The history of music has deep roots. From primitive rhythms to electronic ones, she expressed people's need for inner fulfillment. Each century created its own instruments. Many of them were lost. Modern creators are gradually returning pieces of the past to the world. As a result, ancient melodies are closely intertwined with new ones, and this mixture of styles opens up more and more new facets.

Learning to play a musical instrument is not easy. It's more like a small feat. But those who have already become good performers do not want to rest on their laurels. Boredom forces musicians to seek new goals. Some collect information about ancient music, and recreate the once lost sounds of history. For some people, the centuries-old experience of their ancestors is not enough. These “creators of their own” invent new, sometimes strange, tools!

Magic trumpet

Mike Silverman was an ordinary double bass player and did not stand out among his colleagues. But one day he decided to create something original. As a result, an interesting instrument was born.

“A pile of scrap metal,” as the musician himself called it, was able to make strange sounds, for which it was nicknamed the “magic pipe.” You can play it with a bow, or by plucking the strings and tapping the roll on them with your fingers. You can even beat the miracle pipe with a stick or hand. The simplest manipulations give rise to bizarre sounds. It's funny to hear a "slap from the future" or an orchestral-like hum. Any DJ will envy performing music with such effects.

Organ organ

The barrel organ was the name given to a street musician's instrument that was popular in the Victorian era. It was very easy to play on it. All you had to do was twist the drum handle well, after which the melody would begin.

Essentially, it was a portable mini-organ with pipes, bellows, bolster, reed and valves. As the drum spun, the complex mechanism alternately closed and opened the voids of the tubes from which sounds flowed. But over time, the rollers and valves wore out. The barrel organs began to sound very out of tune. The melodies became different from the original polkas and waltzes.

Then they tried to replace the valves with sheets of thick paper in which holes were cut. This discovery made it possible to make barrel organs of smaller sizes.

Patrick Mathis, a musical innovator from France, recreated and improved the instrument of his ancestors. With his barrel organ he creates classic and modern works.

Balalaika

Balalaika is a Russian folk instrument. Outwardly, it looks like a triangular lute with three strings. Balalaikas vary in size, small and comically large. Until recently, this plucked instrument was strictly traditional. But modern musicians have learned to do unusual things with it. As, for example, the virtuoso balalaika player Alexey Arkhipovsky does this. Many critics compare his expressive style of performance with the playing of famous guitarists Eddie Van Halen and Jimi Hendrix.

Otamaton

Internet users are probably familiar with otamaton. This instrument was created by Japanese musician Novmiti Tosa. Externally, the electronic gadget looks like a music note with a cartoon face, which can and should be crushed, periodically covering its mouth with your palm. It will be very easy to do this, because at the first sounds of the otamatone you will want it to be silent forever. The nasty squeaking or moaning sound that the “note” makes is hard to bear.

It’s strange, but in a general choir of instruments, the otamatone can sound good. The gadget is able to harmoniously blend into sound forms modern songs. Therefore, music amateurs have already fallen in love with the invention. On the Internet you can listen to many covers, where otamaton hysterically “sings” about love. Some of the works really deserve to be listened to at least once.

Guitar with one string diddly-bo

The origins of this instrument go back to West Africa. The prototype of diddly-bo was a simple board with a string stretched on two nails. Usually it was played by two people. One hit the string, the second slid along it with a stick.

Then the instrument migrated to America, along with slaves brought from Africa. In our century, it is actively used in blues and rock music.

A prominent advocate of diddle-bo is Stephen Gene Wald. He is better known by his nickname Seasick Steve, which translates to “Seasick Steve.” This bluesman is popular because he uses unusual instruments in his work - guitars with an incomplete set of strings, and box-shaped drums.

The musician modified his diddle-bo. Now it is a single string with a corrugated metal surface taken from a washboard. The beloved audience liked the fresh sound, and Steve continues to delight them with new songs.

Cajon

The Cajon looks like a regular box with a hole. Interestingly, this simple instrument has a deep meaning and reminds us of the cultural repression of the past.

In the 18th century, African slaves in South America were prohibited from owning drums. The slaves did not want to give up their heritage. They used ordinary boxes as drums, and this is how the prototype of the instrument appeared. Now this device is popular again. In modern music studios, it is possible to extract excellent percussion accompaniment from the cajon.

But Martin Krendl was sure that he could make an independent composition only with the help of this box and a couple of rattles. He turned out to be right: the cajon brought the musician world fame.

