I'm a music box girl in an electronic world. I think a music box movement (the part that makes the sounds) has a build like a violin; it is completely utilitarian and waste free, but used correctly is capable of producing sounds that are deep, nostalgic, playful, lonesome, and even a little bit mysterious.
When you hold a music box you can feel it vibrating. Sometimes if you listen closely you can hear the gentle whir of tiny gears in motion and here is why: all in miniature, a metal fan spins, pushed by a gear against a gear, abut a dome. Tuned metal teeth pluck pins that are set precisely on a revolving cylinder and in your hand, a small key to power it all.
There's a natural violence to this, tempered by the enchantment of the sounds that can be produced and all the kinetic excitement of a palm-sized self-powered symphony.
If you make music boxes, like me, or want to learn how, if you are interested in the world of music box crafts and music box people, or are just wandering in and slightly bemused by all of the above, watch this space, there's more to come.
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