar2000]

@@hirof4357 Thank you very much!

[@BrentJohn]

I think the only thing more impressive than being able to make a clarinet out of a carrot is that a TEDx presentation was useful for once!

[@rayscr]

LOL

[@BrentJohn]

***** Congratulations! You're the second horrible human being I've dealt with in a row that calls a person stupid for having a different opinion.

[@tis8411]

TEDx presentations are frequently useful/informative.

[@BrentJohn]

t is You sure you're not talking about TED and not TEDx?

[@fornictist_thou7287]

BrentJohn although most people are gonna give you shit, you are indeed correct because most tedx talks are just smart people showing off what they can do and talking about how they did it. This is one of the only ones where you get taught to do something. So fuck the ignorant people, and good on ya

[@mackindle12345]

The amount of soul in that first phrase @ 4:17 is just amazing - what a brilliant sound!

[@beartz1415]

Obviously a very talented man who enjoys his work and his life.

[@kesharisuthar3268]

Pollock's transformation of a carrot into a clarinet, is absolutely amazing. He is a genius musical instrument maker / musician. 👌👌👍👍❤❤

[@voyfan99]

I freaked out when he started playing! It sounds like a high quality clarinet!

[@shelbelster42]

This man has fantastic creativity!!! I can't even imagine who or why someone would give this video a thumbs down...seriously what planet are you from to NOT enjoy this?!? Either way, I could watch this man all day & still want more!! Love watching people with creative minds at work!!

[@sierrahultgren945]

THIS man is brilliant!

[@briannamagobet6204]

how did you even find this??? lol

[@sierrahultgren945]

my brother showed it to me. he saw it on facebook and i thought it was awesome, so i shared it.

[@jerrykellerman9725]

My aunt sent this video trying to find something I’ll appreciate. I told her I was yawning until he played the dang thing. I sat up respectfully, kudos.

[@detinator5]

Instructions aren't clear, I drilled through the carrot and my hand into the table. Help

[@yuya6530]

I know it's kind of late but eat the carrot and your hand. It's the only way

[@MightyCosmicNights]

_Yuya Fujisawa_ yeap yur right XD

[@bradleyplatt6706]

Put the mouthpiece into your hand and play your hand....who needs a carrot!!!

[@ghostofsparta6579]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@TheJoppen]

The clarrot

[@Treyvlog]

Korvmeknacke carronet

[@audreypogue6306]

Carronet

[@jeremyshaferorigami]

This inspires me to try to make the a carrot kena that would be 100% carrot. It would take some fine carving but it must be able to be done.

[@usa1327]

i could prbly listen to this guy play a carrot all day long!

[@raysnoderlyjr2950]

That carrot sounds better than most clarinets.

[@MrJonesymatt]

and the bliss starts at 4:20 how convenient ().o

[@MakasUniverse]

SMOKE WEED EVERYDAY

[@zach3141]

+Matt Jones haha this video definitely reminded me of stoner engineering, too. Apple -> bong, carrot -> clarinet

[@willdaniels5260]

amazing timbre for something so easily made! I've seen a few people make instruments from fruit/veg and this is by far the best sounding!

[@rav-ft2wh]

Her: "Do you play an instrument?" Me: "Yeah, a carrot"

[@newjeans1287]

awwwww keep him protected at all costs

[@walterjakoboski8628]

I use tall dandelion stems for a simple 3 holed one. As a child I used a pumpkin vine. These come naturally pre-holed. Dandelions you squeeze the narrower end to make the reeds. But the carrot in this video sounds much better.

[@avimango46]

In ‘Marathi language’of Maharashtra in India there is proverb “ try to make a musical instrument 🎷 using a carrot and Incase you fail then just eat it” ! This proverb has come true with this beautiful attempt as seen in video 😀. Thanks dear 🙏 from India!

[@James-wd9ib]

greatest sound to ever come out of a vegetable

[@stephenrobinson52]

I want to see someone put together an entire reed section in an orchestra playing these things. CAN WE PLEASE MAKE THIS HAPPEN?!?!

[@TheHemantShah]

Use of fruit/veg. has been done in India for centuries. Pungii is one such instrument, Pungii consists of a gauged out gourd, a pair of reeds on one end and two flute like bamboo sticks one for drone and one for melody with six holes, on the other end. Even today this can be found in towns and villages with snake charmers. An instrument comparable to the clarinet is Shehnai. It uses reeds made from special kind of weeds grown in lakes and uses a wood flute like structure with an end piece of metal horn like shape. This instrument is used commonly at weddings and in religious ceremonies. ...hemant shah

[@ErikaErika]

Кларнет из обычной морковки!! А звук...я обалдела!!)

