Editing Electronic musical instrument (section)

===Circuit bending===
[[File:Bending.jpg|thumb|Probing for "good bends" using a jeweler's screwdriver and alligator clips]]
{{main|Circuit bending}}

In 1966, [[Reed Ghazala]] discovered and began to teach math "[[circuit bending]]"&mdash;the application of the creative short circuit, a process of chance short-circuiting, creating experimental electronic instruments, exploring sonic elements mainly of timbre and with less regard to pitch or rhythm, and influenced by [[John Cage]]’s [[aleatoric music]] concept.<ref name="circuit">{{cite web
  |url       = http://www.gamemusic4all.com/backto8bit%204.html
  |title     = Back to the 8 bit: A Study of Electronic Music Counter-culture
  |last      = Yabsley |first = Alex 
  |date      = 2007-08-08
  |website   = Game Music 4 All
  |quote     = This element of embracing errors is at the centre of Circuit Bending, it is about creating sounds that are not supposed to happen and not supposed to be heard (Gard, 2004). In terms of musicality, as with electronic art music, it is primarily concerned with timbre and takes little regard of pitch and rhythm in a classical sense. ... . In a similar vein to Cage’s aleatoric music, the art of Bending is dependent on chance, when a person prepares to bend they have no idea of the final outcome.
}}</ref>

Much of this manipulation of circuits directly, especially to the point of destruction, was pioneered by [[Louis and Bebe Barron]] in the early 1950s, such as their work with [[John Cage]] on the ''[[Williams Mix]]'' and especially in the soundtrack to ''[[Forbidden Planet]]''.

Modern [[circuit bending]] is the creative customization of the circuits within electronic devices such as low [[voltage]], battery-powered [[guitar effects]], children's [[toy]]s and small digital [[synthesizer]]s to create new musical or visual instruments and sound generators. Emphasizing spontaneity and randomness, the techniques of circuit bending have been commonly associated with [[noise music]], though many more conventional contemporary musicians and musical groups have been known to experiment with "bent" instruments. Circuit bending usually involves dismantling the machine and adding components such as switches and [[potentiometer]]s that alter the circuit. With the revived interest for analogue synthesizer circuit bending became a cheap solution for many experimental musicians to create their own individual analogue sound generators. Nowadays many schematics can be found to build noise generators such as the [[Atari Punk Console]] or the [[Dub Siren]] as well as simple modifications for children toys such as the [[Speak & Spell (toy)|Speak & Spell]] that are often modified by circuit benders.