The Accidental Psaltery is an ongoing project of musician and sound artist Rick Tarquinio. Random loops and phrases arranged by chance shift and phase into gradually evolving soundscapes.

More like weather than music, the accidental psaltery is meant to be listened to while doing other things or going about one’s business. Lacking an underlying rhythm or structure, the parts interact outside the rules and norms of music. The use of unrelated delays adds another element of chance to most pieces. The artist’s lack of technique and skill on the instrument is seen as essential to the work, as is the sound of the instrument itself, which was won on Ebay for $25.