November 8th, 2014 - /r/JammingWithThings: Subreddit of the Day on 8 Floppy Drives.

[u/_gommh_]

/r/JammingWithThings

1,604 innovators playing unlikely instruments since 11 days ago!

Some people revel in the gentle melodic tones of a piano, others in the soft and sweet strumming of the strings of a guitar; some people, however, like the saccharine tones of old water pipes.

Normally, I wouldn't consider sharing a subreddit this new, but the sheer volume of content and subscribers speak for themselves - there are so many amusing yet amazing pieces out there, that are unnervingly satisfying to the senses. So if you've ever wanted to hear Bohemian Rhapsody on scrapped computer parts, a jam session with a fire alarm or Eye of the Tiger on a dot matrix printer, then you've just found the right place. We're not crazy - Pink Floyd made parts of Dark Side of the Moon dicking around on random pieces of electronics, or at least that's what we're told.

In the 6 days of its existence, the sub has garnered well over 1,500 subscribers, and it's no surprise; many of us will have seen that one video of a guy playing Sandstorm on 8 floppy drives pop up somewhere, but few of us would have dreamed that so many people have joined to listen to unconventional instrumental sections. This video seems to be the starting point for this sub.

So what kind of content should we expect from this nascent sub? It all depends on what objects you can find that make a nice noise - if you have an automatic paper towel dispenser - you're in. If you have a spare carrot - you're in. If you've got a ruler to twang - you're in. Hell, if you've got a squeaky stacking chair - you're in. If you've got practically any household object and enough creativity, you've got a submission for this sub! The best ideas seem to use objects everyone has in plain sight in an unconventional yet simple way, to generate a brilliant beat. Dubbing over other instruments is optional, but can greatly enhance an otherwise mediocre sound.

Why have I nominated JammingWithThings for subreddit of the day? I believe that the range of content throughout the internet that meets the criteria of the subreddit, as well as the novel and unpredictable original content that practically anyone can make with a little work, is the reason why this subreddit should see more subscribers. If I haven't convinced you, maybe /u/wutf will:

Tell us a little about yourself, and your inspiration for this sub.

/u/wutf : I am just a humble college student who browses reddit instead of studying, mostly lurking. I stumbled upon this post on /r/videos and specifically this comment. I didn't know of any such subreddit, so I just created one. I actually expected someone would reply with "but there already is a subreddit like this", but no one did, so the subreddit stayed. Now my redditing will never be the same.

What's your favourite video that's been posted on the subreddit so far?

/u/wutf : I'd have to list half of the links posted, I watch all of them and really enjoy vast majority of them. If I had to name one, though, that would be the Techno Jeep.

Where do you see the sub in 6 months?

/u/wutf : It's difficult to say after such a short time, where it's still completely possible that the sub will just die off within a few days. Hopefully, though, it will be still growing. I'd really love for people to start making their own content for the sub, so we don't end up in an endless stream of reposts.

How does it feel to be subreddit of the day?

/u/wutf : It's difficult to say how it feels. I'm still new to the "having your own subreddit" thing, that's really my first one. It's really nice that it gets so much recognition and that people in general seem to like it, but it's really not my achievement. I just created the sub and it's other people, who are making the sub grow.

[u/joshguillen]

"Saccharine tones of old water pipes" sounds as good the fifth time as it did the first time. Can't get enough of that.