Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do. As Julie Andrews said in the Sound of Music, “once you have these notes in your heads you can sing a million different tunes by mixing them up.” Ugears is proud to introduce the second DIY musical instrument in our collection—the Mechanical Celesta. Like the Ugears Hurdy-Gurdy, the Mechanical Celesta is both a wooden mechanical model and a functional musical instrument. This special musical model is a simpler version of a pianola, and includes elements of a piano, a music box, and a xylophone. There are two modes of playing the instrument: you can use the keys to strike the metal plates, producing musical notes over an octave range, from C to C, or you can “pre-program” the instrument by composing a melody on the player piano drum, then play it by turning the knob!

Thanks to the Mechanical Celesta's ease of use, even the smallest child or those without any prior musical knowledge can begin to play music, by striking the keys or turning the crank to produce pre-programmed melodies. In "manual mode" when you press a key, the hammer strikes the plate and the sound of the corresponding note is heard. In "programmed melody mode" you arrange a series of boards along a rotating drum, then turn the drum as pins on each board trigger the hammers to strike the right notes.

This fun DIY musical model / 3D puzzle consists of 573 pieces and promises 8 hours of enjoyable assembly time. The Mechanical Celesta is rated "intermediate" difficulty. In addition to laser pre-cut high quality plywood boards, the model kit also includes cotton ropes, wooden balls and metal plates. Everything you need to build your functional musical instrument comes right in the box.

Like all of our mechanical models, 3d puzzles, wooden puzzle boxes, robots, automatons and kinetic sculptures, the Mechanical Celesta has a beautiful, clever design, and is sure to delight your family and friends. Build it as a family then enjoy singing simple melodies together, accompanied by a musical instrument you've built with your own hands! Take turns programming melodies into the rotating drum then play a game of "Name that Tune."

The Ugears collection of fascinating mechanical models, 3D puzzles, game accessories, wooden puzzle boxes, children's toys and education STEM Lab model kits now includes two musical instruments: the Hurdy-Gurdy and the Mechanical Celesta. Maybe it's time to start a Ugears band? Do you know any musicians or families with small children? The Mechanical Celesta makes an original, thoughtful gift for birthdays or holidays, and is a great way for children to learn the notes of the C major scale.

Model size: 28*28.5*12 cm

Number of components: 573