Kitchenware

It turns out that every housewife can become music star. Kitchen utensils and a little imagination will do for this. Household appliances can be used as drums. Use spoons and forks to beat the rhythm well. Glass, or even better, crystal dishes, tend to break very melodiously.

In 1980, the original group “Hurra Torpedo” from Norway began performing “kitchen” hits. Egil Heberberg played the guitar, Christoph Schau played the freezer, and Aslag Guttormsgaard smashed everything that could be broken. The expressive style of performance and painfully ordinary costumes did their job. The Torpedo project lasted on stage for about twenty years.

Glass harmonica

This musical instrument was created in the middle of the 17th century. It consisted of hemispherical glass cups strung on an iron base. The cups had different thicknesses, which affected the tone of the sound. The melody from the glass harmonica was called heavenly or heavenly. Many composers of that time became interested in “crystal” creativity. But then something went wrong. The harmonica began to be banned. It was believed that it had a bad effect on the behavior of animals and the emotions of people. At the beginning of the 20th century, art was lost. But recently it was revived, and since then has attracted the attention of music lovers. One of the representatives of this type of music was William Zeitler.

Tap dancing doll

A wooden step-man with movable limbs is more of a toy than a tool. In the 18th century, street musicians began to use it. The doll is hung on a stick and held above a board fixed horizontally. Pulling the wooden base, the musician forces the little man to tap dance on the improvised floor.

This folk entertainment art was forgotten. But American folk singer Jeff Warner, a specialist in ancient instruments, brought back the popularity of the tap doll. And if previously the musician was known as a fan of the banjo and harmonica, now he is the owner of a wooden step-man for everyone.

Omnicord

Omnicord was created in the 80s of the last century. With its help, you can compose your own songs for those who do not have musical knowledge. Pressing the buttons creates sounds, and metal plates are needed to distort the overflow. It's a shame, but this instrument has not become widespread and is rarely used by musicians. But after hearing its sound, many experience a feeling of “déjà vu.” They've definitely heard something like this before. The reason is that the omnichord is essentially a modernized mixture of the psaltery and the harp. The magical melodies that he can produce touch the heartstrings.

"Car"

Lynn Faulks is a unique person, one of a kind. He devoted more than 50 years to art in the Art Nouveau style, the motto of which is the saying: “The more unusual, the better.” Lynn created many paintings, sculptures and other creations. But his most beloved creation is the “machine”. This strange, bulky device consists of a drum set equipped with horns, rattles, xylophones and bells. It also has foot-operated electric bass.

Although the set-up is extremely complex, everyone feels that Faulks plays with great ease. Don't let appearances fool you. Our genius is the most meticulous perfectionist. This character trait even attracted film directors to him. Over the course of seven years, they filmed a film about how their hero slowly painted two of his paintings.

Video game controls

One day, Robert DeLong came up with an amazing idea: to use game joysticks, manipulators and remote controls to create music. The idea brought success to the former gambling addict. As Robert himself says, it is very difficult to manage such equipment. You need to deftly reproduce sounds from devices not intended for this purpose. The DJ-gamer learned this thanks to many hours of gaming on Dendy and Wii consoles as a child. Innovation made the guy very famous, which means that people need this kind of music.

Such new products make us think: what awaits our music in a hundred years? What tunes and styles will become popular? Good music has the ability to elevate people and break down interpersonal barriers. We hope that it will perform both of these functions better and better.

Trying to add a special sound to their music, some unique, memorable feature, musicians resort to different methods. Some songs are memorable due to interesting drum parts (like “They Don’t Care About Us” by Michael Jackson, where the whole trick is in the sound of the drums) or recognizable guitar riffs (who doesn’t know “Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple?). Some become hits because of their ingenious simplicity, thanks to which, for example, “We Will Rock You” by Queen has firmly and for a long time gained a foothold in the top of the most recognizable songs and the most copied chants in the world. Such songs will never get lost in millions of lists of other musical creations. They say that the world has already acquired about half a billion songs. Well, in this situation, how can you create something truly unique, something that has not yet been invented by anyone? Or perform an even more difficult task: write a hit like no other. There are no guarantees that you will succeed, even if you genius composer. There are cases: while an unknown genius is working for months or years on a new masterpiece, some self-taught amateur will completely accidentally put together 3 notes in such a way that then half the planet will hum this simple song of his. And why? Yes, because the world is already full of beautiful, complex, but unremarkable melodies. For this reason, modern musicians are trying to achieve uniqueness in the two simplest ways: either reducing everything to maximum simplicity (an example of this is simple pop music tunes) or adding something unusual, which is often the use of various electronic effects using special computer programs (the same FL Studio). But there is a third option, which has recently been rapidly gaining popularity: adding some unusual musical instrument to the overall mix. Thanks to this, the overall sound of the song becomes more unique, and in some cases, the group’s performance becomes brighter and more effective.

