Ross Barrable: A Life Devoted to Sound
The inspiration to continue traveling my journey as an acoustic sculptor is graced through the ancient Spiritual teachings of Surat Shabda Yoga (the Yoga of the Sound Current) or more commonly known in the 21st Century as the Divine Science of Light and Sound.
The power and beauty of harmonic sound as heard through the harp, has always inspired my creative imagination and as a musician and master harp builder I feel compelled to refine, evolve and share these 21st Century sound sculptures .
I share this inspiration with the world through the mystical sound and form of our contemporary wind harps.
For 33 years as a luthier and musician, I have built and played the folk harp. One day, a miraculous event occurred while playing the folk harp outdoors. A breeze came up and suddenly the harp began to play itself— the wind strummed the strings, creating an enchanting and harmonious melody that stirred in my imagination a choir of angels singing. Since that day I have been inspired to create contemporary aeolian wind harps specifically tailored to capture the transcendent yet powerful song of spirit as it is expressed through the elements of nature. These acoustic instruments create captivating harmonic tones that call out to many, to stop, tune in and deeply listen. This discovery awakened my passion to co-create new worlds of living Soundscapes that inspire a universal language of listening which celebrates the truth that we are all unconditionally connected to the sacred presence of spirit within all life.
This inspiration has given birth to Soundscapes International.
Soundscapes International is committed to harnessing the Power of Inspiration. Through the placement of our finely crafted Wind Harps, we create Soundscapes of elegant beauty with a hint of magic.
Our contemporary harp designs incorporate the principles of sacred geometry, which have been used since ancient times to construct temples, monuments and artworks with proportions that reflect the Divine blueprint of balance and harmony.
Through our acoustic research, we explore the resonant properties of various metal alloys such as titanium, bronze and stainless steel. We apply what we learn to refine and expand the shapes, sound and interactive qualities of our innovative Harmony Wind Harps.
Through their interaction with gentle and steady breezes, the harps’ improvisational songs produce a living and dynamic soundscape. These instruments inspire a sense of magical anticipation—you never know when the harp will sing.
In the past three decades, Soundscapes International has created more than 250 wind harps, installed in public and private settings. Their visual and auditory presence has produced interactive landscape environments for residential gardens, health resorts, city parks, memorials, universities, hospitals, retirement communities and botanical gardens.
Feedback from our clients has shown that our wind harps give a voice to the full spectrum of the human experience as they sing the song of the wind across their strings.
See our testimonial page, and take a Listen.
These songs give a voice to:
Nature lovers as they celebrate life
Bereaved ones when visiting memorials
Wolves and coyotes as they sing their haunting songs
Inner-reflective qualities of freedom, adventure and the quest for the unknown
The spacious sound of silence, when all is still
Our public installation clients say the wind harp engages their visitors and residents with an attitude of intrigue and awe that draws them into a group experience, reinforcing a sense of place and connection within the community.
We enjoy collaborating with our clients to enliven their ideal ambient soundscape that expresses the Power of Connection through the dynamic synergy of sound and form.
