7 of the Most Unusual Musical Instruments Around the World
Unusual things always fascinate us. Whether it is a weird sound, smell, or object, our senses are attracted to bizarre things. In a world full of music creation, you may find a lot of musical instruments that may look weird. Musical Instruments
Most of us consider a musical instrument to be an object that creates a resonating frequency to generate a sound when we play it. These may include some easily identifiable instruments because they are used more often, like Guitar, Piano, Violin, drum, etc.
But some other instruments generate sounds that are not easy to forget. These instruments are unique to some specific cultures that may not have gained worldwide recognition. However, these instruments are worth talking about as, just like other musical instruments, they have many benefits other than creating beautiful sounds.
In this blog post, we will mention some of the most unusual musical instruments around the globe. So, let’s have a look at them. Musical Instruments
Cimbalom
Cimbalom is one of the strange instruments that may look like the inside of a baby grand piano. It has as many as 125 strings running on a wooden box resting on four legs. Along with being an unusual instrument, it is one of the oldest ones dating back to Hungary from the Middle Ages.
You have to strike two cotton-tipped mallets on the strings to play it. It will create a distinctive sound that sounds like a harpsichord. However, Cimbalom’s strings are grouped in threes, fours, and fives, and each of these groups is tuned to a corresponding pitch. In addition, these string groups are divided by two or three bridges to create different pitch ranges.
Erhu
The next instrument in this list is named Erhu. It is a small Chinese bowed string instrument with Mongolian origins. It has a stick-like wooden neck with a small wooden resonance chamber covered in python skin. Both are strung along with two silk strings tensioned by chunky tuning pegs at the top.
The bow, made up of bamboo or wood, is strung with horse’s tail hair intertwined with silk strings. It makes the bow an integral part of the body of the erhu. The two silk strings are tuned at intervals of a fifth, and when they are bowed, the instrument sounds much more like a violin. To play it, you must softly depress the strings to stop the notes or generate an effect.
Pikasso Guitar
Pikasso Guitar is another string instrument that you may not have seen before. It’s like four guitars, four string sections, and 42 strings. This guitar was made by master luthier Kinda Manzer for jazz guitarist Pat Metheny in the 1970s. It has a wedge-shaped body that gives the player a good view of all the strings.
However, the weirdest thing about this instrument is that two of its string sections do not have fretboards. But they are strummed while chord shapes may be formed in unison on the main fretboard. Moreover, this unusual instrument is known as the Pikasso guitar because it looks very weird, just like its namesake’s paintings. Buy Guitars in UAE
Glass Harmonica
An unusual but beautiful instrument invented in 1967 is the Glass Harmonica. It was invented by founding father and inventor Benjamin Franklin. This instrument can be defined by imagining a table full of wine glasses of several sizes, filled with varying degrees of liquid, and then being played the way they are typically played.
It feels like your fingertips running over the glass lips to create a sweet melody. The instrument allows its player to construct melodic lines and chords to get some astonishing sound. Furthermore, lovers of sweet sonic weirdness still play the glass harmonica. Recorder classes in Dubai, Flute Classes in Dubai. Buy Wind Instruments in UAE
Sarangi
Next on the list is the Sarangi, a musical instrument with a rectangular wooden box and three strings played with a bow or plucked like a guitar. It is considered a traditional Indian instrument that is weird in its complexity and evocative sound.
The body of Sarangi is carved with a piece of wood. And it has three stomachs or sound chambers generally covered in goatskin. More than 37 thin steel strings rest between the soundboard and three main gut strings. However, the wooden box is strung with horsetail hair and held horizontally. When this instrument is plated, it sings like a human singing or meows like a cat.
Duduk
The Duduk, also known as the Armenian oboe, is one of the most ancient and unusual instruments. It has origins in Armenia, as you can guess from the name, and is inseparable from the cultural identity of its inventors. However, this instrument won the hearts of music lovers over the centuries beyond Armenia.
That’s why it has travelled worldwide and, in this process, made some changes in its design. It is an instrument with a long cane along with holes in its length and mouthpiece on one end. In addition, it has a wooden body that gives it a unique and incredible ability to resonate, unlike most flutes.
Hydraulophone
The hydraulophone is the only water-powered musical instrument invented by Canadian scientist and artist Ryan Janzen. It may look like a weird wind instrument with all its finger holes. However, it works more like a pipe organ.
As the name shows, it's a water-based instrument; water is pumped into its body, moving through several pipes and out again via the finger holes. The player reduces the water jets with his fingertips which modulates the water pressure and creates sound frequency variations. This instrument may sound weird because water is weirdly wonderful at some times.
Summing Up
So that’s the list of some strange and magical musical instruments that show that weirdly does not have to be gimmicky. Furthermore, if you want to buy musical instruments in UAE browse Melodica Music Store for a wide range of instruments.
If you're searching for best music classes in Dubai and dance classes in Dubai, we invite you to join us at our music school and studio. We offer excellent instruction in both areas.
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