How unusual and interesting they are musical instruments? We have compiled a list of the most interesting examples and even selected suitable videos that best convey the features of their sound. And so, we present to your attention our top 9.

9. Huaca

Our list opens with a rare and unknown huaca instrument, created by Sharon Rowel. This is a fairly new musical invention - the first copy was created only in 1980. The first musician to play the huac was Alan Tower, who, moreover, recorded an entire CD with music from this interesting instrument.

The body of the huaca consists of three clay vessels connected to each other, due to which three different sounds can be reproduced simultaneously. In general, the design of the huaca resembles the human heart and lungs, and the sound produced by the instrument is a bit like the sound of a flute.

8. Chrysalis

Another young invention from the list of rare musical instruments. The history of chrysalis began when, in the 1970s, Chris Forster came up with an interesting idea: “What would happen if you took a wheel and pulled strings instead of spokes?” The idea turned out to be quite successful, since the sound of the chrysalis turned out to be truly magical. In appearance, the design of the instrument is quite simple: 2 wooden wheels rotating in different directions and 82 strings on each side. But in fact, the creator assures that there is also a secret author’s technology, thanks to which the gentle sounds of the fox’s cry, as if flowing from under the fingers, come out so mesmerizing.

7. Hang

An absolutely cosmic instrument. And it looks like a flying saucer, and the sounds it makes are enchanting, as if from another planet. And the prices for hang are a bit astronomical - at auctions it’s close to $10,000. Although it is best to buy directly from the authors of this creation - the Swiss Felix Rohner and Sabine Scherer, who created the hang in 2000. By the way, it will be cheaper - about 1500 euros.

The musical instrument hang itself consists of two flat hemispheres, one of which contains 7-8 dimples arranged in a circle (tone circle), and the other has a resonant hole.

6.Hapi

In 2009, the same Swiss inventors presented to the world a simplified version of the hang - hapi, for some reason called “glucophone” in the LIC countries. Hapi, unlike its “big brother,” is quite easy to acquire and much cheaper, but this does not make it any less interesting and unusual. Listening to the glucophone is pure relaxation and pleasure, and playing it replaces meditation. By the way, the purpose of buying hapi-drama is often to use it in various practices and exercises to immerse yourself in a meditative state. The reason for this is the sound, similar to the sound of a Tibetan bowl or bells.

Hapi is more rounded than hang and slightly smaller in diameter. In the lower hemisphere there is still a hole, but in the upper hemisphere there are no longer pits, but 5-8 “tongues” are cut, which are struck with fingers or special sticks.

5. Glass harmonica

A very rare instrument with quite a long history, dating back to England in the 1600s. And it all started with the English fashion for “Irish entertainment” - playing with thirty to forty glasses filled with water. Craftsmen, touching the edges of the glasses, extracted light, gentle sounds from them. Musical glasses became a full-fledged instrument in 1757, when the envoy of the Pennsylvania Assembly, Benjamin Franklin, arrived in London. He liked the British hobby, and the inventor decided to slightly transform the instrument, replacing the cups with glass hemispheres strung on a rotating iron axis. The lower edge of the hemispheres was immersed in a container of water, due to which they were constantly moistened.

The instrument was extremely popular in Europe until it was suddenly accused of having an excessive influence on the psyche of people: from mild disorders to loss of reason. In some places, glass harmonicas were even banned. But in the 1920s, the sounds of the magical instrument returned from oblivion in the records of Bruno Hofmann, who wrote many melodies specifically for the glass harmonica.

4. Tenori-on

Tenori-on is more of an electronic device for producing sound effects than a musical instrument in the usual sense. To play it, you don’t need any special skills or musical education—everything is based rather on an intuitive perception of music and a sense of rhythm. But this does not mean that the tool is intended only for amateurs! A professional will also appreciate all the advantages of tenori-on, using it to create electronic music.

The device is a square display with 256 sensor buttons with LEDs. The system has built-in effects and a library of sounds. The music that can be played on this instrument is exclusively electronic in nature. This is the first high-tech device on our list of unusual musical instruments. Now can you guess his high-tech homeland? Of course, as you might expect, the creators of Tenori-On, Toshio Iwai and Yu Nishibori, are Japanese.

