Sinori: a new sheet steel percussion instrument

Sinori is a brand new instrument for percussionists made from a sheet of stainless steel.

You can flex it, wobble it, or bash it with brushes, mallets or your hands, with - if played correctly as the trailer above demonstrates - devastating results. A soundtrack to a hurricane or a horror performance, perhaps?

What appears to mark the Sinori out from other percussion instruments is its unique shape (it may look random, but Sinori claims that this has been meticulously moulded with "vibrometric measurements"), and it's little wooden handle for ease of use.

The Sinori is big - 140cm tall (55 inches) and 96cm wide (37 inches), weighing 5kg (10lbs) - which encourages a "body-playing" technique. It'll set you back EUR 890, minus a 35% discount for the first five orders, and a 25% discount for the next five after that.

Check out Sinori Percussion's official site for more video demos and read on for further details via the press release…

"Sinori is a metallic percussion made of stainless steel, that allows a wide range of traditional playing techniques (mallets, drumsticks, brushes, etc.), as well as an unique interaction, named Body-playing.

"In fact, its structure was moulded into a clear-cut shape and provided with a wooden knob which helps the user to hold, bend and grasp the instrument with ease to get number of tones.

"For instance:

• The top-right part, because of its small size, can be used to obtain high notes with an oscillatory motion of the palm of your hand on the metal.
• The top-left part, where the handle is inserted, is meant for use as a tuning handle. Bending the sheet at that point makes it possible to tune the vibrations produced by the body of the instrument.
• The sides of the sheet are designed to allow the user to hold it and interact with it in the best way possible. The user can grab it using the wooden knob to halt and release the vibrations if Sinori is resting on the user's body.
• The side handles have been designed to be able to flap the sheet, thus bending to generate the typical sound of steel bending, and releasing it abruptly to generate an explosive hit.
• The Sinori's bottom surface, socalled "soundbox", is made in order to produce low pitch sounds. The bottom handles are also for the purpose of tuning vibrations from the metal."