Percussionist to give recital on unusual instruments he built himself

Metallic gas pipes might sound like church bells out of tune, but that is exactly why percussionist Sascia Pellegrini will be using them. Wooden blocks, marble pieces, and a variety of tiles will also feature in his recital at the Chinese University on Thursday.

"I rarely use existing instruments in my performances," the 42-year-old Italian composer-musician says. "When you see a piano on stage, it doesn't matter what kind of music is to be played - jazz, pop, classical, contemporary - you know how it sounds already.

"But when you see a table with pipelines and pieces of wood and metal on it, you don't know what to predict. So you are more attentive and curious ... You have to open your ears and focus on listening."

His percussion sets resemble turntables and Pellegrini looks more like a club DJ than a classically trained pianist with his casual, rugged appearance.

Though he's still using the piano to compose, Pellegrini says he is tired of the instrument he started to learn at age five.