3. Reactoscope

Another techno-new product, but this time it is not the product of a specific creator, but rather a collective invention of the participants of the Evolution Music Instruments music competition. One of the goals of the event is precisely the production of innovative ideas and the creation of unusual sound reproduction tools. The reactoscope is the first achievement of the competitors. Based on the prototype of the Spanish reactable, the reactoscope is an interactive music table with colorful buttons depicted, each of which has a specific function. It is with the help of these functions that tracks are played. Moreover, they automatically begin to be processed in real time, which allows you to achieve almost ideal sound. You don't need any special education to play the reactoscope. An intuitive perception of music is enough. And, of course, a detailed study of the functions of each button (and there are 20 of them). But it’s not that difficult, because there are graphical hints above each of the buttons.

2. Laser harp

The laser harp, like the previous two representatives of the high-tech music industry, is not a musical instrument in the usual sense (or maybe that’s what the musical instruments of the future will look like). This futuristic harp is more of a controller than a full-fledged instrument. Instead of strings there are laser beams, when they overlap, sound appears.

You might think that the laser harp is an invention of the 21st century, but no - Geoffrey Rose invented it back in 1976. This harp gained popularity thanks to the famous musician Jean-Michel Jarre, who included its sound in the songs of the studio album “Rendez-vous”. By the way, the album was first performed at the celebration of the 25th anniversary of NASA (and, of course, the most striking object of the performance was, of course, a spectacular laser harp).

1. Tesla Coil / Zeusaphone

No matter how much they talk and warn, people like to play with fire, trying to conquer this powerful element. The only thing more dangerous than a burning flame is the mysterious lightning. And so there were enthusiasts who managed not only to conquer this deadly phenomenon (more precisely, a reduced artificially created copy of it), but also to make it play music!

Who created the Tesla coil? Of course the legendary Tesla! But did he think that someday someone would think of using it as a musical instrument?

Pure electricity + plasma speaker + Tesla transformer - these are the three components of a fascinatingly dangerous and very effective instrument, named after the ancient Greek thunder god Zeus. Of course, playing the Zeusaphone does not require direct contact between the musician and the instrument (and also prohibits it!) - the Tesla transformer can be connected to various devices and instruments that the musician owns. Often the coil is connected to a synthesizer. In general, the sound of a zeusaphone is the sound of high voltage (like high-voltage wires sometimes sound, but louder and more melodic), although the whole point here is not as much in the sound as in the show and the very fact: “we make the current play music!”

They can think of everything they can to diversify their musical creations or even make a name for themselves by inventing a new extravagant instrument! We have presented you with 9 of the most unusual musical instruments, but in fact there are many more similar examples. If we took on the task of describing all the strange, outlandish objects that reproduce any sounds, like ethnic instruments of tribes far from civilization or modern devices of the 21st century, an ordinary article on an Internet resource would smoothly turn into a full-fledged book, perhaps even several volumes. Therefore, we have chosen instruments that are truly worth your attention, where their unusualness is harmoniously combined with a beautiful original sound. If you are only a listener in the music industry, but our text has awakened in you the desire to try yourself as a musician (what if!), we do not recommend starting with some very unusual instrument. Firstly, most of them are very rare and, accordingly, very expensive, and secondly, to master the basics of musical skills, it is best to start with something more ordinary. And teachers are easy to find (in some cases, video lessons on YouTube are enough), and buying is much easier and more affordable. For example, in the online store of musical instruments www.robik-music.com. Here you will find many types of different instruments: from the well-known guitars and pianos to less common ethnic ones. If you are a professional musician, then we recommend that you take a look at the website of this store. There is not only a huge selection here traditional instruments, and even DJ equipment, sound equipment and, of course, lighting equipment, with the help of which you will make your performance more vibrant and spectacular, without resorting to the use of Tesla coils, laser harps and other instruments that are too rare to purchase.

10

The octobass is an instrument that stands out, first of all, for its size: the largest specimens can reach a height of 4.5 meters and be 2 meters wide. It appeared as a result of experiments by violin makers who believed that the dimensions of the double bass body were not large enough for low sounds. With the creation of this impressive instrument, they managed to solve the problem: the octabs range is from C subcontractave (16.4 Hz) to A counteroctave (55 Hz), thus, there was no point in creating lower-sounding instruments of this kind, since the lower limit of the audible range for human (16 Hz - 20 kHz), and lower sounds would simply not be audible. However, the octobass did not become widespread due to the fact that it did not have the expected strength and richness of sound. Nevertheless, this instrument can still be found today in some musical performances. Due to its impressive size, the technique of playing the octobass has its own characteristics. It is played while standing, standing on a special stool. In this case, the strings are pressed using a special manual mechanism - for this purpose, 7 levers are made in the octobass, which allow you to simultaneously press all the strings on any of the frets, from 1 to 7, respectively.

