Meet the Rhysonic Wheel, a New Way to Play Guitar
What we have here is a video showing Pete O'Connell—inventor of something called the Rhysonic Wheel—playing a mesmerizing cover of Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" at the Whitireia Theater in Wellington, New Zealand, in 2014.
As you can see, the Rhysonic Wheel offers another way of playing, or at least strumming (or striking), a guitar. Other Rhysonic videos—including the bonus clip at the bottom of this story—clearly show that the wheel is powered by a drill. This makes sense, of course, since the motto on the Rhysonic Wheel's Vimeo page is "Rhysonic. Acoustic music with power tools."
As the Rare and Strange Instruments Facebook page noted last week, "the Rhysonic Wheel is an inventive system to play guitar or other instrument, composed by a wheel with sticks on an electric drill; inventor Pete O'Connel moves the guitar to strike on strings or wood."
For more Rhysonic clips, head here and follow along on Facebook.
The Rhysonic Wheel from Rhysonic on Vimeo.
Seven Gypsies from Rhysonic on Vimeo.
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
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