Video: Swedish musician builds machine that uses 2,000 marbles to create a brilliant sound

In a breathtaking feat of musical engineering, Swedish musician Martin Molin has built an instrument called the 'The Wintergartan Marble Machine,' that uses 2,000 tiny marbles and 3,000 parts to create a full fledged sound, complete with a kick drum, bass, vibraphone and other instruments.

The machine is a beautiful thing to look at, with various intricate mechanisms to move the marbles around and create sound. It runs with the help of a hand crank and it took more than a year to complete the project.

A report in The Daily Mail adds:

In the music box's astounding performance, Molin begins by turning the crank which in turn mobilises the central wheel. As the machine slowly kicks into gear the marbles begin to move around the tracks. A flip of a lever starts the vibraphone in E minor, emitting a hauntingly beautiful song composed by Molin himself and called 'Marble Machine,' which the musician admits 'is rather confusing'.

Watch the video, filmed by Hannes Knutsson.

Speaking to Wired, Molin said "I stumbled over the marble machine culture -- it's a whole subculture -- and was always interested in gears, and the future of gears. Marble machines always make music, but I was thinking maybe I can make a programmable marble machine, that doesn't make chaos but is actually controllable in the sounds it makes."

When asked if he would consider taking it around the world, he said "I'll have to fix some escaping marble issues in order to tour."

Molin also plans to eventually build newer and smaller machines on the same concept.

You can also watch videos of the making here.