9 Cigarbox guitar

From the name of this stringed instrument, you might think that it is made from a cigar box. This is true! Initially, cigar boxes were made from cigar boxes, as well as other suitable containers. This is due to the fact that often the first creators of this instrument (black American slaves of the 19th century) did not have the opportunity to buy a guitar, but they had the desire to play, resourcefulness and available materials. Why did you usually come across cigar boxes? The fact is that at that time cigars were stored and transported in wooden boxes, which, as they say, were not made from the worst wood. Naturally, as a rule, no one kept these boxes, and a lot of them were thrown away.

8


Essentially, this instrument is a modernization of the guitar by adding additional strings to expand its sound range and other practical purposes. Exist different variants execution: shapes and design depend only on the skill and imagination of the master.

7

Conceptually, this tool is in some ways the opposite of the previous one. Figuratively speaking, a zither is a harp with a neck and frets.

Depending on the size, the zither has from 17 to 47 strings. The first four or five strings, located above the fretted fretboard, usually play the main melody, and the rest provide chord accompaniment. The zither was most popular among residents of Austria and Germany in the 18th century.

6 Hurdy-gurdy (organist)


An ancient musical instrument that produces a buzzing, drawn-out sound that occurs due to the friction of the strings on a wheel rotated by the musician. Some strings play the main melody using rod-keys, while others produce a constant bourdon background.

5 Wheelharp

An original modern instrument that has some similarities in the principle of sound production with a hurdy-gurdy: the sound also appears as a result of the friction of a rotating drum on the strings. But that's where the similarities end. When you press a key, the mechanism moves the corresponding string towards the drum, the surface of which is covered with rosin. In addition to the keyboard with a range of 3-5 octaves, two pedals are used for playing. The left pedal controls the damper (muffles the sound of the strings), and the right pedal controls the rotation speed of the drum.

4 Glukophone and hang


The glucophone, like the previous instrument, is a modern invention. Initially, its prototype was made from a gas cylinder. The glucophone consists of two bowls, on one of which there are petals (drum reeds), and on the other there is a resonating hole. Each bowl is tuned to give you the clarity and rich overtones you need. Various modifications are possible: changing the geometry of the impact elements, changing the volume of the tool and the thickness of the body wall.

Hang is a metal percussion instrument similar to a glucophone. Unlike the glucophone, instead of sounding reeds, the hang has 7-8 tonal areas surrounding the central dome on one of the hemispheres.

3


A rare musical instrument consisting of glass hemispheres of various sizes strung on a horizontal rotating metal axis. The package of hemispheres is partially immersed in a resonator box with diluted vinegar, due to which the edges of the hemispheres are constantly moistened. Immediately after its creation (mid-17th century), the harmonica began to captivate composers, musicians and just listeners with its magical, fabulous and, at times, mysterious sounds. They wrote these for her famous composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Strauss. However, despite such success and universal sympathy, due to various prejudices and superstitions, the harmonica began to lose its popularity, and in some cities in Germany it was even banned. As a result, glass harmonicas became rare by the twentieth century.

2

An instrument with a long history and wide geography. Archaeological finds and ethnographic studies confirm that it was common among many peoples throughout To the globe. U different nations this instrument is known under different names: khomus, jaw's harp, kumyz, shankobyz, temir-khomus, yayar baths, maultrommel dan moi, kousyan, marranzano, doromb, mukkuri, morchang, dambrialis, etc. Apart from slight differences in the shape and materials used during production, the general principles of playing and sound production are similar. To play, the instrument is held by hand and pressed with the body against the teeth so that nothing interferes free vibration reed, which is the primary source of sound. The tongue is set in motion by the performer's free hand. Sound amplification occurs due to the oral cavity, which acts as a resonator. Accordingly, changes in the pitch and timbre of sound occur through changes in articulation, breathing and other techniques, among which there are both simple and those requiring some skill of the performer.

1

An electromusical instrument designed and created in 1919 by Russian inventor Lev Sergeevich Termen in Petrograd. Since the creation of the first one (“Classic”, with two antennas), several modifications and upgrades of the instrument have been created.

In the first, classic models, created by Lev Theremin himself, sound control occurs as a result of the free movement of the performer's hands in an electromagnetic field near two metal antennas. The performer plays while standing. Changing the pitch of the sound is achieved by moving the hand closer to the right antenna, while the volume of the sound is controlled by bringing the other hand closer to the left antenna. It is this model of theremin that is most widely used in the world.

