Often, music comes from inspiration that its composer finds from elsewhere. It can be a painting, a place, or from moments in our lives. For example, several of Adele’s songs were written about different stages of a relationship, while Ed Sheeran’s Castle on the Hill was inspired by Framlingham in Suffolk, where he lived for a large part of his life.
People are often the inspiration for a song. Famous examples of these include Layla by Derek and the Dominos, Uptown Girl by Billy Joel, and Peggy Sue by Buddy Holly.
Sometimes, however, it is the music that is the inspiration. One of these things is buildings, with several music inspired constructions around the world. Here are some of them:
Hard Rock’s Guitar Hotel in Seminole
You can’t get any more rock music themed that a whole hotel shaped like a guitar, unless perhaps if it’s a hotel owned by Hard Rock. That’s exactly what you’ll find if you stay in the Seminole Hard Rock’s Guitar Hotel. This 36-storey, 638-room structure is 450-feet tall and is shaped exactly like an acoustic guitar, complete with bridge and fingerboard. At night, lights shine out the top of the finger board, creating the effect that the strings carry on into space.
After several years of construction, the building opened in October 2019, becoming (unsurprisingly) the first guitar hotel in the world. For guests, it’s difficult to tell that you’re in a guitar-shaped building when you’re inside, instead, it can feel a bit like just any other hotel. However, step outside and you can stand in awe at this incredible piece of architecture.
Piano and Violin House
What’s better than a building shaped like one music instrument? A building shaped like two musical instruments. That’s what you get at the Piano and Violin House in Huainan, China. The building is shaped like a grand piano with a violin learning against it.
Visitors enter into the glass violin, which acts as a lobby and staircase, and can then head up into the main part of the building which is shaped like a piano on stilts.
At night time, the house lights up, looking almost as incredible as the Hard Rock’s Guitar Hotel.
Grand Guitar
Another guitar-shaped building, but this time an art gallery. The Grand Guitar is shaped like an acoustic guitar tipped on its side. Located in Bristol, Tennessee, it is a musical museum and shop, packed with all kinds of stringed musical instruction, including banjos, guitars, and violins.
Before the Hard Rock Guitar Hotel was built last year, Grand Guitar was the only guitar-shaped building in the world.
Holiday Inn Downtown Superdome, New Orleans
While it’s not as impressive as a musical instrument-shaped building, the Holiday Inn Downtown Superdome is still a cool nod to the rich musical history of New Orleans. When the 16-storey hotel was renovated in the mid-1990s, those in charge of the project decided to paint a huge clarinet on the side of the building.
Dancing House
The Dancing House is an office building located in Prague, housing several international organisations. While not shaped like a musical instrument, it has been designed to resemble a man with a hat and a lady in a dress, dancing together.
The glass curtain walling of the building begins on the first floor, with a set of concrete supports representing legs on the ground floor. The building then curves inwards and appears to be moving as it swoops upwards.
Old Schmitt Music Building
The Old Schmitt Music Building in Minneapolis is a 6-storey office building with sheet music painted on to the outside of one of its walls. Although the building was constructed in the early 20th century, it wasn’t until the 1970s that the notes appeared on the building.
The painting was originally an advertisement for the music store that was located in the building. Although Schmitt has since moved out, the music remains on the wall to this day.
