Design processes, functionality and transformations of experimental musical instruments and their positioning in musical instrument making culture

Despite their increasing visibility, especially in the last century, experimental musical instruments and experimental musical instrument making have not been sufficiently examined in terms of instrument making, which is considered a conservative profession and field of production, and have not yet been positioned as much as they deserve within the cultural field of this profession. Although there are some examples of experimental musical instruments that find a place in instrument classification systems, they remain within the rules of the taxonomy used when categorizing and are not branched out as "experimental musical instruments". In fact, regardless of their usability and cultural characteristics, the experimental or conventional nature of the musical instruments is not questioned in modern classifications of the musical instruments such as the Hornbostel-Sachs Musical Instrument Classification System, which focuses only on how the sound is produced in the instrument. However, when elaborated culturally and sociologically, it can be easily observed how the reasons for the emergence of experimental musical instruments, their timbre ideals, future perspectives and especially the life stories of some experimental musical instrument makers, which are worth highlighting, affect music and the surrounding cultural environment. For all these reasons, this study aims to propose criteria that can pave the way for an alternative categorization by separating the design processes, functionalities, transformations and structural features of experimental musical instruments from the respective items in conventional musical instruments, and to classify the selected sample accordingly. Therefore, such distinctions subject to be examined in the study open the doors for an experimental musical instrument organology and, in this context, aim to contribute to the establishment of a consistent bridge between the culture and the science of organology. One of the most important driving forces that make experimental musical instruments possible is the knowledge of material, which develops and changes in parallel with the continuity of technological developments. While it is emphasized how important cultural-geographical and raw materials are in experimental musical instrument making, also the design styles do need to be differentiated in order to create a consistent terminology: In the light of the proposed rules and determinators, it should be noted that not every structural change musical instruments undergo should be considered as experimental; on the contrary, it might be taken as solutions based on the proper needs during the development process of the given musical instrument. Transforming some everyday materials into musical instruments with a quick design idea and a few add-ons has found its place under the concept of repurposing. In parallel, combining two or more existing musical instruments with the same principle can be branched into the concept of bricolage. In addition, some structural improvements and some add-ons on instruments would affect playing techniques and playing gestures—including, for example, extended techniques—drastically and hover up musical instruments into a wider performative area. This study reflects via many examples that experimental musical instruments have cultural meanings and design ideas beyond their mere "musical instrument" nature; while these are produced by those who set out to search for alternative sonic ideals, playing practices and even scale systems, etc. Moreover, it has been a study in which experimental musical instruments can be identified that contain even a discourse against today's industrial music and the conventional musical instruments that serve it, and have respective designs that are sometimes incorporated into protest manifestos. In addition, the existence of some organizations that support/fund experimental musical instrument production has made it necessary to define this phenomenon thoroughly. All these headings have paved the way for the social reception of experimental musical instruments, their musical use, and their distinctive position with their design and cultural meanings.