The hydraulic phone is a strange acoustic musical instrument that operates on the principle of converting vibrations of liquids into sound. It has several holes through which streams of water shoot and when one of the streams is blocked, the instrument produces a sound formed not by air, but by water. It was invented by Canadian scientist and engineer Steve Mann. The world's largest hydraulic phone is located in the Ontario Science Center, Canada.

Theremin is an electromusical instrument created by Russian physicist and inventor Lev Theremin in 1919. The main part Theremin are two high-frequency oscillating circuits tuned to a common frequency. Electrical vibrations of sound frequencies are created by a generator using vacuum tubes, the signal is passed through an amplifier and converted into sound by a loudspeaker. Playing the theremin involves the performer controlling its operation by changing the position of the palms near the antennas of the instrument. By moving the hand around the rod, the performer adjusts the pitch of the sound, and gesturing around the arc allows one to influence the volume. By changing the distance of the musician's palms to the instrument's antenna, the inductance of the oscillatory circuit changes, and as a result, the frequency of the sound. One of the first and most prominent performers on this instrument was the American musician Clara Rockmore.

Only a musician with excellent hearing can master the theremin, for the reason that in this case it is simply impossible to rely on tactile sensations. The theremin has successfully survived to this day, although it has not gained widespread popularity. It is used not only to perform musical compositions, but also, for example, to create sound special effects in the film industry.

The instrument, named “Chrysalis” by its creator, makes one believe that music can be extracted from the most unusual objects. It was created in the 70s and resembles a harp with a resonator. The shape was inspired by the Mayan stone calendar. It consists of two wooden wheels with strings, and they rotate freely in different directions. Despite its simplicity, it contains the author's technology. As the author, Chris Foster, explained in his book, when listening to this instrument, one can imagine that it is the wind playing a harp.

The Peterson Tuner company decided to combine alcohol and music and came up with a unique musical instrument. It consists of beer bottles into which air is blown. Bottles filled with mineral oil are carefully arranged in a walnut wooden frame. Air pump, which is controlled and controlled by a keyboard, pumps air into the bottles and the musician can produce the required sounds.

Huaca

The instrument is made from three connected clay vessels and can produce three different sounds at the same time. In 1980, Sharon Rowel created it after two years of research. But he was not the first to play the huaca. The first was Alan Tower. He not only played, but also recorded a disc with unusual music. The instrument itself is designed on the principle of a piano. Externally, the huaca, consisting of three chambers, resembles the lungs and heart of a person. Each camera is tuned to a specific sound, but in general, the sound of a huaqui resembles the sound of a flute.

CASIO DG-10

This is a plastic guitar with plastic strings. The volume of the sound depends on the force of the blow on the strings. Even those with zero level of training can play it.

This experimental musical instrument uses corrugated tubes for sound production, which are abundant in medicine, mechanics and construction. The good thing about such tubes is that they can be bent in any way you like without breaking them.

A musical sound is produced when the air encounters the intricacies of corrugation - you know how unprosaic corrugated water pipes sometimes sound in bathrooms after renovation.

The corrugated horn instrument includes several tubes of different lengths - they produce musical sounds different heights. A cunning wind instrument that looks like an octopus was invented and mastered by a certain Bart Hopkin. You can listen to how he plays it online here:

The favorite musical instrument of pyromaniacs.

The word "pyrophone" literally translates as "sound of fire." The instrument consists of a series of pipes, like an organ or calliope. However, instead of air or water, as in a hydraulic phone, propane or gasoline is supplied to the tubes. A pyrophone is a very dangerous instrument to use. Fire inspectors issue permits for pyrophone concerts only for very large bribes. Such risk perceptions look and sound like this:

A pyrophone is also called a thermoacoustic organ. In some models, the pipes are cooled with liquid nitrogen. If they are not cooled, the tool will become disposable.

Cajon

This instrument was once invented by African slaves brought to the original Indian country of Peru. Cajon is a wooden box used as percussion instrument. There is a resonator hole in the box, the opposite side is made of plywood. Musicians bang on plywood, usually while smoking weed. Cajon is very easy to make yourself, fortunately there is plywood over our Parises - at least you knock. They say that the best resonance is obtained if you play the cajon while stripping naked.

Looks like a TV antenna. Such a harp is played not by plucking, but by stroking its pipe-strings with a hand wearing a glove rubbed with rosin. Pipes are hollow, usually made of aluminum. They are located horizontally.

