Listening to birdsong — and the instruments that mimic it

Okay, class: today’s reading includes a short but inspiring passage by Estevan Carlos Benson, who has lately been suggesting we treat our musical listening biome in the same way that we do our gut. Along the way, we get birdsongs and whistle bottles from Ecuador millennia ago and Peru today.

A patchable solar-powered synth with a speaker; birds, hot dogs, and more

What a strange and wonderful bird this is: the Forever Grouse from MONAD comes with its own loudspeaker, banana plugs for patching, and solar panels for power. But maybe you’d rather watch a film about a heron. Or music with some hot dogs. Or set fire to electronics under an interstate overpass. Come along.

Peter Kirn - September 2, 2026

Birds on guitars, in the zebra finch sound art of Céleste Boursier-Mougenot

Sound artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot’s “from hear to ear” is on view in Lisbon, Portugal at the moment. So let’s take a moment for zebra finches playing guitars and other sonic installations driven by elements from nature in the work of this artist from Nice, France (now in Sète).

Peter Kirn - July 27, 2026

In Fracture Space software instrument, a 3D playground of sonic fragments for $12

Peter Kirn - April 1, 2021