Inventor Plays National Anthem on Jamboxx
Author: Duncan Crary
Published: 2018/06/20 - Updated: 2026/03/04
Publication Type: Product Release, Update
Category Topic: Electronics - Software - Related Publications
Contents: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates
Synopsis: This product release covers the Jamboxx, a breath-controlled musical synthesizer invented by Dave Whalen, a quadriplegic musician who has been paralyzed from the neck down since a skiing accident at age 19. The article details Whalen's performance of the national anthem on electric guitar settings at a Tri-City ValleyCats baseball game in Troy, New York, using the device he spent a decade developing with co-inventor Mike DiCesare. The information is useful to people with spinal cord injuries, ALS, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions that limit hand mobility, as the Jamboxx allows users to play any instrument through breath control and slight head movements using a harmonica-like mouthpiece and hands-free bracket. The device is commercially available and manufactured in Albany, New York - Disabled World (DW).
- Definition: Breath-Controlled Musical Device
A breath-controlled musical device is an electronic instrument that converts a player's airflow and mouth movements into digital sound, typically through MIDI signals processed by a connected computer. These devices function similarly to a harmonica in that the player blows into or across a mouthpiece, but the output is routed through software that can replicate virtually any instrument, from electric guitar to piano to drums. Breath-controlled devices are particularly significant in adaptive music technology because they allow people who cannot use their hands - due to spinal cord injury, ALS, multiple sclerosis, or other conditions - to perform and create music independently.
Introduction
Paralyzed Man Rocks with Jamboxx Musical Device He Invented
A quadriplegic man played the national anthem on the "air guitar" before Saturday's Tri-City ValleyCats game using a musical device he created to overcome his disability. Dave Whalen, 56, of Scotia, N.Y. has been paralyzed from the neck down since a ski accident at age 19. At 7 p.m. on June 16, Whalen performed The Star Spangled Banner on a Jamboxx before the New York-Penn League team's second home game of the season against the Vermont Lake Monsters at the Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy, N.Y. Now he hopes that with this stunning rendition he will get noticed by a Major League sports club that invites him to play the anthem before a national audience.
Main Content
Harmonica-Like Device
Jamboxx is a harmonica-like device that attaches to a computer and allows people with limited mobility to create music with their breath. Moving the mouthpiece left or right determines which note is played.
Because he does not have the use of his hands, Whalen uses the Jamboxx's hands-free bracket.
True Air Guitar Anthem
The Jamboxx is an electric synthesizer that can play any instrument, including piano, saxophone, violin, and drums. Whalen set his Jamboxx set to play the national anthem on electric guitar on Saturday.
"When you wake up and your hands have been paralyzed through spinal injury or ALS or Multiple sclerosis, you can only dream of playing the guitar," said Whalen, a fan of electric guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix. "My rendition of the national anthem is a true air guitar performance, because I play the Jamboxx with my breath. This is the dream of someone who can't physically play the guitar. And it sounds awesome."
Though Whalen said his playing should make famous fictional air guitar aficionados Wayne and Garth of SNL skit "Wayne's World" proud, his true aim is to show the world that people with disabilities can Rock 'n' Roll with the best of them.
"I want more people to experience music and enjoy themselves," Whalen said.
He dedicated his performance to Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). Whalen and his friend Mike DiCesare invented and developed the Jamboxx over the past 10 years. The Jamboxx is now commercially available in a number of styles that are designed, manufactured and assembled in Albany, N.Y.
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: What makes Whalen's story worth paying attention to is how practical it is. This is not a concept product or a crowdfunding pitch that never shipped - it is a commercially available instrument designed, built, and assembled in Albany, New York by a team that includes the very people it was made for. Whalen did not just invent something and hand it off; he stood in front of a stadium crowd and played the national anthem on electric guitar with his breath, dedicating the performance to Paralyzed Veterans of America. For anyone who has lost the use of their hands and assumed music was no longer an option, the Jamboxx is a working, available answer to that assumption - Disabled World (DW).Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Duncan Crary and published on 2018/06/20, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.