HANG

The unusual musical instrument hang is two oblate hemispheres made of brass, half a millimeter thick, with a diameter of 250 millimeters, tightly connected to each other. The upper part - the ding - is cut in such a way that eight segments with reeds are formed on its surface, sounding from light touches. Each of the seven reeds corresponds to one note, and the eighth sounds like F-sharp. The lower part of the hang is a resonator called “gu”; it greatly enhances the strength of the sound, evens out the timbre and gives the melody a special appeal due to its light vibration. The instrument was created by engineer Felix Rohner and musician Sabine Scherer in 2002. Later they complicated the task and designed a one-piece hang with better acoustic characteristics. The new instrument was shown to the public in 2009.

Swiss Hang Drum German Hang Drum Russian Hang Drum




Otamaton

It is quite justifiably called the singing tadpole. This Japanese invention really looks funny: like a note with eyes and a mouth. By pressing the head and manipulating the “tail,” the gadget is activated and makes the most amusing sounds. What can the Japanese come up with! This toy instrument is only two years old, but it confidently occupies a position in the market, but, by and large, it is an entertainment market, not a musical one.

Reactoscope

or in other words - a multimedia media table. The thing is unique and, moreover, beautiful. You touch it and it makes a sound, and what’s more, the instrument can be programmed to suit almost any requirement. With the help of a multimedia table, you can not only surprise clubbers, but also delight colleagues and partners with bright presentations, for example, or notify visitors about the variety of menus in a restaurant.

Bonang

— musical greetings from Indonesia. This instrument consists of a set of small bronze gongs, which are placed on a wooden stand and fastened together with cords. There is a small bulge in the middle of each gong, which, when struck with a special wooden stick, produces a soft sound. The stick is wrapped with either rope or cotton cloth to give greater depth to the sound. There are male bonangs - with higher wooden sides and convex gongs - and female bonangs - with lower sides and flat gongs.

Organ organ

The barrel organ was the name given to a street musician's instrument that was popular in the Victorian era. It was very easy to play on it. All you had to do was twist the drum handle well, after which the melody would begin.

Essentially, it was a portable mini-organ with pipes, bellows, bolster, reed and valves. As the drum spun, the complex mechanism alternately closed and opened the voids of the tubes from which sounds flowed. But over time, the rollers and valves wore out. The barrel organs began to sound very out of tune. The melodies became different from the original polkas and waltzes.

Then they tried to replace the valves with sheets of thick paper in which holes were cut. This discovery made it possible to make barrel organs of smaller sizes.

Patrick Mathis, a musical innovator from France, recreated and improved the instrument of his ancestors. With his barrel organ he creates classical and modern works.

"Car"

Lynn Faulks is a unique person, one of a kind. He devoted more than 50 years to art in the Art Nouveau style, the motto of which is the saying: “The more unusual, the better.” Lynn created many paintings, sculptures and other creations. But his most beloved creation is the “machine”. This strange, bulky device consists of a drum set equipped with horns, rattles, xylophones and bells. It also has foot-operated electric bass.

Although the set-up is extremely complex, everyone feels that Faulks plays with great ease. Don't let appearances fool you. Our genius is the most meticulous perfectionist. This character trait even attracted film directors to him. Over the course of seven years, they filmed a film about how their hero slowly painted two of his paintings.

Cat piano

We sincerely hope that the cat piano will never be recreated. Detailed description a fantastic musical instrument called the Katzenklavier (that is, cat piano) was published in a book. The octave is made up of cats, ordered according to the timbre of the voice. Their tails extend towards the keyboard, equipped with nails. When you press a key, the nail hits the cat, and it makes a corresponding sound. Br-r.

Yukelin.

The musical instrument yukelin was born as a result of crossing the Hawaiian ukulele and the classical violin. The peak of mass production of yukelins occurred between the 1920s and 1970s in the United States. You can play the instrument either like a violin, or, placing it on your knees, pluck the strings with one hand and use the bow with the other. The yukelin has 16 strings and four chords.

RUMITON

Rumiton is one of the most amazing musical instruments of all. It consists of hollow tubes placed on a rotating metal platform that produce soft sounds when touched and rotated.

UNZELLO

By appearance Unzello is more like Copernicus's model of the universe. Unlike a traditional cello, this one uses a round aquarium as a resonator.