[@wtopp345985]

In elementary school I played (attempted to learn how to play) the cornet...This guy make it look easy.

[@projectmarketingaustralia2460]

Perfect example of thinking outside the box. Great stuff!

[@5688gamble]

Pickleo, carrotnet, potarina, any kind of fluit really, love my foodwind instruments!

[@DanielIKrichman]

Brillante! La creatividad permite hacer algo con cosas que (culturalmente) no están relacionadas. Por ejemplo hacer un clarinete con una zanahoria...

[@rev.deborahcaryer5159]

I like the creative idea and being funny, and musical talent in one.

[@edgywedgie9307]

A E S T H E T I C

[@drmichaelshea]

When I was a young clarinetist and saxophonist, I also played a double-reed slide music stand. It's range was limited (a minor third), and it would have been easier to play for someone used to playing oboe or English horn, but it was a good ax and I wish I still had it.

[@wfgjoan]

Genius....carrot clarinet can make beautiful music...

[@patriciaperry5684]

Such creativity! Imagination beyond anything I've seen/or known! Now, I know what a carrot sounds like! Ty.

[@amyrosenold-music-healing-yoga]

How cool and fun is that! Obviously he's an accomplished horn reed player, which helps alot with his demo :)

[@freakman707]

That's gotta be the 2nd best carrot performance I've ever witnessed.

[@sampistachio]

Once upon a time a clarinet was referred to as a licorice stick. Pollak's carrot is much cooler and, in its way, just as sweet.

[@AquanerdApril]

One of my musical heroes. Break the stereotypes, blow the world's collective minds!

[@beastboixxx]

"Thank you for joining us at the Newyork fill harmonic! That's Bill over there playing the carrot......."

[@kevinhamilton303]

Very good. I appreciate this man's creativity. What type of person would dislike this video? 411 people disliked it. That's amazing to me.

[@legendarium1127]

Mom: We can't afford a clarinet for you Me:

[@w.s.harvey9274]

The only Ted Talk I've ever seen and love.

[@greensasque]

That was amazing, the piece at the end just blew me away.

[@juliosalgado318]

This guy is Amazing. Hi Quality, Creativity and Performance.

[@chillquee5481]

Smooth jazz for your soul

[@welderwomanNM]

This is so cool. I have to share this with my little brother that is a bass music man. I never would of thought about being able to make things with vegetables! Sweet.

[@a1l2i3r4i5o]

La capacidad creativa de los seres humanos no tiene límites! Y con el transcurso del tiempo, ésta será aún mayor cada vez!

[@djtriode]

I was always told not to play with my food as a kid. Who said you cant play with your food...love it .Thank you for uploading

[@rbagel55]

A clarinet with a full day's supply of Vitamin A

[@koreboredom4302]

Creative, and delicious!

[@snowyalice]

I swear when I was a kid he appeared on children's tv or something. I have memories of watching someone make carrot clarinets.

[@kyaume21]

One should call this instrument a carronet.

[@dorenemellene2201]

What do you call an instrument made out of a carrot with a saxophone mouth piece? Answer: A Carrotnetophone...............That guy is awesome. He's so creative, and really good at playing music.

[@TheGuzmi]

Brilliant. Literally, a musical vegetable.

[@meissel16]

que artista tan extraordinario ,muchas bendiciones ,

[@Jorymatthews]

Just well and truly AMAZING!

[@baywriter1]

You gotta see this. Especially if you used to play clarinet in the school band, I may have to make this. What did I do with my old mouth piece? Thanks Rose Marie Cole for sending this to me.

[@KeithHuang]

clever man playing with food .. amazing

[@leob4403]

The Royal Symphonic Orchestra should definitely replace their clarinets with carrot clarinets, all in the name of sustainability

[@Texan1939]

Sooooooooo.. that's a "carroinet". . . . . very cool!

[@MsRightseeksMrRight]

how awesome and clever is that??? wow!!! TEDx fantastic!!

[@EricLGarner1]

This is really cool, and so good for folks who want to get into music on a low budget - for just the price of a carrot, a mouthpiece and a small kitchen funnel. Oh, and a drill that could be borrowed Brilliant.

[@michellporras9322]

i play the clarinet and i never thought a carrot would be a clarinet , i love this video

[@Danny2ndgrade]

That was amazing. Glad I stayed till the end

[@jezuzfreek777]

You can make one out of wood with barely any extra effort. People are amazed by the most trivial stuff. Now if he made the mouthpiece and reed out of a carrot... THAT would be interesting.

[@thechangingman8]

Well there's no need to be a dick about it, is there?

