Fungi in Music

Fungi are not vocal like us, but they do speak in tiny electrical impulses. These bioelectric signals fluctuate as the mycelium responds to changes in the environment like light, moisture, temperature. Scientists and sound artists have found ways of detecting these minute voltage shifts. They hook up electrodes to fungi to measure their biological activity. Then, they convert those signals into MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) notes and feed them through synthesizers. And boom… you’ll hear fungi’s voice.

In 2021, the band named The Octopus Project experimented with biological data from fungi and found ways to incorporate them into their own music. They even hosted an online benefit concert and workshop with the Central Texas Mycology Society, featuring real-time visuals and live mushroom generating music.

You can check out some of their projects here:

Another notable artist is Tarun Nayar, who transforms forest foraging into immersive sound experiences. In one piece, “Mushroom Dance,” a red-belted conk (Fomitopsis pinicola) growing in Vancouver was wired up to produce music live in the woods. His field trip events invite audiences to gather mushrooms, plug them in, and listen through headphones as the fungi play themselves. 

Alongside being used to generate music, fungi are a conceptual inspiration for many compositions (rather than being directly sonified). In the Grawemeyer-winning opera Invisible Threads, composers mimicked the structure of fungal mycelium. Instead of a traditional stage-audience format, twelve musicians perform while the audience roams freely, creating their own sonic path through the music. Like a mycelial network, the experience is decentralized and interactive.

Watch their performance here: 

Can Fungi hear us?

Of course, this relationship can go both ways. Some mycologists have explored whether music, or sound in general, boosts fungal growth. In one experiment, researchers exposed Trichoderma harzianum (a beneficial fungus that protects tree roots) to 30 minutes of white noise daily. After 5 days, these fungi grew seven times faster and produced four times more spores than fungi grown in silence. This finding has real-world implications: If this kind of sound-stimulated growth works outside lab settings, we might use it to speed up the reestablishment of beneficial fungi in degraded soil, which can help restore the soil to its healthy state. It could also reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers or microbial inoculants, making restoration more natural and cost-effective.

Just as sound can be used to promote the growth of fungi, its use in high frequencies can stunt their growth. This quality can be utilized in medicine to control the growth of pathogenic fungi and develop growth-inhibiting therapies that target fungal infections, without the adverse effects of current antifungal drugs. 

What about fungi in instruments? Are they friends or enemies? 

Fungi and wood have a complex relationship. Most traditional instruments like violin, guitars, cellos are made from wood, which is susceptible to fungal decay over time. Fungi such as white rot, brown rot, or soft rot can break down cellulose and lignin in the wood, and weaken its structure. Musical instruments stored in damp or poorly ventilated areas can develop mold or mildew, which can damage varnish or polish.

But under the right conditions, certain fungi become allies.

Take Physisporinus vitreus, a white-rot fungus. Researchers in Switzerland discovered that by carefully treating tonewood with this fungus (a method called “mycowood”), they could selectively reduce wood density without compromising its strength. The fungus digests lignin and hemicellulose while preserving the cellulose, resulting in wood that is lighter and more resonant.

In a 2008 study, Norway spruce and sycamore treated with fungi saw:

• A 10–15% reduction in density
• Minimal change in the speed of sound (a crucial acoustic trait)
• A marked increase in the radiation ratio—> this is essential for sound projection

The wood was classified as having gone from “poor” to “good” quality for use in violin plates.

Another study tested eight fungal species on alder and maple, which are common guitar woods. Two fungal species stood out: Trametes versicolor and Ceriporia lacerata, both improving acoustic constants and sound efficiency. The trick is controlling the decay. Too much, and the instrument falls apart. Too little, and you lose the benefits.