81-year-old plays pots, pans and a rubber chicken in home music studios
Herb Leff turns every room — and every object — in his Vermont home into an instrument.
BURLINGTON, Vt. (InvestigateTV) — Herb Leff tends to make music just about every night.
The 81-year-old retired University of Vermont psychology professor has converted his Burlington condominium into a three-studio music haven, where he records experimental compositions using everything from traditional instruments to pots, pans and a rubber chicken.
“To me making music is an endeavor, it’s a learning process,” Leff said.
The cave studio
The first stop on the tour is the basement.
“This is my cave studio,” Leff said.
It is where he plays everything in the room — with one exception.
“I play everything in this room. I don’t play the washing machines,” he said.
The basement studio is a musical menagerie. Leff moves between traditional instruments and unconventional ones with ease.
“This is one of the most melodious frying pans I’ve ever heard,” he said.
Even a rubber chicken makes an appearance.
“I don’t use too many chicken sounds in my music,” Leff said.
He shares the condo with his wife, Ellen, and is careful about the boundaries of his creative space.
“I have to be very careful, she’s very, very much devoted to having this room stay pretty much a living room,” he said.
The Etherium
On the second floor, a former bedroom has been transformed into what Leff calls “The Etherium” — previously known as the metal percussion paradise.
“This used to be called the metal percussion paradise, OK,” Leff said.
When asked why he needs more than one studio, Leff’s answer was simple.
“Look around!” he said.
The room is home to a harp, among other instruments, and Leff records there just about every day.
The Magnum studio
The tour continues to the former master bedroom, which Leff calls his Magnum Studio, and his cockpit.
“This is it,” he said.
Leff records his music and shares it on sites like Bandcamp, where listeners can hear and purchase his work.
“I’m not after making money, what I’m after is creating things that people can enjoy,” he said.
When asked whether he can make music or sounds out of just about anything, Leff did not hesitate.
“Yeah, I think so. I didn’t get to play the bathroom sink for you downstairs,” he told reporter Joe Carroll.
Music as a way of life
For Leff, making music is more than a hobby.
“It’s really is a great way to approach life and it helps you stay in the present, which is all we ever have,” he said.
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