[@thechinadesk]

@jezuzfreek Man, you totally missed his point! I hate to say it, but his lesson, which others got, apparently went right over your head. His point was that understanding what the minimal requirements are for something to work can be psychologically liberating, and allow one the freedom to be more creative. It had nothing to do with wood being more "practical." It was merely an exercise to free up one's mind.

[@dobb673]

thechangingman8 Sometimes there is, when it's simply a waste of the time and effort of so many.

[@TerrierBram]

Exactly. Round box with holes in it on the right place ... so?

[@thechangingman8]

dobb673 Poor old you. Let me play you a tune on my tiny violin made out of a cucumber.

[@catherinejorgenson7519]

This is amazing and unbelievable! I'm so glad my friend Jared Mohler pointed me to this video.

[@ritugupta1698]

Guys this is nothing compared to what i can do with a carrot... I can eat a carrot... Amazing, i know, i know

[@breadleymcthicc5444]

+Ritu Gupta HOLY SHIT, BRAVO!

[@ritugupta1698]

TheGlowingGamers Blown away by my brilliance lol

[@christiangerhardt2408]

+Ritu Gupta Is that it? I can eat a carrot and make come out of my backside looking totally not like a carrot at all. Then I can use it as fertilizer. Hah!

[@ritugupta1698]

Christian Gerhardt Oh i have many tricks up my sleeves. I can eat 2 carrots at a time Keep up with that...

[@christiangerhardt2408]

Wow that is awesome.....I can whistle kumbaya while eating a carrot.

[@kishorbarua3604]

Never seen like this.Perfect.

[@NosamIAm]

I am going to try this. Good thing I have a saxophone for this.

[@bendati1]

Incredible creativity!

[@IndigoEuphonium]

A carrotnet

[@nakevamuirhead2765]

Indigo Azai 😂 carronet sounds better 💯

[@wheatley4306]

What about carrophone?

[@yvngmicro5741]

I'm going to make sure that I make this. That's awesome.

[@ceeveem]

Just watched you on ABC's Big Ideas Art - blown away! LOVE this! All the best to you :)

[@DrDaab]

I can't resist saying once more "More Vitamin A than any other Clarinet....ah, not surprising for a Carronet"

[@swishvibes8482]

Parents: Dont play with your food Nobody Linsey Pollak: Hold my carronet

[@suzannedemoranville7120]

CARRONET That is it's name. A new woodwind. I shall propose this concept to my wind ensemble, creating a new addition to the clarinet section.

[@monbond1]

He's incredible...wow. very creative.

[@frankwood5342]

Creativity: the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination: the need for creativity in modern industry; creativity in the performing arts.

[@steelwoolsheep7960]

When his carrot clarinet sounds better than your actual clarinet..

[@luckymanol2693]

this guy is soo creative

[@JohnnyReedShow]

Hey this was Fun and inspiring... Music creation from the basics ....make it your own Carrot Clarinet! Thank you Linsey!

[@dennisw594]

I'll have to give it a try... pretty cool.

[@harikuttan43]

It is one of the great piece of imagination and art,

[@manoharraomamidipell]

clarinet from carrot,like this.

[@antoniopereira6147]

Fantástico! É preciso muita imaginação. Gostei de ver! Não sei se não vou experimentar! Duarte Pereira

[@Jigpi]

Ted Talks: Mapping the human brain Me: Wow! I learned quite a bit about human psychology Ted Talks: hOW tO MAkE a CaRrOt cLArINEt

[@MaddyAtkinson]

My German Shepherd will sit all day and howl to this.

[@daver36]

look it is a carronet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@ttttt1203]

Honestly why tf does it sound so good

[@ItsMeHammie]

You know it's late and you should probably be sleeping when you watch a video of someone making a clarinet out of a carrot.

[@ruthdaskaloff5066]

What fun. I imagine he will need to make one each couple days as carrots tend to get soft and moldy if not refrigerated.

[@aname3017]

I wish I could "like" this twice!

[@cosmic8594]

As a clarinet player I'm not sure whether I am very proud or very ashamed.

[@USINGISMILE]

I love to be surprised, that was amazing!!

[@icallhacksgaming88]

This guy plays better with a carrot than I can play on a plastic one.

[@jelmarvandermeer3220]

Ive seen a number of things on KZbin that astound me, I used to think so much of other videos, the absolute and pure awesomeness. Linsey, although he has a not so cool name, is a pretty fucking cool guy. Wish we had more like him on our planet, also, if anyone cared to tell me, I'd like to know what this song is called.

[@DrHarryT]

For us American folks you could get away with using a 7/16 or 1/2 for the main bore and a 1/4 for the side holes.

[@yomidavid3888]

wonderful invention