Yaybahar

Yaybahar is one of the strangest musical instruments to come from the Middle East. This acoustic instrument has strings connected to coiled springs that are stuck into the center of the drum frames. When the strings play, the vibrations echo around the room, like echoing in a cave or inside a metal sphere, creating a hypnotic sound

KAZOO

This instrument is widely used in skiffle music.

This musical style is a type of American folk music. It is related to blues and jazz. This trend is relatively young, as it took shape at the beginning of the twentieth century in the vicinity of New Orleans, which is considered the cradle of jazz music. This singing with accompaniment on improvised musical instruments Skiffle is absolutely simple and unpretentious music, since it does not require deep knowledge and the ability to play any musical instrument well, which can be played by anything...

Martenot waves

The electrophone, designed in the 20s of the last century by the Frenchman Maurice Martineau, became the prototype of modern keyboard synthesizers. Equipped with a retractable panel with buttons, filter banks and switchable speakers. One of the unusual features of the control is a thread with a ring that fits on the index finger of the left hand. Sounds from the instrument are produced by combining the tension of this thread with pressing the keys. Gained fame thanks to the composer Olivier Messe

And in this video you can also get acquainted with some unusual musical instruments

Theremin

Many have heard this musical instrument without knowing it, for example, in old horror films.

The Theremin was invented by Russian scientist Lev Theremin in 1928. It produces a rather unusual, even slightly creepy, vibrating sound that many underground musicians adore. However, it was the sound of the instrument that prevented it from gaining widespread popularity. Playing the theremin involves the musician changing the distance from his hands to the antennas of the instrument, due to which the pitch of the sound changes.

Banjolele

Despite the fact that both the banjo and the ukulele quickly gained an army of numerous fans, the hybrid of these two instruments, the banjolele, never became popular. It's essentially a very small banjo, only with four strings instead of five. The instrument produces a pleasant, soothing sound, but it is quite problematic for people with large hands to play it. Maybe that’s why, or maybe because of the cacophony of its name, the banjolele has remained a niche instrument.

Omnicord

Omnicord is an electronic musical instrument introduced by Suzuki in 1981. Sounds in it are created by pressing the button corresponding to the chord and striking a special metal plate. Being incredibly easy to use, the omnicord had every chance of becoming popular, especially among new musicians. But he never did. The famous melody from the British Clint Eastwood song Gorillaz bands is perhaps the most famous work played on this musical instrument.

Baritone guitar

Both the bass guitar and the guitar are some of the most popular instruments in the world. However, as in the case of banjolele, their hybrid, despite its deep and rich sound, was not particularly widespread. Due to their design, such guitars sound much lower than ordinary ones. Nowadays they are sometimes used in recording studios to give the main guitar part a richer tone.

Glucophone

Despite the cacophony of its name, this instrument produces very pleasant sounds. Most of all it looks like a metal hand drum. It consists of two bowls, on one of which there are “tongues” of the drum, and on the other there is a resonating hole. Each bowl can be fine-tuned.

The instrument has found some popularity among street musicians, but it still cannot be called mass.

Keytar

In the 80s, on the wave of popularity of pop music, this instrument almost entered the mainstream. Almost…

In essence, this is an ordinary synthesizer enclosed in a plastic guitar case. As with previous hybrids, it is mainly played only as needed. One of its main advantages is its compactness.

Few people know that Matthew Bellamy, leader of the popular British band Muse, regularly uses the keyboard at his performances.

Wind synthesizer "Evi"

"Evi" is the most popular wind synthesizer, but is still unknown to a huge number of music fans. It is a mixture of saxophone and synthesizer. The principle of playing it is almost the same as the saxophone. However, the “synthesizer past” of the instrument makes it possible to connect it to a computer.

Electronium

The most mysterious instrument in our selection. It was invented by inventor Raymond Scott. Little is known about it, other than that it is a huge prototype of a modern synthesizer. The only remaining Electronium belongs to composer Mark Mothersbaugh, and even that doesn't work.

Musical saw

This saw differs from a regular saw only in that it can bend much more strongly. When playing, the musician rests one end of it on his thigh and holds the other end with his hand. The sound is produced with a special bow. It must be said that the unusual sound of the saw can be heard in the compositions of some folk groups. However, it has not become widespread outside the ethnic music genre.

"Waves of Martino"

Perhaps the most unusual instrument in the selection. It was invented by Maurice Martineau in 1928. The sound of the instrument is simultaneously reminiscent of a violin and a theremin. The design of the French invention is quite complex: when playing, the musician needs to simultaneously press the keys and pull a special ring. By the way, Radiohead member Jonny Greenwood used “Waves of Morteno” when recording several songs, giving them a unique sound